How do you juggle between being a singer-songwriter, producer and composer? What do you love doing the most?
Singing and writing comes most naturally to me because I have been doing it longer than production. But I have fallen in love with the process of blending my organic sounds with the technicalities of production and fusing the two worlds.
Tell us about your song writing process
For me, there is no one formula when it comes to songwriting. The approach changes depending on what moves me when I am creating something. Sometimes it’s an idea, a melody and words that come first. Sometimes it starts with making a groove that I then layer with other elements such as vocals/keys.
Tell us about your music tech set up and the equipment you swear by
I have a set up that includes my Mac Book Pro, a TC Helicon VoiceliveTouch 2 vocal processor that also doubles up as my soundcard, a controller, a keyboard and a mixer. I use Ableton live to produce and totally swear by my vocal processor because I started my journey with my solo project, with experiments on it before it all snowballed into a full blown set.
What according to you sets you apart?
The idea is to create a completely immersive experience for the listeners. I believe that every person is unique and their creations are a reflection of their being, which means that no two things can sound or look or feel the same way. I come from an Indian classical background but I love electronic music and the digital world. So my style is an evolution of blending the two seamlessly. A mix of grooves that blend into traditional and contemporary vocals, deep pads and melodies that will hopefully take people on a personal journey. I’m still learning how to tell my stories through sound.
If there is something you could change about the music industry in India, what would it be and why?
I think India is at a turning point with so many musicians being able to find platforms to express their art locally and globally. Maybe a little more professionalism and empathy for artists from the business side of the industry, will totally help catapult the scene to the next level.
Upcoming projects
I am part of an EP called Colors of the Sun, which is a collaborative project with L.A based producers Stephan Jacobs and Ahee. I have lent my vocals for this. It will be out on Muti Music in June, along with a remix of the same by Bósa also an LA based project. Bósa is a sonic merger of the primal and refined, blending methodically composed electronica with world inspired live percussion. Utilising globally sourced field recordings from their travels as independent musicians, producers Stephan Jacobs and Sunev have crafted a sound that pushes the boundaries of house music. The remixes from my earlier collaboration with another L.A based producer David Starfire and Stephan Jacobs called ‘Seasons’ are still doing the rounds along with videos. World class producer and DJ Bassnectar has been playing our track in his mash ups around the world. I’m also working with David on another track which will be released soon.
Other than that, there’s a track with Canada based musician/producer/DJ, Kora who toured India last year that is in the works. I’m a huge fan of his work. I have started collaborations with Delhi based DJ/producer Vir C aka Viridian Music basedand Bombay based genius Karan Desai aka Folic State. These are in the early stages of creation.
Other than these collaborations, I am focusing on my solo project which I have been working on for over two years and performing live. It’s in various stages of completion.
