Check Out Korma Gutierrez’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Korma Gutierrez

Hi Korma, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Since I’m a kid, I was surrounded by musicians. My father was a multi-instrumentalist and he did many shows in France. I followed him in all his musical adventures. I remember he was playing shows during the summer, and I used to go on the stage next to him holding a small charango (Bolivian instrument) or a flute. I really liked going there and be in front of the audience. My parents always gave any kind of instruments not to practice, but to have fun. At the age of 8 my parents told me that I could take music classes in a school, and they asked me with instrument I would like to learn. My first answer was the Accordion. They were surprised that I wanted to learn such an uncommon instrument. This same year we went on a trip to Paris, and I fell in love with this instrument that was present in the streets and in the subways stations of the city. I felt that the sound was so full and unique, I had no doubt that this had to be my instrument. I started taking accordion classes in France for one year, and then we moved to Bolivia. There I continued my music journey learning accordion and charango (Bolivian Instrument). At the age of 10 I got into the Conservatory of Bolivia as a piano player, and it’s there where I mainly built my musical knowledge as a classical musician.
At the age of 15 I wanted to expand my knowledge in the musical world, so I started producing and learning more about DAW. This led me to do apply for Berklee College of Music and join the Music Production & Engineering major when I was 18. Now I’m fully in love with production and engineering and collaborate with multiple artists from different genres.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think there is not a perfect road, but each step in the career is important to become who we are today. I always had the support of my parents and professors to achieve my goals. When I was preparing myself for Berklee, I only had one goal in my mind, it was the scholarship. My year of preparation happened during Covid so it the ambience was different. Suddenly my audition had to be online, we couldn’t go outside we had to adapt to a new reality. The first months of the pandemic were not bad for me since I could focus more on my music because I didn’t have anything else to do. However, a tragic event happened that impacted a lot my preparation and my future. After a few months of pandemic, my dad caught Covid and had to be sent to the hospital. Unfortunately the damage in his lungs was to severe and he passed away. This impacted lot my journey towards Berklee because suddenly one of my biggest inspirations and supports in music left me. In a few months I had the audition and I didn’t have any motivation. I had a hard time realizing what to do, organizing the ideas in my mind, because my house that was a musical safe space was converted to a nest of memories. I had a moment that was a key for my career, it’s when I decided that no matter what happened, I had to make it to this College. I converted my sadness in motivation, and got to work even harder which helped me to find a new voice in my music.
This was and it’s still is a hard event that definitely impacted my way of approaching music and my life.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m specialized in sound engineering and mixing. I work in the studio recording multiple bands and mixing their projects. I also work in Live sound and got to do the Monitor mix of wonderful artists such as Chucho Valdés, Tomatito, or Grace Kelly. Those two areas are my passion, they both share a lot things in common but at the same time they are very similar. When I’m in the studio as an engineer, I don’t like to approach just as a technical task. I feel that it’s the moment to take the creativity to another level. The artists come with a musical idea, with a message, and it’s the mission of the engineer to print it properly on a record. It’s different to record a salsa band, than just a singer, or full big band. Each artist is different, and each session has a different approach. I feel that every time I enter in the studio, I’m a therapist for the artist. It’s important to quickly read the ambience of the room and the people present. I consider that my role is to make them feel safe and confident. The studio can be intimidating with all this expensive artifacts. It’s a room that sets the ambience, when you’re there, you have to record, you have to do “The perfect take”. Every artist are a different approach, some are very confident so you have to show that you’re as confident as they are so they can trust you. Other artist are scared of this room so you have to work with them and make them feel safe so they can show the best version of themselves.
When I work in live sound the technical part is different, since I work on the stage when I do monitors. I’m not looking for the perfect mix for the musician, but for the most accurate mix that can help the show. The similar thing is the approach with the artist. One of my favorite things is talking with the musician about what he wants in his mix, and catching instantly his personality. Like in the studio, I encounter different moods, different type of persons, that affects the way I’ll be working with them to achieve my goal, them being happy with what they hear.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Being able to work in the music industry is probably what makes me happier. It was always a dream when I was a kid, and I didn’t know if I could do it or not. Now I have the chance to work with multiple talents and friends, we all share the same passion and we all help each other to improve. Probably the best thing about this journey is the people I met. I feel this is when I learn the most, it’s when I start conversations with different players, engineers, producers. It’s wonderful how we can learn from all this persons from around the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kormagutierrez.wixsite.com/korma
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/korma.music/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC92UKUm06K05yFP_XKetEKA