Conversations with a productive daydreamer

Manila, Philippines - Rez Toledo arrived early at the coffee shop. He was sitting at one of the tables inside, black-rimmed glasses and all, with his hair at just the right amount of messiness. The image was definitely a put-together enough sight in itself, especially since this guy was supposed to be a master at balancing acts. You could tell he was into music from the way he looked, which was definitely a good thing—but I don’t know if it’s just me, because I wasn’t expecting a musician to treat me to a cup of coffee.

Well, the first thing is that he definitely didn’t look like he came from a whole-day video shoot that ended at 2 a.m. last night. Neither was it visible that finals week just ended, since most college students were still badly hungover from all the exams and stacks of papers that they had to submit. Here was someone who had zero traces of any tiredness that might have accumulated from being both these personalities—a young, active member of the music scene and a Management Information Systems student at the Ateneo de Manila University. I mean, this guy was just smiling through and through. He spoke at just the right volume, looked at you just the right number of times, and had very interesting things to say.

Naturally, I asked him about his music. He told me that he had started with music at a very young age, describing it as constant learning, putting a lot of weight on picking up things from here and there in the creation of a good song.

“Every songwriter starts from what they know. That way, everything is personal. You get an idea sometimes, and you realize that you want to make a song this certain way. It’s a lot about expression.”

He explained that this was a starting point, then, all the things that influence you just come into it and mix themselves up into what you create. Having something like Someday Dream, his electronic solo-project, all this is evident.

So why electronica? “I enjoy a wide range of it—that’s one thing; but it wasn’t so much by choice, because I wanted music that I could make myself.” He explained that he records his music on his laptop before the material gets sent to the studio for mixing and whatnot, humbly adding, “A lot of it is me, but it isn’t entirely me either.”

And with regard to how being a student is another layer in his life, when asked about the how-to’s, he didn’t deny that it was a hectic thing to be doing, but he was certain that finding the right balance would allow for a way to prioritize both. He said this still smiling, of course.

A remainder of a chocolate donut on the table and two empty cups of coffee were what made up the last minutes in the coffee shop, a polite parting, and enough good vibes to last a semester or two, maybe.