Album Release
Andean Mysteries
A DIY Study in Suspense and Ambient Latin Sounds. Composed, Produced, Performed, Mixed, and Mastered by JC Gorritti.
FAQ
Is Gossip Stronger Than You?
Alrighty, let me spill the beans…
How did I get started in music?
During my childhood and early adolescence, I was part of the school band and youth orchestra at Dalton High School in my hometown of Lima, starting at age 12, playing brass instruments. I switched from the trumpet in my first year of high school to the euphonium (bass), which was the instrument I played the most. I then moved on to the piston trombone, and finally to the slide trombone in my last year of high school.
With the band, we played military marches, and “marineras” in which I always played euphonium solos.
With the orchestra, we played adaptations of popular Latin music genres such as mambo, danzón, and waltzes, among others. There I learned to read music, how to be part of a musical ensemble, and how to perform in theaters in front of hundreds of people… as part of an ensemble.
Then, in my late teens, I was part of two rock bands playing synthesizers: “Numente,” which mostly performed original songs written by my bandmates; and “Hi-Fi,” which mostly performed classic rock and progressive metal covers. Although most of these performances took place in small bars, I again had the experience of performing live in front of large audiences at relatively large events; always as part of an ensemble, although this time smaller and less organized.
How did my professional musical journey begin?
During my time in rock bands, I also enrolled in a school of rock and learned to play keyboards, write music, develop my musical ear, and the basic concepts behind music technology. Thanks to this experience, I decided to study a technical career in sound engineering at the Orson Welles Institute of Higher Education.
While studying for my degree, I was invited to join the Latin American folk music group “Vientos del Pueblo.” With them, I learned to play traditional instruments such as the quena, zampoña, bombo legüero, cajón, charango, and others in my spare time. My responsibility in the group was to play the synthesizer and occasionally the piano, while also singing vocal harmonies. The group’s unique characteristic was that everyone sang, and the vocal arrangements weren’t easy. Some of the group’s performances were in front of thousands of people.
Almost at the same time, I was invited by the director to join the polyphonic choir of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, singing in the tenor string. There, I learned choral vocal technique and, for the first time, began to sing without playing an instrument, although always as part of an ensemble. During this time, I had the experience of performing classical music with a live symphonic ensemble.
I also received private lessons in choral conducting and lyrical singing.
I graduated from the sound engineering program in 2009 and have been pursuing my career since then, specializing in film sound.
Did I ever consider giving up on music?
In 2011, I legally immigrated to the US, where I continued to pursue my career as a film sound engineer independently. This meant a sort of forced separation from my original musical calling; although I was always surrounded by artists given the nature of my profession, I did miss making music a lot.
In the mid 2010s, I joined a cumbia band in New York City, playing synthesizer, maracas, kazoo, and singing backup vocals. During this time, I learned that the music scene in one of the most important and cosmopolitan cities in the world is not significantly different from the music scene in my home country: Peru.
Eventually, I realized that what I missed wasn’t necessarily playing in bars in front of an audience more interested in drinking alcohol than enjoying my performance, but rather the process of rehearsing for an event and presenting a performance in front of a captive audience in a theater or public space.
This led me to understand that my need to express myself through music could only be fulfilled in solitude, given that the stages I preferred were out of my reach. So I began to explore an area that until then had been a mystery to me: music composition.
Then came the pandemic. After a couple of very turbulent years, I finally found myself in a very different situation and decided to make the most of the limited resources I had.
The film industry had been hit hard, but somehow I had managed to stay on my feet, and this gave me the strength to rethink my entire professional career. Up until then, I had earned my living working in a technical field: film sound. But the time had come to seriously focus on my musical side, and I began the process of compiling my modest musical compositions and producing them professionally with the goal of publishing them and making myself known as an artist.
And here we are!
Maybe one day I’ll be able to return to the stages I miss so much? I don’t know. That will depend entirely on the support I receive from you; if any. What I am sure of is that I will never give up on music.
So yeah, the party has only just began!