Behind every great musician is a meticulous mixer and engineer who lays down the foundation for their records to come to life. And one individual who wholeheartedly resides behind this statement is John Kercy. 

The Grammy-nominated mixer and engineer defines himself as hard-working, focused, and passionate about music and grooves. Moreso, he keeps his head down and does the work. 

Music was introduced to Kercy through his father, who, at the time, was an electronics engineer and technician. Because of his dad’s involvement in the music scene, he was always surrounded by instruments and technical devices. Also, consoles because his father’s friends always came over. Naturally, Kercy fell into it. He took the producing route before realizing that his real passion sprawled in manipulating sounds and conveying emotions through various engineering techniques. 

One accomplishment of his was bringing his parents to the GRAMMYS. 

“Music wasn’t necessarily something they saw me doing. They envisioned me being a doctor, civil engineer. When I was able to take them to the GRAMMY’s, it was that reassurance that he’ll be good.”

His inspirations include Bruce Swedien (Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones), his close friend/mentor, Fabian Marasciullo, and Jimmy Douglass (Timbaland). 

When working on a record, he needs his speakers, which have been by his possession for 11 years. 

In terms of mixing, he aims to find the soul of the record. Sometimes it’ll be a groove or bassline or singer. His goal is to accentuate the song’s core elements—adding specific ear candy to make people feel immersed in it. 

“When people press play, I want them to hear some sort of emotion. To get lost in the record,” he continues. 

The majority of the songs he’s worked on have spoken to him. 

He says, “If it [a track] doesn’t spark any ideas in me, I turn it down because it’s a disservice to the artists and producer. Emotion is a vessel in music.” 

He enjoyed bringing two songs to life: “Floods” by Lucky Daye and “Like I Want You” by Giveon. 

Kercy adds, “When I heard the songs, it sparked something in me to go in on them. The outcome speaks for itself.”

For others looking to become engineers or mixers, Kercy suggests that they should be tech-savvy, musicians, and have people skills. He also gives them this word of advice:

“Do it for the right reasons. It takes practice. If you don’t love it, you won’t make it. You have to have a passion for music and engineering.”

If he could go back to the start of his career, he’d tell himself: 

“It’s going to be a long road. No matter what, keep going and remember the love for the music.”

Outside of music, he enjoys motorsports and cooking. In the future, he’d like to work alongside Bruno Mars. The star engineer lists “Leave The Door Open” by Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak and “You’re Mine Still” Yung Bleu and Drake as his favorite songs. 

About John Kercy

Kercy has worked with an abundance of talented musicians ranging from Khalid to 50 Cent. He is R&B’s best-kept secret. Most recently, his work was praised on Giveon‘s “Heart Break Anniversary,” which is now certified platinum.

Kercy plays a very pivotal part in the creation of a hit record, and he prides himself on his ability to add emotion and texture to a record and then translating the emotion of the record to the common ear. He is currently working on Lucky Daye and India Shawn‘s upcoming project.

Written by Natalee Gilbert

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