ABOUT ME
After graduating high school and touring with my band for a year, I was convinced that I wanted to pursue a career in the music industry. I already knew how to play guitar and had some previous recording experiences.
It wasn’t long before I started doing research for an education in the field. I didn’t want to be a classical musician. At the time music theory was a little overwhelming to me.
I started working in recording studios and my attention started drifting towards production. I invested in basic recording gear and before I knew it I was making a decent living recording mix-tapes and demos for local artists and bands.
Audio Engineering became my first choice and after many deliberation I decided to move to Hollywood to attend The Los Angeles Recording School.
I graduated from LARS as a Recording Engineer and resumed working with my band, built a studio in my guest house and started using it commercially to record music, jingles, podcasts, videos, etc.
Attended Law School at the Autonomous University of Baja California (Mexico). Graduated, obtained my license and started working as an Entertainment Lawyer in Mexico.
After touring for ten years I decided it was time to give up the nomad life and stay in the studio to write music for as many projects as possible. I started focusing more on production, mixing and mastering.
I made my mixing and mastering services available on my first beat selling website and also through Soundbetter.com and Fiverr.com where I completed over 3,075 orders and received over 2,000 reviews. Retired as an engineer in 2023.
I’m grateful for being able to complete my initial 10,000 hours in the game. I’m ready to give back to the community.
Fernando Castillo [Tekwan] – Producer & Entertainment Lawyer
BEHIND THE BEATS
Q: Tekwan, tell us about yourself.
A: I’m a Producer and Recording Engineer from Tijuana, Mexico.
Q: Tell us about your latest project.
A: I have a full project ready to drop featuring 10 tracks of post-trap instrumentals.
Q: What else are you working on these days?
A: Writing music for different outlets including selling beats and sync placements.
Q: Tell us about your credentials.
A: Los Angeles Recording School Alumni. Entertainment Lawyer in Mexico.
Q: Please tell us about about a project that you are very passionate about.
A: I’m very proud of the outcome of my first album, it took me places that I never imagined and met a lot of amazing people as a result.
Q: What’s the thing you love the most about your job?
A: I can do this all day and it never feels like work. Being in the studio is all I think about.
Q: What music genres do you specialize in?
A: Melodic Guitar Type Beats that may resemble the style of Juice WRLD, Rod Wave, Polo G, Toosii and Scorey. As a mix engineer I worked with all hip hop sub-genres. I also have a strong rock background and spent a lot of time in the studio recording bands.
Q: Please tell us about your studio setup
A: I use Logic Pro X, Electric Guitar, Rhodes Piano and Synthesizers. For mixing purposes I have permanent access to an SSL Duality Console with a state of the art monitoring system and a wide selection of outboard gear.
Q: Describe your process.
A: I bring up Logic and start working on melodies from scratch. I don’t use samples. After I have a decent eight bar melody playing in loop I like to add some basic drums, just a simple kick, snare and hi hats to establish a bounce.
After this I usually add a tuned 808 or synth bass with a basic progression. Once this is done I like to add a pad or an element that creates tension and countermelodies.
At this point I start thinking about arrangement and putting the pieces together in an order that makes sense. Once the arrangement is done I like to go back to work on variations, fills and one time events.
When I’m done I do a rough mix to get a better idea if any sounds are clashing. And after listening back to the mix with fresh ears, I fine tune it and master it so it’s ready to showcase.
Q: What do you expect to accomplish next?
A: Produce a series of hit records, get certified, go after a Grammy and claim a place in music history.