Combining All Your Loves Together . . . with Laura Escudé

Creative Innovators with Gigi Johnson

In this episode, Laura Escudé takes us on her journey from violinist to adventures in Los Angeles as a seat filler for TV shows from Craig’s list to market research to other one-off jobs. . . until she becomes a tech support staffer at M-Audio because of problems she had with her own keyboard. For listeners who are inspired by linear journeys, this is not one. Instead, Laura was launched from being laid off as the first Ableton Certified Trainer. An email got her working for Cirque du Soleil in playback. A phone call from all of her Ableton visibility brought her to Kanye West’s audio engineer and then years of touring. Until it wasn’t -- and she shares the story of how in 2017 she rebuilt her career about teaching and inspiration in audio engineering around “transmuting” creators - “to move from one form of energy into another.” Enjoy her story of building a global community of artists and creating new online programs ahead of the current virtual learning world. And enjoy her stories of what she now has built with the Transmute Accelerator and Transmute Academy.

Photo credit: Nicholas James

Guest: Laura Escudé

(fka ALLUXE), Future Classical artist blending music, tech, and consciousness

Laura Escudé is the creator of The Transmute™ Accelerator, Founder of Electronic Creatives, and an Ableton Certified Trainer since 2008. Career highlights include performing in the GRAMMY Premiere band, programming and designing shows for Kanye West from 2009-2017, opening for Miguel on his 2015 Wildheart tour, and building a thriving international business populated by top-tier professionals. She’s done official remixes for artists, including M83 and Poliça, with her violin playing featured on albums by Big Grams, Kanye West, Jay Z, and many more.

She’s released myriad albums, singles, and EPs under the name ALLUXE, synthesizing her skills as a classically trained violinist and her prowess as an avant-garde electronic producer. Now making music under her own name, Escudé released the Transmute EP, her most intimate work to date, capturing the sound and feel of a woman who’s examined the darkest parts of herself and come out the other end transformed.

Technology is a second language for Escudé, who became the world’s first Ableton Certified Trainer in 2008. In 2012, she founded Electronic Creatives, using her skills to hire and train programmers and playback engineers for artists including Logic, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Big Sean, Charli XCX, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She’s brought massive productions to life for artists including Kanye West, Jay Z, Bon Iver, Missy Elliot, Herbie Hancock, and television megabrand American Idol. Escudé toured extensively with these shows, collaborating with artists to create fresh, thrilling experiences for audiences worldwide.

Mentioned Links

Transmute Academy: https://www.thetransmuteacademy.com

• Web: https://lauraescude.com and
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/lauraescude
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/lauraescude
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/lauraescude
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4mfReLOTaMQoFv54RpEgFD?si=OHtAxr_XR7uWjql49BVvgw

Your Host: Gigi Johnson, EdD

I run transformative programs, speak/moderate, invest, advise, and produce multimedia on creativity and technology. I taught for 22 years at UCLA, where I ran the Center for Music Innovation and the podcast "Innovating Music," built four industry-connecting programs, and taught undergraduates, MBAs, and executives about disruption in creative industries. Before UCLA, I financed media M&A at Bank of America for ten years.

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Sponsored and Produced by the Maremel Institute