Meet Abhi Patel of Matrix Muzik in Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Abhi Patel.

Abhi, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was in 4th grade when I first started to learn Music that was in 2004 at that time I was 10 years old and I started learning Indian Classical Vocals(Hindustani Sangeet). Then in 7th grade along with Vocals, I Started learning Tabla (Indian Percussion Instrument) as I had much more eagerness to learn it because when I  use to hear any song or tune, I start playing along that song or tune and use to follow the beats of it, so Rhythm (Beats) was like a God Gifted to me, then slowly my teacher started teaching me some of the Hand Percussions, Hand Drums and all, with that I started playing percussions and for a period of time during my schooling I use to start playing random beats on the benches & table of my classroom. Then one day, I got chance to accomplish as a percussionist for an inter school music competition and then for eight years, I have been accomplishing as a Percussionist for several competitions, performances, etc.

When I had my long vacation after my 10th grade, I started learning Drums that was in 2010 and in 2014 I was called to Play Drums in one of the local concert of my city and from that time, I have been playing Drums and Percussions being an Artist, there was a time in 2016 that I had 28 Gigs/Concert in a month.

The another best thing was the school I studied “Smt. L. P. Savani Vidhyabhavan” had an opening for a Music Teacher for lower grade students so my Guru/Teacher Mr. Dipak Kansara Sir and my Principal Dr. Sanjay Mehta Sir has a good conversation above appointing me as a Music Teacher and I was been called for the interview for the same. And that was something I never thought of in my life and it was something Dreams come True for me. But with the support of this two people I was able to do that, and was been appointed as a Music Teacher in the same school where I studied and after a year I was appointed as a Vocal Faculty at “Swaram Music Academy” the place where I started learning Music.

Then in 2016, I got a chance to meet the Maestro himself “Ustad Taufiq Qureshi Ji”. He is one of the World’s Finest Percussionist, at an Event in Mumbai and I asked him that if he can teach me World Percussions and he said yes of course and that was the Best Ever Day of my Life, and I slowly Started learning Djembe from him and in 2017 December I got a thought that I want to learn more & more and deeply so after research I found my college “Musician Institute” as one of the Best & Finest in World and I came here to LA to learn and study in 2018 June, I learn Drums and did Independent Artist Program and now I m working as an Artist and Sound Engineer with one of the Celebrity Event Company here in LA.

Great, 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?
The biggest struggle in my life was to make my parents agree for letting me do Music and choose Music as my Carrier.

During that time in India, you can choose to be a Doctor, an Engineer or an Accountant, etc. But you cannot think of being a Musician or an Artist or choose any form of Arts as your Carrier because of the Orthodoxy in people and Society, as its not a very good qualifying job or Secure Work.

I belong to a family/Community where business is at the 1st preference as a Carrier, Every father things his son should join his business and take it to a Success and then being an Indian parents they thinks if their child have a good well settled job then his/her life will go smooth financially so they prefer their children’s to go for a Govt. job or a bank job or a job which is well secured . And I was not good in studies so my parents wanted me to concentrate in studies and take Music as an extra curriculum activity and that’s true 90% parents in India at that time had that mentality above any kind of Arts, that’s it’s just an Extra Curriculum Activity & their child should just take it as an activity not as a Carrier.

So coming from a business family, it took a very tough time for me to convince my parents above letting me go with music as my carrier.

Matrix Muzik – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m an Independent Artist, Drummer, Sound Engineer and a Percussionist. I have my own company named Matrix Muzik, I work with an Event Company as an Artist and a Sound Engineer. I m specialized in Drums and Percussions. I’m known for my technique and different styles of playing percussion instruments. Being able to play world percussions and collaborate with different styles of music’s of the world and making a fusion out of it. My way of accomplishing and playing sets me apart from other.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
1. Being appointed as a Music Teacher to my own school where I studied (Smt. L.P.Savani Vidhiyabhavan).

2. Being appointed as a Vocal Teacher at the Academy from where I started learning music. (Swaram Music Academy).

3. Being able to get chance to learn from The Maestro Himself “Ustad Taufiq Qureshi Ji”.

4. Getting Ranked at a National Level Competition.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]

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