Today we’d like to introduce you to José Daniel Ortega
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started as a reggae drummer back in 2000, when I was just 15 years old, soon I started playing with backing bands in my country (Costa Rica) for different well known reggae and dancehall artists. Back then we didn’t have producers specializing in this kind of music, so we decided to start doing it ourselves, in 2003 I started bulding reggae beats and in 2010 I studied Music Production at Berklee College Of Music and built my own studio (Costa Rebel Studio). The fact that I already knew several famous artists helped me push my production career. My mother used to live in Geneva, Switzerland, I used to spend a lot of time there for 8 years, there I made great connections and learned a lot about the reggae business in Europe.
I’ve been blessed to work with top artists and producers in the reggae scene, figures from allover the world, including Latin America, the Caribbean, United States, Europe, Africa and even India.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The first struggle was not having a well developed industry in my country, I had to find mentors outside, that’s why I studied at Berklee in Boston, Massachusetts and try to learn as much as possible on Europe, specially with Asher Selector, who is a very important producer, promoter and Dj.
Other struggles include having to learn about business administration and sales, and at the beginning of my career having to work for a low fee or even for free to get a name and the experience.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I produce songs and albums for reggae artists, I decided to specialize in Reggae to get really good at it. I create instrumentals, make arrangements, write songs with the artists, record, mix, master and promote music.
I’m proud of working with the biggest names in the reggae business and making a living out of it. I have work with top producers like Little Lion Sound from Switzerland or Freedom Sounds from Brazil, producing tracks for big artists like Capleton, Million Stylez, Lutan Fyah, Cedric Myton, Bugle, Gappy Ranks, Chezidek and many more.
I think I set myself apart from other producers for several reasons, first being a reggae specialized producer (most of the other producers also work on dancehall, afrobeats, reggeaton or Hip Hop for example), that let me really master my craft on the genre. I’m also very patient with artists, responsable with deadlines and easygoing, think those qualities are sometimes hard to find in a producer.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I’ve had special grammy-awarded mentors and teachers like Richard Mendelson, Asher Selector, Pat Pattison, Leanne Ungar, Stephen Webber and John Kellogg. Been coached in online businesses by Warhol Oliveira. Some of my most renowed clients and collaborators are Little Lion Sound, Freedom Sounds, Million Stylez and many more, also would like to send a special shout-out to californian artists Bobby Hustle and Mukkaround (who made the link for this interview).
Pricing:
- Beat making $300
- Vocals Mixing $300
- Song Mixing $450
- Song Production $600
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.costarebelstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/costarebel
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/costarebel
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@costarebel
Image Credits
Ileana Pacheco
Sergio Martinez
