Along with the Pralayah Records showcase featuring BUBBLEGUNS and his live set with tracks from his latest EP Sacred Space, here’s a look at the man behind the project and his newest release. Read audioillustrated.

– What were some of the events or experiences that set you off on this journey? 

The beginning of my journey in psytrance happened after I attended my first psytrance party which was in Paradiso in Goa back in 2005 which showed me this new world. Thereafter, it was ‘Tandav in the Hills’ in Chikmagalore, Karnataka in 2006 or 2007, which completely blew my mind and pushed me to pursue it professionally. 

– How was your project name born?

Bubbleguns was originally two of us – myself and Vikram, who is currently the owner of Vantara Vichitra Records. We often perceived the music in psytrance parties as ammunition being fired from the speakers, which was the weapon. Also, we wanted our music to be groovy and ‘bubbly’. Hence we coined the term Bubbleguns (and had a good laugh about it too), plural since there were two of us. Later we split but I kept the name.

– Who have your greatest teachers been, your greatest inspirations? Who has had the greatest influence on your soundscapes? 

In the psytrance space they’ve been Dronebixie, Grapes Of Wrath, Musik Magier and Atriohm. I’m also really inspired by the sounds of nature and how they come together harmoniously to create music. 

– How has your sound, your taste in music developed throughout the years? 

I’d say I’ve become a better ‘storyteller’ owing to the time I spend listening to music, which is a lot. Also of late deeper ‘Scandinavian’ forest psytrance has really been growing on me and I’m working to incorporate this style in my production.

– How about those mind-blowing, life-changing experiences that have shaped you and your sound?

Recently I heard Taakelur’s set at Freqs of Nature 2018 and it really brought tears to my eyes and stirred me up emotionally. I had the same feeling that one gets only once in a while at an amazing gig/concert, which really stirs them up and moves them.

Another such experience was the first time I noticed how sounds in nature come together to create music. I was completely in awe. These experiences happen once in a while and when they do it’s like hitting the refresh button in my system.

– Which one of your releases/tracks are the most characteristic of your sounds or stand the closest to you for some reason?

After a point in time I decided to make music that I could personally listen to again and again and not get bored. My releases in 2018 are all very close to my heart because I’ve spent countless hours on these tracks and they’re all very close to my heart. From Operation Dreadlocation released on DigitalShivaPower to Noto Mato on Omveda Records to Mirai on my latest EP on Pralayah, these tracks clearly depict my sonic vision and I could listen to them again and again and again and still enjoy them thoroughly.

– What projects are you involved in? (Or would love to experiment with?)

Well, professionally I work as an artist manager with a minimal techno label from India called Soupherb Records. I also tour as front of house mix engineer with a bunch of bands. Besides that I curate events in the underground dance music space. So, I’m involved in a lot of projects and try to bring all the learning and influence from these projects into my music.

– Who do you think are the most cutting-edge newest sound makers in the scene? Who are your newest discoveries? 

There are many but my newest discoveries who are rocking my world are Krapul, Wooper Looper and Inzect. Not really a ‘new’ discovery, this project, but Taakelur’s new music is so good and has been killing me !

 – Which artists remain the ultimate classics for you in the scene (or in music generally)?

Atriohm! Can never get enough of his music, with every release he takes the game to a whole new level. Also Musik Magier from Russia – very underrated artist but has been around since ages and I dig his music and his evolution.

– Scene at home?

Well, they’d look at me as a black-sheep when they found out I got into psytrance back in the day, but things are great now as I’m able to guide my musical madness in the right direction:)

– Most memorable gigs, experiences? 

Freqs of Nature Festival 2017, 2018 Berlin without a doubt.

– What do you think about our scene (psychedelic gatherings and community) and their role in our lives, if any:)?

I think it’s the best scene. I work in other ‘scenes’ – underground dance music, live music scene; constantly shuffling between gigs and festivals. There’s not as much unity and love anywhere as much as I feel in psytrance. I feel most people in our scene are very passionate about the scene and hence everything moves in the right direction, which is not necessarily the case elsewhere.

– What are some of the greatest challenges you faced so far as an artist or producer? How about the moments that you felt were the greatest rewards so far?

The greatest challenge was definitely how to bring what’s exactly in my head to the track. Then there was the challenge of how to make my sound recognizable and distinct. There’s the constant ongoing challenge of how to make the music sound sweeter and more pleasureable to my ears as well as the listeners.

The greatest rewards are those moments when your music makes the people jump and have a great time. It’s even greater to see people recognize your music. I remember at Freqs of Nature 2018 someone came up to me while I was playing, handed over a small piece of paper to me, which had the note saying ‘ Thank you so much for playing Space Mod’. Moments like those are the most rewarding moments.

– Musically speaking what’s still on your bucket list? If it wasn’t this, what would it be? 

There’s nothing else actually. I just want to make better and more engaging psytrance.

– What are your other passions in life? 

Well, apart from being a sound and music freak, I love gardening and growing food stuff. That’s my thing to do to break free from the monotony. I also enjoy my sports and fitness – I run, play badminton, swim, work out and some more stuff too. Apart from these, I love my Netflix. 

– What are you working on at present? What are you looking forward to the most?

Currently I’m working on a collaboration track with French psytrance producer Akkma for an upcoming split compilation between Funky Freaks Records and DSP. After this it’s a single for Grimm Records Brazil and also a collab with Audiopathik for Quintessence records Germany. I think the current collab with Akkma is what im looking forward to the most ‘coz the track is reaching the end and it sounds really really good. I’m curious to know how people are going to react to it on the dancefloor.

– When did the idea for your latest release, Sacred Space come to you, what main inspirations does it carry?

Pralayah Records loves my music and has been very supportive for 2 years or so. They booked me for a few gigs, released a single, booked another single and more gigs. After the 2017 summer tour of Europe I wanted to put all the inspiration I got into an EP so I hit Karan up and we agreed to put this EP out on Pralayah. The EP was nearing completion and then the summer tour of 2018 began. I brought some inspiration back from there into the EP as well. In terms of musical inspiration – imagine Scandinavian forest psytrance meets groovy night-time psytrance !

– How long did it take to finish, what was the work process like?

It took me around 8/9 months to finish. I work on my music very slowly, because I like it to be perfect. Every time I listen to my music, I want it to hit the spot. So, the work process was meticulous. Playing with my synthesizers, constantly trying to make new and unique sounds and rhythms, working on funky and catchy percussion grooves, breaking the boundaries for the standard kick/bass and experimenting with different patterns. The third track of the EP which is Mirai has around 4 different kicks and 5 different basslines throughout the track. So yes, a lot of experimenting. The work process was constantly evolving and it made me learn a lot. 

– Which track stands the closest to you, which has an extra special meaning to you?

It’s definitely Mirai. Mirai is a track that is inspired by Taakelur’s set from Freqs 2018. After listening to that set I almost cried. It was beautiful. During the set there were moments I couldn’t move because I was just spellbound. So I brought all that influence and inspiration and made this 10 min long track which is Mirai and I’m very proud of it. 

– Compared to your previous album (or previous releases) how would you describe this one? 

An evolution in my style and also in my storytelling !

– Musically, what kind of evolution does this release represent or express?

Well, this is the first time I’ve tried to be more ‘musical’ in my tracks, rather than just stitch ‘forest’ sounds together, which is what I was doing previously. Some time back I had this realization that melody changes everything. It’s the mood setter. So I began to experiment with chords and modes and tried to bring them in my tracks. I think I’ve managed to do a good job with that in this EP. 

– What’s up next?

I’m playing a bunch of gigs to present the EP, starting with Bangalore, mid Dec in Mumbai, and Goa for NYE. Early next year there will be some festivals in Nepal and in South India again. Then there are some tracks to work on like I mentioned earlier – a few singles and collaborations with artists such as Akkma, Audiopathik and Ritualtool.