Riding the (Beat) Wave

His name is  Brandon Shane Toledo, but devotees of the 305 music scene know him better as Miami Beat Wave, a multi-genre chameleon and cornerstone of the Magic City sound with three Billboard-charting projects under his belt, multiple entries on the international German Dance Charts, and a No. 2 spot on the iTunes R&B charts with his album Up Close & Personal. He’s cooked in the studio with everyone from local legends such as ¡MAYDAY!, David Correy, and DJ EFN to heavyweight icons like Rick Ross and Stic.man of Dead Prez. 

“I’m an only child raised by my mother,” Toledo tells AQUA Miami. “There is no father to my style. Shout-out to Ol’ Dirty Bastard. I’ve produced and recorded everything from rock, hip-hop, heavy metal, gospel, R&B, soul, and blues…I produce for artists and write for them, which comes from my own life experiences combined with relating to their life experiences. I’m not one of those producers who pushes exactly what I want on an artist; I guide the artist to be their most vulnerable self to make the best song.” 

As you will see from our recent conversation, Miami Beat Wave brings a completely distinct sound and attitude to the table—a contribution that goes far beyond mere technicality or turning knobs. Toledo contributes to the actual soul and culture of the city.

I know that your grandmother was a major inspiration and guide to you, but how did your physical environment and childhood community shape your musical development?       

Well, I grew up as a child who was introduced to gospel and hip hop first, and started breakdancing at a skating rink called Hot Wheels in Miami around fourth grade. The elements of hip hop were all around me, including graffiti and breaking, introduced to me by my best friend and now revered painter, Johnny Robles. After that phase in my life, I got into music theory by joining the orchestra in my middle school band. I played flute, which for a boy wasn’t the coolest, but nowadays is super cool because artists such as Future use it in their beats. I was taught by a band director who was very harsh and strict, which pretty much made me the perfectionist I am now. After this time, I stopped music for a while until I built my own studio in my room during high school. I had a home studio where I would record rappers around my neighborhood and started making hip-hop beats and recording rock bands, crafting my skill. I was in love with the dirty, edgy, and grimy sound of Wu-Tang. At this time, I was basically always in the streets with my homies and headphones on, or in my bedroom perfecting chopping up samples on my sampler. 

How does your approach differ when you are wearing the “producer” hat versus the “musician” hat? 

As a producer, I will take full control if it’s for my own project and execute the idea in my head as much as I can with the artist I’m working with. Meaning, I’m composing the music, recording the melodies, working with the singer or rapper, vocal-producing it, and then, at the end, handling post-production mixing and mastering. If I’m being hired just to be a recording or mixing engineer, I will be solely focused on making the sound recording the best it can be quality-wise. 

I saw a video on your profile that inspired me to have this interview with you. One of the Chilli Guys calling you “a legend in Miami.” Is that kind of praise gratifying to hear? 

I can’t ever comment too much on what others think of me or see me as. I just simply make music and try to bring out the best in every artist and band I work with. The Chilli Guys are amazing, and I’m humbled by their praise. Yes, it’s true, I’ve worked with pretty much all the artists in Miami, and my sound and hands have touched most of the records you’ve heard out of the 305 over the last 20 years.  

Have you found your creative community in Miami? 

It’s a difficult topic because it is very cliqued up and sometimes can feel like crabs in a bucket, meaning everyone is trying to climb to the top but pulling each other down in the process. I stay away from that and just do my job. I am my own entity; therefore, I have been able to work with everyone in the city without a biased opinion.  

When collaborating, is your creative fingerprint equally present with established artists as it is with newcomers? Is it something you feel out, or is it like a sixth sense? 

Most artists will say that anything I touch, whether it be engineering-wise or production-wise, has my sound on it. I can’t help but put myself into the song. Meaning, if someone comes to me with a beat from someone else, I still produce them as a recording engineer. I comp takes, I give harmony advice, do drops and filters in the beat, etc. I take a song from start to finish; I’m there for the whole process. Making the music, recording, vocal arrangement, concept of the song, speaking to the artist sometimes as a therapist to see what’s going on in their life so we write what they are feeling at the same time. Then after that, taking that body of work and perfecting it with post-production, mixing, tuning, entire song arrangement, adding live instrumentation, and then finally mastering. As far as a sixth sense, I just create in a flow state and let the world and fans hopefully relate to the human experience I’m trying to give them through a musical journey. 

Can you tell us about your latest project? 

My latest solo project is called Shane, which is actually my middle name. It’s a soul/blues album. The message was to get across that Miami has more substance in songwriting than just party music. We have down-south stories as well. I work on a ton of projects, though and have work coming out constantly because of being a well-rounded producer. So you’ll catch a ton of my soul on different genres all around. 

When we look at the impact of a producer, there’s a big difference between the subtle, structural refinements of George Martin and the symphonic layering that Jeff Lynne brought to his collaborations. Do you see yourself as the invisible hand like Martin? Or the distinct architect like Lynne? 

I see you did your research on my favorite band! This question actually made me go back and forth in my head. Yes, Abbey Road is one of my top favorite albums, and George Martin was huge in the making of it, but I have two sides to this coin you’ve presented. Producers who are hands-on, like myself, take it from start to finish and do whatever needs to be done. If they can’t finish the bridge, a hands-on producer will go and play the idea for them; if they can’t figure out the lyric, same thing. Another type of producer, I won’t say any names, could say, “I just have the ear for when it’s wrong or when it’s right,” but give no answers on how to fix it…which sounds a little bit more like a critic. Some say they bring the sound and artist together. All different approaches. What works for some might not work for others, so I would never throw shade. I take my ego out of it and want to make the best song possible for the artist. If the composition needs to be made or fixed, then I do that; if the lyrics need changing, then I work on that. After that, I record, mix, and master, so I’m very much in control of the whole production if that’s what I’m hired to do.

Where is your sound headed? 

I have no idea. I make my music off of my life experiences—and I haven’t lived my future yet. So, songwriting-wise, I’m not sure, but I’m excited to experience it. Technology-wise, that part we will experience soon. I will still always keep the soul and human aspect in the music while still adapting and using the new tools the tech brings along. I know everyone wants me to speak on AI here, but I’ll just leave it at that! 

Follow Miami Beat Wave on Instagram at @miamibeatwave.