Astara Calas is a Los Angeles–based interdisciplinary musician/artist working at the intersection of sound, consciousness, experimental music, and immersive performance.

About

Astara Calas is a Los Angeles–based composer, producer, and sound artist whose work bridges ambient music, Indian classical traditions, spiritual jazz, experimental electronics, and immersive performance.

Beginning her creative path as a touring vocalist and recording artist with experience in both independent and major label music worlds, including development with Columbia Records, her work has since evolved into a multidisciplinary practice centered around atmosphere, deep listening, and transformative sonic experience.

Since 2014, Astara has been a core member of Liberate Elemental Forces, an experimental ensemble blending traditional raga forms with krautrock, ambient music, and improvisation. The group’s members have studied Indian classical music under acclaimed tabla master Pandit Shashanka Bakshi.

Her interdisciplinary work has included collaborations and performances connected to Philosophical Research Society, Penny Slinger, Kelly Lamb, Jessica Hundley, Library of Esoterica events, and immersive artistic programming throughout Los Angeles.

Alongside her music work, Astara spent over a decade as the owner and creative force behind Elf Cafe in Los Angeles, where she developed the restaurant’s original menu, aesthetic identity, and community-centered atmosphere. Elf became known not only for its distinctive cuisine, but also as a cultural gathering space for artists, musicians, and creative communities.

Astara is a certified Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique (QHHT) practitioner who trained with Dolores Cannon in 2012. She also studied extensively with Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, later serving as an assistant at Golden Bridge Yoga in Los Angeles, and completed certification in sound healing with pioneering sound healer Jonathan Goldman. She holds a B.A. in Eastern Philosophy and Jungian Studies from the University of Colorado.

Her current work explores resonance, memory, atmosphere, ritual, and the subtle emotional architecture of sound.

Selected Work

Liberate Elemental Forces:

Experimental Indian classical ensemble blending raga, spiritual jazz, ambient music, krautrock, and improvisation.

Ambient & Immersive Sound Performance:

Live atmospheric compositions and sound environments for galleries, performances, meditative spaces, and interdisciplinary events.

Sound & Consciousness Work:

Sound-based meditative experiences integrating deep listening, frequency work, breath, immersive sonic environments and regression hypnotherapy/consciousness exploration