Producer/Songwriter/Keyboards

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Work with the people you vibe with.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: My bread and butter comes from reggaeton, but I’m comfortable with a wide range of styles. When you’re a musician in a Caribbean island, you have to be versatile or you won’t get many gigs! I played Rush and Journey with rock bands in my teens, so I’m comfortable with the rock idiom, I’m Dominican so bachata, salsa and merengue are in my DNA, and I have a craving for contemporary pop!

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Making the artist feel relaxed and confident enough to do their best.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Craft and respect.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: First, I ask A LOT of questions. Some are business questions which impact the work I’m gonna do: who’s your core audience? Who’s your target? Do you want radio to pick this up? Some are more personal questions: what do you want this track to do for your career? Who’s your favorite artist? Then I take a long walk and try to hear the track in my head. If I can’t do it immediately, I’ll turn on my studio and try ideas until things feel natural, unforced.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: “Can you make me sound good?” I always answer: I can make you sound your best. Another common question is “can I give you suggestions for the music?” The answer is always yes. I can give you my opinion, but ultimately it’s the client who will live the rest of their lives with their tracks. They should get something they can be proud of!

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: Your song will shine!

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: My computer, my Audio-Technica, my interface, my headphones and my Nektar GX-61. Oh, wait, I need to bring my dog along, she’s my assistant!

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I wear a lot of hats! About 60% of my bread and butter comes from working with artists who are doing reggaeton, especially people who are crossing over from pop and want a guy who's comfortable with both styles (and that's me!). The other 40% is a really mixed bag: electronic pop production, pop/rock keyboard sessions, jingle writing, pop songwriting, brass arranging and traditional Latin genres, such as salsa, bachata and merengue. Some mixing and film scoring as well!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love that not two days are the same. I LOVE it when my customers tell me I've exceeded their expectations, even if that meant taking too much time on an individual project. I absolutely LOVE what I do, I love producing, I love being in studios, I love hearing and making music, I'd be doing it for free if it weren't my job! I love the challenge of staying current in various genres. And I love that I get to do it with my dog and cats sleeping underneath my chair, and still can cook a delicious meal for my family between sessions.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That if you have formal musical training you can't "get" the street sound. OH YES YOU CAN.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: Mac Mini running Logic Pro X and a lot of plug-ins, primarily Serum, Cakewalk Z3ta 2 and TAL-UNO LX. Scarlett 8i6, and my beloved Audio-Technica 3060 tube microphone with KRK Rockit monitors and AKG and Audio-Technica headphones. Korg Micro X and Wavestation, Kurzweil K2000s, Roland Alpha Juno 2. And I use A LOT of iPad synths on my sessions, especially Animoog, Stria and the mighty Sunrizer.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Finishing up keyboard sessions for the first full-length album from NY-based rocker Oliber Delgado, doing a bunch of tracks for German-based reggaeton artists El Tigueraso and El Viejo Beno, producing pop-reggaeton tracks for Edú Bega in California, doing an album for Toronto-based electronic singer-songwriter Silvyrene, and bringing the sound of merengue legends La Coco Band to the 2020s. And I’m also scoring a short film! I like to stay busy.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My production style: lush. My songwriting style: melodic to a fault.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: I think I’d rather watch my favorite artists work their magic in the studio, instead of trying to stick my ideas into their process. So I’d give anything to be a gopher on sessions for Stevie Wonder, Caetano Veloso, Rubén Blades, Robyn, Brandi Carlile, José James, kd lang or Residente. I would NOT turn down an opportunity to work with these people, but I’m so in awe of their records, I’d be content to just watch and learn.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: If everyone is having a good time in the studio, it’ll come through in the music! That’s especially true for singers.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: As a songwriter: Billy Joel, Justin Tranter. As an Urban producer: Sky, Saga WhiteBlack, Louis Bell, Nico Clinico. As a pop producer: Trevor Horn, Greg Wells, Quincy Jones. As a keyboard player: Benmont Tench, Jean-Michel Jarre. As a mixer: Jaycen Joshua, Mark "Spike" Stent.