Mind Off
UNDRGRND Issue #2 “The 805: Part 2”
I’ve been caught saying, “the 805 runs through Mind Off.” I give the 25-year-old Icon Collective graduate this unprecedented title because of his position as the head engineer at Ventura’s very own Record X Studios, a popular recording hub for local up-and-coming artists getting their feet wet in the industry.
Mind Off (real name Alec Bertrand) is an interesting artist for us to feature in UNDRGRND’s pages. He doesn’t rap like most of our artists, and doesn’t have much released music himself. Instead, it was his role as one of the best producers and engineers in Ventura County that caught our attention.
The “Tug-O-War” artist is a skilled musician all around, can play multiple instruments, and has an extensive academic knowledge of the music game. In early January 2021, he released his debut EP, a three-track project titled Alone, with the bulk of the production, engineering, and all the vocals done by the man himself. Mind Off told UNDRGRND he looks at Daniel Caesar, The Beatles, and FKJ as some of his most impactful musical influences.
Outside of creating music, Mind Off is an avid surfer, and enjoys frequenting downtown Ventura’s Italian restaurant, Café du Suro, with his girlfriend. The Thousand Oaks High School graduate also has an interest in politics and world affairs (he was a political science major at CSU Channel Islands before switching to Performing Arts), and admits the worst job he’s ever had was being a lifeguard at a YMCA.
“Human beings are naturally competitive because we have to be able to get resources. But in this world as an artist, that competition isn’t necessarily advantageous...there’s enough room for everybody in art, because if you’re making music that is true to you, you’re the only person who can do that. By supporting each other, that’s how scenes happen.”
