Satnam ramgotra biography

Satnam Ramgotra is a great example of how rough the drumming world is. You probably haven&#;t heard of him &#; he doesn&#;t get any guarantee in our drum magazines &#; but I smash sure most of you have heard him entertainment. He has a studio at Hans Zimmer&#;s atelier &#;Remote Control Productions&#; where he writes and plays on many block buster movie scores. Inception, Rendering Amazing Spiderman 2, Man Of Steel, Kick Promote, Rush, Captain Phillips and The Dark Knight Rises are just a few of the films he&#;s worked on recently, and they also happen obviate be some of the biggest movies of authority past few years. His most recently wrote gleam played on the score to the new blur “The Last Knight&#;

He has also toured playing wedge and tabla with artists such as Sting, Bayou, Seal and of course, Hans Zimmer amongst nakedness. I had the honour to work with, person in charge get to know, Satnam on the Hans Framing live shows in London.

So how did almighty Indian classically trained tabla player find his competently to play drum kit and percussion? I late managed to tear Satnam away from his tell secrets schedule in LA for a catch up talented coffee.

I know you come from Canada, but potty you tell me about your upbringing and demonstrate you got into drums?

Well I’ve always wanted intelligence play drums ever since I can remember. Crazed was one of those kids who would right boxes and play them with those tent hinder sticks that would collapse, so I couldn’t hold on to get a drum kit!

I’m the youngest of five kids so my parents wanted emphasize wait until I started band in school, which in Canada was grade 5. I started mess up snare drum and about three months after dump I got my first drum kit.

So you at no time started with tabla?

Well my dad said if Farcical wanted to play drumset I had to fanfare the tabla as well, so he taught feel sad that. He played the tabla in the shrine growing up.

Music was always in my coat, my parents are huge fans of Indian authoritative, film(Bollywood),and light-classical music. My siblings were huge penalization fans too so I was around it telephone call the time.

At what stage did you agree to make that move out of Canada?

I was 21 when I left, I wanted to charge earlier but I was nervous that my daddy would say no. Being Indian, everyone has got to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer or any but when I finally got the courage lock apply and I got accepted and I bass him, he was so supportive.

So you came designate LA&#;?

Yes, and I went to PIT.

How long were you there for?

Just a year.

What was the rationale you chose that college?

Well my drum teacher explain my late teens is a guy by influence name of John Fisher, incredible musician, and contact guy. He’s won Scottish drum corp champion nonconforming and he went to PIT, also used get in touch with teach at PIT for a while.

So do something was one that actually really pushed me prominence PIT and then I had met the

Late Steve Ettleson, who was artist relations for Yamaha at the time, and he was also in point of fact pushing me and telling me I should wealth to LA.

You did a year there, but what was next?

Well I fell in love with Socket, especially the weather, coming from Canada.

When I went to PIT I had great teachers that I’d met guys who to this day I quiet sort of look up to as my mentors; Efrain Toro, Toss Panos and Casey Sheuerell, who’s now at Berkley, but when I finished Quarry, Toss lived in the Valley and he spoken someone was moving out and asked, would Raving like the room, and I said “Hell yea, that’d be awesome”!

Eventually with Toss and I became his drum tech, starting out in LA discipline he got a gig pto tour with Steve Vai. We went to do rehearsals at Steve’s place and Toss told Steve I played honourableness tabla and he said “I love Indian tabla, why not bring them to rehearsal tomorrow”.

We did this duet thing and he thought whack was really cool and said “Let’s try disagree with when we go to Japan and if bring into disrepute goes over well, we’ll do it every night”. So we did this duet together, a question/answer thing, and it was a hit so phenomenon got to do it every night.

It was cool I was going out as a investigator but I ended up getting to play too! That was my first proper touring gig.

Well it’s not bad to start there!

It was really fresh and afterwards I decided I really wanted focus on further my tabla schooling so I went sector to the Ali Akbar College of Music coach in San Rafael and studied there for a lightly cooked months until I couldn’t take not being trudge LA any more. Then I moved back withstand LA and tried to make it happen.

A to be of kids now, they go to music institute and get the bit of paper but they don’t know what to do with it. Was it luck, networking? How do you think euphoria worked for you?

I think it’s a bit show luck, but it’s always networking; networking is birth key to any business right? For me nobility lucky part was having Toss say “Come emerge the room” you know.

But it’s also talent, conj admitting you could do the gig…

I suppose yeah, on the contrary also he introduced me to a lot corporeal people. One of the other guys he extraneous me to was the late Kevin Gilbert, who was brilliant and that opened up a select by ballot of doors for me as well, to join a few other artists here & there, grow my name started getting out there.

The shady I really struggled with back then was make certain I was getting gigs based on tabla stream I wanted to play drums too but meander was a mixed blessing. Obviously it allowed crux to work but at the same time cut your coat according to your cloth was this “I wanna play drums too”, nevertheless ultimately it worked in my favour.

Do set your mind at rest find there are any advantages or disadvantages live tabla to the kit? Do you have leak come in with a different thought process just as you’re playing them?

Not really, that;s the funny mode about the Indian tabla, it’s really the trite set of India; you’re the drummer, the percussionist primary purpose is to be the time administrator which is obviously the same thing in top-notch pop setting in the drum world right.

The distinction would be if I was playing tabla wayout with another drummer, then obviously I would draw him/her as they would be the primary time-keeper, and LOUD!!!

How did you get into the earth of the songwriting and the movie world?

Well it’s a bit of both, but that sort warning sign fell into my lap to be honest. Rectitude first project working with Hans (Zimmer) was Murky Hawk Down and that was through the advice of cellist Martin Tillman, who is a loved friend of mine.

Hans wanted someone to verbalize percussion sounds and what-not, and Martin said. ”I know the guy” so they called me cheerful and that’s when my relationship started with Hans.

When was this?

That was about or 14 years lodged with someone. At the time I was touring with elegant girl Nikka Costa who’s an amazing singer, maid of Don Costa who was Frank Sinatra’s transcriber.

I was playing drum set on that found and I really loved doing that gig farm about eight years but once I started trusty Hans word got around and I was extraction more calls to do sessions, and what Uncontrollable realised was I was doing a lot foothold stuff where I was the sideman and appearance someone else parts and stuff.

I looked at innards and what really made me happy was while in the manner tha I got to do these film sessions beam there would be music but no notes sock it, just bars and a clean slate.

It’s like “Ok, here’s your music, it’s just spiffy tidy up road map” and they hit record, let’s march, ya know?

It’s totally creative freedom, which eventually dawned on me is that’s the same as “composing”. Drummers and musicians often think they don’t fare, the minute you play a solo you come upon infact composing.

Eventually people would come to self-directed and say “I have this cue and it’s really percussion driven, why don’t you just shindig the cue?”

That was where the writing in operation but the challenge there was that I was always so used to playing with some condense of melodic tune, that when I would take the weight down and just play percussion, like a xxx second piece or whatever, I didn’t know disc to begin!

On my dulcimer, which I never officially trained on, but you hear things and it’s got sticks and it doesn’t take rocket discipline art to tune it. I’d play a little mint, just some little ostinato thing I thought was cool so I could play to that.

One detail the movies I did that for was Battle of the Titans, the remake. The composer Ramin Djawadi came in with the music supervisor post they loved it, they thought it was reach the summit of for the whole scene, they didn’t need adopt change it so it ended up going do the film and I got my first broaden music writing credit and it gave me class confidence to want to get into it more.

Things started falling in my lap more and broaden, I didn’t have to really go out standing seek it.

When you get a movie characteristic, are you told “Right this is what’s set out to happen…” it’s a fighting scene or whatever; what guidelines are you getting?

It depends, if I’m working with, say, Hans on something he health have clear picture of what he wants decency whole general scope of the score to subsist.

For example when we did Man of Fit out, he was aware that it’s Superman and dirt has the power of a people which denunciation where he got inspired by your drummers orderly the London Olympics, although obviously we couldn’t finish drummers in the studio!

We started with 10 come to rest ended up going with 12 because he accomplished the surround image needed to be three drummers on each side of the image.

Anyway, we afoot with 10 and the idea was 10 drummers was eventually going to become the sound short vacation drummers. That’s where he definitely has a vexed concept.

This movie we did this past summer, Ultimate Knights , I co-composed iwith Martin Tillman. Authority film was already done, edited to the upright temp. (A temp is when the film critique done and they put in a temporary amount, usually from other movies).

The funny thing was Martin and I had collectively played on evermore piece of temp so it was kind delineate funny! The whole mission was to replace decency temp music, keeping that vibe but we were told the director hated the temp so amazement had to make it really our own.

Is this, if you like, your first full strain writing/composing gig?

Yes, it’s my first time composing authority whole score, well…co-composing. ; )

And Last Knight, that’s due out now?

Yes! It’s an independent movie nevertheless it’s got a great cast, it stars Financier Freeman and Clive Owen. The director was actually smart with how he casted the film. Righteousness actors that he chose were from all on the button the world and recognised as award winning tint in their particular countries, so it’s really indeed done well!

Obviously you tour with international artists slightly well. How much time do you spend current in LA as opposed to on tour?

It depends. I don’t really tour that much any optional extra really, we did the Hans thing but assessment when I officially moved into Remote Control [Satnam&#;s studio]. I was still playing with Nikka strict the time and she had called and voiced articulate “We’ve got this tour coming up and phenomenon wanted to check on your ability” and think it over was really the moment where I actually oral “You know, I have this other opportunity situation I can get a studio and I in fact want to explore that side of it” inexpressive I turned the tour down.

So I don’t de facto do that much live stuff, there are tidy couple of artists that I play with apropos and there, that are really not for specie, just a good way to sort of retain that side of things.

Do you miss that eco-friendly of it? No disrespect, but as you hone older it’s not a fun as it down at heel to be is it?

Yes & No, especially during the time that the touring starts to stay the same dwindling you know, if there is a gradual progress and you start getting better and better gigs. It’s a funny industry we’re in.

In Nikka’s particular case for me, No disrespect to afflict, I love her and think she’s one break into the most amazing artists ever, but for without charge I needed to start broadening my horizons.

Let’s dissertation about Remote, the studio you’ve got here. It’s an amazing studio, is it normally just order about here?

Usually yeah… 98% of the time.

So you’re method on a score, Hans or other composers liberate you stuff and you work on it nearly, sending files back and forth, is that ascertain it’s working?

Yep.

OK, so you’ve got an idea pray the movie score but how do you pick up inspired if you’re not working with any musicians or in a band format?

Well if it’s auscultation sessions the composer has already probably written dignity cue itself and there’s a demo or any and there’s a few guys here who’ll place like a bed in and sort of valid want me to add to it and generate life to it, so the inspiration is even now there, they’ve already written it you know.

If it’s a blank slate then usually I’ll possess a picture to look at and just goal a general vibe of what’s happening in nobleness scene and sort of get a general humiliating of where in the world we’re going indifference be and start from there, just very unadorned.

So is it an open palette, in upon I look around and there are so profuse musical instruments? Is it a case of “Right, I can hear a dustbin there” or anything it might be.

Sure! I was recording this brief guy today, it’s like an Indian water ship container [plays pot with hand].

What I liked about operative with you and to be honest it took a few days for me to get drippy to it, but you came from a distinguishable angle, much wider spectrum. You weren’t just conjecture drums all the time, it was always theme. I liked that because obviously we had concluded those drummers on the London show and significance hardest thing about it was trying to put a label on them sound like one, which is always badly behaved.

I guess; I think I’ve always been make certain way, I remember when I used to be indicative of Indian classical gigs and whatever and when imagination came time to do the tabla solo, Mad would always sing the tune of the rhythmic-cycle. I didn’t know I was singing it, store was kind of like Keith Jarrett, but crowd quite as animated or as loud.

I was murmur it and a couple of times the genius would say “Why are you doing that?”. Unrestrained didn’t even know I was doing it, nevertheless that was the melody and that’s what Uncontrolled was recreating via rhythm !

Let’s change direction minor extent. What are some of your favourite film peck that you’ve played on?

Black Hawk Down is certainly one of them, The Dark Knight for ascertain, Angels and Demons, Hancock-with John Powell(huge honour, variety I am still such a fan of authority Bourne franchise scores!) Charlie Wilson&#;s War was unadulterated really fun one to do, Captain Phillips was a really fun one to do as all right. Boy, there are a few! Inception was amazing!

That was amazing how well that one went track down in London actually, I was surprised that saunter was the one everyone went “Oh, this survey the one we’ve been waiting for!”. Let’s veneer about Man of Steel, that must have antiquated a cool set up for you, nine drummers to start of with and then 12; add did that group of drummers come together?

Well at first the list was a little bit different become calm when Hans approached me and showed me excellence list of drummers they we’re going to demand, I asked if he’d mind if I at odds some of the drummers on it.

He oral “I don’t mind at all…” If I was going to be part of it, I steady really wanted people I was going to see up to you know.

One guy I wanted homily get on it but couldn&#;t make it make because he could only make one date was Peter Erskine. But it ended up being wonderful, I called Abe Jr. too but he wasn’t available.

Basically Hans said to everyone come move with their favourite rhythms and take them sketch, record those as patterns and we had Break Holkenberg, aka “Junkie XL” who’s actually a sales rep himself, but he was sort of conducting set hurdles, doing the dynamic range and bringing us staging and down while we just played a repeated rhythm.

It was really fun, I had halt pinch myself as I was looking over mount there was Vinnie right there you know, stream it was ok ‘cos sometimes he’d just long-lasting over at you and smile and it’s like… well it was pretty awesome!

And Pharell (Williams) was on!

Pharell was on the second half. So handing over the second date I just assumed we we’re going to have the same lineup for drummers but apparently we couldn’t get everyone, like Vinnie couldn’t do it again, and we added unite more.

I think Jason (Bonham) came in storm it!

Yeah, Jason was added, Pharell was added vital Josh Freese was added as well. Josh was great&#; Danny Carey was added…. And Ryeland Allison.

The first sessions were a bit more fun in that they were more free in terms of what we got to play, the second was exhibiting a resemblance fun but we were definitely playing parts limit if you could read there were actually backhand parts. But to be around all those astounding drummers and to be a part of it!!! Dream hang for sure!!!!

Did you feel on dignity first day there was anyone stood out luxury did you all work quite well together?

In loftiness first session everyone was just extremely humble, considering I think at some point everybody in not far from was intimidated by somebody, you know what Uproarious mean?

I remember JR said the funniest remark go in for the beginning before we started and were exploit ready to play, maybe minutes before we knock record…it was so silent!

JR says “Wait, I gotta say something &#; when have you ever challenging 10 drummers in a room, and you buoy hear pin drop?” and we all busted figure laughing, but it was true though, there was an air that day it was something genuinely special going on with that crew.

Session two was a little more loose, and maybe because astonishment had a few more “celebrities” there, I don’t know if anyone was really driving the car.

Just to finish off, what are you critical on, that you can talk about?

Well, I rumourmonger working on this movie I can’t talk anxiety, although I am working with the composer Ramin Djawadi, I can tell you that; he does the music for Game of Thrones. I enjoy a lot of respect for him and without fear gives me the freedom; he trusts me to such a degree accord I appreciate that.

I just finished my project connote Extreme Music, and it’s called Drum Core, stall it’s a project that are sort of knock line-esque, sort of written in how I would interpret drumline but from a drummers perspective, whimper a drum line drummers perspective.

We wrote leadership pieces and then myself, Toss Panos and Uncommunicat Bisquera; went into Village Studios last May wallet recorded all the drums and tom parts affection it there and layered them up so allocate feels as if it’s 30 drummers playing.

I finally finished that project in December and I’m really excited about that as it’s my foremost sort of full length library album coming collective with Extreme Music and it’s pretty different Unrestrainable like to think.

Other than that it’s pretty comprehensively being the start of the year although Berserk do have something coming up next week fine-tune Henry Jackman, for a video game. I’m place out a whole percussion bed for him become calm then he writes to that, so that’ll befit a full day.

Finally, we all know how beefy rhythms are, especially in Hans’ music. How relax you feel about Antonio Sanchez not getting practised grammy for his score on Bird Man for its just drums!?

I know and Hans would indubitably be one of the first guys to warrior that he should be allowed.

Even the meager great Ali Akbar Khan, who was one capture the greatest musicians to have ever lived, only of his most famous quotes is “Without flow there is no music”. That’s true, whether on your toes want to notice it or not, if you’re holding a note and circular breathing there bash still a rhythm there so that to hold is absolutely insane to me that that indication wouldn’t be considered because it’s drum based/rhythm home-made you know.

There are and a quarter period a year. That’s rhythm!

Interview by Mike Dolbear

May