Having started her career drumming with such artists as Ricky Martin, Clean Bandit, Taio Cruz, and Sam Sparro, Laura Fares (aka LAU) followed her love of electronic music by launching her own musical project and co-founding the synthpop / synthwave / retrowave label Aztec Records. The most recent LAU album, “Digital Dream,” blends retro influences with modern touches and top-notch songwriting. Over Zoom, Fares discussed her career and the new album.
Were there any particular differences in your approach or process in making this album as opposed to your previous work?
Laura Fares: Well, I wanted to touch on different subjects on this album, with technology being one of them—the stress of social media that we all face today, and AI, including both the good side and the bad side of it. Digital Dream, the title track of the album, talks about that, basically, especially as independent musicians trying to create content all the time and to be seen. A lot has changed in the last two or three years since I’ve released an album. So it’s a different ball game, and they keep changing this game of releasing music. So it’s quite stressful.
I also run an independent record label with a lot of indie artists, and we’re all going through the same thing. We’re all trying to figure out how it works—how to be seen, how to create content. We didn’t really sign up to be video editors and social media influencers or anything like that. So it’s tricky. We have to wear a lot of hats to make it happen, to be seen, to promote an album. Whereas before, you just went on tour, met some fans, and that was about it. So yeah, that was the main theme of the album.
While changes can be stressful, are there any that particularly excite you?
Laura Fares: Yeah, absolutely. So it’s the good and the bad. The good thing is you can record albums remotely, and that’s what I did with this album. Most of the producers I haven’t met in person—I only know them via Zoom. We did recording sessions at a distance. They are from all over the world, from America to the UK, Italy, et cetera. So that is the good side of technology, and I think it started with the pandemic. We started doing more and more video calls, and now it’s like second nature. But yes, I mean, the good side is you can promote yourself. You can put out a record in very little time with very little effort.
I feel like the music industry changes constantly. We have to be on top of things. We have to relearn every day. We have to understand how the algorithm works. How people consume music now is very different from a few years ago. I mean, teenagers and younger generations only consume 20 seconds of a song before they skip to the next. So getting used to all that is really weird. When making an album, I’m making music that you should sit down and listen to for 45 minutes or play on a record player. We do vinyl, cassettes, and CDs as well. So it’s a little overwhelming, and it’s new. I guess it keeps us on our toes.
But yeah, the good and the bad. The good side is that you have vinyl on demand, so you can just manufacture one. You don’t have to manufacture 200–300 vinyl minimum. So that’s a positive in a way. That means we can all have vinyl, we can all do it. It’s not restricting anymore. So yeah, there’s good and there’s bad. It excites me to learn and to grow and to understand this new way of communication, which is social media—learning how to communicate and to tell stories through TikTok. It’s not as easy as it seems, especially when we are of a certain age, over 40, and we come from a more traditional sort of music industry.
In terms of working remotely, are there specific ways it has impacted your music? Perhaps working with people you might not have collaborated with otherwise? Or the overall process?
Laura Fares: Yeah. Well, a good example is two songs that I did with Akras, who is a Finnish producer. I would love to go and meet him in Finland in person, but it hasn’t happened yet. I met him because we released a compilation on Aztec Records a while ago. One of his songs was on it, and I absolutely loved the way he produced it. I just got in touch and said, “Hey, I’m writing an album. Do you maybe want to write a song or two?”
It was great because it wasn’t just sending files back and forth, which is something we normally would do. He actually set a time—he set eight hours of studio time in his studio—and we were connected for those eight hours. So it felt like we were in the same room. We were sending ideas, connecting, and doing calls. We did like 10 or 20 calls that day, back and forth. Every little thing he changed, I tweaked. I recorded an idea, sent it back. So it really felt like we were in the same room, even though we weren’t.
I know there is software now that allows you to record on the same session together simultaneously with very little latency. We didn’t need to do that, but still, for me, it was a first in that respect.
And also, something different that I did for this album is I ended up mixing a couple of the songs myself. I dared to mix because normally I would send it to a mixing engineer and mastering engineer. On this occasion, there were a couple of songs where I felt confident enough to mix them. I’ve always been a producer, and I’ve always guided engineers and producers that work with me. So I felt like I would give it a go, and I’m quite happy with the results. I’d probably start doing that for future records as well.
You’re a very strong songwriter, and the electronic elements and production also play a big role in your music. What is the interplay like between those elements in your overall creative process?
Laura Fares: I have a clear style that I love, which is synth pop, retrowave, synthwave. So synths always have to be at the forefront of my songs. It’s just the way I like it, but I am more on the pop side — so artists like Robyn or Christine and the Queens: there are lots of different artists that inspire me, and, of course, artists from the eighties as well. To me, that’s the basis of what I do.
So if there’s a basic beat that a producer sends me — a loop or whatever — I’d need to add lots of synths to it. Normally, I would add a synth line or a lead synth. I’ve got my Roland Gaia that I use, or my Roland SPD-S drum pad. I’m also a drummer and percussionist, so I always add electronic drum machines, etc. To me, that’s the signature sound that needs to be there. I love melody. I love harmony. So you’ll hear lots of harmonies, lots of layers, and rhythm. There has to be a lot of rhythm.
The way I sing is quite rhythmic. There’s a band called Haim that really inspires me — the way she sings, and her and her sisters — super rhythmic. I’ve been compared to them a little bit, but I just feel like I sing rhythmically. Maybe it’s because I was a drummer for 15–20 years.
So yeah, it goes in stages. Sometimes I write a song on an acoustic guitar, and then I start working on it with a producer or just some basic chords, and we keep developing from there. But most of the time, I need to have some synths and some eighties influence in there. That’s what really pulls at my heartstrings.
In terms of that influence of eighties pop music, are there particular ways that you strive to take it into new directions, specific ways that you want to stand apart from the original wave of artists that used these types of sounds?
Laura Fares: I think it’s about bringing the influence from the eighties into a modern setting. So the lyrics are current — everything that happens to me nowadays. Every album has been a chapter in my life, very clear and very marked. I just love the use of lots of arpeggiators, pads, and layers of synths. I think that embellishes and makes this wall of sound a bit fuller.
I don’t use analog synths — I don’t have them in my studio. I know some of my producers do, or producers I’ve worked with in the past like Richard X, etc. They have loads of analog synths. For me, everything is “in the box.” It’s quite a simple setup. But yeah, I focus on the songwriting, and I want that sort of nostalgic sound to come through. I think that’s really important.
But with a current twist, obviously. The production sound should feel like it’s from today, but with a strong influence from the eighties — that’s the idea.
Could you talk about your early career and how it led you to what you’re doing now?
Laura Fares: Yeah. I started as a drummer and percussionist. That was what I studied at university. I went off on tour with different bands, and the sessions gradually became bigger and bigger. I was playing for pop stars like Ricky Martin, Taio Cruz, Clean Bandit, The Wanted, and a few others. It was great because I learned a lot about touring with major signed artists, working with major labels, the whole surrounding and entourage that comes with these people, and the work ethic as well—really, really inspiring. They would always be recording on tour, working on the next hit in the hotel. It was incredible. They don’t waste any time, so that was really inspiring.
But I was always sort of leaning towards pop and synth pop and electronics. I think what set me apart at the time was that I liked to sample, and I liked to produce. I was also a DJ, and I had my SPD-S, my Roland drum pad. I think that set me apart from just a normal, standard acoustic drummer. I was getting gigs that other people weren’t getting. For example, the Sam Sparro gig—he was really big with Black and Gold and other songs—and they wanted someone that could use SPD-S, sample, and use triggers on the drums. I liked the production side as well, and I think that gave me an edge. Naturally, I started veering towards production, DJing, and electronics.
Now I’m at this stage of my career where I’ve become a singer and songwriter, focusing on that. But it’s something I’ve always been doing in the background—producing other artists, writing for other artists, releasing records behind the scenes. In the last four years or so, I’ve launched myself as a solo artist and made that step forward. And here we are with album number three, Digital Dream.
At this point, how do you balance your time between your solo material and the label and other aspects of your career?
Laura Fares: It is not easy. I sort of set days and times—I literally have to put it on the schedule. I use different parts of my brain. If I’m in a creative mode, I need to switch off all emails and not think about the business side at all. I just have to focus and go with the flow. And that’s not easy. I need to set up and make sure I have that time and peace around me. I need harmony around me so I can focus and create. Otherwise, the day-to-day is just running the label with my business partner, Ariel. We manage around 50 artists. We release their albums, guide them on their journey and careers, et cetera. It takes a lot of energy and creativity, and a lot of listening hours—it’s quite exhausting.
So that’s a big part of my life. Then there’s my own writing, releasing, and career, including touring. I set specific dates and try to switch off around 6–7 PM so I don’t burn out. Otherwise, yeah, I think I’d collapse.
Are you going to be touring in support of this album?
Laura Fares: Yeah. So I’ve got a couple of gigs in Barcelona and possibly Madrid as well, early next year. Then in April, I’m going to America—California, hopefully Arizona, and New York. I’ve got about three or four gigs. I’ll be announcing the exact dates, venues, et cetera, in the new year. So yeah, that’s it for now.
What is your approach to presenting this music live in terms of instrumentation?
Laura Fares: Normally, I would have a guitarist for sure because most of my songs have a guitar solo somewhere, and a percussionist. So it’ll be electronic drums—a hybrid kit with some real cymbals and a hi-hat, but also an SPD-S, which is how I normally write the songs. I play a little bit of synths and I sing. That’s usually the setup for touring. We’ll see—it varies from city to city. So we’ll see who comes on this journey next year.
I know you’re from Argentina, you spent time in the UK, and now you’re in Barcelona, Spain. What impact does location have on your music and your career in general?
Laura Fares: I think the influence is massive. The first album I wrote was Believer, and I wrote it during the pandemic in London. It was a very sad time—not just because of the pandemic and everything that was going on in the world, but I was also going through a break-up. And the weather in London—it can be quite harsh if you’re not surrounded by the right people at the right time. It was a hard time. So that first album was quite dark.
Then Brexit happened, and I decided to move to Barcelona about four years ago. The albums started to get a little more cheerful. I think being by the beach, falling in love again, moving on, et cetera, really helped my emotional health, my mental health, et cetera. I do a lot of sports here in Barcelona—outdoor stuff—so I think it definitely helps. Even though I don’t intentionally notice it, it’s there for sure.
For more info, visit aztecrecords.com/collections/lau.
