Today we’d like to introduce you to Chacho Mancillas.
Hi Chacho, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Jacinto Mancillas, although most people know me as Chacho. Some know me by my producer names, ChachoBands or SirBandos. I’m 27 years old and based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and music has been one of the biggest parts of my life for as long as I can remember.
What’s funny is that my story isn’t like a lot of other producers’. I didn’t grow up in a musical family. My parents weren’t musicians, and I wasn’t the kid learning instruments at a young age. Everything I know about music production came from a decision I made on my own.
Growing up, I always appreciated music, but I didn’t start creating it until high school. One day, I came across a YouTube tutorial where someone was making beats in GarageBand. I remember downloading it immediately because it was free at the time. Looking back, the first things I made were terrible. None of it sounded good, but that wasn’t the point. I was fascinated by the fact that I could create something from nothing.
A few days later, I went over to a friend’s apartment. He lived in the same building as me, and I would always hear music coming from his room. One day I finally asked him what he was using, and he introduced me to FL Studio. That conversation changed everything.
I remember rushing home that night and looking up the software. Then I saw the price. As a high school kid, there was no chance I could afford it. So like a lot of young producers, I started with the trial version and eventually found a way to learn the software anyway. Before long, I was spending every free minute clicking notes into the piano roll, building melodies, experimenting with sounds, and teaching myself how music production worked.
None of the beats were great, but I was having fun, and that’s what kept me going.
Not long after that, I posted my first beat snippet on Snapchat. To this day, I wish I still had that video. It probably sounded awful, but I’d love to see how far I’ve come since then. At the time, though, I didn’t care if it was good or bad. I was excited about creating something that was mine.
As the months went on, I became completely obsessed with learning. I spent time around friends who produced music, watched tutorials, studied different genres, and tried to understand why certain songs sounded the way they did. What really fascinated me was realizing there were no limits. One day I could make house music, the next day hip-hop, and the day after that something completely different.
For a while, EDM became my focus. I dove into house music and spent countless hours learning plugins like Serum and Sylenth1. I started posting snippets online and slowly built a following. For the first time, people I didn’t know were actually listening to my music.
That feeling was unreal.
I remember thinking, “People actually like this?”
From there, I became determined to get my music heard. I posted constantly, tagged brands, reached out to people, and looked for opportunities anywhere I could find them. Eventually, a well-known company approached me about ghost production.
At the time, I didn’t even know what ghost production was. They explained that I would make music behind the scenes while they handled everything else. In return, I received access to plugins, sample packs, and resources that I couldn’t afford myself.
I did it for a while, but eventually I realized something important.
I didn’t want to spend my career building someone else’s name.
I wanted to build my own.
After leaving that arrangement behind, I shifted my focus toward hip-hop and R&B. Around that same time, I met someone who would become one of my closest friends and collaborators. To this day, he’s like a brother to me.
Some of my favorite memories come from those years.
We’d spend nights in my bedroom working on songs. I’d be making beats while he wrote lyrics. We’d stay up until two or three in the morning, then head to a Chinese restaurant down the road that stayed open until four. We’d sit there talking about our goals, listening back to songs we had just finished, and imagining what the future could look like.
Back then, we didn’t have much. We just had a dream and a work ethic.
Eventually, I started meeting more producers in my city. One day, I remember walking into a producer’s house and hearing what he was making. My immediate reaction was, “This guy is incredible.”
For the first time, I realized there were other people around me who were just as passionate and obsessed with music as I was.
From that point on, our network grew. We collaborated constantly, exchanged ideas, shot videos, created content, and pushed each other to improve. Everyone was chasing the same goal.
Then came one of the moments I’ll never forget.
At the time, rapper Lil Keed was looking for beats. My friends and I submitted a bunch of music, hoping for an opportunity.
One morning, while working an early shift at Target, I got a text from a friend asking, “Isn’t this your beat?”
I went on break, listened to the screen recording he sent me, and immediately recognized it.
It was my beat.
Not long after that, I found out another one of my beats had been selected as well. Even though the songs never officially released and eventually leaked online, it was still one of the most validating moments of my career.
For the first time, I knew my music was reaching places I had always dreamed about.
From there, things started moving quickly.
I worked with more artists, connected with more producers, and expanded my network. One project in particular gained attention when an artist performed a song I produced at Rolling Loud. My inbox started filling up with messages from artists, producers, and people wanting to collaborate.
I stayed close to my circle, though.
Those were the people who had been there from the beginning.
As time went on, I found myself collaborating with producers connected to artists like Yeat, Lil Uzi Vert, and Rod Wave. Every new connection opened another door.
Eventually, I became heavily involved in Detroit’s music scene.
I remember being added to a group chat for a project involving multiple Detroit artists. I flooded that chat with beats every single day. Sometimes five. Sometimes ten. Sometimes entire folders.
Then one night I got a message.
“Chacho, you got one.”
A few seconds later another message came through.
“Actually, hold on. You got more than one.”
Before I knew it, I had landed multiple placements on the project, including records involving artists like Louie Ray and GT.
That was one of the first times I felt like all the years of hard work were finally paying off.
Years later, another unexpected moment happened when I received a FaceTime call from Lil Candy Paint. We connected, found a studio space, and I sent him some R&B production. He immediately locked onto one beat and started recording right in front of me.
A year later, the song was released.
Moments like that remind me how unpredictable this industry can be.
When I look back at everything I’ve experienced, I’m grateful for all of it. The accomplishments, the setbacks, the long nights, the stress, the excitement, and even the moments when I wanted to quit.
Every experience helped shape who I am today.
Most importantly, none of it would have happened without the people around me.
My parents have always supported my music and continue to do so today. My friends, collaborators, and everyone I’ve met along the way have played a role in this journey.
I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, but I don’t look at any of it as the finish line.
I’m only 27 years old.
There’s still more music to make, more people to meet, and more goals to accomplish.
The story isn’t over yet.
And before I finish, I want to thank two people specifically.
To Chinma, the friend who introduced me to FL Studio all those years ago, thank you.
And to Raiine, my brother, thank you for always pushing me forward whenever life distracted me from the music.
I wouldn’t be here without either of you.
This journey started with a YouTube video, a laptop, and a kid who was curious about making beats.
Everything since then has been a blessing.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Some of the struggles I had growing up. I had low self confidence fearing what if people didn’t like what I was presenting. My biggest one was that and main one, though I came to this realization that in the end truly it doesn’t matter what those who don’t support you think, if someone thinks you’re bad at something go harder I say show them up and keep pursuing whatever it is you want to do. Thats how I take it and how it has helped me along my journey.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Music production. I’m not really known to much for one particular song though I have worked on quite the bit. My proudest moment was ironically getting a song of my own leaked. It was 2 songs with artist Lil Keed. May he rest in peace but yes that was my proudest moment just to say hey I had a song of mine leak. Though my other proudest moment was producing 5 tracks on an album and one of them being the main introductory song to set the album off.
What sets me apart from the others is I’m just gonna go, it doesn’t matter if it’s 2 in the morning and I have to be somewhere at 6am I’m going to still create, until I feel like I’m done and satisfied with the content I’m creating. I always make sure to push myself beyond the limits. I will sit there doesn’t matter if it’s a coffee shop, an airport or a place getting work done on my car, I’m going to put headphones on and I’m going to create multiple beats during that time frame that I will then go back and mix down, or add more effects to or tweak a melody whatever it maybe because to me none of my work is ever finished there is always something to critique.
What are your plans for the future?
Future plans, my future plans are really to see what the next 5-10 years brings me. I’d rather live in the moment when it comes to my craft and what I do vs plan it ahead. Though in some cases that is opposite but it depends on the scenario then. Any big changes though I can’t say for sure, but I know I been closely working with a few major artist here an there closely.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sirbandos
- Twitter: https://x.com/chachobands
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@chachobands?si=WZPJaO50H7mt-AO3
