In response to years of allegations of sexual misconduct, Bassnectar announced on Friday that he would be stepping away from his music career indefinitely.
"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," he wrote in the statement posted to Twitter. "I feel intense compassion for anyone I may have hurt. I truly hope you allow me a chance to work together toward healing."
As EDM.comreports, his statement follows the creation of an Instagram account named @evidenceagainstbassnectar that has spent the past week publishing allegations against the renowned DJ, whose legal name is Lorin Ashton.
The accusations range from coercion and manipulation of adults, to heinous crimes of grooming and pedophilia. The account alleges Bassnectar engaged in relationships with several underaged teen girls throughout his career.
In his statement, Ashton denies criminal behavior, but admits that some of his actions may have "caused pain.”
"The rumors you are hearing are untrue, but I realize some of my past actions have caused pain, and I am deeply sorry," he continued. "I am handing off our nonprofit Be Interactive to a diverse team to continue without my involvement moving forward. Sometime in the future I may share more thoughts on these matters, but for now, please take care of each other and I wish you all the brightest future."
Earlier today, a Tumblr account created by a woman named Lauren shared a post recounting her own experience with Ashton’s alleged toxic behavior.
Bassnectar previously denied allegations against him in a statement released on June 29, per EDM.com. "I have never been involved in anything that was not absolutely, unequivocally consensual," the statement reads.
Collaborators, employees of Bassnectar, and other artists have started to release statements in support of survivors of the alleged abuse.
