FERN SOUZA RAMOS
LIVE! Student from 2009-2013
Berklee College of Music
Fern is a Brazilian-American composer, producer, engineer, and founder at Dimension 70, an impeccably designed, otherworldly recording studio in NYC. We can't wait to visit or, better yet, collaborate! The studio recently hosted a fantastic organization called Beats by Girlz: an initiative about empowering the next generation of women and gender-expansive people through music and technology.
2017 interview with Valeria Ayala:
So you've chosen the path of higher education...good for you! What school are you attending, and what's your major? What made you consider applying there?
I graduated from Berklee College of Music one year ago with a degree in Music Production & Engineering and a minor in Commercial Record Production. As a 17-y.o. About graduating high school, it seemed like the only logical step for me. I wanted to focus on music full-time and felt I wouldn't have been happy at any other school.
What was the audition process like? What do you think made your audition successful?
It was a 3-part process: interview, prepared piece, and some ear training/sight-reading tests.
I was prepared for my piece and bombed the sight-reading, but I had a great ear training test and interview. Even if you don't have amazing chops yet, the school is more interested in your work ethic and whether you'll contribute positively to the school and its students.
What kind of preparation did you undergo for your audition?
My prepared piece was "Hottentot" by John Scofield, as recommended by my former Live! teacher and mentor Juan. I recorded the backing track with my friend Emily at her studio in Coral Gables, and I practiced it nonstop until the day of the audition. It's a tricky chord progression, and I really wanted to make the solo section something more interesting than just a standard pentatonic... Juan helped me breakthrough that threshold.
What kind of projects are you working on right now?
Right now, I'm living in NYC; I've got a job at Electric Lady Studios (built by Hendrix in the '70s) as General Assistant trying to work my way up there. I'm also a recording/mix engineer for an NYC group called JIL. We've been working on their debut release for almost 2 years, and it's finally finished, so it should be released in the upcoming month.
One of your favorite musical moments so far.
JIL went on tour with Maggie Rogers last spring. We played every night for two weeks at 600-700 capacity venues, and Maggie had sold out every single show. Our biggest show was for 1,000 in Montreal. Definitely the highlight of my musical career thus far!
What do you do when you need some creative inspiration?
I love going for walks around New York with my headphones on. The energy this city gives off is unlike anything I've ever seen. Creativity instantly recharged.
Do you feel Live! has influenced your musical journey? If so, how?
100%. Every other music school I had tried in the area was leaning more on the "traditional" side. I'll always remember going to my first lesson and my teacher asking me what song I wanted to learn. I couldn't believe it! Live! was a haven for young kids to play whatever they wanted while still getting the same top-quality education. It made learning an instrument much more fun!
What has been the most challenging thing for you as a musician?
To me, the hardest thing has been pleasing myself. I am my toughest critic, and sometimes, finding the self-confidence to share your music with others is tough. I'm sure this is something that every artist goes through from time to time. The key is to be stubborn enough to disregard your reservations and see a project/piece all the way; it's the only way to grow as a recording artist.
Fern and his business manager at Dimension 70, Alex Cohen, circa 2009:
