Ramachandra Borcar

Ramachandra Borcar is a Montreal-born musician and composer of mixed Indian and Danish background. He is also known under the monikers Ramasutra and DJ Ram.

His extensive musical career includes work as a film composer, performer, studio producer and founder of both Semprini Records and Signed By Force record labels. After studying classical composition, orchestration and electro-acoustic music at McGill University, he went on to create scores for film, television, documentaries, commercials and the theatre.

Recording Artist and Performer

Under the name Ramasutra, he released his self-produced debut album The East Infection^[1] in 1999 for which he won a Félix Award in 2000 (amongst three nominations including "Best Arranger"), two Mimi Awards for "Album of the Year" and "Best Live Show", and a Juno Award nomination for "Best Alternative Album". He followed it up with El Pipo Del Taxi^[2] in 2003 that won him a Mimi award for "Best Producer".^[3]

Under his full name and on his own label, Semprini Records, he released the score for the award winning^[4] documentary by Joseph Hillel and Patrick Demers entitled Regular or Super (2004),^[5] as "Steel and Glass".^[6] Borcar performed the album live at the 2005 Montreal International Jazz Festival, with over 20 of the city's renowned jazz musicians,^[7] all of whom performed on the original soundtrack recording.

Film composer

Borcar's career as a film composer includes numerous features, shorts and documentaries including Soft Shell Man ("Un crabe dans la tete") (2001) - for which he won a Jutra Award in 2002, Camping Sauvage (2004), Louise Archambault's debut feature film Familia (2005), Bombay Calling (2005),^[8] Karsh Is History (2009) - for which he was nominated for a Gemini Award ^[9] and Patrick Demers' critically acclaimed debut Jaloux (2011)^[10] for which he earned a Genie Award nomination.^[11] He also composed the opening theme music for Nicolas Roeg's Puffball (2008). His television work includes the ten part series Web Dreams, themes for Tout le monde en parle, Casting, Women Warriors, Comme Par Magie - for which he was nominated for a Prix Gémaux award^[12] and commercials for Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Cadbury.

In 2011, Borcar composed film scores for Goon, directed by Michael Dowse and starring Liev Schreiber, Marc-André Grondin, Jay Baruchel, Seann William Scott and Alison Pill;^[13] the Belgian-Quebec co-production Un nuage dans un verre d'eau directed by Srinath Samarasinghe and starring Anamaria Marinca,^[14] and "The American Tiger" - a David Suzuki The Nature of Things documentary. He also scored the music for the NFB's animated short Paula, by Dominic-Étienne Simard, which won "Best Animated Short" at the Canadian Screen Awards^[15] and earned Borcar the "Award for Music in Film" at the Animatòr Film Festival.^[16]

In 2012, Borcar composed the original music for the trailer of Martin Villeneuve's science fiction film Mars et Avril; wrote the music for the NFB's ambitious interactive site Here At Home' ; completed the full score for orchestra for Manon Briand's feature-film Liverpool. He also composed the original score for Yan Lanouette Turgeon's debut feature film Roche Papier Ciseaux (released in 2013) starring Roy Dupuis, Roger Léger, Remo Girone and Samian, which earned him the Jutra Award for "Best Original Score"^[17] as well as a Canadian Screen Award nomination ^[18]

In 2013, Borcar wrote the original music for Nickelodeon's TV feature Nicky Deuce - starring James Gandolfini, Tony Sirico, Michael Imperioli, Vincent Curatola, Rita Moreno and Steve Schirripa (writer and director). He completed the full score for orchestra of Stefan Miljevic's Amsterdam; the full score for Jean-Sebastien Lord's L'Ange Gardien, starring Guy Nadon, Marilyn Castonguay and Patrick Hivon, and the original music for Bruce La Bruce's Gerontophilia starring Walter Borden, Pier-Gabriel Lajoie and Katie Boland.

In 2014, Borcar completed the score for Je suis à toi, the second film by Belgian director David Lambert. The film premiered at Karlovy Vary where it won the best actor award for Nahuel Perez Biscayart's lead role.^[19] The film also co-starred Canadian actress Monia Chokri. Borcar recently completed the score for the feature documentary The Price We Pay, from director Harold Crooks (The Corporation, Surviving Progress). The film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Borcar was also a musical contributor to Ubisoft's Far Cry 4, composing the original music for several parts of the open-world video-game. FC4's main composer was Cliff Martinez (Drive, Only God Forgives).

Producer

Borcar's production work includes not only his personal albums and soundtracks but other artists as well. In 2005 he produced debut albums for the Brazilian funk band Gaia, the indo-jazz outfit Catherine Potter's Duniya Project,^[20] Bulgarian gypsy band Kaba Horo^[21] and the Montreal tex-mex electro duo Call Me Poupee and Voivod.

Awards & Nominations

• 2014 Jutra Award for "Best Original Score" (Roche Papier Ciseaux)
• 2014 Canadian Screen Awards nomination for "Best Original Score" (Roche Papier Ciseaux)
• 2013 Animatòr Festival "Award for Music in Film" (Paula)
• 2012 Genie Award nomination for "Best Original Score" (Jaloux)
• 2010 Gemini Award nomination for "Best Original Score" (Karsh Is History)
• 2010 Prix Gémaux nomination for "Best Original Theme" (Comme Par Magie)
• 2007 Juno Award for Kaba Horo "Best World Music Album" (Album Production)
• 2005 Grafica Prize for "Best CD Artwork" (Steel And Glass)
• 2003 Grafica Prize for "Best CD Artwork" (El Pipo Del Taxi)
• 2003 Mimi Award for "Best Producer" (El Pipo Del Taxi)
• 2002 Jutra Award for "Best Original Film Score" (J'ai Un Crabe Dans La Tete)
• 2001 Mimi Award for "Best Live Show"
• 2000 Juno Award nomination for "Best Alternative Album" (The East Infection)
• 2000 Felix Award (amongst three nominations) for "Best Urban Album" (The East Infection)
• 2000 Mimi Award for "Best Album" (The East Infection)

Discography

Performer, composer & arranger

Producer

References

External links

• Semprini Records Official site
• Signed By Force Official site
• Ramachandra Borcar at the Internet Movie Database