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ABOUT

Claude SAMARD POLIKAR is an atypical explorer of musical landscapes. Over the years he has travelled successfully across many diverse musical territories as a musician, arranger, producer and film composer.

"One day a cab driver asks me what I do for a living. I tell him I’m a musician, so he says: “yeah right, but what’s your day job?” I explained how my day job is to play music and that I do this for a living... Looking back at that conversation, and at the unusual way things turned out for me, I sometimes wonder: so what has really been my day job all these years?

How can I even define the musical genre that would characterize me the most? Even the musicians I play with couldn’t put their heads around all the different styles and genres that have become part of my work, part of who I am...
And in truth, the variety of influences, the diversity of instruments I play, the different areas I have worked in or the various collaborations I have had, make it difficult to put a label on me or on what I do. Which is why this website is an attempt to shed a light on the artists I have met and worked with, the very people that have helped me shape the artist I in turn, have become, and that I now need to accept once and for all.

For most musicians the path is pretty straightforward.
Whereas my career was nothing but twists and turns. How could I have imagined that because I got kicked out of my local country band, that I, a self taught “guitarist”, with no master plan, no career strategy, would come to Paris where everything was so incredibly vibrant, simply because an old friend had invited me over and what else did I have to do? In Paris I met other musicians, seized some wonderful opportunities (like the chance to attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music in the United States), and one thing lead to the other. I played the banjo on a hit song by Jean-Jacques Goldman and performed an opening act on his tour for 2 years, composed another song for the Queen of Reggae Rita Marley, composed the music for a very successful video game produced by UbiSoft, worked for Hans Zimmer with erhu Chinese virtuoso Guo Gan, produced an album for a Mongolian Shaman vocalist, shared the stage with the legendary Billy Preston (Beatles, Stones) and Alan Simon, played pedal steel guitar with Roger Hodgson (Supertramp), played lead guitar backing Chet Atkins and Marcel Dadi, jammed with the Gnawas in Morocco, played and arranged songs for Caribbean superstars, received 2 Best Film Music awards in international film festivals and since 2004 had the chance to work with electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre, both on stage and in the studio. I was lucky to be part of the production team for his Electronica album (nominated for a 2017 Grammy). This may all sound confusing, but is it really?

So does that make me a guitarist who fell in love with some ethnic/world musics or an electro music nerd? A simple answer lies perhaps in the compositions I wrote for films, the perfect place where I could bring all these influences and genres together. Whatever it is that expresses my different facets and colors, is presented here on this website: the creativity, the experiences, the projects, all the things that I somehow stand for as a musician, composer and producer. If the universe is expanding, the musical world is expanding with it, so let’s move on!

MUSIC BY CLAUDE SAMARD POLIKAR

Collaborations

In 2016 Claude worked with Hans Zimmer on the Kung Fu Panda 3 movie produced by Dreamworks, Jean-Michel Jarre's Electronica album, nominated for a Grammy in 2017 and other projects for which he has arranged and/or co-produced for recording artists, films or music librairies.

Special Venues


Gear

Whether it’s synths, guitars, mics or Fx, the thing that characterizes my gear is that I have selected over the years a collection of old and new, a mix of vintage and hi-tech. It’s so very nice to have the right tool at the right moment, depending on the project. To illustrate this here are a few of my favorite and most useful “toys”.

"East-West fusion with a difference..."
Geoff Burton (UK fRoots magazine)


COMPOSER FOR PICTURE


Composing for feature films or television series and films or for music libraries, gives me just enough freedom/space to feel good and enthusiastic about sitting down in front of my computer displays or with a guitar on my knee to start a day's work. In addition to which, I'm truly happy and fortunate to be working in so many different areas; the challenge keeps me "fresh" and up to speed with the latest standards, cuttng edge trends, sounds and technology. The challenge is really about giving each project that special "signature", that unique and personal touch.


Ride trailer - US series

Monarch US series trailer

Low Country trailer

Tengri - film

RayMan Arena - video game

Antigone 34 - tv series

Haig Club

Holy Money - film

Pierre Cardin - 2020-2021

Composer

Music for Film, Video & Multimedia

Composing has now become my #1 musical activity, a logical way for me to get back to basics that suits my current artistic endeavors and aspirations. As a composer I am proud to have won 2 awards in International Film Festivals, which, even in today's very formatted musical environment, makes me feel more energized and motivated to do more and try harder, developping my compositional skills with every new project I take on.
Collaborations

International Artists and Recording Credits

Travels and music are a family tradition. My musical background reflects this tendency to be diverse and nomadic. Learning to play different instruments, guitars, synths and percussions has lead me to learn also about other cultures in the studio or for live performances. And this is probably how I came to define my own musical identity over time, because of the people I met and shared music with, amazing artists, talented individuals I was fortunate to create and share gold or platinum records with.
On Stage

Live Performances

I remember my first gig on stage like it was yesterday: I was about 16, having just learned to play the guitar for a few months. This didn’t stop me from experiencing the thrill of becoming a professional musician, instantly turning me into a local Keith Richards.
I couldn’t imagine at the time that playing the guitar and a few other instruments would take me around the globe, from Radio City in New York to the Forbidden City in Beijing alongside great musicians, backing amazing artists, the latest one being Jean-Michel Jarre since 2004.
Producer

Productions & a Production Suite

I spend most of my working time writing and recording for motion pictures, touring the world with electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre as well as producing production music tracks. But I still make time for very special projects like Mongolian singer Okna Tsahan Zam, a top 10 best world music album in the UK or with Electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre whose Electronica album I co-produced was nominated in 2017 for a Grammy.
Tips & Fun Facts

Akustik Travels

World Music lovers, composers for medias using acoustic samples, electric guitarists who want to expand their scope enjoy a tour of World Guitars: Oud, Banjo, Bouzouki, Saz, Dobro and more! Check out these useful tips, tunings, historical facts, including grids and become familiar with techniques, tunings, musical phrases and genders inspired from instruments that share close relations with the guitar.