Today we’d like to introduce you to Jim Kuemmerle.
Hi, Jim! Can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Jim: Hi! I’m a pianist/accordionist/producer with roots in jazz and international folk music. I grew up in Roswell, New Mexico, but I’ve been based in SLC since 2010. And this is Mar Perez-Albela, my songwriting and business partner. He’s a singer/songwriter/guitarist/
In the spring of 2019, Mar had started writing a gorgeous cumbia with our friend Nova Mariéé. Marie and I had worked together before, (and knows how much I love cumbia,) and so the two of them asked me to join in to co-write and produce.
Mar: One song together led to another and another, and before you know it the two of us were collaborating constantly, recording and releasing music as the band Les Graines De Porcelaine. Eventually, it became obvious to us that it was time to take the collaboration to another level, and we founded Óyelo Music Productions.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Jim: Nothing in the arts is ever a smooth road, for sure!
Mar: I think the ever-changing nature of the music industry has made us even more creative in so many ways! Probably, one of the things that got us together in the first place was sharing the constant mind/heart set to overcome challenges and use them as a trampoline to jump towards reaching our dreams and goals. I think a great example and life lesson for me, for us, was how the pandemic — ironically — brought us “closer” and propelled us to create and produce so much more!
Jim: I think one of the biggest struggles is mostly an internal one, and that’s coming to terms with how so much of what happens in this industry, especially in sync, is outside your control. When you’re working your butt off day after day and this goal or that goal isn’t happening yet, it can be super frustrating. But if you’re taking care of the things you can control, then when these opportunities slide into place, you’re ready. And then also, trying to think more creatively and say “What else can I be doing that people haven’t thought of yet? What opportunities can I create?”
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Mar: Óyelo is essentially a hybrid between a production house and record label, which puts a lot under our umbrella. On the production house side, we do production for other artists, custom songwriting, beat licensing, remote session work, mixing, mastering, and so forth.
Jim: On the label side, we’re just getting started. We just had our first official Óyelo release in June, a Les Graines De Porcelaine reggaeton track called “Vuelve A La Vida.” We’ve got another release coming up on August 2nd by M A R (Mar’s solo artist name) and Anton Patzner called “Hollow.” Several others are in the pipeline, including some really powerful folk/Americana by a violinist named Elizabeth McCorvey, some hip-hop instrumentals, some Ethiopian-inspired jazz piano, some leftfield electronica, and so on.
Mar: One of the things that sets us apart from other production companies is our global outlook–
Jim: We’re clearly not limiting ourselves by genre!
Mar: –and the depth we bring as a multicultural, bilingual, and queer company and as a connected part of quite a large community of expert and whole-hearted musicians.
Jim: Something else we bring to the table is our experience with sync as a potential revenue stream for our clients. Over the past few years, it’s been more and more attractive to musicians. And now, with the phenomenal impact of “Running Up That Hill” – huge props to Nora Felder! – it seems like sync’s on everybody’s mind, musician or not.
Mar: Jim and I have been working in this field for a few years now, we have friends who are music supervisors and licensing agents and who have been landing some pretty high-profile placements, and we have a fairly well-honed understanding of what works and what doesn’t for sync specifically. To say it’s not intuitive would be an understatement! So there’s an advantage there for someone who might be interested in going that route with their music, versus other producers who might just now be catching up to the phenomenon.
What does success mean to you?
Mar: Finding your happy place every day, time and time again, being able to do what you feel passionate about, and that special “thing” you’ve come to this world to create and share.
Jim: Obviously, money’s nice, and it helps us do things we couldn’t do otherwise. But just as obviously, success is so much more than just money. It’s an amazing thrill seeing your creative ideas come to fruition! And helping our clients and label artists get that for themselves is tremendously gratifying. And Mar and I are firmly of the belief that music is meant to be a force for good in the world, so when something gets put out into the world and softens a heart, or changes a mind, or even just helps someone feel better for a while, that’s a victory, and not a small one.
Contact Info:
- Website: oyelomusicproductions.bandzoogle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oyelomusicproductions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oyelomusicproductions/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC_hJ8DkfXlvEqIwwkMzRRsg
Image Credits
Ivy Kuemmerle
Jes Silverman Kuemmerle
Sol Eskenazi
KC Grieve
