Conversations with Kaushal Chandrasen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaushal Chandrasen.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Sure. As with many South Indian families, Carnatic music (classical music from South India) was a part of my family, with some of my aunts and uncles being Veena players. The day began with Carnatic music either on the radio, or on the music player or someone practicing. There was always a Veena or two in the homes of my relatives that I visited as a child, some of which I still play. During my early school days, I was drawn to the sound of the guitar I heard in some of the funk music tapes that my father somehow had. I still hear the sound of the guitar from those tapes in my head. I became involved in music from a young age and I’ve always loved doing it.

Over the years, I got some training in Carnatic music by one of my aunts, Mysore Rajalakshmi, a prominent Veena performer and teacher. Besides Carnatic music, my other influences were from the 60s to 80s British and American rock n roll, rock, blues, artists and bands that got me into the world of guitar. I started leaning more towards jazz much later. I like to blend these influences with Carnatic music and besides guitar, the Veena plays a major role in most of my compositions and performances.

Having a bachelor’s degree in electronics, mathematics & computers from Mysore University and a master’s degree in electronic media from Anna University, India, I started my career as a sound engineer in the South Indian film industry in Chennai. That gave me a good amount of technical knowledge, experience and opportunity to work with all the great artists in the South Indian film music industry. However, writing and performing was what I always wanted to do and with my engineering experience, setting up my own studio was the next logical step and I started working on my music and producing music for commercials as well as for artists and bands. I recently moved to LA where I’m currently pursuing a second master’s degree in guitar performance from the Musicians Institute.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all. Although I have musicians in my family, choosing music as a career wasn’t easy. I had to dwell in the industry for quite some time establishing myself to get an approval. I used to sneak out to rehearse and perform and eventually moved to a different town away from home to explore music. Navigating the industry diving head first without prior knowledge or guidance in a predominantly unorganized sector in a strange city speaking a different language wasn’t exactly a smooth start. However, at that time, a degree in electronics, and being good with computers and software, besides being a musician did go a long way in helping me establish myself as a sound engineer and a producer in India that I could make a decent living out of. However, writing and performing music always remained my top priorities. Although following those instincts has taken me places, it has also put me in difficult situations time and again.

Getting accepted into a master’s degree without having a bachelor’s in music was also quite a challenge. Experience is the best teacher and I’m thankful that mine has given me enough, if not more, to clear my own hurdles.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a performer, and my performances range from solo Carnatic music with the Veena and with multiple setups with the Veena and the guitar. I play Carnatic fusion with jazz instrumentation and the soundscape is exotic, with Carnatic melodies with jazzy funky accompaniment.

On the entrepreneurship sector, I’m currently looking for partners and investors for my venture Raagamorph.com, a platform I created for independent music professionals with innovative tools and features to network and promote their works.

I also compose and have been a producer for several years working with independent artists and bands as well as commercial media productions. I produce all of my own music and currently working on my own album. I’m open to working with artists and bands for performances and production.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Luck can neither be a substitute for preparedness nor be blamed for the lack thereof. In other words, luck favors the prepared.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.raagamorph.com/contact
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaushal.chandrasen/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaushal.chandrasen
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaushalchandrasen
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaysKaushal
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kaushalchandrasen/
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kaushalchandrasen

• Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
IG: @large_format_mike IG: @sublime_reflections