Nestled in the corner of the Arizona desert Where The Mexico Border is a 15-minute drive, and California is just a stone throws away across the colorado river, in the small City of Yuma Arizona is Bandido Records. (Felipe Ozuna) I established Bandido Records in 2016 intending to be more than a recording studio, but a full record production house where Artists can get help on everything from Songwriting, Mixing, Mastering, and live sound. (Felipe a Conservatory of Record Arts and Sciences Graduate And Touring musician (Pullman Standard 2014 – 2015))

The five years Before I graduated from The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2012, I had a lot of live local music experience being in multiple bands in my teen years and into my 20’s. My Songwriting experience was “beginner” at best, and I couldn’t tell you what a preamp was. Like many artists attempting to cross that line from a hobby into a profession, I started trying to push my songs locally, trying to open for more established acts and even hitting the “First Fridays” block party in downtown Phoenix to busk. It was there that I realized how important it was to spend time and focus on each step of what it takes to be a professional artist.

During my Time Busking, I started noticing some songs would be more popular, to where I would sing the same five songs on repeat and keep a consistent crowd, that coupled with a few burned CDrs of a home-recorded demo, I would make a good fifty bucks an hour. But it was time to take it to the next level. I decided to put the songwriting aside, now that I had some idea of it. It was time to start from the beginning I stepped over to the Engineering side of things by enrolling in (CRAS), and it was after the school put me into the real world situation, by offering me an Internship, that the development started.

I was able to see a complete breakdown of what it is like to create music in an efficient workflow, and I realized how much help artists need. The songwriting process is long and requires a lot of focus and concentration, from brainstorming, references, to coming up with the melodies and final structure, and finally, recording, music, mixing, and mastering. After Finishing Our first Production Called “Crown The Yeti” a rock Reggae band Based in Los Angeles, (Available on all platforms January 2020) Bandido Records is Currently working on two projects set for release in 2021. Danny Rene, who is a pop/hip-hop solo artist from the South Western United States. Danny grew up in the Coachella valley, and He spends most of his time migrating between there and Arizona. Danny Rene embodies the southwestern vibe naturally while also referencing the history of his roots. The second project is Welcome To Roswell, an experimental pop project that references the sounds of the last three decades of pop music with the simplicity of 50’s 60’s and 70’s pop lyrics.

In my opinion, there are two essential elements to efficient song writing. It is very important to give each step of the songwriting process its own time, and “respect,” shall we say? It is important to separate everything into its own session. There is no need to worry about the mixing during the melodies session, just like there is no reason to worry about the mastering when you’re recording. When you give each step its time, as well as being mindful of not moving on to the next step until the current session is complete, you will undoubtedly have a more polished and satisfactory end product.

The second essential is to know your references. If there is a certain sound you are going for, find your references and dissect them.  It is important to identify, Preamps, drum machines, keyboards, sample packs, etc. to be able to get to yours or your client’s desired sound or feeling.
Combined with the sounds and mood these tools give your music, are the techniques used with these tools by your references.  Do your research on how these tools work, the most basic form of this is being perfectly acquainted with the user manuals. Most companies add “tips and tricks” to be able to use their products to their fullest potential. Another thing that might help, there are Online tutorials or courses for each step on many platforms, find the ones that best suit you. Overall, take your time, whether it is dividing each session into different days, or having multiple separate sessions in one day, give each step your full attention. The more time and focus you put on each step of yours or your clients’ project, the more you develop and capture the essence that will give your artwork it’s originality. So keep it fun, be patient and keep a lookout for Bandido Records in 2021 as we continue to develop our essence alongside yours.