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,

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

orchestrator Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

, performer, studio producer and

ethnomusicologist Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...

. 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.

Film composer

Borcar has composed for over 100 television episodes, 30+ film, documentary and animated short scores and a AAA video game soundtrack (Far Cry 4). Among the few contemporary

polystylistic Polystylism is the use of multiple music genre, styles or wikt:technique, techniques in literature, art, film, or, especially, music. Some prominent contemporary music, contemporary polystylist composers include Peter Maxwell Davies, Alfred Schnitt ...

composers, Borcar's portfolio of work includes an astonishing range of musical styles and expressions. Film, tv & documentary projects include among others

Soft Shell Man ''Soft Shell Man'' (french: Un crabe dans la tête) is a Québécois film, directed by André Turpin released in 2001. The film was shot September to October 2000 in Aylmer, Quebec and Montreal. Synopsis Alex, a young photographer, continua ...

(Un crabe dans la tete)'' (2001), for which he won a

Jutra Award The Prix Iris is a Canadian film award, presented annually by Québec Cinéma, which recognizes talent and achievement in the mainly francophone feature film industry in Quebec.Happy Camper Steven Adam Markowitz (born August 19, 1988), better known by his stage name Hoodie Allen, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Plainview, New York. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, he began working at Google befo ...

(Camping sauvage)'' (2004), Louise Archambault's debut feature film '' Familia'' (2005), ''

Bombay Calling ''Bombay Calling'' is a 2006 feature documentary film directed by Ben Addelman and Samir Mallal. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada which follows the journey of Kaz Lalani the pioneer of Call Centre Outsourcing. ''Bombay Calling'' ...

'' (2005), ''Karsh Is History'' (2009) - for which he was nominated for a

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

and

Patrick Demers Patrick Demers is a film director from Montreal, born in 1969 in Saint-Eustache, Quebec. Biography Following his graduation from film school at the age of 22, Demers traveled around the world alone over six months with a handheld camera for ''L ...

' critically acclaimed debut '' Suspicions'' (''Jaloux'', 2011) for which he earned a

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

nomination. 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 and commercials for Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and

Cadbury Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company fully owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Mar ...

. In 2011, Borcar composed film scores for ''

Goon Goon may refer to: Slang * Humans: ** People noted for brutality, or otherwise as targets of contempt: *** A guard in a prisoner of war camp (British World War II usage) *** An enforcer (ice hockey) *** A hired thug, in a goon squad ** Alter ...

'', directed by Michael Dowse and starring Liev Schreiber, Marc-André Grondin, Jay Baruchel, Seann William Scott and

Alison Pill Alison Pill (born November 27, 1985) is a Canadian actress. A former child actress, Pill began her career at age 12, appearing in numerous films and television series. She transitioned to adult roles and her breakthrough came with the television ...

; the Belgian-Quebec co-production ''Un nuage dans un verre d'eau'' directed by Srinath Samarasinghe and starring

Anamaria Marinca Anamaria Marinca (born 1 April 1978) is a Romanian actress. She made her screen debut with the Channel 4 film ''Sex Traffic'', for which she won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress. Marinca is also known for her performance in ...

, and "The American Tiger" - a

David Suzuki David Takayoshi Suzuki (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at th ...

The Nature of Things ''The Nature of Things'' (also, ''The Nature of Things with David Suzuki'') is a Canadian television series of documentary programs. It debuted on CBC Television on 6 November 1960. Many of the programs document nature and the effect that hum ...

'' 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 and earned Borcar the "Award for Music in Film" at the Animatòr Film Festival. In 2012, Borcar composed the original music for the trailer of

Martin Villeneuve Martin Villeneuve () is a Canadian screenwriter, producer, director, actor, and art director. He was nominated at the Canadian Screen Award (formerly Genie Awards, Genie Award) in 2013 for Best Adapted Screenplay, for ''Mars et Avril'', his featur ...

's science fiction film ''

Mars et Avril ''Mars & Avril'' (French: ''Mars et Avril'') is a 2012 Canadian science fiction film starring Jacques Languirand, Caroline Dhavernas, Paul Ahmarani and Robert Lepage. The movie, based on the photo-novels of the same name published by Sid Lee & ...

;'' 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 '' Rock Paper Scissors (Roche papier ciseaux)'', which earned him the

Nicky Deuce ''Nicky Deuce'' is a TV movie coproduced by Nickelodeon and YTV film starring Noah Munck, which is based on the book ''Nicky Deuce: Welcome to the Family.'' The film was directed by Jonathan A. Rosenbaum and written by Art Edler Brown, Andy Calla ...

'' - starring James Gandolfini, Tony Sirico, Michael Imperioli, Vincent Curatola,

Rita Moreno Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. Noted for her work across different areas of the entertainment industry, she has appeared in numerous film, television, and thea ...

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 Marilyn Castonguay is a Canadian actress, best known for her performance in the 2012 film '' L'Affaire Dumont''."Marilyn Castonguay a le vent dans les voiles". ''Le Journal de Montréal'', September 5, 2012. A graduate of the National Theatre Scho ...

and Patrick Hivon, and the original music for

Bruce La Bruce Bruce LaBruce (born January 3, 1964) is a Canadian artist, writer, filmmaker, photographer, and underground director based in Toronto. Life and career LaBruce was born in Tiverton, Ontario. He has claimed both Justin Stewart and Bryan Bruce as ...

's ''

Gerontophilia Gerontophilia is the primary sexual attraction to the elderly. A person with such a sexual preference is a gerontophile or gerontosexual. The word ''gerontophilia'' was coined in 1901 by psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing. It derives from Gree ...

'' 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 Karlovy Vary (; german: Karlsbad, formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It lies on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá. ...

where it won the best actor award for Nahuel Perez Biscayart's lead role. The film also co-starred Canadian actress Monia Chokri. In 2014, he completed the score for the feature documentary ''The Price We Pay'', from director Harold Crooks ('' The Corporation'', ''

Surviving Progress ''Surviving Progress'' is a 2011 Canadian documentary film written and directed by Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks, loosely based on '' A Short History of Progress'', a book and a 2004 Massey Lecture series by Ronald Wright about societal collapse. ...

''). 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 Cliff Martinez (born February 5, 1954) is an American musician and composer. Early in his career, Martinez was known as a drummer notably with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Captain Beefheart. Since the 1990s, he has worked primarily as a film sc ...

(''

Drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" ...

'', '' Only God Forgives''). Borcar's original game soundtrack '' Far Cry 4 Lakshmana Edition'' was released by Ubisoft in May 2015. In 2016, Borcar completed the score for ''David Lynch: Shadows of Paradise'' a documentary film by Sebastian Lange exploring

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

's role as the spokesperson for the Transcendental Meditation movement, founded by the

Maharishi Maharishi is a Sanskrit word, written as "महर्षि" in Devanagari (formed from the prefix mahā- meaning "great" and r̥ṣi - sage, poet or a singer of sacred hymns), indicating members of the highest order of ancient Indian sages, po ...

. Borcar also scored the hugely successful television series ''L'Imposteur'' (The Imposter) starring Marc-André Grondin and directed by Yan Lanouette Turgeon, which has been renewed for a second season. Borcar's original music for the series earned him two awards at the 2017 Gémeaux Awards.

Recording artist and performer

Under the name Ramasutra, he released his self-produced debut album ''The East Infection'' 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 The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

nomination for "Best Alternative Album". He followed it up with ''El Pipo Del Taxi'' in 2003 that won him a Mimi award for "Best Producer". Under his full name and on his own label, Semprini Records, he released the score for the award-winning documentary by Joseph Hillel and

entitled ''Regular or Super'' (2004), as "Steel and Glass". Borcar performed the album live at the 2005 Montreal International Jazz Festival, with over 20 of the city's renowned jazz musicians, all of whom performed on the original soundtrack recording.

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, Bulgarian gypsy band Kaba Horo"Kaba Horo" information
and the Montreal tex-mex electro duo Call Me Poupee and Voivod. In 2006, Borcar co-founded the Signed by Force record label, which was active until 2010, during which time they released albums by a number of artists including: Bionic, Nutsak, Trigger Effect, Starvin Hungry and Devil Eyes.

Awards and nominations

* 2020 Islantilla Cinefórum Film Festival nomination "Best Original Score" (The Far Shore) * 2017 Gémeaux Award for "Best Original Music in a Series (fiction)" (L'Imposteur) * 2017 Gémeaux Award for "Best Original Theme - All Categories" (L'Imposteur) * 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 Gémeaux nomination for "Best Original Theme" (Comme Par Magie) * 2007 Juno Award for Kaba Horo "Best World Music Album" (Album Production) * 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

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Borcar, Ramachandra Canadian people of Indian descent Living people Canadian film score composers Male film score composers Canadian electronic musicians Canadian musicians of Indian descent Musicians from Montreal Year of birth missing (living people)