Today we’d like to introduce you to Dhruv Mittal
Hi Dhruv, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I grew up inside a university campus in the city of Kanpur, north-central India, and was blessed with the good fortune of residing in a pretty open and encouraging community socially. My dad is a professor and takes great interest and comfort in music. Back in the day, he had a massive home-theater-style stereo sound system and hundreds of CDs. Mind you, this was an extreme novelty in the early 2000s in India. He introduced me to artists like Metallica, Iron Maiden, The Temptations, and Marcus Miller, amongst many many others, when I was just a toddler! Additionally, he has owned and played a bunch of woodwinds over the years. Thanks to him, I tried a bunch of instruments: the piano, the guitar, the conga, and the tabla, before I stumbled upon the drums during middle school. Something felt very natural about the instrument, and I could successfully convince my dad to buy me an entry-level drum kit. What followed over the years was somewhat of a love-hate relationship with the instrument, which reflecting back upon, was most probably due to lack of exposure and inspiration. YouTube was my main source of knowledge, trying to emulate sounding like all these records I was blown away by. Having said that, I have eternal gratitude for my dad for putting me on this path, and some of my most fond memories are jamming with him and my younger sister, who is a classically trained pianist. I also had the privilege of training on the tabla in Hindustani classical music with my guru, Dr. Devanand Pathak. A moment that stands out in my career is an October night of 2015, when I had the opportunity of watching my childhood idol, Mr. Jai Row Kavi, perform live. Something clicked, as I was in awe watching him tear it up. I had an epiphany and thought about how cool it would be to become a professional musician. Anyway, I completed high school proficiently and got admitted to one of the top universities in the country for the sciences and engineering. This is where I ironically started pursuing my love for drums and music very seriously, playing in university ensembles and participating in national-level competitions. I was a stellar student but found far more solace in music than any other endeavor of mine. By the end of my Bachelor’s, I was convinced that music was what I really wanted to pursue a career in. This was also precisely when the COVID-19 pandemic hit us and took a turn for the worst. I was lucky enough to be locked in with my drums and a set of cheap microphones. Countless hours during those months were spent experimenting with various drum tunings, mic placements, and setups, as well as practicing very hard, collaborating with other musicians remotely, and making a lot of social media content for my handles. The more I did that, the more I would be made aware of the need of focused guidance in my drumming. After much thought, and with the love and support of my family, I was able to move to Los Angeles in late 2021, in order to attend Musicians Institute (MI) to pursue an Associate’s degree in Drum Performance and have been in LA since. Successfully graduating last year was a big milestone for me and something I am very proud of.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have been extremely lucky in a lot of different aspects of life, something I never take for granted. The biggest one is the level of love and support that my family has for me, both emotionally and financially. So, in that regard, yes: it has been a smooth road. The only struggles along the way have been ones which most creative individuals will face at some point in their careers: indefinite ruts, reality checks, and self-expectations crumbling at times. Being in Kanpur was sometimes musically challenging and rather isolating, mainly because the city offered very little exposure to (predominantly) Western and contemporary music. When I moved to LA, I went from a city which (then) had not a single place where I could buy the gear that I longed for, to a city which had music stores the size of supermarkets. From hardly having fellow musicians to learn from and play with to being completely surrounded by immense talent and competing to have my voice heard, the culture shock was intense. Obviously, it was very bittersweet, but it blindsided me because I had romanticized the move so much prior. But hey, everyone starts somewhere, and I am very happy with my progress and how I have come to terms with it!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a session musician specializing in instrumental jazz-fusion drumming. Having said that, my goal is to play as diverse music as one can! Over the years, I have been involved in gigs and projects with a number of artists based in the city: Michael Sims, Hypocritical Akshay, Natasha Vora, Atharva Phadke, Carla Esther, Cesar Gandara, Alyna, Evelyn Del Sol, Kaushal Chandrasen, Juan Tides, Sōnn and Brother T LoveJones. I am also currently working as faculty at Musicians Institute (MI), Hollywood.
Something I take a lot of pride in and always strive to attain is to serve the artist as well as the music strongly and appropriately since my role is a supporting one in any musical context. Recently, transcribing drum parts has been keeping me busy, polishing my vocabulary, and sharpening my attention to detail. I also love nerding out over gear and am always obsessed with getting the best drum sounds one can with the given resources and equipment. If you’re looking for someone to take on percussive duties for your projects, I’d be very happy to help. As I like to say: dm DM for drums!
What’s next?
A big goal for 2024 is to finish writing and recording the debut record for a new project I have with my buddies, Bharat Rajagopalan and Unnikrishnan Kalingoth. It is a bit tricky, given that we all are in three different countries and time zones. I have very good faith in it, regardless. The motivation behind forming this project is very meaningful and almost commemorative in some regard. More on that when we actually finish it, but it is definitely going to be pretty experimental and stylistically loose. Beyond that, I really want to focus more on composing and releasing original music with other musicians. You know, the show must go on.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhruv.mi
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dhruv.mi.fb
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DhruvMittalOnTheDrums
Image Credits
Belle Shen
Wayhome
