Life & Work with Arindam Jurakhan of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Arindam Jurakhan.

Hi Arindam, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve been obsessed with music for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my world was full of sound — classic rock from my dad, Bollywood music from my family, and ’80s pop blasting from my mom’s stereo. With friends, I was constantly discovering something new — from The Strokes and Radiohead to Jack White — anything that made me feel something real.

I started out on guitar, diving into rock and pop, while also studying classical and jazz trombone. Those two worlds couldn’t have been more different, but they both taught me how to listen — to find structure in chaos and freedom in precision.

Eventually, I started creating my own music. I was recording in GarageBand, playing in a prog rock band, and composing chamber pieces for friends using Sibelius. Even then, I was chasing that feeling of connection — of building something that sounded like me.

Hip hop came into my life in high school through artists like Lil Wayne and Kendrick Lamar, and that changed everything. I started freestyling, experimenting, and realizing that music didn’t have to fit into any one box. It could be both raw and intentional, spontaneous and crafted.

After college, I actually went the premed route and worked as a science teacher for a while. But it didn’t take long to realize that music wasn’t just something I did — it was where I came alive. I decided to fully commit, blending my love of sound and education by going the academic route. That move opened every door that’s led me to where I am today — composing, teaching, and building spaces where creativity and curiosity can meet.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but I’ve learned to trust the detours. Switching career paths and balancing parallel careers to support my art hasn’t always been easy. There were moments of doubt and exhaustion — times when I wondered if I was moving forward at all.

But somehow, the universe, in all its confusion and opaqueness, has always provided a way through. I’ve worked hard to hone my craft and build real relationships in the process. Some opportunities came from years of persistence, while others — like my first film projects — just seemed to fall into place.

It’s always been a struggle, but one that keeps revealing new paths. Every time I lean into the uncertainty, something meaningful finds its way to me.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
SOUND AS EXPERIENCE

JURAKHAN (b. 1995) is a composer, producer, rapper, and multi-instrumentalist whose work dissolves the boundaries between genres to create visceral, immersive sonic worlds. Whether composing for film, crafting a live electro-acoustic performance, or producing an experimental rap track, his goal remains constant: to shape sound into experiences that physically and emotionally move listeners. Improvisation lies at the core of his creative process, allowing each collaboration to become a living dialogue between artistic voices and a reflection of his evolving perception of reality.

FILM, DANCE, AND SONIC WORLDS

Recent projects highlight the breadth of JURAKHAN’s practice across film, music, and dance. He composed the score for The Geechee Witch: A Boo Hag Story (2024, Fairfax Pictures), which enjoyed a sold-out opening night at Regal Union Square in New York City. Eye for Film praised, “Arindam Jurakhan’s score … its raggedness blends well with the sound of the boo hag’s victims struggling for breath,” while Rue Morgue Magazine noted, “His flavourful music is effectively ominous.” He also composed for I Know Exactly How You Die (2025), and served as composer and live DJ for MOTHERTONGUE (2023), an experimental dance work presented by the acclaimed Glorya Kaufman School of Dance.

GITA

JURAKHAN’s debut album GITA (2025) continues his exploration of rhythm, transformation, and emotional intensity. Its lead single, QUICK & DANGEROUS, has drawn critical attention for its unapologetic energy and boundary-pushing sound. This Is Hip Hop HQ described it as “a nuclear bomb in the age of safe rap,” while Music Earshot called it “a ferocious dive into survival, chaos, and spiritual reckoning.”

The album was independently produced and released by JURAKHAN, with mixing and production contributions from Ryan Riveros and Carson Beck (RiverBeck Studios) and mastering by Warren Sokol. Collaborators reflect the diversity of his musical practice: BAKUDI SCREAM, known for experimental noise, contributes jazz-influenced keyboard work; Lito and Tyler Carbin (of funk/neo-soul band wst cmplx) bring groove and lyricism; and CL Shaw (Conner Leigh Shaw), a jazz and bluegrass guitarist, explores traditional textures and expressive shredding. Unified under JURAKHAN’s vision, each artist navigates both familiar and new territory, exemplifying his philosophy of collaborative exploration and genre-fluid creation.

EARLY EXPERIMENTATION

His earlier works chart the development of his artistic vision. REVOLUTION, written for virtuoso pianist Conrad Tao, transforms classical piano performance through the integration of electronic textures and improvisational strategies, producing a deeply immersive and emotionally charged experience. This work marks JURAKHAN’s first fusion of contemporary compositional methods with digital production and rap, solidifying his artistic voice and demonstrating how he channels disparate influences into a cohesive, boundary-pushing exploration of sound and performance.

Persona (feat. Mingjia Chen) explored a more song-oriented, popular approach to his experimental dialogues between voice and electronics. The Word Is Bond noted, “From the production style, listeners can tell he strays from the norm and makes use of a jagged and cinematic vibe … JURAKHAN pours his frustrations on wax and uses the music to lift the weight off his shoulders. This record foreshadowed the structure and sonic architecture of GITA, demonstrating how he channels personal experience into compelling musical forms.

CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITION

JURAKHAN was commissioned by the Albany Symphony’s Dogs of Desire to write Underneath the Structure (2024) and has participated in residencies and labs including VCCA (2024), SPLICE (2023), NewAm Records Genre-Fluid Composers Lab (2023), Seal Bay Festival (2022), and Line Upon Line Percussion Crit Group (2021). He is affiliated with BMI and was selected for the Association for Popular Music Education (2025).

Educated at some of the country’s leading institutions for contemporary composition, he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition and was recognized as a Distinguished Graduate from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, studying with Moor Mother, Dr. Ted Hearne, and Dr. Nina Young. He received his Master’s degree from the Peabody Conservatory under Dr. Oscar Bettison and mentorship from Wendel Patrick, where he was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda Epsilon Omicron Chapter (2021). His undergraduate studies at Bowdoin College in Music, with Dr. Vineet Shende, culminated in his Symphony No. 1: On Power and Prejudice, supported by the Grua/O’Connell Research Grant (2017).

THE NEXT FRONTIER

JURAKHAN is currently expanding into dance-focused music, exploring industrial hip-hop-inspired rhythms designed to make audiences move while retaining the intensity and experimental edge of his work. Separately, he is composing for the upcoming horror short film The Beasts We Carry (From The Heart Productions), crafting soundscapes that heighten tension and immerse viewers in the film’s dark, psychological atmosphere.

Across all endeavors, he continues to pursue one unifying mission: to recreate the sublime in ephemeral interactions with each listener, revealing sound as both a mirror and a force of change.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Sculpting in Time – Andrei Tarkovsky
Sonic Warfare – Steve Goodman
The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron
Black Noise – Trisha Rose
The Creative Act – Rick Rubin
Assimilate – S. Alexander Reed
Catching the Big Fish – David Lynch

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jurakhan.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jurakhan.music/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JURAKHAN.OFFICIAL/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jurakhanmusic
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jurakhan