UWI student, Tidefall creates balance: Education, independent musical career

RECORDING artiste Andre Emmanuel Pachico also known as Tidefall, said he is proud of his accomplishments and is motivated to keep working hard – rising above the challenges that come with balancing tertiary education and a growing musical career as an independent artiste.

The musician whose love for film and the natural world saw him pursuing a double major in film and geography at UWI, St Augustine, released his first EP titled Transcending on March 4 and is looking forward to the feedback he will receive on the body of work.

He said the title of the EP represents the capacity of people to “be or go beyond the range or limits of a field”, which was his goal for this project.

Tidefall released his music via New York-based international music distributors One Rpm Records, which he said has a hands-on approach for promoting the music of independent artistes, unlike many other distributors. The company delivers the work of artistes to multiple music streaming outlets such as iTunes, Spotify, Amazon MP3, Rdio, Google Music and Deezer.

“With this distributor, I am able to receive 100 per cent of the earnings from my work with a reasonably small up-front fee.”

The 18-year-old singer and songwriter told Newsday he is pleased with the traction his previously released music picked up, giving him the benefit of an already existing community that now awaits his first collection of music.

“Many people tell me how much they enjoy my work. On the app Spotify for Artistes, the data compiled on my music indicated that most of my music is listened to by people in TT, the Philippines and Australia.” He said seeing that his work is far-reaching and how many people from different backgrounds have an appreciation for his work was inspiring.

Asked about his introduction to music, he said, “I got into music at around form one at ASJA Boys’ School in San Fernando. That’s when I became interested in producing music. Before I even considered being a vocalist.”

Tidefall said his interest in music, however, blossomed when he was in standards four and five at Clarke Rochard Primary School in Penal during piano lessons. He said these classes gave him an introduction to the theory of music, which sparked a deeper interest.

“As I child I got a keyboard and I learned a lot from practising on it.”

It wasn’t long before he did further research and discovered computer applications that allow for the creation of music by merging the sounds of different instruments, while manipulating the rhythms and beats.

“When I got into producing a door was opened and I realised I didn’t need to purchase all the instruments to learn how to make music with the sounds they produce. I was amazed when I realised I could create and recreate music digitally, to a point where the product may be indistinguishable from live instruments.”

The self-taught music producer said he also taught himself how to sing. “Through practising, my voice improved, my vocal cords got stronger and so did my production skills.”

He said it was not until last year that he started putting his vocals on tracks. The first single he released entitled LSD is not the sound many would expect to hear coming from the region. The eclectic sound is more likely to fall within the classification of world music.

Asked what genres of music he grew up listening and whether that influenced the kind of music he creates, he said to some extent.

“Even though people think I don’t like our local music, which is an assumption based on the kind of music I create – I really do love soca music. But I didn’t want to limit myself by sticking to a specific sound.”

He said he grew up hearing and deeply appreciating a wide range of genres such as reggae, soca, chutney soca, pop and others. “When I decided I wanted to pursue a career in music I did not want to work with a specific standard of a genre and locking myself in that box.”

Some of his greatest musical influences are the band The Neighbourhood, The Weeknd, Skip Marley and Koffee.

Asked about his lyrical content and if he was always a writer, he said it came from scriptwriting, which he learned because of his interest in filmmaking.

“I started developing the skill of telling stories and that taught me a lot about the many ways you can tell stories.”

He said his inspiration comes from his life experiences and being vulnerable enough to write about the emotions he experienced during certain events. “Sometimes a theme pops up in my head, especially if I think it’s something others can have experienced and can understand. Other times I will create a beat and based on the energy I get from that beat, the lyrics will flow.”

He said one such song is his single Letters to my Child, which he said he believes everyone may find relatable. “ It is a reflection on self and the path taken in life from there to where someone is now. How would the younger version of yourself think of you now? With all your changes, are you living up to the expectations of your younger self?”

Asked how it is for him, at 18, to balance school with a growing musical career, he said it is challenging. “But I know in the future I will appreciate at least attempting to explore my multiple interests so when I get to that stage in my life I will be sure I made the right choice on what path I wanted to take. I don’t want to look back and wonder. So, I think taking chances and exploring all these interests will lessen the likelihood of me wondering if I chose the right path.”

Tidefall said he is fortunate to have received the space to explore his creativity. He said the support from his parents, who are excited by his growth. “My parents did not know for a long time how serious I was about music. But I have their support.”

Producing music, like any other venture, comes at a cost, but Tidefall said he was resolute to make it work without seeking the assistance of his parents. “To fund my musical career I have done graphic designs, in which he is also self-taught, and music production such as the creation of beats for several clients.”

The EP is a collaboration with music producer Daniel Mohammed, also known as Daniel KB, a friend since high school with whom he bonded due to their shared passion for music. The album consists of eight tracks influenced by a range of genres including R&B, alternative, rap and indie rock.

He hopes his music will help expose local listeners to other sounds of music born from the creativity of local musicians who blend different sounds from what is generally heard on the radio. “One of my goals is to be able to help create a space where people will support and listen to local artistes that produce music outside the niche of reggae, dancehall and soca. I hope people in TT who appreciate genres of music closely aligned with what I produce will also support us.”

In the future, he would love to work with local artistes such as Roy Simmons, Cxdet who have recently emerged in the local R&B and trap music spaces. He also aspires to collaborate with music producers such as local producer Mozi Beats and international electronic music sensation Marshmellow.