So far as origin stories go, that of producer and musician Ariel Rechtshaid is fairly linear. Although twists and turns have occurred, it’s the connections he’s formed and pleasant surprises that have formed his extensive resume. He speaks of each modestly, looking forward to what’s next rather than harboring on past successes: That his all-for-fun high school ska-punk band The Hippos blew up and burnt out in three years, releasing records with Fueled by Ramen, Vagrant and Interscope before exiting the game, he attributes to being in the right place at the right time and would prefer not to dwell. That he produced power-poppers Plain White T’s’ “Hey There Delilah” as a stripped down number to their record label’s dismay, cutting it from the initial album release only to re-release it years later and have it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and nominated for two Grammys was an ironic twist of fate. And that when he teamed with folk-rock troubadour Cass McCombs last year their first steps were towards Pacoima, California, to retrace those of Ritchie Valens, well, it’s just an example of how absorbed he may become in any project. But what he fails to mention is the passion, insight and understanding he inserts into his work, of which there is plenty. As the bassist of L.A. indie-rock mainstays Foreign Born, Rechtshaid is a musicians’ producer. He is able to translate abstract ideas, words and sounds onto tape because he’s been there first hand. He knows how to make the best of a situation.

“I need to immerse myself in the world we are creating when making a record,” he says. “Without strategically building your atmosphere you’re at the mercy of what’s given to you... Even if it’s just bringing bottles of nice wine and candles to relax the mood. Whatever it takes to get your creative juices going and make a revolutionary record.”

In the past decade Rechtshaid has assembled a portfolio of production credits broadly spanning genres. As a beginner, he put in work on L.A. rapper MURS’ formative The End of the Beginning. With Brooklyn indie-pop rockers We Are Scientists, he produced from infancy and watched the band go gold in the U.K. and build a massive cult following. Last year his work was released on L.A.-artist Glasser’s ethereal musical component, Ring, which he helped compose and produce and went on to make many critics’ Best of 2010 lists. And he tag teamed with renowned tastemaker Diplo to co-produce Sheffield experimental mathcore punks Rolo Tomassi’s full-length, Cosmology.

“More recently I’ve been kind of in a constant search of expanding my horizons,” he says, working again with Diplo and his Major Lazer collaborator Switch “on music that is kind of outside of my general comfort zone. I like to keep it interesting, keep it moving”

For 2011, this attraction to idiosyncratic pop has formed Rechtshaid’s M.O. and coupled with his prowess in the studio has made him the ideal candidate to contribute on Major Lazer’s sophomore LP, sending him around the world to track classic reggae artists Lee Scratch Perry and Junior Murvin. Meanwhile his production work with former Test Icicle and Light Speed Champion Dev Hynes’ newest project Blood Orange is due for release, and his ‘80s rock-inspired hip-hop collaborations with up-and-comer Theophilus London have featured a indie who’s-who guest list including Solange Knowles and Sara Quin from Tegan and Sara.

“As a producer you’re searching for artists that you believe in and want to produce, you want to record… to be part of records that you love,” he continues. “If I get along with the band or the artist and we see eye to eye and there’s a trust, then just having someone like myself on the other side of the speakers, listening and giving my perspective can make a big difference. You know sometimes I don’t have to say very much at all. I prefer to let the band be what they are but if I can sense there is something they’re going for and not quite getting, going back to my early days and making a record where I didn’t quite feel like I was translating what was in my head onto tape I can try my best to do that, to see what they’re going for and make it happen... Once you’re in the wormhole you don’t really always agree but it’s about having faith in the person you hired to steer the ship. And that’s it. It’s about making sure the vision is seen through all the way through.”

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