ToneGym Hero: Yolanda Polanco

Music producer and DJ, currently from the United States. Yolanda Polanco is this month's ToneGym Hero!

Who are you, and Where are you from? 

My name is Yolanda Polanco. I am a music producer and DJ in the United States. I was born in New Jersey, grew up in Puerto Rico, and now live in Florida. I mostly make hard and fast techno with a melodic tinge. 

How did you get into music?

I have been making music and releasing it in some way for the past 10 years and DJing for about 2. I think I’ve always liked music. My first exposure was that my parents have a vast taste in music. Salsa, merengue, disco, English language pop music, Spanish language ballads, and many types of Puerto Rican and Peruvian folk music. One day my father gifted me a book/ CD set on rhythm.

I can’t remember the name, but it was a collection that glossed over different music genres. It was very varied. It included various genres from West African music, American country music, and trance music (the electronic music genre). I think this moment was pivotal to my discovery of electronic music. I probably would not have otherwise stumbled upon it as early as I did, considering the time and place. 

I fell in love with electronic music and wanted to make my own. My first experience was on the PlayStation 2 playing a video game called eJay Clubworld, basically a stripped-down DAW with unchangeable sample banks. Carl Cox was in the intro. I thought he was the coolest guy ever. I didn't even know what a DJ was, or did, or where it crossed into music-making, but I loved it. It was one of my favorites until I stopped playing video games, but I missed the music-making part. Here is the intro. 

Then, I started using Ableton and watching tutorials on the internet continuously, and haven't stopped yet. I should mention I did go to audio engineering school, but it was more geared towards audio recording instead of a program with musical knowledge at its core. During my time there, I realized what I lacked most; musical knowledge. And, in my opinion, technical understanding or experimentation can only get you so far, even in an open genre like techno, at least for my taste. So that's how I started using ToneGym. 

What do you like to do for fun outside of working on music? 

I enjoy listening to music. I get to pick what I'm going to play as a DJ, and maybe get another perspective on music. I listen with full attention. I sit down or dance, analyze it, count, take notes, etc. I prefer electronic music in a live setting, so I can feel the connection between a good DJ having a good night and connecting with the crowd. I still find it awe-inducing. Unrelated to music, I also enjoy language learning and playing chess. 

What's your most useless skill or talent? 

I've acquired a lot of disjunct bits of knowledge and skills over the years, for example, in history. Although I wouldn’t call it useless, I haven't used most of it yet. I guess I have a good memory. If I hear a fact once, I can probably remember it for years. 

What inspires you to keep making music? 

I think I'm finally getting good. I'm making the music I always wanted to make. It sounds close to what's in my head. For many years I would finish a track and be happy with it. A month after, I couldn't bear to listen to it again.

Now, I wholeheartedly enjoy my music long-term. Whether it's growth in ability or confidence, I feel in a good place. So why stop? I think my love of music has directly fueled personal growth and vice versa. 

If you could sit down to a session with any artist, who would it be?

I got it stuck in my head when the last Evangelion movie premiered that it would be great to have Hikaru Utada do vocals or even more on a track. I think it would be a great track if not a full-fledged song. But as of yet, it's just wishful thinking. 

Any habits you have before starting a session? 

Making music is the first thing I do in the morning unless I have a pressing priority. If not, I get in a bad mood and can't enjoy it, much less focus on my music session. So, if I have it my way, I’ll get up, eat breakfast and make music, then everything else. To start, maybe I play a couple of songs by other musicians on the keyboard, just to put me in a musical mood.

I also always keep a list of ideas from tracks by other artists. For example, if they do a cool transition, key change, or sound effect, I'll try to recreate it, and then I'm inspired to make a full-length dance track. I am personally not opposed to the idea of taking ideas from other artists so long as it's not plagiarism. 

What have you been working on lately? 

I finished about 12 tracks in the past few months but didn't release them because they weren't at the level I would have liked. I'm remaking them now that I have a general blueprint and know what to keep from the first version. Eventually, I'll have to give up, settle and stop improving the same tracks. I've never thought of myself as a perfectionist but it's something I'm struggling with lately. 

If you could pick one, what would be the theme song of your life?

I'm not sure. I feel like it would be silence or everyday life ambient sounds. I think it's special when music does play. Maybe my theme sound would be a muffled kick and bass at a distance or in another room, like when you are outside of a music venue playing electronic music. I’ve thought, in the past, it was Human Resources- Dominator, but I guess that's more of a song to motivate myself rather than my theme song.

What's your favorite musical instrument? 

Synthesizers. My reason being all my favorite musical sounds in the world are synth sounds. Chorus leads, sawtooth basses, acid lines, and donks are some examples. The idea that you can synthesize any sound fascinates me. There is a sample or sample-based virtual instrument of almost everything, but it's so satisfying to make a sound from scratch, in my opinion, and many times easier and faster than looking for a sample or preset amid so many options. 

What's your favorite ToneGym feature?

The learn section is a treasure trove of in-depth learning videos. If I were to search for tutorials on music theory on YouTube, I wouldn't pick the ones the people at ToneGym pick. I'd watch the shortest or the most specific to a problem or lack of knowledge I'm facing at that moment. Of course, I don't know what I don't know, much less can I search for a YouTube video about that topic. That's where having a curated playlist helps. 

Of the exercises, my favorite is Route VI. I struggle with chords, especially in identifying them by ear, and unless it's gamified, I'd never want to practice. 

What does the future hold for Yolanda Polanco? 

I plan to release those tracks I'm remaking. And maybe focus more on DJing. I hope to release music more frequently. Having had plans changed or canceled on short notice the last couple of years left me with a general feeling of disorientation, but now I just go with the flow. I think I stopped making detailed plans.

You can follow Yolanda Polanco on her Instagram, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Bandcamp.