Shivam Rath

Shivam Rath is a Byron Bay-based slide guitarist, composer, producer and teacher. He describes himself as a performer, producer, composer, music teacher, events organiser and cultural curator. He is also a yoga teacher and an Indian classical musician. His site describes him as a second-generation Indian-Australian musician.

His main instrument is the 22-string Indian slide guitar, which his site calls the Crystal Slide or Chaturangi. He describes it as a combination of the sitar and the Hawaiian slide guitar, shaped by the Indian classical system, and says it has been one of his main instruments for nearly 15 years. Crystal Slide is also the name of his musical practice. He describes it as inspired by the flowing meend (glide) of Indian classical music and as exploring resonance between sound and silence, tradition and innovation, movement and stillness.

His site says he studied in Varanasi and Kolkata under maestros including Pt. Chhote Lal Misra, Dr. Shibbanath Bhattacharya and Pt. Debashish Bhattacharya. He has spent over a decade performing and teaching internationally, and composing and producing for himself and for clients across world music styles. He integrates raga training with yogic philosophy and meditative practice.

He calls his approach Raga Retreats. These bring together Indian classical raga, Nāda Yoga, mantra, yoga, meditation and nature, and no previous experience of Indian classical music is required. He has hosted them in places including Australia, Bali, India and China. He also curates Soul Sangeet. He teaches music and slide guitar lessons.

On his site he writes of music as a way of connecting with ourselves, with each other and with something greater. He describes his work as keeping the transmission of living traditions alive while discovering where it can lead next. He says he is into yoga, mantra and Hindu/Vedic culture but holds no particular religious belief.