Popular pianist, stage performer and composer Stephen Devassy is on a roll. He has programmed over 2,000 songs and has worked with more than 50 musicians of the likes of A.R. Rahman, Zakir Hussain and Amjad Ali, to name a few.
Now the musician who has charmed audiences with his talent – and his boyish charm and easy smile – is all set to enter a fresh arena in music. Stephen along with his brother, Sam Devassy, himself a sound engineer, musician and event manager, has opened a school of audio technology called the Muzik Lounge in Chennai.
Muzik Lounge came into existence in 2007 as a result of the duo's dream to build a platform for musical excellence. Since then they have produced work for world renowned musicians and composers such as Amjad Ali Khan, Mandolin Srinivas, Vidyasagar and Rajamani. They have so far recorded and mixed around 30 solo albums, more than 60 film albums and have done the re-recording for over 100 films using the latest state of the art technology.
Right guidance
When asked about his foray into music education, Stephen says: “I struggled to reach where I am today. There are a lot of talented youngsters who lack only the right guidance. My objective is to share my experience and that of other established professionals so that they are put on the right track.”
Muzik Lounge currently offers two courses of 18 months duration – diploma in audio technology and diploma in music technology. They cover specialised areas such as analogue and digital audio engineering, acoustics engineering, sound synthesis, special FX, live sound engineering and so on.
“‘Pro Tools' is an amazing software in the field of audio technology. A.R. Rahman once told me that he took four years to master it. Now a student who goes through our course will be taken through all the nuances of this software in a year's time and will be ‘Pro Tools' certified,” says Stephen. The musician has roped in some of the best talent in the country as faculty and brand ambassadors – percussionist Sivamani, veteran singer Hariharan, music composers M. Jayachandran and K.J. Singh, to name a few.
There are also tie-ups with Leicester University, United Kingdom and SAE Australia for exchange programmes for students. The courses are certified by the Centre for Continuing Education, Government of Kerala. Some of the highlights of the course are focus on the practical side of the course, international guest lecturers, assistance in production and marketing albums, interactive sessions and guidance from experienced music directors in the Indian film industry and so on.
Stephen also plans to open a branch in Kochi six months down the line. “The stakes are high considering the amount of financial commitment involved in ensuring that world class facilities and equipment are available to the students. But this is my passion,” says Stephen as he signs off.
