Bassnectar Announces Retirement After Accusations Of Sexually Grooming Underage Girls

The popular EDM producer Bassnectar has announced that he will be stepping away from his music career, after numerous young women have come forward to tell their stories about inappropriate sexual encounters that they had with him while they were underage.

In a message posted to all of his social media accounts, Bassnectar, whose real name is Lorin Ashton, denied any illegal acts, but recognized that some of his behavior may have been harmful.

“I am stepping back from my career and I am stepping down from my position of power and privilege in this community because I want to take responsibility and accountability. I feel intense compassion for anyone I may have hurt. I truly hope you allow me a chance to work together toward healing,” Ashton said.

Rumors of Ashton’s fixation with young girls had been circulating in the industry for years, but they didn’t gain much traction until now because the victims were afraid to come forward, and those who did were bullied into silence.

Ashton’s victims say that he is extremely manipulative and was grooming them from a young age when they were very vulnerable and impressionable. One of the victims shared a recording on Instagram which appears to be a conversation with Ashton, where he asks her if she wants him to end up in jail for his actions.

Ashton was finally forced to publicly address the accusations after an Instagram page called “Evidence Against Bassnectar“ popped up last week. The page shows dozens of screenshots of alleged victims discussing how they were groomed by Ashton and manipulated into sexual relationships while they were underage. The page also featured personal messages and emails with Ashton, as well as recorded phone conversations.

In a lengthy statement just for his fans in the “Love Here“ Facebook group, Ashton attempted to explain his behavior and distance his actions from what he perceives as legitimate sexual assault. His post seems to indicate that he draws a line between violent sexual assault, and situations where a victim is subjected to manipulation or other forms of coercion, which is what he is being accused of. He also doesn’t address the allegations that a large number of these girls were underage when he began sexual relationships with them, saying only that they were “younger” and claiming that they were in college at the time.

“I now understand the dangerous power imbalance that is present when engaging romantically with someone who may identify as a fan, and I wish I had been more careful in all of those encounters,” he said.

Screenshots of the statement from the Facebook fan group were posted in an article at Fresh Music Freaks that detailed the evidence against Ashton. The article also discusses how those with positions of power in the entertainment industry are able to take advantage of vulnerable people, and why the victims are usually unable to do anything about it once they realize what has happened.

Many of the alleged victims said that Ashton was extremely manipulative, and the emails and phone messages that they shared seem to confirm these allegations. In light of this information, some EDM fans investigating the case have pointed out that the Bassnectar logo has some striking similarities with the cover of a book called “The Laws of Mental Domination.” The book was published in 1966 and promises to teach the reader how to “hold others spellbound” and “how to dominate and control groups and crowds.”