bio
Ravi Krishnaswami has been creating innovative, youthful, real music for television and film for over a decade. His work began in the computer music labs of the University of Virginia, where he earned a degree in English and music, focusing on ethnomusicology. His research on hybrid music from the South Asian diaspora began in India and brought him to several academic conferences.
During his time in Charlottesville, Virginia, he also founded the band Charming. He has gone on to record three critically acclaimed indie-pop albums with the band as guitarist, songwriter, and producer/engineer.
From 1998 to 2008, Krishnaswami worked for Sacred Noise, a small but highly regarded music house catering primarly to the advertising world. Within months he was scoring spots for its biggest clients (Army, Pontiac). During those ten years, he consistently produced its most innovative work for a diverse list of clients while moving into documentary and short film work.
His two feature-length documentaries, Oracles & Demons of Ladakh (2002) and American Zeitgeist (2006), demonstrate Krishnaswami’s ability to evocatively and soulfully establish a sense of place in a modern but ethnographic way. His work found its way into HBO’s highly acclaimed film Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq in 2007.
In addition to his composing work, Krishnaswami has presented academic work on music in advertising at the IASPM (International Association for the Study of Popular Music) conference, and worked as a recording engineer and producer for artists including The Magnetic Fields and Black Swan Green.
His performing career has blossomed with his Smiths tribute band, The Sons & Heirs. His work recreating the detailed guitar arrangements of Johnny Marr has brought him to venues such as House of Blues, BB Kings, Canal Room and Highline Ballroom.
In September of 2008, Krishnaswami launched COPILOT, his new music production venture with Jason Menkes.