You may be familiar with the music of Elevation Worship , Mack Brock , Pat Barrett and many more – but do you know the artist behind the production ?
Aaron Robertson is a creative force : a producer and composer most commonly associated with Elevation Worship . His cinematic productions , melodies and sounds can be found on all of their albums , and if he ’ s not in the studio composing and arranging , then you can find him digging into vintage synths , pedals and sound design in preparation for his next project .
We sat down to chat about where it all began and what inspires him today .
[ WM ] Where did your music-making journey begin ?
[ Aaron Robertson ] My parents bought me a keyboard at a garage sale when I was 4 and they could tell I had a definite interest ... then I started taking lessons at the age of eight . My first teacher taught me half through piano and half through keyboard , so I think that really inspired me to explore sound . When playing at home I used to take a tape recorder and set it on my piano ; then I would imagine a character , or a scene in my head and play piano to what I was imagining . The visual aspect was always big for me , by imagining and then creating the emotion of it musically . I made a 12-track album called Ride On , and it was literally just about somebody going on a trip ( and wrecking in the end , poor dude ). Movie music always excited me because of how powerful a role the music plays in catering to each moment and to each emotion . It really affected me as a kid and still plays a huge role in how I play and what I love .
I started with a Yamaha keyboard and would create songs using that . I would hit record , then play a beat and imagine the song sections as I went , before going back and starting from the top . Then , when I was in college pursuing a Business degree ( backup plan !), a kid in my dorm introduced me to Reason . Fell in love with it and was constantly creating . Started playing at Elevation a year later .
[ WM ] How do you use visual inspiration to produce a song ?
[ Aaron ] It depends on the song for sure . It ' s a cinematic music approach , especially with slower songs like “ Here Again ” and “ Available .” I am very reactionary , so I will always lean into how something needs to feel first . It ' s interesting , sometimes the production gets in the way and you have to work hard to pull it back . I ' m always pushing to really be thematic in a way that hits the heart and trying to be intentional with that , while pulling every emotion out of every moment . It ' s sometimes hard for me not to stick a melody or motif in a gap , but you eventually learn not to overdo it . Sometimes you need a small melody to take you through , and sometimes the breath is all you need . Throughout the process , I ’ m always tugging at what ' s happening lyrically and what a listener is going to be affected by .
[ WM ] How do you use melody and harmony to support the lyric ?
[ Aaron ] I love to explore chord progression options . A progression really sets the tone , so asking questions like , " what if we just stay on this chord instead of changing ?" or " what extra notes will make this sound more moody ?" stops us from getting stuck . Sometimes , just a simple chord decision sets the entire direction of a song . And sometimes a wave of momentum begins and you keep going and riding the feelings and it just beautifully spirals out of control . Afterwards , you ' re done and you don ’ t even know how it happened . That ' s something I ' ve learned to chase and build off of - not getting locked into the original progression - but just letting go of that and trying other things can really open up new doors sonically and emotionally .
[ WM ] You have worked on a wide range of creative projects . Which is your proudest and most enjoyable ?
[ Aaron ] Paradoxology was a blast . It ' s probably the most fun I ' ve had working on something for Elevation , just because of how out of the box it was . Up front , Chris Brown was like , " We want to do something different . We don ' t want remixes - we want to reimagine the songs " and I think it ’ s really special to hear the intricate , detailed and special things that came out of the hearts of everyone involved .
I ' m super proud of Graves Into Gardens . We tried different things , and they just worked . There were moments where we didn ' t know what was going to happen . This was the first time really flowing in the moment and seeing what would happen with Zeek on “ What Would You Do ,” and we only really learned “ The Blessing ” right before we captured it at church , so there were more unknowns on this project . There were also songs that were exploring new areas for us like “ There is a King ” and “ Never Lost .” Somehow , they all work together instead of sounding disconnected and all over the place . That is a big win as a producer .
“ Here again ” is one of my favorite songs that I have done . At first it just wasn ’ t quite working and I am not sure we originally would have moved forward with it . The song was written at a really emotional time , but the original demo I heard was poppy , mid-tempo and fresh . When I got the acoustic demo and stripped it all back , it unlocked what the song was . And I was like , “ oh gosh , this is really intimate .” I hadn ' t even noticed it until I just heard the vocal myself and sat at the piano for a minute or two . The main melodic hook was inspired by an Exhale vocal patch and the minute I came up with it , I was just so thankful . I probably wouldn ' t have written that on guitar or piano . It was a journey of making the song , and it wasn ' t planned or thought out . It wasn ' t overanalyzed , it was all feel . And I just kept feeling and creating as I went through the song . My heart was in my throat as I was unlocking that bridge moment ... It just happened organically , so it ' s one of my favorite songs we ' ve ever done .
[ WM ] Do your melodies inform your choice