Meet Esli Sugich of Los Angeles, CA.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Esli Sugich.

Hi Esli, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The story of how I got into music really begins in the beach town of Rosarito Beach, in Baja California, Mexico, where I lived as a kid before moving to Los Angeles in 1999. Back then from a very young age in elementary school I was obsessed with marching band, specifically the percussion snare players. I would watch them and listen carefully, then I would go back home and practice what I had learned by getting two sticks and hitting a piece of metal which would probably annoy all my neighbors. For some reason though, I didn’t think I was good enough to try and join marching band. I also didn’t have anyone tell me that I could do it. Fast forward years later to 2001 to Glendale, CA. by then I was starting to feel more confident and I asked to join concert band and marching band. It was a great experience being in a concert hall with other talented students of music. However, I felt I was behind in skill. Everybody else already knew how to read music and I didn’t. I had to start from scratch. The teacher felt it would be best for me to learn percussion since it is a little bit easier to understand the music. I was a kick drum bass player, snare player, marimba player, and pretty much any percussion available, even the triangle. Sadly, I didn’t stay in concert band nor marching band for long. I didn’t enjoy having zero period and waking up at 6 am for marching practice. I decided I should start my own band, so I learned how to play bass, and I also got a drum kit that I would practice on everyday. I got other kids interested in joining my band and then we started to learn covers of pop-punk music. We signed up for the talent show, played in the big concert hall in-front of the whole school and that gave me the confidence I needed to believe in myself and my music abilities.

Years later, many music projects had passed and I was still a musician playing in bands. By then I had already mastered my instruments, bass guitar and electric guitar. I left the drums to more skillful drummers but I still enjoy playing them whenever I get the chance. I toured all over the U.k. and have played many shows in the states as well. I have since gone back to a trade school to learn the Science of Recording Arts. I graduated magna cum laude from The Los Angeles Recording School. After that, I interned and was a runner for many music producers. I should mention that a degree in recording arts can help you get your foot in the door of music studios, but the real skills come from hands-on experience and working under pressure. I love being in the studio working with talented musicians, learning new skills and creating sounds. I have now engineered at many studios and also have my own studio in Hollywood, right on Sunset & Wilcox. I still produce music of my own and have a project with long time band mate Scott Eton. The project is fairly new and it’s called “Porcelyn”. Music is available on all streaming platforms.

I think that most people know me as a Disc Jockey in Los Angeles. I do Dj a lot and I enjoy hosting events at various bars and music venues locally. I love to support the local music scene and being involved in anyway I can. You might be able to find me at one of your local bars if you’re interested in listening to the tunes I enjoy playing.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My journey with music has been more fun than easy, but the enjoyment far outweighs the struggles. From the very beginning, I knew a career in music would be challenging. I repeatedly reminded myself of this fact. My passion for music is so strong that I was willing to sleep on people’s floors if necessary, knowing that the accomplishments would be incredibly rewarding.

My first major obstacle came when my parents decided to move from California to Utah. I faced a crucial decision: stay in LA to pursue my dreams or move to Utah and leave my band behind. I stayed in LA, moving in with a best friend. I was just nineteen at the time. Life became a juggling act of working odd jobs, attending community college, managing band rehearsals and shows, all while maintaining a relationship. Some might say I had to grow up fast, but I believe music keeps you young at heart. It’s always been my love for music that has kept me going and believing in myself.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I think I am mostly known as a local DJ and music producer in Los Angeles, but I am actually very active behind the scenes. My main profession is audio engineering, and before that I have always been a musician at heart. I picked up Djin back in 2009 when I asked a former friend to teach me how to do it and I have never stopped since then. Djin is a fun job. In recording studios I have worked with many talented musicians and producers, some of them are Moby, Adam from War On Drugs, Nick Launey, Pablo Pablo & Helado Negro, Eric Burton from Black Pumas, and many many more. Shout out to Dave Trumfio of Pulsars & owner of Kingsize Soundlabs Studios & Goldiggers studios, and also Clay Blair from Boulevard Recording Studios for giving me the opportunity to work with them.

I’d also like to mention that I do other things in the world of audio like mixing sound for film and television, and even engineering audio books. I mostly recently recorded an audiobook on Nirvana’s album “In Utero” which should be up on Spotify for listening pleasure.

I believe what has set me apart from other audio engineers is that I have a background in being a musician, and also audio visual technician. Being able to communicate with musicians is crucial in the studio.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Many musicians and artists are struggling to make ends meet. Corporations and companies like Spotify are profiting from musicians’ and artists’ work while giving them less than a penny per stream28. Musicians depend on their supporters. We do it because we love it. We live for creating and sharing our art. An artist sacrifices their life for what they believe in, and it translates to their work.

If you want to support musicians, you can help in various ways:

Share your musician friends’ links to their music or artwork
Spread the word about them
Attend their shows
Play their music
Simply remind them of how important music is to the world

To make a difference, consider donating to MusiCares: https://musicares.org/donations

MusiCares provides critical assistance to music people in times of need, offering a wide range of services and resources for financial, medical, and personal emergencies

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eslisugich.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eslisugich_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eslisugich
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esli-minjarez-sugich-11638a188/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/porcelynmusic/

Image Credits
the film photo of me at the ace hotel downtown was taken my Nicole Landry (picture #8) the black and white film photo of my music project “Porcelyn” where I am standing with my band mate Scott Eton was taken by Sasha Matveeva The pictures of me in the studio were taken by Jean Claud The dj action shots were taken by Manu the rest of the studio shots were taken by me.