GHOSTLY International just signed their newest artist to their impressive roster. LORD RAJA (a.k.a. Chester Raj Anand) is all of 20-years-old and helms from upstate New York, where he recalls how his passion for experimenting with computer programs began when he was just a young boy. The following is a brief personal bio of LORD RAJA:
“I grew up in a small town called Red Hook. My brother got me into production at a very young age. By second grade I was used to experimenting on computer programs like Acid and Fruity Loops. I remember telling my 2nd grade teacher that Aphex Twin was my favorite. It got to a point where I would lock myself in the basement everyday after school and make like 5 or 6 beats a day on my PC computer on Fruity Loops everyday until college. I’d mess with Indian tapes and records and keyboards. I never really knew about a beat scene at all. I didn’t even think that other people were doing the same thing or that this would become somewhat of a culture. I discovered people like Dilla & Dabrye and Madlib and it all blew my mind. I decided to make my music public on my 17th birthday. I released an experimental beat tape called ’17 Years’ which got the attention of people at Asthmatic Kitty and Astro Nautico. And then I did some releases for them and changed my name from InfinitiRock to LORD RAJA. Music has always been the biggest part of my life. I have always loved experimental and electronic music. I think I liked the idea of communicating with sounds rather than lyrics since a young age because when I would hear Indian music in the car I couldn’t understand the words. I just focused on the instrumental loops and saw that as a new form of expression or reflection. I was obsessed with records and all that. I like to mess with film also. I like to mess with everything.”
You can stream and download LORD RAJA’s brand new EP Rubies for free below, and for more from LORD RAJA you can follow him on Twitter, Tumblr, and Soundcloud. For more info on LORD RAJA be sure to check out his bio at his new home at GHOSTLY International.