Lazerbeak on 'Chime'

Aaron Mader, known professionally as Lazerbeak, is a Minneapolis-based artist and producer. Aside from being a founding member of the Doomtree collective, he is also the CEO and General Manager of Doomtree Records, handling the day-to-day operations, management, and inner workings of the crew and label. Over the past decade he has worked with a wide range of artists including Doomtree, Lizzo, Matt and Kim, Trampled By Turtles, Dessa, GAYNGS, P.O.S, Speedy Ortiz, Shredders, Har Mar Superstar, and Craig Finn. In addition to original production, executive production, and songwriting, Beak also works musically behind the scenes on commercials, movie trailers, TV shows, and remixes. 

 

Three items of gear you'd bring to a desert island (with a power strip)

MPC Renaissance 

MacBook Pro

Casio SK-1

 

Principle strength--yours and of the other two members.

Dessa, Andy, and myself spent so much time together on this project that it's sometimes hard to remember where one person stopped and the other started. 

Beak: Lil Beak the BassGod. I brought the lava bangers. 

Andy: Triple Threat Thompson. His ear for melody and ability to translate musical ideas instantly is something I'm still in awe of. 

Dessa: The Treblemaker. Dessa's eye for detail and ear for all of the little things is unmatched and the songs are always infinitely better for it. 

 

A few sentences on how your experience of writing music compares to performing it live compares to executive production. 

For me the original writing of the musical ideas is usually the most solitary part. Pure creation, all the ideas I can possibly cram in. The executive production part is quickly becoming my favorite. Whether or not I worked on the beginning musical components, this is the time where I get to think with a more discerning ear and really break down the little details that make up the structure, flow, and overall feel of the album. I rarely even think about the live aspect until a song or album is fully mixed and mastered. Once all the tweaks have been made it's much easier for me to reimagine it in a live context. 

 

Most challenging song on the album to dial in. 

“Good Grief” was a tough one to figure out. We had a lot of cooks, a lot of really strong parts, and a lot of different places the song could go in four minutes. At times it felt like we were working on an entire album in one song. 

 

Favorite song on the album. 

I think “Ride” is currently my favorite. That song started out with a quick little forgotten synth progression a few years back and ended up turning into this really powerful and dynamic opening track. 

 

What mistake(s) did you make during your early years as a producer that you've since corrected? 

I definitely worried too much about current trends and trying to sound like whatever was hot on the radio at the time. Played it too safe and sort of boxed myself into a corner. It wasn't until later that I realized the music myself and others responded to the most was the stuff where I was completely free of any rules. Just making music purely out of inspiration and worrying less about the end result. 

 

Are there any sounds or treatments that are trending now that you avoid because they're on the way to falling out of fashion? 

As much as I want to place on in every 10 seconds of every track I make, I have begrudgingly agreed to strike air horns and explosion sound effects from my arsenal. Sirens are still very much in play though. 

 

What tools do new producers spend too much on? What do they not invest enough in? 

I've never been book smart enough to understand gear that well. Gift and a curse but it definitely has helped me not go bankrupt and forced me pay closer attention to the actual songs instead of all the bells and whistles. The technology and equipment coming out now is incredible, but I do think your best bet is just finding one or two things that work for you and rolling with it for awhile until it becomes second nature. Easy to get swept up in the upgrades. Also, collaboration is by far the area in which I have learned the most about music. Get up and make beats with and for as many artists as you can. When I started out making beats I sat in my basement all day long and never interacted with anyone. It wasn't until I really started to collaborate with other producers and vocalists that I started to uncover a whole new level of production. 

 

What's your favorite snack at Andy's house? 

Peanut butter and cherry pie filling sandwich. No question. 

 

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