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

Hi Andres, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m originally from a town called Merida, in Venezuela. It’s a college town, surrounded by mountains, which also brings a lot of tourism as we have the highest peaks in the country. I grew up surrounded by a melting pot of different people, cultures, arts and academia. I personally attended dental school, but most of my friends attended some form of art school, or belonged to an orchestra, theatre group, or creative collective. I was so inspired by all of this that ended up joining a couple bands that quickly gained a good fan base, and we did some very interesting things. Some of the recordings we did are now considered cult albums by some. I moved to the US at 24 years old, and was supposed to pursue my dental license. I worked as a dental assistant for almost a decade and was able to really understand the business. I would end up finding out that it’s not what I love. I never came back home to read a dental journal. It was always to watch concerts, play my guitars, learn recording, go to concerts. My middle class upbringing sort of kept me from pursuing what I really loved to do, which I think is important if one wants to be successful. It took me a long time to understand that. Finally, at 35 years old, I would drop my original plans to pursue dentistry in the US, and become a full time sound engineer. Not necessarily having big ambitions, other than doing what I love. Little did I know I would end up touring the world with Grammy winning artists, and legendary bands and musicians. I wake up every day looking forward to go and do what I love, which doesn’t even feel like work. I feel that a lot of circumstances and people, specially family, can shape our views in many different ways. Parents, couples and friends, most of the time with the best intentions, can keep you from going after your dreams because they want to spare you from what they may see as suffering or misadventures. In my case, this created a barrier around me that took years to break free from. But I’m glad I took the chance. So are my parents, by the way!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a Live Sound Engineer. In less than a decade I have managed to be on some amazing tours and festivals around the world, and now I work at one of the finest venues in Atlanta, GA, The Eastern. On tour, I specifically run monitors for bands and artists, which means I have to make sure they are comfortable on stage and hear everything they need to hear for a great performance. It is a very difficult, yet rewarding job. I started with R&B artists like K Michelle and Blackbear, then worked for Kali Uchis for 5 years, worked briefly with the amazing Thundercat; and now I tour with livetronica legends Sound Tribe Sector Nine (STS9). My career has taken me to venues and places I could only dream of as a teenage musician and aspiring sound engineer. This year I had the pleasure to work at some of the most beautiful venues out there including the Red Rocks Amphitheatre and The Mishawaka Amphitheater in Colorado. I will always carry with me the breathtaking views from these places, while I mixed the stage for STS9. 

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Willie Linton. I met him randomly when I had a photography assignment at a concert. He was the sound engineer for an opening act. We followed each other on Facebook and I started noticing some of the cool things he was doing, including having mixed a song for artist Raury that was featured on the film “Lucy”. At the time I was still working in dentistry, at the marketing level, and he had a side gig as a web programmer.  I brought him to the office and we discussed possibly hiring him to help me with the website development. It ended up not happening, but fast forward a few years, I had changed careers to audio and he posted that he needed interns. I volunteered and he asked me about my dentistry job. I explained that I quit in pursue of an audio career. After pointing out a few times (about 15) how crazy that was, he said “I like you, come by tomorrow” and took me under his wing. He connected me with some amazing people and helped me start my touring career. I’m forever thankful for him. He is now the playback engineer for Post Malone, and I consider him my friend and mentor.

Website: https://5053x.com

Instagram: @5053x

Twitter: @5053x

Facebook: /5053x

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Image Credits
5053x-Action-Shot-2 by Matt Kaplan (@karoni on IG) – on tour with Kali Uchis in 2019 5053x-Swag-Shot by Matt Kaplan (@karoni on IG) – on tour with Kali Uchis in 2019 STS9-RRX-SCOUT–2 by Courtney Scout (@scoutitout.media on IG) – Red Rocks with STS9 in 2023 STS9-RRX-SCOUT-06460 by Courtney Scout (@scoutitout.media on IG) – Red Rocks with STS9 in 2023

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