We had the good fortune of connecting with Juan Torres and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Juan, why did you pursue a creative career?
It was my dream to communicate the same emotions i felt from my influences. I was a huge Metallica fan growing up because of my dad. He showed them to me when i asked him a question of “What’s Rock Music?” he suddenly showed me Metallica and Jimi Hendrix.

I was a Violin player at the time, i was probably 12. I started as a kid doing the Suzuki Method thing.. and suddenly I was like “What’s that?!” “I want to be like James Hetfield now”

So i kinda ditch the Violin in favor of a guitar. Then i got my first interface like three years after to record some stuff. It wasn’t nothing serious, but i still have that interface. My dad got me a guitar, nothing fancy… it was the beginning of the end.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My career has changed a bit over the time and the focus. I proud myself many times of the different skillsets I’ve learned to develop over the years.

I think the thing that most excites me is to learn a new skill, often we believe we have learned everything. I’m always in the hunt for new stuff, something that enlightens my path and brings focus. Many things change with time, like my overly obsession with Engineering. I ended up finding myself enjoying more the Production side of things and the Synth Programming side, rather than just engineer. I tried to find a blend between the two worlds. Which in some cases people find exactly the same or very similar. but for me they seem in some sort, distant.

A big thing for me to learn, was to maintain my ego outside of my work ethic. Sometimes i thought I’m capable of everything. just like my heroes, whom are capable of doing this impressive things (Songwriting, Performance, Recording, Editing, Designing) Type artists, like Prince or Trent Reznor. I thought i could be just like them,

It was a rewarding experience to jump again inside of many sessions and realizing I know absolutely nothing. Since that, I’ve been humbled enough to learn how to step aside and allow someone else to take the driving wheel..

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite spots around LA are several. Malibu being one of those, the peace you feel in Malibu is unique. I love it when you can just enjoy seeing the houses and waves of the sea.

If you want action perhaps Hollywood is for you, an area i spent several times at. However, it can be a crazy place to be at…
So being careful is also important.

Amoeba Music was my jam every Sunday getting out of anywhere around Hollywood. Is just, the greatest Music store. If you are visiting or an Angelino.. this place is for you!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this Shoutout to my Father, someone that believed in me when no one else did!

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juan-e-torres-camelo-159bb1154/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.