Interview: Plastic Waves
Plastic Waves is the moniker of NYC-based musician Andre Bellido, a South Florida native, born to Latin American immigrants. The project focuses on psychedelic production, incorporating anything from pop melodies to dense, dreamy sounds and noisy textures. It is intended to be a personal expression and a limitless exploration of any musical genre or visual style of interest with each new release.
PC: Matthew Marino
What led to you becoming an artist?
I think I felt like I didn’t have anything to show for myself until I started making music in high school and that ultimately led to me going to music school for college, meeting other artists, and feeding off of that energy. I tried putting bands together, but they never really worked out, so out of that frustration came my desire to write and record everything myself, as a kind of challenge to prove to myself that I could do that. I ended up really enjoying the process of it because it led to self-discovery in many ways and it gave me confidence knowing that I could get away with doing it all on my own and having complete creative control of what I put out there, for better or worse. In saying that though, I do love collaborating and miss doing so on other projects, but it feels like a different thing entirely from what Plastic Waves is.
What inspires your music?
Many things inspire my music like film, various cultures, family, travel, and of course other music. I think just being out in the world and letting experiences pass over you is key for most people including myself. Sometimes I get too caught up trying to make a song work for days and I burn out, realizing that I probably should’ve just taken some time off to explore or do whatever I can to break up the monotony of the days so I can find some inspiration, but without forcing it. Sometimes it’s as easy as throwing on a movie or putting on the music of an artist I love, which can make me want to run over to my home studio setup and start working on music. It’s the best feeling!
PC: Kimberly Chung
Who are some of your influences?
Some of the influences that really shaped me from childhood through my early 20s are The Beatles, Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, Tame Impala, and Frank Ocean. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Serge Gainsbourg, Fela Kuti, Jai Paul, and Peruvian music like chicha and música criolla. I love so many different artists and genres that I get overwhelmed sometimes, wanting to incorporate everything I love, but there’s time to explore it all. For example, I grew up with parents from South America and I’ve always loved different kinds of Latin music, but I’m only now trying to incorporate aspects of it into my music for future releases. I have a new demo that’s inspired by the Peruvian cumbia band, Los Pakines, a band my uncle was the bass player of in the 70s. I didn’t want to make a full-on cumbia song, so I figured out how to blend it in with my production style and have been building around the groove, which is the foundation for that particular song.
What are some of your favorite memories from your career?
One of my favorite memories was a trip I took with my band from Boston down to Austin, Texas to play SXSW years ago. It was the first trip we took together to play a show outside of Boston where we were living at the time and it was super exciting to get to travel together and explore places on the way down. It felt like we were really doing something as a band for the first time like it solidified the fact that Plastic Waves was a real thing.
What have been some of the greatest challenges of your career?
The greatest challenge for me has been keeping up with constantly putting out music and trying to promote Plastic Waves as much as possible while also holding down a job. It can be exhausting, but I know I’m one among many others dealing with the same thing. I don’t currently have a manager or team so it can be overwhelming to do it on my own, but I always remind myself that it’s my choice to do this, and I do it because I love it, regardless of the stress it can sometimes bring.
PC: Kimberly Chung
PC: Kimberly Chung
Which of your songs/eps or albums is your favorite? Why is it your favorite?
I think that my new single “Cold Summer Night” is my favorite song of mine as of now. I feel like it’s a step forward in my songwriting abilities and it’s the first song where I gave myself the freedom to switch things up a bit with my sound and lean into my pop sensibilities more than I had before. I’m really proud of it and I’m stoked to finally have it out!
What are you most excited to bring to your fans in the next year?
I’m really looking forward to playing shows again and to continue sharing new music. I just started preparing for rehearsals with my band and I couldn’t be more excited to start putting it all together again, especially because the sound has changed a bit. It’ll be interesting to see how the new songs play out.
What are your goals for this upcoming year?
My goals are to play a lot of shows and to keep putting out music! I have a lot of demos I’ve been working on and I hope to finish some of them soon so that I can release them later this year.
How can your fans best support you right now?
I would love for everyone to check out my new single “Cold Summer Night”! I also have merch coming soon which I designed and I’m super excited to release it!
Plastic Wave’s Links: