Once again it’s time to share with you some of the success stories that have recently been enjoyed by a selection of our students, giving you an insight into how careers in the music industry are established and nurtured right here at pointblank. In March 2016, we’re catching up with Varun Murali of Indian folk fusion band Swarathma, Armada signee Toni Helbig and MadTech Records’ Iglesias.
Varun Murali (Member of Swarathma) – Online Music Production Diploma
Varun Murali studied our online Music Production Diploma , and is an integral member of the hugely popular Indian folk fusion band Swarathma, one of India’s top folk rock bands who have played hundreds of shows to people across the country since 2002. Recently they’ve also performed on MTV Unplugged and are currently in the middle of a tour which will see them take their sound far and wide. They are also working hard on their third full length album, where Varun has had the opportunity to make direct use of the knowledge developed on the Diploma course.
Varun is working on his own material too, and his studio is in its final stages of completion. He’s been excited to invite bands to come over and record at his place. He recently produced an album and engineered it for a local band, and is looking to work with more bands.
On his time at pointblank, Varun said: “Studying at pointblank was the most amazing and knowledgeable experience I’ve had so far. Coming from a live music background, I felt so much more confident understanding electronic music production, and interacting with all the great faculty helped me sharpen my production skills in the most creative way possible.”
“Even now when I get stuck with my songs, I just open an FFL video or some of my course material and I seem to find a solution. There is just so much to it that I am exploring all of it every day.”
c.Rius (Armada Deep) – Music Production & Sound Engineering Master Diploma
c.Rius came from Germany to study our Music Production & Sound Engineering Master Diploma in London. Since then he’s been working hard and has been picked up by Armada Deep, which is an arm of Armin van Buuren’s influential Armada Music. His music was discovered by an Armada A&R, and now c.Rius will have a release coming out on the label in April – amazing news for this up and coming producer!
c.Rius’ recent track ‘That Girl’ has gathered almost 60,000 thousand plays on SoundCloud at the time of writing, and the German DJ / producer is going back to Germany each month, with gigs regularly lined up there supporting highly established artists like Format: B, Moguai and Tinush.
On his time at pointblank, c.Rius said: “pointblank really is the place to go when you’re serious about your music. Being surrounded by likeminded people who share the same passion as you is the best you can do for your creativity.”
“Moving from Germany to London was a big deal but it was totally worth it since London is the city to go to when it comes to electronic music. Inspiration was everywhere, at the amazing clubs, and sure enough at pointblank during the courses and through collaborating with other students.”
Iglesias (MadTech Records) – Intro to Music Production (part of the Complete Master Diploma)
Iglesias studied Introduction to Music Production (part of the Complete Master Diploma) with pointblank, and has just had a track snapped up by Kerri Chandler’s MadTech Records. The track is out now, and has been supported by Martin Ikin, Mark Radford, Santero, PAWSA, and Rob Da Bank. You can listen to ‘Direction’ below.
Iglesias is only 22, and therefore has plenty of time to hone his craft but he’s well on his way already. As well as making his own tunes, he’s also currently enjoying mixing tracks for other artists. Iglesias’ next gig is on April 15th at Bournemouth in Halo, where he’ll be playing alongside ViVa MUSiC’s Latmun, Phantom Troupe and Cultura.
When asked about his studies at pointblank, Iglesias said: “I will never forget my time at pointblank. I started not really know anything about producing music, and had played around on Logic in the past but never actually got anywhere. I have always loved underground house music, so I knew that whatever I was taught at PB I could apply to my genre.”
“I found it incredibly easy to get along with the instructors and still speak to Daniel Linton and Ganesh Singaram to this day. Just under a year later I have my first signing and a lot of interest in loads more of my unreleased music. It’s safe to say I would not be in the position I am in now if i didn’t study at pointblank, I tell everyone to go there!”
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