Vikas Kohli Explained

Vikas Kohli
Background:non_performing_personnel
Origin:Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Genre:Country, Pop, Bhangra, Hip-Hop, Rock
Years Active:2003–present
Associated Acts:The Responsibles, Tef & Don, jsin, Man The Destroyer, GQnumberOne, scribblepen

Vikas Kohli is an Indian musician and music producer, whose work covers a variety of genres from punk, jazz, hip-hop, to Country, Metal, and Bollywood pop. He is known for his expertise in song arrangements and his one-on-one artist development.[1] As a producer he is best known for founding Fatlabs.[2]

Fatlabs (Music Studio)

Fatlabs is a home recording studio in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, founded in 2003.[3] Kohli is best known for his ability to work with multiple genres. He has produced punk, jazz, hip-hop, soul, country, pop, R&B, classical, metal, rock and bhangra albums. He has also contributed songs to Bollywood films.[4]

The song he produced for Bollywood film Mission Istaanbull[5] was performed live at the International Indian Film Academy Awards. He composed a song for the Canadian Film Centre's Shanti Baba Ram & The Dancers of Hope, which aired on Canwest Global. He also composed the song "I Do. Do I?" He's produced two albums with The Responsibles,[6] which were nominated for Punk Recording of the Year and charted nationally; co-wrote Jennifer Abadesso's song "Did You Think", which hit #1 in Paris;[7] produced multi-million album selling Bhangra artist Mika Singh and collaborated on projects with Cappadonna (Wu-Tang Clan), Justin Nozuka, Moka Only and Apache Indian. Kohli has been profiled by CBC, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Rogers TV, OMNI TV, Hindustan Times, MSN, AOL, Yahoo and Zee News.

Filmography

YearFilm
2010 The Bee
2010 The Party
2012 MallaMall
2012 Wild Goose Chase Daddy
2010 My Father, the Terrorist?
Tom, Dick & Harry Rock Again
2009 Bouma
Understanding The Early Years
2008 Mission Istaanbul
2009 Shanti Baba Ram and the Dancers of Hope
2009 I Do. Do I?

Education

Vikas Kohli went to the Mississauga branch campus of the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and received an honors degree in Mathematics and Philosophy. He received his MBA from the Schulich School of Business of York University,[8] and also holds a CFA charter.

Events

International Indian Film Academy

Vikas Kohli has produced an event with the International Film Academy awards in Toronto which drew over 15,000 people.

Bollywood Monster Mashup

Vikas Kohli has produced an event from the city of Mississauga entitled "Bollywood Monster Mashup" which features over 50 singers, dancers and musicians singing, playing popular songs that expand over the black & white era of Indian Cinema to the modern hits of Bollywood.

Professional associations

Vikas Kohli is a member of the advisory board of the Blackwood Art Gallery, actively involved in the arts scene and has spoken at UNESCO, NXNE, SAC, CMW, Masala Mehndi Masti, Nashville Songwriters Association, Hamilton Music Awards, Toronto Independent Music Awards, FILMI, Toronto Film makers Club, Mississauga Independent Film Festival, Undercurrents, Jya Fest Arts Collective, Canada Career Arts, Tin Pan North, Trebas Institute, Durham College, Toronto City Summit Alliance and the City of Mississauga's Culture Division. He is a jury member for FACTOR, a member of the Screen Composers Guild of Canada and sits on the Arts and Culture Grant Assessment Committee for the City of Mississauga. In 2011, Kohli produced an original live concert for the IIFAs at Mississauga's Celebration Square, which featured over 50 musicians and dancers, including Bollywood singer Monali Thakur, a string ensemble, several Indian classical musicians, a rock band and was attended by over 15,000 people.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: York Region Breaking News - York Region's Online Newspaper YorkRegion.com.
  2. Web site: Vikas Kohli adds North American flavour to Bollywood | Music News. 3 August 2008.
  3. Web site: Mississauga Breaking News - Mississauga's Online Newspaper.
  4. Web site: Mississauga Breaking News - Mississauga's Online Newspaper.
  5. Web site: Vikas Kohli, music composer . 2023-12-04 . The New Indian Express. 16 May 2012 .
  6. Web site: FatLabs - PORTFOLIO . January 19, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100814183941/http://www.fatlabs.com/020~PORTFOLIO/?app.index=The%20Responsibles%20%28Punk%29%2F . August 14, 2010 .
  7. Web site: Fatlabs - PRESS . January 19, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110710230652/http://www.fatlabs.com/045~PRESS/?app.index=Feature%20Print%20Articles%2FOye!%20Times%20(Jan%202010).html . July 10, 2011 .
  8. http://www.fatlabs.com/050~VIKAS_KOHLI/ Vikas Kohli page