September 2022

Elephant Music, with Vikram Gudi at the helm, have been placing tracks in film trailers for the last 10 years and are now seen as one of the most respected companies in the industry to do so. Credits include Everything Everywhere All at Once, Batman, Halloween, The Northman, The Matrix Resurrection and a host of A24 trailers.

Vikram has a very simple philosophy for anyone working in the sync business: “Make really interesting and powerful music and it will get used”. This motto has served him well throughout his career, and continues to be the reason his work gets chosen for project after project…

MASA: Can we hear a little about your back-story? When did your musical talents become apparent? And how did they lead to getting a break in the industry?

VIKRAM: I heard a great quote recently, “All you need are ears and ideas”. I don’t see myself as having musical talents, I just have a decent ear. I got a guitar for my 16th birthday and started playing in bands. Later, at uni, I taught myself how to make beats and computer music - I've just always enjoyed the process of noisemaking. Joining Boosey and Hawkes in 2008 was a lucky break, but I think I got the job more for being a music fan than a musician. I was thrown in at the deep end, learning pop and classical publishing - so I was taught the creative and business side simultaneously. They taught everything I know and the rest has been learning from trial and error, pursuing what interests me. I’m so grateful for the mentors I’ve had - I’m nothing without them.

MASA: What exactly does your role at Elephant entail? Can you describe an average day?

VIKRAM: My main role is that of a producer; that means writing briefs and feeding back to music - structure, tone, instrumentation, mix etc. As a company owner I have to manage the admin, production and sales teams. I still love meeting new people and talking about music so I’m always reaching out to supervisors and finding new opportunities - I will never tire of doing that. As I producer I can put out 50 tracks a month, vs as a composer where it would be 4-5. I’m often travelling to do meetings and overseeing the bigger picture we have going on.

MASA: As well as Elephant Music you own Mammoth Audio, Split Music Publishing and Mammoth Beer. Can you give us a quick low-down on each?

VIKRAM: Mammoth Audio makes samples and virtual instruments, we provides sounds to composers to make music. Split Music started in 2014 with Pete Saville; this was our opportunity to delve into commercial music publishing and explore our passions and electronic and experimental music. Mammoth Brewery started in lockdown, I have always had a passion for beer and I was really lucky to meet my head brewer Mark Pether, who had a passion for bonkers music and beer. One thing led to another, all by chance, and we bought a load of cheap equipment and a warehouse and now we have a taproom in London!

MASA: What trends are you seeing in the trailer music industry today?

VIKRAM: Everyone seems to want signature sounds - although that’s another way of saying they need originality in the production process. Live recorded orchestra is something that is becoming more essential, especially on bigger productions. For me personally, I’m looking for composers who aren’t following trends but embrace their own unique influences.

MASA: What makes Elephant Music stand out from the competition?

VIKRAM: Over everything, it is our team. Our team is very close-knit and we’re like a family - all of us are extremely passionate about music and hard-working. Elephant also stays true to its sound and brand. We aren’t trying to take over the world, we are just trying to do great work and perfect our sound. We’re picky about who we work with and we aren’t afraid of turning down work if it doesn’t suit us.

MASA: Elephant also provides original composition for trailers. What’s the approximate ratio of original compositions Vs. existing music you find clients request?

VIKRAM: If you asked me 3 years ago I would say 20% custom and 80% production, but now it’s probably 50/50. Trends come and go. This one might be here for a long time.

MASA: What’s coming up for Elephant in 2022?

VIKRAM: Our 10 year anniversary is coming up. I love to call it Elephant 2.0 - new website, composers, catalogue, record label. We’re expanding in London and in LA and we just finished our first live recording at Abbey Road!

MASA: How did the live recording at Abbey Road come about?

VIKRAM: We wanted to fill a gap in the catalogue, and it’s not something we are traditionally associated with. We decided, if we are going to take on a new genre we want to put our unique twist on it and record it in the best space possible.

MASA: What makes a good composer, according to Elephant?

VIKRAM: Talent is obviously a factor, but once you’re in the top percentile of talent it comes down to character. Someone who is resilient and thick-skinned. We love moulding a composer as the ability to change and evolve is the secret to staying relevant.

MASA: And lastly Vik, what are you looking for when judging? In your opinion, what makes a piece of work worthy of a Music+Sound Award?

VIKRAM: For me, unconventional and unexpected sounds.

MASA: Thank you Vik and Happy 10th Anniversary! Exciting times. We greatly appreciate you sponsoring the Best Re-Record in a Film Trailer category this year and your time given in judging. Here’s to the next 10 years for Elephant!

Visit Elephant Music’s website HERE