The Multilogue Collective in collaboration with House Concert India is working on a research narrative based around 'City and Space'. For the initial story, we wanted to cover the music scene in different cities and ask a few questions to musicians, organizers, and supporters of original music in India.
We were glad to have a conversation with Anandit Sachdev, who is an architect-urbanist and a graphic artist by day and an electronic music devotee by night, based out of Delhi. An Indian native, Anandit started his career as a DJ in Germany and held a promising portfolio there for two years as a resident DJ at Scandale Locale Le Fatale. He also held a close partnership with the Voidance Records crew and record label based out of Berlin. He recently came back to India and started his career as a producer under the moniker of AarAv. He also launched a record label in October 2018 by the name of Antariksh Records which focuses on promoting underground sounds of quality dance music arising from the South Asian subcontinent.
As an artist/musician/individual, what are your views on the ever-changing scenario for live gigs/concerts within the city and how performance spaces in your city have evolved for different kinds of music?
"I'm not in a very strong position to talk about the evolution of Delhi as a city or its spaces for musicians since I have been missing from the scene for a while now. But I do know that a lot of good artists are making a base in the city and a few good venues are supporting such artists express their sounds. It's not that the scene has recently picked up either. 'The scene' has always existed. It has just changed over a period of time, and with it, the kind of spaces have changed. If the change has been for the good or the worse, is a personal opinion." "Lastly, I also think that the people in this country are talented problem solvers. We have an innate ability to find our way around things modelled to work against us. This is reflected in the kinds of spaces and venues available for musicians as well."
Place-making capitalizes on a local community's assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that promote people's health, happiness, and well being.
What are your views/suggestions on the idea of music (any genre/any kind of artist - gigs/festival etc) as a place-making tool, to activate the public life and create a sense of community within a city?
"Music is definitely a powerful tool for placemaking and activating our lives. This is also the reason it has been used as a tool for the expression of our dissent since the earliest times. Be it country music, jazz, rock, metal, reggae, hip-hop, etc., music has always had an impact on the space and vice versa. It inevitably helps build a community, be it a group of metal heads in Delhi or the Bantais of Dharavi. Where we find ourselves is directly related to what we listen to."
Cities start getting a tag of the kind of 'music scene' it has established over the years or is now adapting to. How would define the music identity of your city? (You may talk about specific genres or in general.)
"I don't think cities should be known by these tags, and even if they are it shouldn't be seen as something permanent. Flexibility is key in music. Whether it be as an individual or as a whole community, we should be open to as many options as possible and not let a tag define the scene. This also promotes experimentation and inclusivity in terms of music. There are great artists releasing music these days in India which is experimental. They are bringing new genres to the table which have been unexplored in the scene. This sort of unlimited experimental drive comes with not getting associated with one thing specific or maybe it's the other way round. *winks*"
Any organisations you would like to mention which are creating this spark of the community through alternative experiences?
"I think Sofar has done a very good job of promoting talent. I also think Auro as a venue has brought in great talent across the seas lately. Not to forget, Oscillate India, Wavelngth, Regenerate, Bhavishyawani Sounds, Third Culture, ModeM Networks and many more are doing some incredible work promoting electronic music in India. However, generally speaking, I'd personally like to see more inclusivity when it comes to local talent. There's still a long way to go. This also directly translates to us producers and artists pushing our boundaries when it comes to what defines our sounds as well. Talent and hard work (might) get you noticed."
We would like to thank Anandit for being a part of this narrative and for being a wonderful individual in the music fraternity while he represents his city, Delhi. You can connect with him at: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antarikshrecs/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AntarikshRecs/ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/antarikshrecs Bandcamp: https://antarikshrecords.bandcamp.com/
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