Life & Work with Sergio Salamanca of Van Nuys

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sergio Salamanca

Sergio, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am from Bogotá, Colombia (Born 1998). My music training started when I was seven, with Drum Lessons. At age 13 I started music theory and production lessons in EMMAT (Escuela de Musica Moderna, Audio y Tecnologia). EMMAT is a B.G.P (Berklee Global Partner) school located in Bogotá.

In 2016 I had the honor of being accepted by Berklee College of Music, where I started my Undergraduate Degree with a dual major in Electronic Production & Design and Music Production & Engineering. Graduated in 2023 and moved to Los Angeles, California, where I had two internships at recording studios and released my first artist album, “Endless Return” (SSSDJ). Now I’m doing a music business certificate at UCLA Extension to expand my knowledge and skills into the music industry, in areas such as licensing, publishing, artist relations and management.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I grew up in a country in which most people do not consider Music as a real profession or job, only a hobby. Since the beginning I always had support from my family and to this day they have always supported me, for that I will always be grateful. Throughout my life I have dedicated all my energy and effort into developing and improving as a musician, engineer, producer and DJ. Working in the music industry is not always a smooth road. and there will always be challenges and situations where people will want to take advantage of you; you must also be very open to criticism and negative feedback and learn how to improve and grow after making mistakes, not give up and never stop working.

Perseverance and consistency are without a doubt absolutely necessary to succeed in this industry, people believe talent is enough to get you far, but talent with no discipline and consistency is useless, and as I mentioned on my first interview with shoutout LA, Music is like any sport, where you must be in the best conditions mentally and physically to succeed. Besides passion, energy and commitment, you must be very consistent and perseverant to keep learning and improving every day.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a drummer, music producer, sound engineer, sound designer and DJ. I have multiple skills which can be useful in multiple stages of pre-production, production or post-production of music, film or media. I am also the co-founder of a music label and crew from Bogotá, Colombia named Tegmentals, where we just released our first single as a record label, “Ambiental Garage” produced by a Colombian artist named ZØM, mixed and mastered by me, which is now available on all platforms. We also have a few releases coming before the end of the year, “Duele” by our resident DJ and art director, Camilo Sanchez, “Pasión” also produced by me and Camilo, and finally “Virtue”, produced by me and another Colombian artist named Tanzmaro. Next year will also be full of new releases, DJ sets and events, so stay tuned on Tegmentals on social media for upcoming news.

As mentioned previously I will also obtain a music business certificate diploma at UCLA Extension, with the objective of learning all necessary skills and knowledge about music licensing, publishing and distribution, as well as administration, promotion and marketing, which are key to success for any business currently. Our goal is to keep growing Tegmentals’ audience, releasing music, showcasing events and promoting music from local and international artists, as well as opening a recording/production studio. In the future, we would like to explore the possibility of owning our own club or performance venue.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
As mentioned previously, since the beginning of my journey I always had support from my family and to this day they have always supported me, for that I will always be grateful. Mainly I want to thank my parents and my brother for all their support over the years, this has always been key for my consistency and perseverance. I would also like to thank all my friends from Berklee and from Colombia that have supported me along the way and will continue to support me until the end, without support from your family and friends it would not be the same to sacrifice things and work hard for music in an industry that is extremely competitive.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sssdjproducer.wixsite.com/sssmusic
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sssdjproducer/

Image Credits
Miguel Angel Ortega

@miguelangel.film