Shruti Kumar - Reflecting on Musical Selves

This week Declassify welcomes on aboard a guest that is quite remarkable and someone who reflects much of the spirit of the podcast – interdisciplinary practices, cross-genre listening and collaboration. Shruti is a composer, producer, and conductor from Los Angeles. Her work has spanned the film/tv, pop, and concert worlds, and she often finds herself involved in projects that mix genres and experiences. She has worked at Hans Zimmer's Remote Control Productions and collaborated with artists including Alicia Keys. Her work has been used by/for The National Geographic, The United Nations, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and the 2016 Summer Olympics. In fact, Shruti hosts her own show "Let's Shake On It" centered around bringing together esteemed and diverse musicians in conversation and collaboration in hopes of increasing transparency in the music industry and eliminating genre. And In March 2020, Shruti founded Sound Travels, a remote hire platform and educational resource to help musicians during COVID and beyond. In this episode, Shruti and Victoria examine what is means to make music that expands and breaks the mold of classical, and how we can make music new, exciting and imagination together. 

Resources
https://www.facebook.com/LivingMusicwithNadiaSirota/

https://theculturejournalist.substack.com/p/the-digital-hustle

https://www.shrutikumar.com/ 

Details about works:
SALT (feat. London Contemporary Orchestra)'  

Composer/Producer: Shruti Kumar 

Conductor: Hugh Brunt 

Recording Engineer: Fiona Cruikshank 

Mix Engineer: Eva Reistad 

Mastering Engineer: Heba Kadry

Guitar: Brandon Walters 

Sitar: Bishi Bhattacharya

Synths: Shruti Kumar

Electric Bass: Emily Retsas (@emilyretsas)

Artwork: Anna Azarov & Ellie Pritts (@annaazarov & @elliepritts)

'LAST CALL (feat. Shungudzo)'  

Composer/Producer: Shruti Kumar

Lyricist: Shungudzo Kuyimba

Featured Artist: Shungudzo

Songwriters: Shungudzo Kuyimba, Shruti Kumar

Vocal Arranging: Shungudzo Kuyimba

Engineers: Fiona Cruikshank (Church Studios - London), Eva Reistad (EastWest Studios - Los Angeles), Shruti Kumar 

Mix Engineers: Vira Byramji, Shruti Kumar

Mastering Engineers: Alex Sterling (Precision Sound), Heba Kadry 

Musicians-- 

Vocals: Shungudzo Kuyimba

Conductor: Hugh Brunt, featuring the London Contemporary Orchestra

Additional Violin: Stephanie Matthews

Additional Viola: Marta Honer

Additional Cello: Ro Rowan

Electric Bass: Emily Retsas

Guitar: Brandon Walters

Sitar: Bishi Bhattacharya

Drums: Aaron Steele

Percussion: Hal Rosenfeld 

Piano: Shruti Kumar

Synths: Shruti Kumar

Electronics: Shruti Kumar

Sampling, programming: Shruti Kumar

 Artwork: Anna Azarov & Ellie Pritts