Lavier swung by to chat about his new album called Azimuth, his journey as a visual artist and producer, and what’s to come for him in 2026.
Pittsburgh-based dubstep producer Lavier is an artist of a multitude of mediums. With art and music being such a huge part of his life from a young age, it’s only natural that he’d pursue an artistic career as an adult. Having a decade of producing under his belt, he’s been steadily grinding in his local scene and beyond, but it’s clear that he’s hit a real stride in 2025.
This year, Lavier has played at festivals like Big Dub and Fire Lights, as well as coveted clubs like Flash DC and his own headline at The Black Box in Denver. He’s also just announced a massive show to end 2025 on a high note at Nocturnal New Year’s in Mississippi. And on the release front, Lavier left everyone impressed with the release of his latest album, Azimuth, which features a tasteful blend of dubstep, downtempo, and experimental bass sonics
As the end of the year draws near, we had the chance to sit down with Lavier following the release of his latest album, Azimuth, to learn more about the album, his local scene in Pittsburgh, and more. Keep reading for our conversation, and be sure to stream his exclusive guest mix, which gives you a slice of what his album release party was like last weekend.
Stream EDMID Guest Mix 486 || Lavier on SoundCloud:
Hey Lavier, thanks for chatting with us today. Let’s dive in by exploring your new album, Azimuth, which is defined as a mathematical measurement. Can you start by sharing a little about the story behind the album and its overall theme?
Yeah! I don’t remember how, but I stumbled on the phrase “shooting an azimuth” while trying to figure out what to call this project. The description I found describes it as picking an object in the distance and using it in combination with a compass to maintain a bearing on where you’re heading. I really connected with that in terms of how I think about my project as a whole, making sure I’m staying the course and staying true to my own principles on how I go about things.
Was there anything about the production process on this project that felt especially noteworthy or unique? What usually sparks ideas or helps you get into a flow state when creating music and art?
I went considerably harder with my attention to detail in the sound design and mixdown process on most of these tracks. That meant sometimes doing more to carve out space for each sound in the mix, or other times trimming away unnecessary bits to allow certain elements to remain in focus. I also didn’t really hold myself to any pattern compositionally, or stretch things out to make certain songs feel “long enough”. I just stopped when I felt like I got the point across, rather than adding filler or fluffing things up, and instead used my energy to develop the ideas that were already there.
A bunch of different things spark my ideas, whether it’s inspiration from other things I hear or just ideas that pop into my head. I don’t typically force myself to work if things aren’t going well. I would rather wait until I’m in the appropriate headspace, as that prevents me from trying to force anything and usually yields more honest results.
We also know you create the visual graphics for all of your projects. This allows you to really bring your exact visions to life, an advantage that a majority of musicians don’t have. Which art form came first for you, creating digital art or music?
Visual art came really early in life, when I would sit on the living room floor and draw stuff I saw on TV. My mom used to have to kick me out of the house to go play outside instead of doing that [Laughs]. After that, I took piano lessons from an old lady who lived across the street from me, then joined the school band to play trumpet, then played cello in the orchestra, then switched from trumpet to French horn while sticking with cello.
Somewhere in there, I got into guitar and stuck with that throughout all the other stuff. I ended up joining a rock band around middle school that I stayed with in high school, and started designing our posters and album covers, which led to other bands hiring me to make theirs. Now that’s what I do as a profession outside of music, though more for electronic artists, labels, and promoters. So long story short, art first, but my art and music have pretty much always been intertwined.
You’ve recently taken the stage at events like Big Dub Festival and Fire Lights, as well as noteworthy clubs like Flash. Does any one festival or show from 2025 stand out, and why?
My three favorite shows this year were (in no particular order): Joining Ternion Sound for the Myrtle Beach date on their farewell tour. The Ternion guys are a huge inspiration to me, and my first show with them back in ‘21 was what caused me to shift gears and get more into dubstep, so it was really meaningful to be a part of one of their final performances.
The album release show I just threw in Pittsburgh. The scene here has always been really supportive of my endeavors, and I was able to curate my own lineup full of close friends who are also extremely talented artists. Shout out to Arekusa, Khan Kuma, Iamusick, DJ Gov Name, and Flex Ariani, and to SideQuest on 44th for hosting us!
Lavier & Friends at The Black Box in Denver for the same reasons as the latter, plus Black Box being one of my favorite venues in the country. Again, shout out to DJ Gov Name, Ancestyr, and Tunic for joining in the fun!
You’ve always been super involved in your local bass community in Pittsburgh, and just played a show for your album release. How has your local scene contributed to your success as an artist?
As I said above, the scene here is just incredibly supportive and kind to me. There are a lot of good folks doin’ good things here. It seems like it’s been improving even more lately, thanks to venues like SideQuest, various promoters here, and a pretty sweet sound system scene (biggup Wave Motion Sound, Kallop Sound Solutions, Subsanctuary, Manifest Sound System, Mike on sound over at SideQuest, Uprise Entertainment with their Void Rig, and so many others). All of these groups do so much to give artists like me the space to share our sounds.
Do you have any bigger plans or ideas for local projects in the future, or just any dream event you’ve yet to throw or be involved in in your city?
I’d love to do some sort of yearly event here. Buku and DJ Gov Name do their own here as well, and they’re always great nights for the community to get together and throw down in support of each other. I think once a year is about all I could handle at the moment, but I’d love to see someone else run a weekly or monthly dubstep community event similar to 2Step Tuesdays, which is a weekly UK Garage event here in town facilitated by Ninjapapes and Arekusa.
What is the most important advice you’ve ever taken, either personally or professionally?
Generalizing here, but don’t worry about what anyone else is doing. Just focus on your own thing and try not to get worried about who’s getting what opportunities and all that. The right things will find you if you’re really in your lane. Authenticity = longevity.
And for fun, if you could only listen to three musicians for the rest of your life, electronic or not, who would they be?
Tough one! I change it up a lot [Laughs]. Right now: Petey USA, Yoofee, and DjRUM. Honorable mentions: Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, The Punch Brothers, MJ Lenderman, Floating Points, Leon Vynehall, Kercha; there are too many! I have failed this portion of the interview, very sorry y’all.
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