One of the busiest audio engineers in the Indie scene right now is J. Vanco. You might not have heard his name, but you've definitely heard his work, with name Sore, Efek Rumah Kaca, Vox, The Brandals, Clover, Ballads of the Clich* and Everybody Loves Irene - or perhaps more mainstream artists such as RAN, Rio Febrian and Glenn Fredly.
The Surabaya native decided to study engineering because of his dissatisfaction with the results when his own band, Lull, made a recording.
"Afterward I did everything to learn audio engineering, from quitting my college study to work different jobs so I could cover my living costs in Jakarta," he says.
Vanco finally managed to study audio engineering at the Art Institute of Seattle, in the USA, where he spent two years, thanks to the education insurance saved by his late parents. On finishing his studies in 2006, he launched his career.
Vanco's work means he has to listen to all sorts of genres now he works as an engineer, but for this music lover, that's no chore.
"I love music, all kinds, although I fell in love with rock for the very first time," he says.
"But since working in this field, I find I can enjoy any kind of music, traditional or modern, melodious or tuneless. In my head there are only two kinds of music: good and bad."
Among his professional influences, Vanco counts experienced local engineers such as Indra Q, Joseph Manurung, Irv Nat and Aghi Narottama, as well as notable foreign producers such as Rich Costey, Flood, Alan Moulder and Nigel Godrich.
The 28-year-old says he implements a tight quality control system to ensure he gets the best recording output possible; once, he says, he even worked on an album for two years to get the best quality.
"Luckily I have Lull *his band*, so I don't get bored working. I can always set a schedule to record my own album for stress relief," he explains.
Vanco says his work makes him happy because he loves music and he plays a large part in producing good records.
If you want to know more about him or need someone to record your next album, contact Vanco at vortexaudio@hotmail.com.
- Aditya Suharmoko
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