Satnam Ramgotra


Drums, Percussions / Tabla / Spoken Word / Mouth Percussion

Satnam Ramgotra is the latest addition to the Asian Underground movement making waves into pop culture. Collaborating with jazz artist Rodney Lee, Satnam has brought new light to the modern day piano with infusing elements of Indian Classical tabla. A citizen of Canada, Satnam relocated to California to further his musical ambitions at the renowned Percussion Institute of Technology, where he immediately began performing live, and recording with many of his instructors.

After studying the tabla under renowned table maestro, Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri, Satnam expanded his experience in percussion including frame drums, African Percussions, Dumbek, Congas, and “tinkertoys.”  Playing with the legendary Ustad Salamat Ali Khan helped Satnam refine his tabla stylings. As a tabla instructor, he regularly delights students at jam sessions and music schools nationwide, where he easily swings from traditional tabla marathons to modern Indo-Jazz music.

Satnam has toured with world renowned musicians in the past dozen years, including Beck, Sting, Seal, Nikka Costa, Lili Haydn, among other talents. In addition, he has also significant teaching national and international experiences ranging from Poly-Rhythmos School of Music (Athens, Greece); The Jazz School of Luzerne (Luzerne, Switzerland); Sikh Society of Saskatoon (Saskatoon, Canada); to the Musicians Institute (Hollywood, CA) in addition to offering private lessons in drums and tabla. Satnam has also recorded and performed with a myriad of artists, including Macy Gray, Hans Zimmer, Aaron Zigman, Wayne Jones, Jon Gilutin, Carl Stevenson, POE, Torrell Ruffin, FreakJuice, Danny Peck, Lamya, Michael Landau, Dionesis Savvoupolos, Donna Delory, Slapbak, Rick Boston, Nikos Kippergos, David Lynch, Peter Himmelman, Harold Kloser, Haddaway, and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan among many others.

His dynamic work on the drums and percussions has become increasingly popular in Hollywood. Satnam’s credits include television shows M.D.’s (ABC/Disney), The Late Show with Craig Kilborn, the Rosie O’ Donnell Show, CBS Morning Show, Late World with Zack, The Radio Music Awards (2001), and BBC’s Top of the Pops,. His drums and percussions can also be heard in major motion pictures such as Black Hawk Down, John Q, Zoolander, and most recently Matchstick Men.  Radio appearances include KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic, and Café LA, both of which included live performances.

His formal training on the drum set and Indian Classical tabla started at the age of ten. Throughout his elementary and high school years, Satnam performed and competed in regional and national band festivals across Canada, where he was repeatedly singled out and received many awards for his talents.