Tochi Bedford is a ground breaking engineer, musician and producer. Someone who is not afraid to transverse many different sounds and genres. Constantly creating music that interests him while pushing the reach of what he can do. Tochi’s distinctive sound is one of the main aspects that draw people towards his music, asides from the impeccable quality.
At 23, with only two E.P’s and multiple singles out, Tochi’s talent is undeniable. Often producing chart topping records for Cruel Santino, Odunsitheengine, AYLØ and many more. While maintaining a strong foundation in software engineering, with his most recent feats being the new 44db_collective website and an AI based app that can mimic peoples’ tweet styles.
With multiple accomplishments under his belt and many ahead, what better than to speak to him about his life and craft? Pick the mind of someone whose discipline and intense drive has lead them to such a high point. Speaking to Tochi was something I knew I had to do, delving into his understanding of his craft and his influence. It was a huge learning experience and I hope it does the same for any creative out there who doesn’t believe in themselves or struggles with creating. Enough of my preface, let’s meet Tochi Bedford.
My first question for you is, Who are you? Describe yourself?
I’ll describe myself as a multidisciplinary engineer. It’s like a double lining situation, because I’m very interested in technical stuff, which is actually why I describe myself as an engineer and I just graduated so I’m an actual engineer.
That’s so nice! Describe yourself outside of music though, outside of what you do. Describe Tochi, the person.
Outside of what I do? Outside of Music? Outside of even, my other activities?
Yeah, I’d say just describe you, what kind of person you are. Your person.
Umm, I’m a very curious person. Interested in the reason things are the way they are. Also interested in the reason people behave the way they behave. Yeah I guess thats me really, just a very curious, curious person.
My next question for you is, what does music mean to you?
Music. Hmm. I feel music is very- for me its a very spiritual p. Music is just like, I don’t know. Sometimes, even when I make music, it’s not like I’m actually trying to express myself or pass a message but you find yourself doing that regardless, in some form. It might not even be through the lyrics, it might be through the beats that I make or something. Just expressing yourself in some way or form. So to me music is just, a very powerful tool. I won’t really call it a tool because I’m not ever intentionally trying to pass a message but for lack of a better word, I’ll just describe it as a tool.
When did you start making music?
When? Okay. I started making music at the end of 2015. It was an ember month, maybe like November-ish in 2015. So I’ve basically been making music for about 6 years now?
How’s it been?
Cool. I mean, it has been tough, it has been long and it has been very interesting at the same time. The first year of making music, it wasn’t really a very serious thing. It was just something cool that I could show my friends. So why I said I’ve been making music for six years instead of seven is because the first year, for me? It doesn’t even really count. I started making music because I wanted to make sounds for games that I was working on at the time.
So I just fell in love with it maybe after a year of just dabbling around. So it was kind of nice. But of course, as I went deeper and deeper into music; when I got to see the other side of it, which is the business side, the contract signing, the monetary aspects and all the stress you have to deal with? Yeah, that can be tough. But to me, I actually find them kind of interesting at the same time. So it’s been tough and interesting so far.
Okay, before we move on to the more music side of things, you have an interest in games? Can you tell me about that?
Well I used to have a very deep interest in games. I still have an interest in them but it’s not as deep as before. Not nearly as deep as before. When I was younger, I was what you would describe as a script kiddie.
What does that mean?
It basically means a child who is interested in hacking around on the computer or writing code. So anything related to computers, I was basically interested in. Whether it was making games or just writing code, as far as I got to use the computer? That was basically me. So, along that line, I started making games. I used to play games because every kid loves games. As a child, you just love games, but like right now, I don’t really. I’m not so interest in games as I was before but I still play games from time to time. Maybe like once or twice a year, I’ll finish a full game.
Okay. I was gonna ask, did money impact your decision to go deeper into music or no? Like did the money and the business aspect of things push your direction deeper into music?
Um, slightly. At the time I started, I was not really concerned with making a lot of money, because I was just in my second year of uni. I had already been three years into producing in my second year, three or four years at that time. And I just, I don’t know. At that point, I had just begun to earn money from making music. And to me it was kinda odd because in my head, you’ll feel like you’re basically earning free money. But you know that you actually did some work to get that money.
At the time when the money is coming, its like weeks or months after you actually made the beat. Maybe I just went through my laptop and sent a beat to someone. Then several weeks after, the person will now respond and pay for the beat, and thats like a whole two months after. So to me its like I sent a file, and someone just sent me money because I sent them a file. So its kinda odd. At the time it was kinda nice, basically stumbling into a way to make extra cash while I was in school. So I guess that kinda made me wanna go into it more slightly or want to make more money off it.
What is creating like for you? Do you think it’s easy?
Hmm, So it depends. It depends. For me, it comes naturally for me to create stuff. What then determines how easy it is, is how much time I have on my hands. Like is my schedule full? Am I doing too many things at the same time. Am I trying to learn too many things at the same time? When that starts happening, where I feel like a lot of things are just happening at the same time? I can maybe not make a beat for up to a month.
I mean in between I’d open FL studio and mess around, but I would never seriously sit down to create music or beats. When too many things are happening, I just won’t work or I don’t know. It just becomes harder for me to work. But today now, a very calm day, on a Sunday? I’ll just open FL and just make three things, three ideas or three full beats and it’ll be very very easy. They’ll be very easy. I guess yeah, it comes easy sometimes and not so easy other times but it just depends on where my time is. How free my time is.
Are you a stickler for time? Are you like ‘if you wanna do something, tell me before hand.’ Are you very strict with time?
Yeah. I mean I try not to be too strict. But sometimes when people see how I approach all that, they say that I’m kinda formal with time. Like you tell me something and I’ll put it on a calendar and all that. But I feel like it helps. I don’t always strictly follow some calendar notes or timetables. I hate time tables so much. But I just like to have a general idea of when something is supposed to happen. Yeah I just like to have a general idea of all those types of things.
Fair enough. The thing you said about being strict with time and people being like damn you’re formal about time ? I can relate. It just helps, it helps to organize the brain I feel.
Mhm.
Did you ever think you’d be where you are right now? Like creating and creating beats?
Hmm. No, no, no. But what I said before, where it just seemed like I just stumbled on a way to make money from music. Like I said I started music as an entirely different thing. As a child, I wasn’t even very exposed. I used to just hear songs on the radio, I wouldn’t even know who was singing. That was how I found out about Drake for example.
I’d go on the school bus and I’d be hearing someone singing on the radio and I’m like hm I like that song. Then another day comes and another song is playing. Then I’ll ask ‘who sang this song?’ and they’d be like ‘it’s Drake.’ The next day I’m like ‘who sang this other song?’ and they’re like ‘its Drake’ and I’m like ‘Oh maybe I like Drake.’
Not him being a Drake fan without realizing it.
That’s how I found out about a lot of artists at that time. Then when vine came out, I remember that was a very new experience for me. Just me going on vine, hearing a song and asking what song is this? That was all I used to do on vine. Just listening for songs, asking what the name of the song was and people would tell me. I was maybe around 16 at that time. I don’t know, I didn’t think I’d be releasing my own projects, I just really enjoyed making it for fun.
I mean that’s really cool. It’s usually the things that we enjoy that turn out to either be our purpose or help us with our purpose. I don’t know if my next question now makes sense, but I’m still gonna ask it. What made you know that you were meant to make music? Or do you think you were meant to make music?
Um, I don’t know. I don’t know if I was meant to make music. I just feel like creating things in general calls to me. I don’t know if I was meant to make music. But thats the thing; whether or not I have a passion for music doesn’t matter. Like I can just settle down and study something and learn how it works, and just start creating stuff. And for some reason, it would just be really nice. So people just think, ‘oh I must have a talent for music.’
But before now, with the exception of when my mum used to force me to go for piano lessons, I’ve never really had any interest in music or anything music related. I just used to really like songs. My relationship with music has basically been, I’ll find a song and I’ll listen to that one song for months. Like I said I wasn’t exposed so I didn’t know a bunch of artists and a bunch of songs. So I’ll just find a song and start listening to that one song, over and over again.
Wow, thats very shocking to hear like honestly. Like I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to someone who loves music or is within the industry of the craft and doesn’t absolutely like have a strong, like ‘oh my god music is my love, I kiss music in the bathroom’ type love for it. This is the first time I’m hearing this. It seems like you have a very powerful and very disciplined mind where you can just sit down, learn how something is done, then execute it. Which again, is really cool.
Okay my next question. Did you have any self doubts when it came to making music?
I didn’t really have any self doubts, because the only reason someone would have self doubts is if they had some kind of goal that they were working towards and they just thought the goal was bigger than them or something like that. It was never really any goal. I was just listening to Skrillex and trying to replicate what I heard. That was literally what I used to do. I liked making something I could show my friends when I go out. Then they would tell me, ‘why is this part repeated over and over again,’ or something like that.
I didn’t really have any dream of one day I’ll be performing or all those kinda things. All those desires just kind of grew on me over time. So I’ve never really had any doubts that I don’t think I can make it in music or whatever. For me now, I even ask myself; what if one day, I don’t want to even actively be a performer anymore? What if I want to be music in another capacity? I’m very open to like different opportunities, and different ways I can serve. So, yeah.
Hm, Okay. What does music feel like to you?
Feel like? Hm. Well, I don’t know how to describe what music feels like. But I can describe what good music feels like to me, like very good songs. Or songs that I love yeah. So to me, it’s just like- at the beginning of the interview, I mentioned how I thought music can be a very spiritual p. When I hear a song that I absolutely love- sometimes the songs that I love are songs that people can’t or just something that people won’`t like.
But theres just something about it, it could just be something very insignificant, like, ‘why does the persons voice sound like that?’ And that’ll just be in my head every time I listen to the song. I’ll play the song relentlessly everywhere. I’ll play the song till I get tired of it. It just makes me feel- a good song to me, will make me feel curious. It’ll just make me ask some questions, like damn, why was this done this way? It’ll just make me ask some questions into the process of creating the song.
Alright, my next question is, I don’t know if you’ve already answered this but I’m still gonna ask it. What does it feel like when you create music?
What does it feel like when I create music ? Hm. It can feel one of two ways. It can feel very tedious and it can feel very exciting like it’s never really in between. It’s usually very exciting or very tedious. When it feels tedious is when my time is choked up with so many activities. It’ll be very hard for me to create something. So it’ll feel like I’m doing very heavy amounts of work and its very funny because this was not always how it was.
When I first started making music and maybe a year in, I used to make 5 beats everyday. Everyday I’ll just sit down, fire up my laptop. That time I wasn’t even using a laptop, I was using a desktop pc so I’ll plug it into a tv and make beats from morning till night, sometimes I’ll go till 2 am, 3 am. Now I don’t even make beats once it’s evening or night. Once it’s evening, I cant even touch my pc to make beats.
Now what makes music interesting to me, is if I’m doing something that I’ve not really done before. If I feel like it’s something I’ve done before or it’s something thats very common, it’s just like ok cool or it feels tedious. However if I feel like it’s new to me? Ah, I’ll find it so interesting. I made one beat today that was kinda afrobeats esq, and I never really make afrobeats or I don’t have a very long history of making afrobeats. So every time I make afro beats, it’s very very interesting to me. So idk.
I’m shocked at you saying that you’d make 5 beats a day, and spend that much time. But then its still kind of a contrast where you’re like, it was never like a PASSION for you, it was more just you having fun.
Exactly, I was having fun. It’s kind of the way my new, well it’s not new, but you know how I mentioned that I was a script kiddie? So I’ve always had a passive interest in writing code and programming for instance. Around the same time, or maybe two years after I started making music, I was then mature enough to pick up real programming. Alongside my mechanical engineering degrees, I was learning how to write code. So now, I’m at the point where I was at the time, with the earlier days when I started making music. I just have a period where I feel like I’m learning a lot. I guess the reason why I was making a lot of music at the time, was I used to learn new things everyday as I would make. But now it’s like I’m learning but theres not as many things to learn as there were before.
Why do you say that?
Well it’s just, when I first started out, it was like yeah I need to learn the software; FL studio. Obviously I’m kinda exaggerating, there are still many things that I need to learn. It’s just that I’ve reached the point where I’m okay with the software I use. I basically know at least 80% of the stuff there is to know about using that software. I no longer really watch a lot of youtube tutorials about using the actual software.
I feel like it has been maybe a year or two years since I ever watched youtube tutorial on how to actually do anything in FL studio. But I’m pretty sure the kinds of things I would learn now are; vocals can sound more airy. Or if you just different ways to implement these general concepts, not really like how to side chain a vocal. The things I could learn right now are more of concepts and methods of doing things rather than the way of actually doing it in FL Studio specifically. So I guess thats why I’m saying there are not many things to learn anymore.
It’s more like in the scope of things that you’ve been doing and the scope of things that were so big to you when you first started, they’re not that big anymore.
Exactly.
Fair enough. Do you love making music ?
Yeah for sure, I love making interesting music. Sometimes I’ll open up FL and I could start making a trap beat then 10 minutes later, I’ll just close it because what I’m making sounds like, stuff that I’m so used to. I’ll close it so I can go and reset my brain or something. I’ll go and listen to Rema, lemme reset my brain, you get? I love making interesting music and now music that seems interesting to me are stuff that I’ve never done before. Like I can just sit down now and make house music. I’ll find it super interesting because I am in a territory thats not familiar. To make house music, I might just go listen to a lot of dance music for 24 hours and its kinda fun.
Fair enough. Thats really cool, I was gonna say the thing you said about making interesting music, I can see that in the music you’re involved in. There are times when I listen to Odunsi, Santi or anyone within that circle and when the beat comes on? I know it’s you. Before I even hear the producer tag, I know it’s you. Just because it’s never a regular beat, it’s never something where I could go online right now and pull out 40 songs that sound like this.
It’s always something thats very distinct, there are a lot of layers. I don’t know too much about the terminologies of music and the depth of everything. But sonically, I pick up sounds, I pick up layers I’m always hearing layers, just layers in your shit. Like I’m hearing one sound and I’m like where did he even pick this sound from for gods sake? So I can see that it’s something that you enjoy because it always shows and produces really great work.
What do you channel in your music ? Emotions? Thoughts? People? Love? Energy? What is it?
Hmm, what do I channel? Um I feel like what I channel in my music might just be thoughts rather than emotions. It might just be thoughts. Sometimes it might not be channelling anything, it might just be me doing some kind of experiment that turned out really nice. Sometimes it’s not really like I’m trying to actively channel anything, it’s just that I’m doing an experiment and it’s turning out nice so I go ahead with it.
Fair enough.
Yeah ’cause one of themes tedious and daunting parts of music for me is just writing, like actually writing shit. It can be very hard for me.
Why?
First of all , I have a problem with lyrics and words in general. When I’m able to just sit down, articulate and write, let’s say, an essay? It comes out really nice. I can do that and if someone reads it, they will be very impressed with what I wrote. But when it comes to music and things that are very impromptu, it can be very hard. First of all, I have a problem with memorizing lyrics. A lot of my songs I don’t even know the lyrics to them. Like for some of my favourite songs, I can only go up to 30 seconds a time saying the lyrics. I don’t know whether it’s an actual problem or just I just have a problem with memorization in general.
I actually really hate memorization, which is why I guess I’m better at just understanding the way things work. Like you can tell me to read something and tell you about the thing. I’ll explain in my own words. Other people will be able to just tell you exactly what was said, where it was said and in what order. I might not even say it in the same order. I’ll say it in an order that makes more sense to me and if you don’t show me the thing again, I can literally argue with you that this is the order it was in. So yea, I struggle with anything I have to memorize.
I remember the first song I ever memorized in my life, besides nursery school rhymes and all that. But the first song was by Cecey, I don’t know how to pronounce her name but she’s a gospel singer. I just thought the song was a really nice song, I don’t even know the name of the song now but the lyrics were at the back of the CD. But I just tried. That was the first and last time I ever tried to memorize a song. But yeah, I just find it very very hard.
So I guess thats why it’s hard for me to write lyrics. It’s not like it’s necessarily hard, I just find it very tasking. So a lot of my songs, if you asked me to perform them impromptu? Yeah nah. So sometimes, I’d watch some artists when they’re just performing and freestlying? I used to wish that that could be me, because damn they’re just coming up with words on the spot like that? That’s crazzzzy.
But do you think you could produce on the spot like that? If there was a competition where by its like laptop is just right there?
I’ve been in a competition where you produce like that.
Really? Thats really cool. How was that?
It was calm, it was calm. I won that p nw, you sabi nw.
*laughter* That’s good, I’m deaddd, fairsss. Okay lemme see. What do you do, when you’re having bad or slow days?
When I’m having bad days, I just tune into something else. I try not to create on those days. I won’t do something that actively involves me being very present. I’ll just go on youtube, watch stuff, go watch some anime, just do things. And if I want to create or I absolutely have to create on days that are just very slow days? Theres a park around my house that I really like to go to and I like to do things there. Like just make music there or write code there. So sometimes, I could just go there and set my laptop down, watch something for maybe 2/3 hours and its kind of nice. So I guess thats what I do.
Do you like nature? Like are you nature inclined?
Nah fuck nature mehn.
Ah ahan? What?
Nah maybe when I was younger. When I was younger, our yard was huge. So huge that people used to come and play ball in my house. Yea so I used to like going out to explore the yard. There were some parts of the yard that we’d not even been there before, so well go and check stuff out there. But now it’s like for me to go somewhere? Or just be in nature or just be outside? It’ll be like theres a really nice park somewhere that I can just go and chill. Or if the scenery is really nice? Yea count me in.
So what do you like about that park that you like going to ?
It’s just really calm. When I go I’m usually the only person there or there aren’t more than 4 or 5 people there and its a really big park. It’s just really quiet and theres always air. It’s really nice.
Would you say that you’re an introvert?
I mean I guess? I guess I am. I used to be much worse than this. I used to be very very shy. When I was in secondary school I used to be very shy, it was crazy. Like if a bunch of people are sitting down the stairs and I wanna go down those stairs? I would go and look for other stairs to go down. I’m not even joking, it used to be terrible. I couldn’t hold a conversation for shit. Now it’s calm, and I think that is one of the things I have to thank music for. It just made me interact with people more.
It was so bad, when I finished secondary school in 2016, I used to just go out for the sole purpose of forcing myself for talk to people whether or not I enjoyed talking-to you or not. But yeah that one year where I did that, kind of helped. But music really helped. When I was making music, people would interact with me, I’d have to interact with a lot of people. So it kind of brought me out of my shell in a way, so it was nice.
Do you like to talk now? Or nah?
I definitely like to talk now. I mean I’ve always liked to talk, it’s just that I was shy, like really really shy.
Fair enough. Do you think self love and confidence are valuable aspects of creating?
I don’t know about self love but I know about confidence, confidence is a big part. Just the concept of anything you want to do, just start. Whether you run into issues or not, just start. Then when you run into them, decide how you want to go about solving those issues. Because you’ll never gain experience if you don’t even start. So that the next time you’re trying to do that thing, or do something similar, you kind of know or can put a loose plan for whatever it is that you want to do.
What difficulties have you had to overcome in the past?
Music wise? Or just general difficulties?
Whatever you feel comfortable talking about.
Let me start from a very obvious one. The thing of me being very shy and having to talk to people. I used to be really, I don’t know if the word is scared but I just couldn’t talk to people. That was a very bad thing to mix with being a creator of any kind. A creator that wants to market themselves? It’s just a bad mix. So the entire process of leaning to communicate? It was a very long and hard process. It seems like a skill that everyone should have but where would you go if you wanted to learn those kinds of things? You don’t just go on YouTube and say how to talk ? You’d probably get info but it’s definitely not the kind of info you need to actually do it. The thing you need would be just to go out there.
And I guess this is also due to how I am, my mentality to something I don’t know is usually just to try it out, like how would I solve it first. So for me, the first thing that came to mind, was in 2016, I started going to malls a lot. I’ll go to the cinema in the evening. Along the way as I’m going I’ll make sure that I talk to someone, let me just talk to someone thats there. I’ll strike a conversation with someone and by the end of the year, it was kind of easier for me to do that. There are people that know me now that, that was how they met me. Just me going up to them and talking.
I’d say you have a very, how do I even say it? I’ll say you’re confident but at the same time, that was something that you built up. I’ll say you’re very driven, the zeal to just go out and do these things. Like people have these thoughts, people tell themselves these things as well, like I should I should I should then they don’t. What usually makes a difference between someone who has it or who doesn’t, is that doing and that drive to do.
Do you have any advice for creatives in general?
I can’t even really give the advice of don’t be afraid of what people think about you. As much as you’re trying to be a boundary pusher, also take into consideration how things look from the outside. As much as you want to be a boundary pusher, you also have to be self conscious in a way. Not self conscious in a bad way. Well I guess this is only important, if you’re someone who is trying to create stuff that other people will consume. You have to see what you’re making, from the perspective of the people you’re making it for.
You want to start something, go ahead and do it. When you’re just starting something, how other people are perceiving what you’re doing doesn’t rally matter, you’re just staring out, you’re free to make mistakes. But as you get better and better, you need to be able to adjust. Because when you’re making something for people, it’s not about you, it’s about them. It needs to be obvious in what you’re doing, that you took into consideration the people you’re doing it for. I mean it could also be your brand to be selfish sha, but whatever.
Who would you like to thank? Is there anyone you’d like to say thank you to? Or shoutout to?
Yeah so many people, like Abstract, Santi, Odunsi, Zamir, Toye, Aru. These people I’ve mentioned, are people I met at different times in my life that marked significant points of my music journey. When I met Abstract for example, Abstract was the first artist that I ever met. I made a production remix to one of his songs. I had heard the song and I thought wow, I really really loved the song. I hadn’t heard anything like it, it was a cover he made to one of MI’s songs and I’m not even like a huge MI fan but the song was just really amazing.
So I made the production remix, hit him up on instagram like, ‘Yo look what I did.’ And we just started yanning. We found out I was coming to his school. He was at Unilag at the time, so I went to Unilag for a year before I went to my current school. At the time, that year when I was in Unilag, creating stuff with him? He really changed the way I looked at music at the time. I would be in school but on Friday, we’d go do all night sessions on the Island.
Almost every week for like months, we’d just go, do all night sessions with our friend Otex. I met Otex through abstract, we’d be in Otexs’ house. I’d never met anyone who had a studio set up in their house before, and Otex just happened to have one. We’d just make music all the time there. It was really cool, it was really cool. Then Toye, Zamir, Santi, Odunsi. Just different times of my music making career. Just met them, marked specific points that are very special to me.
Thats really nice, it’s very touching. It’s not even like you don’t appreciate everyone in your life. But theres those people where its like, the specific things I learnt from you, the specific things that happened in my life or new starting phases in my life, you marked them. So I have to give that hats off to you, like thank you, kind of thing.
Yeah yeah.
Fair enough. Do you have anything else you’d like to say? Like anything at all, even if it’s just, anything?
Hmm, I don’t know. I hate when people ask me that, like do I have like anything to say. My mum asks me stuff like that, I don’t know. I don’t really have to be honest. I guess I can talk about the fact that, although music is something I used to be really passionate about and I’m still very involved in. I’m very open to just be serving in alternative positions music wise. I feel like one of my purposes with my life is to create tools that other people can use.
I’m not sure in what capacity that would express itself later, but I just know that I’m eventually going to create things that other people use. It’s not just consumer side type of things, like making music that people consume or something, nah. I feel like it’ll be something much bigger than that, just tools that other musicians or people use to make other things. I really like the idea of that. I noticed that most of the other things I create besides music itself are also geared around that kind of thing. Like you can use this thing I made to do this other thing.
Fairs, that’s really powerful. I feel like I don’t have to tell you this but if you see it, you envision it, you believe in it, you will get it. So I am excited to see what you do in the future, how you help people, very excited and I hope that goes very good for you. Thank you so much for your time, agreeing to do this, and just taking openly, it has been great!
Interview Conducted and Transcribed by Elizabeth Faulkner.