Gnarly is a British Sri Lankan musician and content creator born and raised in London, United Kingdom.

You can find her performing a highly skilled and captivating live show creating genre-bending future beats you can vibe to in her music production and performance sets.

Internationally renowned for her live finger drumming performances with online content reaching 90k followers, 1 million views a year across social platforms and more than 6 million plays on streaming services.

A prominent figure within the finger drumming community, she has gained notoriety as a performer both online and on stages while also being a successful recording artist with a large catalog of released music. She also shares her knowledge and skills as a finger drummer and producer with a course available on Aulart, exclusive tutorial content and 1:1s on Patreon and lessons on Melodics.

“Snake Eyes” from debut self-released album “One Takes Vol. 1” was her first editorial placement on Apple Music’s BEATstrumentals Playlist. Multiple releases with label Stereofox have been featured on official Spotify Editorial Playlists including lofi beats, Jazz Vibes and Chillout Lounge with “Blossom” and “Cosmos Alley”. “Until The Very End” was recently released on Goji Records latest compilation Goji Vibes Vol. 3 also featured on Spotify’s lofi beats playlist. “I Won’t Say (I’m In Love)” is an official Lofi cover of the same song from Disney’s animated movie ‘Hercules’ available to listen now on Lofi Minnie: Chill released by Walt Disney Records.

Debut label release “Loving Dream / Dimensional Travel” on 4NC¥ became her first Spotify editorial placement on Midnight Chill. “Karapincha” her first international compilation feature with label Dedicate was released in collaboration with art icon Hera, Stylefile and Nike. Other international compilation features also include “On The Horizon” on “All Things Considered Vol.2” released with Jakarta Records, curated by producer Ta-Ku in collaboration with 823 and Butter Goods. “U Left Me” released with Salad Days. “Warm Glow”, “Exhale” and “Lost In Clouds” with West One Music Group. Her latest releases “Healing Fields” and “Palette” have been with trapcity’s new lofi label Lovibes.

She frequently works with a number of well known brands such as Native Instruments, Akai Professional, Roland, Thomann, KEF, Red Bull, Melodics, AIAIAI, ROLI, Reverb, BandLab, Artiphon, SlateDigital, UK Beatbox Championships and more on various projects, adverts and promotional content for brand websites, social media and TV.

Her music has also appeared on Riot Games Team Fight Tactics, BBC Radio, Netflix, BT Sport, Logitech, Bandai Namco, Cloak and more. 

Her ongoing collaboration with esteemed poet and writer Nikita Gill is a dynamic live act that combines Gnarly’s electronic production skills and the spoken poetry of Nikita Gill in a pulsating, hypnotic conversation. Their live show is a mastery of the modern world of music tech and mythological stories told through the lens of South Asian women. Performing together for the first time as part of Summer Reunion: Confluence Festival curated by Anoushka Shankar at the Southbank Centre in 2021. They have since appeared on BBC Radio 4 Women’s Hour with Anita Rani and performed at the Purcell Room at Southbank Centre, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and Arnolfini Arts Centre.

Other notable performances include performing alongside Anoushka Shankar at EartH Hackney for Dialled In Festival, appearing in Reeta Loi’s TEDx talk. Showcasing at BeatGeek, Glastonbury Festival, Lofi Festival, Musikmesse Frankfurt for ProLight+Sound with Sample Music Festival, Music Production Convention in Paris. Winning the first edition of Beat Masters at Red Bull UK with dancer Omni in a new concept battle pairing live beatmakers with dancers. She was also invited to take part in the first SHE Rap Camp organised by Warner Chappell and Atlantic Records Germany. 

 

Gnarly x AULART MASTERCLASS

The complete guide to finger drumming

Master the art of finger drumming with Gnarly and get a comprehensive understanding of sampling techniques for live performances.

This class is part of In over 10 chapters, I’ll go through the initial setup for Ableton drum rack, setting up your Native Instruments Maschine, live jamming routine, recording with drum rack, recording with MIDI in Maschine, recording audio from Maschine to Ableton, arrangement & effects, creating a live performance set, and much more. You’ll get my tips on live jamming and improvisation to create unique performances.

Use Discount Codes: GnarlyxAulart20 - 20% off of the individual class purchase GnarlyxAulart - 30% off off the Core Membership

Gnarly Music Club ON PATREON

Whether you want to show some love and support or you're looking to learn some skills to up your Finger Drumming / Music Production game your patronage is massively appreciated!!

Gnarly Music Club is where I'll be doing exclusive Patron-only content including workflow livestreams, routine breakdowns and 1:1 sessions to help you level up your skills.

 

Student Testimonials

Testimonials

Gnarly's Patreon has been great for my fingerdrumming in more than one way. One on hand you have the making-of videos, super useful to watch over and over and really listen to and look at what she's doing in terms of building kits and developing a track, on the other hand her 1-2-1 lessons were the perfect way to hone in on technique, learn useful exercises and - to me the best part- personal behaviour. My sound and Gnarly's could not have been more different but her tutoring was essential and help me show up confidently at my first live set. - Alessandro @automageddon

Gnarly has been of a great help for me during my music producing journey. She taught me multiple very useful skills : playing in rhythm, understanding the basics of finger drumming, chopping samples and making a full song out of it, learning the fundamentals of DAWs (Ableton Live and Maschine) and even the basics of mixing a song. She was also giving me reviews of the tracks I was producing and giving me tips to improve them.

In short she was a really good teacher and she has been definitely an important part of my music producing journey, she kept my motivation high and gave me confidence to keep going.

Big thanks to you ! - Romain

Gnarly is inspirational, kind, encouraging. Very talented and knowledgeable musician. Really great private lesson covering so many grooves that challenged me and vastly improved my finger drumming technique. She also allows me to be creative. I was able to learn a lot online while in Japan!!. - Kota @kota.beats

I was looking for a finger drumming instructor and after combing the internet and finding nothing I found Gnarly. Her YouTube channel is filled with jams that slay, and the opportunity to learn from an established pro is a rare find. After some lessons in, I'm confident enough in my drumming to use it on my tracks and make my own videos! Gnarly's guidance and encouragement have kept me motivated and practicing.

-Dodzi @dodzidenudzakuma

Gnarly is an overall great instructor for all levels. I reached out to her as a complete beginner in the same month as my controller arrived. She educated me about the software as well as gave me the confidence to start creating. I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to creating music. Highly recommend.

-Iz @israellcasas

I’m from Medellin, Colombia. I started to get into the world of sampling and I was very interested in learning about finger drumming so I was investigating who could give me an introduction to programming the pads. I saw Gnarly on Instagram and YouTube, I contacted her and she was the only person who was willing to teach me at an economical and reasonable price. We understood each other, she knew how to explain her way of playing the pads and how she programmed them and it seemed more practical to me. She sent me the work material with which the class was going to be developed and she was watching my evolution. Thanks Gnarly, I appreciate you for helping me. You're the best.

-David @david10rico

Deciding to take lessons with Gnarly was one of the best investments I made in myself in 2020. I had been producing music for a couple of years and always wanted to get into finger drumming but had no idea where to start. I was pretty nervous and didn’t know what to expect. Gnarly’s calm and nonjudgmental demeanour helped subside my nerves. Gnarly taught me how to pick my sounds, arrange my pads, position my hands for effective finger drumming, I learnt a new pattern and she helped me strengthen my technique on hi hats (a game changer for me). Gnarly gave me valuable advice on how to position myself on social media as a professional finger drummer/beat maker. Since I started taking lessons with Gnarly, my confidence, technique and creativity have sky rocketed. I recommend both new and seasoned finger drummers/beat makers to meet Gnarly.

-Bri @briizv

I am a fairly shy person and was nervous to take the finger drumming lessons. However, Gnarly made me feel comfortable almost immediately. We've gone over different genres and drum patterns and I can now confidently create my own finger drumming routines. Gnarly is patient and provided the support and structure I needed. Finger drumming is a stress reliever for me and I'm so happy I decided to take her lessons.

-Ashley @flawed.freedom

Talented, professional, efficient, no ego, and tailors lessons to suit the student’s individual needs. Gnarly is everything you need in a teacher. She will level up your technique by dropping years of experience and knowledge all in the most approachable and friendly way - no matter your equipment or preferred music style. If you want to learn techniques that will grow along with your experience then I can’t recommend Gnarly enough! I have learned so much in Gnarly’s lessons and always leave excited to practice.

-Kurt @kurtstrong

Great lessons for all levels and it was cool to connect internationally. I had just started finger drumming and I was able to learn different techniques and exercises to keep on beat as well as chop up samples. Great start to my finger drumming journey and Gnarly is super talented!

-Phil @wellitsthephilcho

Roland x Melodics: Gnarly’s Spice Rack

Beat Maker Sample Pack & Melodics Lessons

 

PREMIUM SAMPLE COLLECTION FOR HIP-HOP AND LO-FI STYLES

Whet your musical appetite with the flavorful beats and synths in Gnarly’s Spice Rack—a glimmering sample collection from UK artist Gnarly. Influenced by hip-hop, jazz, and UK bass music, these warm grooves and tones blend rich acoustic pianos and classic Roland synths to cook up a feast of beautifully saturated daydreams. Season your compositions with swaying patterns and melancholic progressions or drum along to the gorgeous lo-fi loops—the choice is yours.

 

GNARLY X BANDLAB FREE SAMPLE PACKS

 
 

GOJI VIBES VOL. 3

GOJI VIBES VOL. 3 Compilation Vinyl released by Goji Island

 

Goji Vibes Vol. 3 features producers from all over the world - some well-known label friends and a few new faces that convinced us with their wonderful approach to music. The result is 14 tracks from 20 producers that will make you enjoy sipping cocktails in the sun or make working easier.

all things considered vol. 2

Compilation curated by Ta-Ku and Butter Goods released by Jakarta Records

 
 

“All Things Considered Vol. 2” is an exploration of Ta-ku’s and Mariano’s extensive and often overlapping musical palettes in two parts. The record pays homage to the love of instrumental music and hidden gems of new school jazz and funk that act as a source of inspiration and nostalgia for the both of them. The collaboration brings together over a dozen producers and instrumentalists from Sydney to Chicago, including Jadu Jadu, Gnarly, Tenderlonius, silentjay, and more. Side A is curated by Ta-ku and 823. It’s as much a love letter to the past as it is a nod to the future of beat-making.

STEREOFOX Beat Queens

SEASON 01 VINYL COMPILATION

Stereofox presents the marvellous adventures of the Beat Queens!

Fourteen brave female producers conquering the music-verse with their fantastic beats, having one common goal – to prove that talent has no gender or skincolour!

The BEAT QUEENS compilation is meant to help spread the word and make successful female producers more visible and thus inspire more women/non-binary individuals to follow their passion for music.

GNARLY X NIKITA GILL TOTE BAGS

A beautiful black and metallic silver, screen printed tote bag featuring the band's logo on one side and the iconic illustration from Nikita Gill (as featured in their live show) on the other.

Includes unlimited streaming of Hymn via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

STYLEFILE X HERA X DEDICATE

Artist Collab No. IV

For our fourth artist collab under the motto “She's gonna create” we did something together with none other than street art icon HERA from Herakut and brought beatmaker GNARLY and the label Dedicate on board .

The idea for one of the first “female-only” samplers, with its very own all female twist, was an absolute matter of the heart. Women are still severely underrepresented in the graffiti & producer scene worldwide, and wrongly! With this collab we want to set an example and are super proud to have launched this incredible project with Nike, Hera and Dedicate.

 
 

Nuthin' But A She Thang

Dedicate DDCT003

Nuthin' But A She Thang" focuses on a marginalised view of instrumental beat music. This sampler, reflects a cross-section of the international female producer scene: 14 female artists, 8 countries, 4 continents, one language - music! The 14 instrumentals take the listener on a musical journey, which creates a tension between classic sample sound and modern current productions. The Artwork by Hera in the inside of the gatefold as well as an including limited Artprint make this Compilation a special collectors item!

 

Pioneer DJ

YOUR GUIDE TO THE FAST-GROWING WORLD OF FINGER DRUMMING

Gnarly, a finger drummer, producer and teacher from the UK, told us that finger drumming performances could be considered on a scale. “Some people will either play along to loops or have a backing track and only be playing the drums,” she said. “Whereas some finger drummers are more purists. The style that I play, every single sound, every melodic element, bass, drums and everything is all 100% live.”

Roli Stories

Gnarly: "Everything about how I create has evolved"

Finger-drummer, multi-instrumentalist and content-creator Gnarly is the type of musical-polymath that can only exist today. Each of her Instagram posts, Youtube videos and online tutorials rightfully draws thousands of views, awe-struck comments, and fire emojis — and her tips and talents help inspire a digital generation of music-makers.

OFFICE X Dr. Martens

All Access Summer with Gnarly Music & Foundation FM.

Summer and music are the only recoupling we really care about! To celebrate festival season being officially back ON, we brought together Gnarly Music and some LOVELY ladies from Foundation FM to showcase the HOTTEST sandals from Dr. Martens – perfect for all those festi-fits or summer slay lewks.

Sound Of lIFE | a KEF pROJECT

When you have an infinite number of beats at your fingertips, it can get pretty overwhelming. Watch how up-and-coming professional finger drummer Gnarly has made an art out of a sea of sounds.

TEDxLondonWomeN

Why are we oppressed? Reeta Loi

This talk features a soundscape produced by Jeia and a special performance of Reeta’s latest song ‘Remedy’ with Gnarly.

BBC RADIO 4 womens hour

gnarly x nikita gill

Irish Indian poet and writer, Nikita Gill and British Sri-Lankan producer and live performer Gnarly will appear together for two nights at the Southbank Centre in London. Poems written by Nikita are transformed into songs by Gnarly, merging traditional and digital art and creating, what they say is something no one has seen before. They join Anita Rani in the studio for a chat and a bit of a performance.

Par-Desi

Gnarly x Nikita Gill: we felt seen, we felt validated, and most importantly, empowered

The Gnarly x Nikita Gill event was transformative and (not to be dramatic) life changing… We were sat in a room with brown women, hearing messages of healing written for brown women, by brown women, validating our experiences of growing up with stigma, shame, and multicultural confusion.

WITCiH Digital Festival 2021 Commission

Bandai Namco Scarlet Nexus x Jim Vision (Music by Gnarly)

WITCiH Digital Festival 2021 Commission

Bandai Namco Scarlet Nexus Brainpunk Street Art created by mural artist, Jim Vision (Music by Gnarly)

STEREOFOX

Interview: Gnarly on Finger Drumming, Being a Woman of Colour on thE Beat Scene and the Importance oF Perseverance

In this interview, you will learn more about her approach to handling so many diverse activities, her formula for success and what it’s like to be a woman of colour on the beat scene.

PRS FOR MUSIC MAGAZINE

GIRLS MAKE BEATS TOO

Annique Simpson meets the female producers shaking up the UK music industry, analysing gender imbalance in the sector and celebrating those taking strides.

A source of strength for Gnarly is the positive messages she gets from other women and people of South Asian descent who find her work inspiring.

“The responsibility is with the labels and companies. There are so many women in production so there’s no excuse to have all-male rosters anymore” - Gnarly

ALL GOOD.

Producer's Producer #15: Gnarly over Lido

The New Year's resolutions from London producer Gnarly ? Get a beat out of the drum machine every day in January. Hitting is to be taken literally with her. She regularly presents her finger drumming skills to her followers on her socials and fires her instrumentals right into the streaming world. The challenge of conventional paths is deliberately chosen here. Gnarly celebrates the Norwegian producer, singer and songwriter Lido , who likes to go unusual ways in his music.

Native Instruments

BENDING GENRE BOUNDARIES WITH GNARLY MUSIC

Versatile and skilled MASCHINE user GNARLY is becoming a big-hit with her online finger-drumming workouts. Check out our feature as we talk with the UK-based musician about her background, and watch some of her best routines

Live beatmaking master GNARLY steps up on finger drumming duties for some of the most exciting Expansions in KOMPLETE 13, taking us from chilled hip hop to dancefloor beats, via neo-soul, UK grime, and more.

In celebration of Native Instruments 25th Anniversary, 22 music-makers from across styles and around the world tell us about the NI software & hardware that has sparked their creativity and changed their workflow.

SISU: In The Key Of She on threads radio

Ep. 27 Gnarly

Our guest this episode is Gnarly - a UK based Finger Drummer, Producer and DJ. Her musical roots are firmly in urban culture, producing lo-fi hip hop, DJing drum & bass and jungle and with a long time love of rap and MC-ing. Tune in to hear her story, how she's built her brand on social media, and how she's blazing a trail in pushing the boundaries of live electronic performance with her fingers. Literally!

The Tool Crate Podcast

Episode 11

Weekly Podcast Radio Show focused on the world of Music Production & the Business of Music.

Episode - 011 - on this episode I chat with Producer / Finger Drummer Gnarly Music about her collaborations and her production works.

Keakie radio Konekt 1 konekt all

Punching Pads w/ gnarly

Truefunktion gets in depth with finger drummer and producer Gnarly on the debut episode of Konekt 1 Konekt All.

Cultureisfree

?UESTIONS: Gnarly

Producer and DJ Gnarly is known for her impressive live finger drumming performances. Her weapon of choice is the Native Instruments Maschine, where she creates jazzy, soulful beats with a helping of funk. Her skills in music tech are vast and Gnarly is the lead Mix and Mastering Engineer post-production for the UK Beatbox Championships.

beats for the ill

WORDS WITH GNARLY

Our next interview is with London, UK based multi-talent, Gnarly, someone who is working blank canvas into art of the soundscapes.
With her exceptional abilities when it comes to beat-making, production, and might I add finger drumming. Gnarly lays a foundation that triggers head bops, sways, and moments of stilled contemplation.

Commercial Appearances

RELEASES