Sulafest 2018 hosted an amazing lineup of artists, both local and international. Among the artists that we had the opportunity to speak to, is the New Delhi-based musician, Gaurav Raina, who brought his own of brand of Electronica with his project, Grain. We had a little chat with Gaurav right after his performance at the vineyards.
How did you like performing at Sulafest?
Yeah, I really enjoyed it. I’m still getting over the vibe of the stage. I’m still coming down..
How would you describe your music?
I think Grain is, basically, lyrical song-writing electronica. Electronica is something that is inherent to my whole musical artistry, but Grain is all about writing songs. It’s about reviving a style of conversation which I feel seems to be getting lost in the current scene. I’m not doing it because it’s the need of the hour, which actually it is, but I’m doing this because I want to. I want to write songs with my friends,my collaborators and bring together good singers and song-writers and write some memorable music. You know, not just instrumental dancefloor songs. While that’s great, I don’t want to take anything away from them, for me, I want to make music that stays with people, something identify with. I’d rather make an album in 2 years than release a single every month.
Do you have an album coming out?
Yes, a lot of the stuff that you heard today is unreleased material from my album. It’s stuff that is actually in the process of being mixed. I’m just taking it slow because, for me, Grain has always been a labour of love, always about having fun. But now it’s becoming more serious than that because I see that people are reciprocating to it. So, now it’s become a whole project for me. I’ve been trying to pay more attention and take my time to finish it off. This album’s almost, about 80-90%, done. Hopefully, by the middle of this year I should be releasing this album.
Are you planning on releasing this album independently or have you tied up with a label?
I’m gonna be releasing it independently but I’ll be getting it distributed to the mainstream. I’ll tie up with labels with major labels in India and abroad.
Any names?
No, names, man. I’m actually in the process of starting my own label in Delhi called Gravity Sounds. It’s being formulated right now, and once that’s done, I’ll be releasing this album and a couple of other projects through my own label and tie up with major labels for distribution. It’ll of course be on iTunes and Saavn and other platforms.
What are your major influences? What have you been listening to?
Major influence, of late, has been a lot of work coming out of Germany, Apparat and that whole crew, Erased Tapes Records, Nil Frahm and lot of Berlin and Iceland artists. The pop side of things, as well, Tame Impala and, of course, always, Chemical Brothers.
Which DAW do you use for production? Any favorite plug-ins that you’d suggest?
I write on Logic Pro but while performing we use Ableton live. I try not use too many third party plugins while performing, you know, it isn’t advisable to strain your much too much. I do use the Waves bundle though.
