Bassnectar to world premiere brand new 23-track live album, ‘Relive Forever’ via livestream listening party [INTERVIEW]
The beauty of spring is here, and the Bassnectar community is bursting with life, love, and hope for the future. To celebrate this time of new growth, Bassnectar is about to release a truly special album which is the first of its kind: an audio-video adventure which is part live album, part continuous DJ mix, and jam-packed with energy.
“We recorded all three sets from our 3-night run in Miami – 8 live crowd mics and tons of energy layered into a first-of-its-kind experience,” the Bassnectar team released in a press statement.
Last week, Bassnectar dropped an early-release sneak peek with 11 tracks from Relive Forever across all major streaming platforms, with the full-scale worldwide release set for May 9.
The project is meant to capture the energy of Bassnectar live performances and legendary DJ sets, including custom mashups which combine the instrumental of one track mixed with the acapella from another – like the “Speakerbox ft. Lafa Taylor and Rollz (Plugged In Mix).” The live mix runs over 70 minutes and includes unreleased bangers like “The Don Dada ft. Dustin Sharpe,” and completely unique versions of classic Bassnectar hits.
To mark the occasion, everyone is invited to join a live global listening party on May 8 at 9:00 pm EST. The intention here is to give bassheads a space to gather, connect, and relive the full experience just hours before it drops worldwide exclusively on Bassnectar’s official YouTube channel.
In the meantime, we caught up with Lorin Ashton for a quick interview on the release. Check it out.
CE: Tell us about Relive Forever – this marks your fifteenth album but somehow it’s a whole new concept. It’s a lot of firsts for you!
Lorin: Yes indeed! This is the first time I’ve ever recorded a live set and released it “officially” on all streaming services. It’s also the first time I’ve released a “continuous DJ mix” or an official mixtape. This thing is loaded with so many layers of audio: all original material, remixes, collaborations, flips, custom edits, live recordings of the audience and so much crowd noise. It’s a throwback to my roots: that old school underground rave culture where everyone takes the same sonic journey together.
CE: So this officially classifies as the first Bassnectar live album?
Lorin: Well, it’s kind of meta: like a remix within a remix within a remix… Basically, I created all these songs over many years, and as I played them out at countless events, I was constantly re-working them into new VIP versions and customized edits. This made the live sets extremely dynamic, with unlimited combinations for how to mash everything together in unique ways. So last New Year’s, we recorded over six hours of my sets across three nights, plus all the microphones to capture the energy from the audience. Then I wove it all back together, with different sections from different nights flowing into each other.
CE: Sounds deep! Was there any specific creative/thematic vision?
Lorin: My intention was to try and capture the essence of that “live event” feeling… being immersed in sound waves, surrounded by friends, vibrating in the heat of a room, hypnotized by the lights and the energy. The whole process was really special to me personally, because I spent like six months dreaming these sets up, breaking songs down into loops and samples, re-working them into new versions, and kind of mapping out these three totally unique audio adventures. Plus, having all the live audio and video recordings of everyone in the room, it’s truly an A/V experience….
CE: And tell us about the name, what does “Relive Forever” mean?
Lorin: Every month on The Other Side, we broadcast an episode of “Relive,” which is like an episodic film series where we literally “re-live” live events from the past by casting an ephemeral moment live and sharing in the nostalgia together as a community. Now that we have done 24 episodes, we wanted to create an episode that could ‘live forever’ in a sense, paying homage to the legacy of this art project and the zillions of human beings who are a part of it and always will be.
Thematically, this new record is emblematic of the Bassnectar art project as a whole: Life is so short, and every moment is so temporary and precious… part of our ethos is to try and slow down time and experience each moment as deeply as possible, to enjoy life, to focus on what matters most, and to try and give your all to the world because every second is one in a zillion…. So this album is kind of like a time capsule which can live on forever. All of the songs and the layers and the sounds trigger so much shared emotion within the network of hundreds of thousands of people who have connected through the live Bassnectar experience.
CE: Sounds like a beautiful creative vision! Okay, so I have another question for you: Back in 2018, before the pandemic shutdown, you often ended your live sets with this iconic phrase: “This is only the beginning.” It seems to have taken on a whole new meaning as of late. Would you agree? What does the phrase mean to you now?
Lorin: That’s a vocal sample from my dear friend, Katrina, who has such a beautiful voice. She did a lot of vocal work for Bassnectar songs like Flashback, and for Be Interactive initiatives, like when we gave out all the free therapy with Better Help. But yeah, I love the concept of that phrase…”this is only the beginning”…it’s like the season of spring, it reignites the creative energy for a new cycle because there is always hope in the future.
CE: Has it been difficult to stay positive in the face of all the negativity and persecution from those Cancel Culture trolls?
Lorin: Honestly, I think social media is so bizarre, so fake, and so toxic. I really don’t know how to talk about it, because it’s so opposite from my normal reality. Those trolls seem sick, they thrive on hate, they circulate blatant nonsense, and I don’t like to focus on them or give them any attention.
Instead, I want to focus on the opposite of that. In reality, I am a gentle person, with a good heart who has never done anything to deserve this kind of nonsense. Anyone who thinks I am capable of doing any kind of whack shit to another person is ridiculous and delusional – I am simply NOT capable of that.
CE: No doubt, it’s a fact that you’re one of the true OG innovators of the bass scene. I can’t imagine where the culture would be today if it weren’t for Bassnectar. So what are your thoughts on all of the naysayers and misinformation spreaders?
Lorin: I truly could not care less. At this point, I got no love left for haters, and no time for their nonsense. And especially now, in this kind of Post-Truth era of disinformation and relentless conflict, I just simply don’t have any interest in anyone who is obsessed with spreading hate. I want to spend my limited time helping other people lead happier, healthier lives. That’s the reality. I love giving back to the world around me, and I’m extremely proud of all the beauty created by the Bassnectar project over the last few decades.
CE: Bro, I feel you! Nobody has the time for negative internet trolls in 2025!
Lorin: For real!!!! I’m so over it. I think everyone is…. It’s just not worth anyone’s time, and meanwhile there is so much to focus on that really matters. Like if you want to make a difference, you could spend your time being nice to others, seeking out someone who needs a friend, finding new ways to support a family member…or even making new friends.
CE: Agreed, it’s such a simple human concept that has become so foreign on social media these days. Speaking of which, it seems like the Bassnectar team has some really magical stuff in the works, can you share a little more about this SSS Project?
Lorin: Well, the whole team of Siren Sound Syndicate has been working for months on this project, and I’m gonna let them decide how they want to unveil it in detail. I can tell you that it’s an interactive campaign designed to share stories about overcoming painful challenges, how each person faced conflict or difficulty, and found healing through our community. Our team leaders, Brandy & Taylor have put a tremendous amount of energy into creating and collaborating with many of the wonderful women of SSS, so I think we should do a follow-up feature and maybe you can interview some of them to share more?
CE: Sounds perfect, you know I’m here for it. Okay, so what’s up with this livestream event tomorrow night?
Lorin: We are HYPED!!!! On Friday, the whole AV album will be released on all streaming platforms. To celebrate, we are gonna host a little ‘watch party’ a few hours before the release, and everyone is invited to join.
CE: Looking forward to it!
Lorin: Thanks again, Ryan! You are an angel!
Bassnectar will be blasting the world premiere of Relive Forever, live and direct, on Thursday, May 8th, at 9 pm EST, exclusively on Bassnectar’s YouTube channel. For now, you can listen to the first part of the LP below!
Bassnectar – Relive Forever LP
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Information seeker. Dog lover. PhD drop out. College professor by day, EDM photographer by night.