Late Aster - Lo-Fi Experiments, Classical Roots, and Creative Discipline on the Virtual Sessions 9/29/25

Summary

Anni and Aaron, the duo behind Late Aster, bring a refreshing perspective that bridges classical training with electronic experimentation. Based in San Francisco, they share how their artist name reflects a balance between the natural and the celestial - Anni’s love of flowers and Aaron’s fascination with stars. Together, they craft music they describe as “jazztronica with brass,” blending brass instruments with electronic textures in an innovative hybrid style.

Their upcoming debut album City Living showcases this fusion, created with a vintage Tascam four-track cassette recorder. The duo explains how working within the limits of analog tape forced them to embrace imperfection, often recording live takes that highlight raw honesty. Tracks like Ctrl-F Discipline emerged from this process, where constraints became opportunities to rethink production and storytelling.

Beyond their technical approach, Anni and Aaron discuss how their perfectionist tendencies find balance in collaboration, and how embracing “wabi-sabi” - beauty in imperfection - shaped their latest work. Their creative journey is also guided by influences ranging from Wagner’s Gesamtkunstwerk concept to the bold reinvention of artists like Miles Davis.

They speak candidly about the challenges of translating studio recordings into live performances, often requiring intricate synchronization between horns, sequencers, and loop pedals. Yet, they thrive on the tension of live experimentation, pushing themselves to deliver unique experiences. Looking ahead, they remain dedicated to blending tradition with innovation, whether through lo-fi tape projects or fully produced modern releases.

Topics

0:06 - Origins of the Late Aster name and natural inspirations 1:49 - Defining their genre as jazztronica with brass instruments 5:35 - The concept of Gesamtkunstwerk and artistic integration 11:07 - Creating the album City Living with a Tascam four-track 16:05 - Embracing lo-fi aesthetics and analog challenges 23:15 - Letting go of perfectionism through live one-take recordings 30:22 - Collaborating with producer Charles Mueller on final mixes 39:23 - Musical upbringings, classical training, and early influences 43:06 - Biggest inspirations from Imogen Heap to Miles Davis 49:15 - Translating analog recordings into live stage performances

Connect with Late Aster

• Website: lateaster.com
• Instagram: @late.aster
• YouTube: Late Aster

About  Late Aster -

Situated somewhere between post-bop jazz, electronica, and chamber pop, San Francisco-based Late Aster’s music has been described as producing “unprecedented sounds” (SF Chronicle) that “on paper [] shouldn’t work, but it does.” (Tape-Op) Their two previous releases, EPs “True and Toxic” (2021) and "Light Rail Session" (2023), articulate a kaleidoscopic theory of music grounded in the electronic processing of trumpet and French horn and supported by meticulous songwriting, instrumentation, and sound-sculpting. 

Late Aster’s upcoming album, City Livin’, finds the group channeling their genre-bending sound through the vintage TASCAM Portastudio 414 MKII – a true do-it-yourself cassette recorder/mixer from the late 90s. The album whirrs through house, trap, and hip-hop beats as the foundation for the group’s distinctive and soulful performances of fx-pedal brass, vocals, and dark synths. Made up of ten impressionist sketches, City Livin’ is a nod to the “lo-fi beats” genre and to trumpet player/composer/producer Aaron Messing’s day job as an environmental attorney. With inspiration from jazz, alt-rock, and folk, the album is a journey through other-wordly, urban soundscapes featuring fully instrumental performances, a cover of “Miss Ohio” as a love letter to Gillian Welch, and the poetic sampling of Alan Watts’ voice. 

Aaron Messing studied classical trumpet performance at Northwestern University before going to law school and becoming an environmental attorney. He routinely sends ideas for songs to long-time collaborator and mixing engineer, Charles Mueller, as he practices law by day and music by night. Charles jokingly came up with the album title when Aaron recently became obsessed with the lo-fi beats genre. The album is a fly on the wall in the artists’ home studio with endearing and raw performances of horns and vocals. All tracks were recorded in San Francisco, CA after work and on weekends with French horn player, Anni Hochhalter, and is intended to be played in the background of a dinner party, a night-time drive, or maybe a hip coffee shop. It is composed to be a vintage, yet contemporary wallpaper for the contemplation of our current geopolitical moment and the modern human cond