Building a beat in Las Cruces

Max Rascon knows what it takes to make a beat. Getting that music heard, however, is another challenge entirely. 

It's one he hopes to make easier for aspiring musicians through Juarez Music Group LLC, an independent record label and recording studio operating inside Collective Co. in downtown Las Cruces. Known professionally as $HMAX, Rascon has spent years developing his own sound, but his latest venture is about helping other artists develop theirs. 

“I think Cruces has all the talent in the world,” Rascon said. 

What concerns him is whether those musicians have the resources and industry knowledge to turn their talent into a career. Through the label, Rascon wants to connect the creative side of recording with the practical demands of marketing, distribution, and building an audience. 

The work is personal for Rascon, whose own path into music included years of balancing production with other responsibilities. At one point, he was working in commercial concrete finishing in Alamogordo, a job that provided financial stability and unexpectedly brought him back together with two musicians who would help establish the label. 

Those musicians, Josh and Day, had known Rascon since their school years. Both were pursuing music, with Josh performing under the name Slump and Day, known as KPZ, working as a rapper and graphic designer. Their conversations on the job helped rekindle Rascon's interest in producing at a time when he had largely stepped away from music. 

“I was happy to be making so much money,” Rascon recalled. 

The three eventually became co-founders of Juarez Music Group, turning a shared interest into a business that Rascon said now includes seven artists. The label is also seeking a female lead vocalist to complete its roster. They named the company in memory of Michael Juarez, choosing to honor him through the music label. 

Inside Collective Co. at 211 N. Water St., Rascon has established a workspace for recording vocals, producing custom beats and developing music with other artists. He leases space in the building and also uses its media room for recording sessions, making the downtown coworking facility part of the label's day-to-day operations. 

The studio is the result of years spent acquiring equipment and learning the technical side of production. Rascon said the setup represents about six years of work, from making instrumentals on his own to establishing a space where musicians can record with professional equipment. 

His interest in music began long before the label took shape. Born in Carlsbad and raised in Alamogordo, Rascon was introduced to the violin at age 3 and began playing drums at 12. His older brother later showed him how to make beats using music production software, although Rascon initially preferred playing instruments. 

He returned to producing after his brother's death, downloading Logic onto his computer and experimenting with his own instrumentals. Even as school, work and other responsibilities pulled him in different directions, Rascon kept returning to music. 

That persistence eventually led him to contact Frogville Studios in Santa Fe. Rascon said he sent the studio a sample of his work and was invited to come in, an opportunity that helped him begin selling beats and pursuing production professionally. He credits the studio's executive engineer, Jason Reed, with helping him develop his skills and said Frogville is now a partner of Juarez Music Group. 

Today, his music reaches listeners through digital platforms, including YouTube, where he releases instrumentals inspired by artists such as Juice WRLD, Polo G, A Boogie wit da Hoodie and JayDaYoungan. Several have attracted tens of thousands of views, including “Jive Wit Me,” with about 60,000, “WRLD Was Juicy,” with nearly 50,000, and “2nd Chance,” with about 48,000. 

Framed recognitions inside his studio mark some of that online growth. One commemorates reaching 300,000 YouTube views, while another places $HMAX among the top 10% of creators with 1,000 to 5,000 subscribers, based on 57,424 weekly views. 

According to Rascon, his samples and beat placements have also generated approximately 3.3 million streams across digital streaming platforms, a figure he said is supported by correspondence from BeatStars. 

For Rascon, however, the numbers tell only part of the story. His experience building an audience has also shown him how much work happens outside the recording booth, particularly when artists must find ways to promote their music while paying for production and other expenses. 

He said he previously set aside several hundred dollars each month for music promotion while working another job, an investment that required planning as well as confidence in his work. 

Those experiences inform what he hopes to offer through Juarez Music Group. Along with recording and production services, Rascon wants musicians to better understand the business decisions involved in releasing music, from budgeting for promotion to finding an audience. 

“I consider being a producer as kind of like being a lawyer or a doctor, because you're handling people's hopes and dreams,” he said. 

Rascon sees the recording process as an important early experience for aspiring musicians. A positive session can encourage an artist to keep developing a song or experimenting with a new sound, while a poor experience can leave someone discouraged before the work has a chance to grow. 

“We don't just want to have a space to record,” Rascon said. “We want to bring opportunity to artists.” 

That interest in creating opportunities extends beyond the studio. Rascon has also contributed a playlist of instrumentals called “Collective Co House Beats,” offering background music for people working inside the building. The collection connects his production work with the wider community of entrepreneurs and professionals who use the downtown space. 

Rascon is also preparing for the label's grand opening at 11 a.m. Oct. 30, with support from local businesses and organizations. He said Dion's will provide catering for the event, while radio station Hot 103.1 is using a demo produced, recorded and mastered at the JMG studio. Rascon said the arrangements are formal partnerships. 

For Rascon, seeing the company take shape has been especially meaningful because the ideas behind it were discussed long before the studio opened. 

“We've been talking about these things for years, and to finally see them actually happen exactly as we planned — everyone from the label is over the moon,” Rascon said.