Today we’d like to introduce you to Monte Barlo.
Hi Monte, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
All right, so here’s the story the way I’d tell it. Gotta give credit to my folks off rip. They both had an ear and a genuine love for music; Always had good s*** playing in the house whether it was MJ, Sade, Celine Dion, Marvin Gaye…. I could keep going. With that said, around age 10 or 11, they slid me a Casio & a Fender one Christmas. Never asked for ’em, and never knew it’d have the influence on me that it did. It was over after that, you couldn’t keep me off of ‘em.
Fast forward a bit—I’m in high school, around 15 or so, and much better on the keys specifically by now. I would mess around recreating songs I loved with the loop recorder on that same Casio. I’d stack layers, change the sounds up etc. I’d shoot videos of me doing it too, and throw ’em up on Snap or IG. One of ‘em my brother Yasha saw (who was working on his own creative pulse at the time) and went crazy. He was like, “Bro you GOT to get into producing”. To add to it, while we were in school of course at the time and they just started having us use iPads for class. That was the key right there that took it from a concept to something tangible. I got GarageBand downloaded, copped some adapters for the keyboard, and a mic from the pawn. Boom, diy home studio. Day-in day-out were really just creating and experimenting with sounds, not even thinking about dropping at first, just developing that love for it. That’s really how I got pulled into the game.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Honestly, it’s been anything but a smooth ride for the better though. Hit all kinds of roadblocks for sure, and every single one of ‘em taught me something. With producing & mixing especially, the learning curve is crazy—you really gotta run into walls just to get to that next level up, or figure out what’s gonna work for your sound. Half the time you won’t realize what you’re missing till you come across “that one trick” or hear someone else’s mix that makes you go, “Oh, that’s what I’m not doing.”
You gotta keep reinventing yourself too for sure. Literally every time you sit down to make a beat this has to happen, otherwise you get burnt out or just end up making the same repetitive s*** that’s missin’ a soul and a purpose completely.
Another big challenge is just finding the right people to do this with too. I got my core network—like Yasha, Slummy, Dantesinferno etc.—people who really share that same passion. Ain’t just about working with anybody; you really gotta find those artists who are just as committed in order to last fr.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
So when it comes to Monte Barlo as a brand, we primarily focus on music production and mix engineering; However, there are no limits. We have experience photography, film editing, song writing, artist development. etc. (That’s not genre specific either) We craft a sound that’s all about real soul and a unique signature. What sets us apart is that we’re not just out here making loops or cookie-cutter beats. We construct full productions top to bottom that really bring a life of their own and create a world for the Artist’s vision.
I want people to know that when you work with Monte Barlo, you get something distinct. Every record has it’s own special sauce that nobody else is cooking with. I’m most proud of the fact that we push boundaries without cutting corners on quality. Every beat is a full-on experience, and that’s what the Monte Barlo name is about.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Even though I’m out here as a young producer. I’ve got a 3 year old fueling the fire. At the end of the day producing is in my bones so I’d do this regardless, but when I had him everything shifted. Now all this work I’m putting in is to build a world for my son on my terms. Music is just my way of making it happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/MonteBarloProductions?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAac_s1Ah0_CReXQ33WrUUtsFwoci0TOb-pvt26wqLS-4ZySb4JTNUPycccrfNQ_aem_XeZEoYPEoeMt81BmJ7r4HA
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monte.barlo/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@EMBODYYOUTHREBELLION
