Keyboard programming or the specific work done by a keyboard programmer otherwise known as the music production assistant internationally, is not something that many of us would be familiar with, though they are slowly becoming an integral part of any song production.
An established keyboard programmer in his own right, Prakash’s day starts with music and ends with it. Prakash who is currently doing keyboard programming for Gopi Sundar for the films Left Right Left and ABCD is already a sought-after name in the industry.
“There was a time when the recording of a song necessitated the entire orchestra to be present to do the background music or musical arrangement. But the scene has changed a lot since then and now everything can be done with a single keyboard programmer. Now it is no longer essential for the entire orchestra to be present at the same time, things are more relaxed. Live can be avoided to the maximum, the cost of production has also drastically reduced. In the place of 100 artists a single person can create the feel of almost all the instruments,” says Prakash.
Coming from a family of seven who practiced and enjoyed music Prakash Alex was initiated into the world of music by his elder sister Preethi. So it would not be an exaggeration to say that music runs in his blood. And thus began his tryst with the keyboard which would later become his passion and career.
“Being the son of a priest helped me a lot. I got a lot of opportunities from the church and I was almost like the official church pianist. I was a regular at the church because at the church I could practice as much as I wanted. So basically it was at the church that I got the very first platform to perform,” says Prakash.
Even as he was in high school Prakash started accompanying music troupes in his locality and by the time he reached plus two he started programming for local albums.
However the turning point in his life happened at St Joseph College of Communication (SJCC) Changanassery, where he joined for a three-year degree programme in Audiography under his family’s pressure.
“Initially the only highlight I saw in the course was that I could learn sound engineering which was the in-thing then. Everyone who was anyone was doing sound engineering so I joined the college without much protest. But this turned out to be a real blessing for me as the college was almost like a film school. From direction to script writing, story developing, sound, animation to editing anything and everything related to cinema was taught. You cannot survive in this industry with the knowledge of music alone. It is essential that you have a fair idea of everything if not in detail,” he says.
At the time luckily for him he was the only keyboardist in the college, and the music for all students’ projects was done by him. Working for almost 30-40 projects gave a real boost to my career, he says. It is my time in SJCC College that made me take up keyboard programming as a career.
Soon after the course, Prakash like every film-enthusiast, set course for Chennai the ultimate film destination. Though he associated with some directors for some jingles, things did not pan out as well as expected for this eager young lad, as he did not get that break which he expected. So he returned home dejected and crestfallen with dreams of making it big in the filmdom almost going down the drain.
And it was while at his hometown again doing music for a friend and guide Josey Alleppey that lady luck smiled on him again. Josey advised him not to waste his talent and prompted him to return to Chennai. And he returned to Chennai to work in ‘Music Launch’ Stephen Devassy’s studio as a studio assistant.
“Initially nobody knew that I used to play or that I had done music for albums. Even I was a wee bit scared to tell anyone especially when I kept seeing all the great people who came to the studio and created great music. But slowly I began to show them my work and when they came to know they gave me opportunities and began to recommend me to music directors. Also at the time Stephen was doing some albums and he gave me opportunities to work with him,” he says. Prakash’s time in Music Launch opened a whole new world for him. It was a great platform as it opened the great doors of the film industry to him.
“Stephen used to recommend me to music directors, and when somebody like Stephen recommends for you it gives you an edge because music directors will consider you with that much seriousness as you are somebody who have been recommended by Stephen. His recommendation really boosted my career. I spent almost three - four years in Music Launch,” Prakash remembers.
Now almost a known name in the industry and based in Kochi he has done keyboard programming for various TV programmes ‘Symphony’ in Kairali channel, ‘Indian Voice’ in Mazhavil Manorama and shows yet to be aired in Kappa and Rosebowl channels to list a few. He was also lucky to get work with directors in Malayalam,Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. His big break in the industry came through the score he did for Doore, a short film for Mazhavil Manorama. Prakash’s magical fingers ran for the bgm of Nenjodu Cherthu from the hit album Yuvvh. Prakash gets encouragement and support from his actor brother Prashanth, who made his mark in the industry through Ordinary, Achanauarangatha Veedu, Hotel California and many more.
With many upcoming projects including Ratheesh Vega’s and Gopi Sundar’s latest releases in his kitty Prakash is a busy man these days. He hit notes for Lucky Star, Orissa etc. His next outing in programming will be with Sivamani in Mumbai. His latest work was for the film ‘Mumbai Police’ which is running in packed houses.
