Banksia

Hi, it is great speaking to you! I am doing great, just out here in sunny San Francisco, so I can’t complain.

Music has always been a huge part of my life—it was everywhere when I was growing up. It wasn’t until 2015, after my dad passed away, that I dedicated myself to it. When he died, music became my escape. I needed something to help me forget everything and just lose myself for a while. Instead of turning to things like drugs or alcohol, music became that outlet for me. It’s what got me through.

I've never tried pottery or ceramics, but I’d love to take a class someday! The EP title isn’t really about the art of pottery though—it’s more about the idea of clay as something you can mold from dirt into something beautiful. It represents a time in my life when I felt like I’d hit rock bottom, I felt like I had become the dirt. I had to rebuild myself, get stronger, and focus on my mental health.
The idea of clay is compelling for me because when a potter is shaping something, it often collapses, and they just pick it up and start again. That’s how I felt for a while— I kept falling, but each time I had to pick myself back up and work towards finding my peace again. 

For this EP, I pretty much threw all the rules out the window. Everything I learned in production school, all the technical stuff, I just set it aside. I didn’t worry about the key, the BPM, whether the drums were perfectly timed, or if there was enough swing. All techniques and rules that usually fill my head when I’m writing were completely ignored. Normally, when I’m creating music, I have a clear idea of what I want, but with this EP, I had no clue. I was just trying to find a breath of fresh air, some kind of inspiration to get back into it. I was in a place of grief, totally unmotivated, uninspired, and not really social.

When I started working on this EP, it felt like I was just pouring my emotions into the music without overthinking it. The tension, the beauty, the depth—it all felt like it was coming straight from within me, I was expressing emotions I couldn’t put into words. My process was super simple: I opened up Ableton, my go-to DAW, and started with a Radiohead piano sample from a live session of Bloom. I chopped it up, resampled it, looped it, and just let everything flow from there. The second track was the same process, except the piano sample came from a folder of random recordings I hadn’t used. Both songs came together so naturally—I wrote each track in about thirty minutes, and both were written on the same day!
Honestly, it all feels like a blur, since I wasn’t following any rules or overthinking the tracks. But after I finished them, I couldn’t stop listening to them. They stuck with me, which is why I felt so strongly about putting them out. I hope they help others find peace the same way they helped me find peace.

For me, it’s both a powerful creative force and a positive feeling. It’s a great force because when something is inspired by negative emotions, it tends to come from such an authentic place. You can really tell when something is real versus when it’s manufactured. But the positive side of it is that when people express their sadness through art, it’s often a way for them to grow and move forward. That sense of progress is such a rewarding feeling.
Regarding the films, there’s a documentary by Art21 that really helped me during that tough time and ultimately inspired the creation of this EP. When I was feeling low, one of the things I’d do was watch creative documentaries to try and get inspired again. One that really stuck with me was a short film called Christian Marclay in London by Art21. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it! What’s crazy is that I watched it right before I started writing the EP.

Marclay has this way of using the most obscure sound sources, almost like he’s just throwing things together, but the result is a collection of beautiful compositions. That approach of combining random sound elements which are considered obscure to build a beautiful composition was a huge inspiration for this EP—I pretty much did the same thing!
Even though I’m not in that low place anymore, I haven’t forgotten that approach. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise. I’ve actually started working on an album now, and as I’ve been writing it, I’ve been channeling what I learned from making the EP and Marclay’s process. So far, I’m really happy with how the album’s coming along!

I’m actually not very religious, though I grew up in a religious household. My parents never forced religion on me or my sibling, but they made sure we understood the traditions and practices. Now, as an adult, I see Hinduism more as a philosophy and a way of life. A lot of modern practices like meditation, yoga, and repeating mantras come from Hindu origins.
When I was feeling down and going through tough times, I started meditating, going to yoga classes, taking long walks, and repeating mantras I had memorized. These practices helped me destress, and after each session, I felt like I had more mental clarity to handle what I was going through and even to get some of the answers I needed for closure.
It was tough because I had to fight to get to the truth in that situation, but what these practices really helped me do was put aside the emotional baggage and think more clearly and logically. That’s what led to me finding healthy closure and helped me move on. Honestly, these practices didn’t directly influence the EP—they were just another outlet for me, along with writing music, to heal and grow.

There’s this one mantra called the Hanuman Chalisa, and you can actually find it now on YouTube or Spotify. If I had to sum it up using the internet’s take, it’s basically believed that “whoever chants the Hanuman Chalisa with full devotion to Hanuman will receive his grace. A lot of Hindus around the world believe that chanting it can bring divine intervention from Hanuman during tough times.” Whenever I was going through hard times, my parents would always encourage me to chant the Hanuman Chalisa, so maybe that’s where my connection to it comes from.

Talk about the greatest back to back right! How crazy would it be if that roster was in a studio together! I’d pay a million dollars to see that. Not that I have a million dollars; but I’d find it! Honestly, when I sample or mess around with samples, I imagine myself being in the band with those artists, like we’re all jamming together. I don’t sample just because I need one. Instead, it’s more like, okay, Ravi Shankar is chanting this—so what’s Thom Yorke doing in the band? What’s Hugh Tracey doing? And what am I doing? I approach sampling as if it’s a live jam session with all these amazing artists. That’s how I like to think about it!

For this EP, like I mentioned before, I threw all the rules out the window. Releasing it kind of feels like that too. I’m not worried about sticking to one genre. We live in an amazing time where we can control our own destiny and share our art however we want. So if you’re an artist who can show different sides of your work—whether it’s style, talent, or production—then why not? If there’s no support system for you to release music across different genres, carve your own path and find a way to do it yourself!
That being said, if you listen to the sound design and the complexity of the production, it’s still me. Sure, some tracks might be more club-focused and some aren’t, but at the end of the day, it’s all just me expressing myself through different types of music. Here’s a little secret though: I’ve got a full jazz composition coming out at the end of the year! It’s kind of a happy coincidence that this EP blends electronic and jazz elements, so it feels like a nice intro to the jazz release that’s dropping at the end of 2024. My plan is to keep this pattern going, releasing a mix of electronic dance music followed by jazz.

I’m so grateful to Nooriyah and her team for inviting me to be part of her shows in Toronto and San Francisco. I’m a huge fan of her DJing and her style. Having grown up all over the world, I’ve always been a massive fan of world music, so it’s really inspiring to see someone like her fully embracing that. I’ve watched some of her sets online, and I’m always blown away, like, wow, I never imagined that track being played in a dance setting! She’s a master at what she does.

As for my DJ style, it’s definitely unique. I tend to play a lot of leftfield, underground music that people might not even recognize. I mix in original production and weave in a lot of world music too. There’s this funny analogy I use to describe my style of DJing; it’s like getting into a ‘locked groove.’ I don’t usually plan my sets ahead of time. Instead, I’ve got these massive folders of music, and I’ll spend a few minutes testing out different styles and sounds. Once I find what people are vibing to the most, I lock into that groove and just build from there.
I also make minimal tempo changes, especially during shorter sets, so the flow feels smooth and people can keep bouncing without too many jarring shifts. And I’m the kind of DJ who lets tracks play out longer than most. I really like to enjoy the full progression of a track rather than just playing drop after drop.

Growing up with such a diverse background has really made me open-minded, and it helps me connect with people on a deeper level. I know cultural differences can sometimes make it harder for people to relate, but having experienced so many different cultures and meeting people from all walks of life has given me a better understanding of different perspectives. It’s helped me respect people for who they are, and also made it easier for me to adapt to new environments without feeling awkward or making others feel uncomfortable.
Plus, it makes conversations so much more interesting! Let’s be real—when you’re playing shows and meeting new people all the time, you need a good icebreaker. Talking about the different countries I grew up in and learning about other people’s backgrounds is a great way to do that. I’ve had some really great conversations this way.
As for growing up in an Indian household specifically, it’s given me the ability to pick and choose what resonates with me. I’ve been able to take the good things from my diverse upbringing and apply them in a way that gives me a well-rounded view of the world, if that makes sense. It’s about shaping my own beliefs and values based on everything I’ve experienced.

I’m super excited about my upcoming jazz composition that’s dropping in November, as well as my upcoming shows! You can catch me in Toronto, San Francisco, New York, and Dallas. And of course, a huge thank you for taking the time to chat with me—it’s been great!