One of the finest dance talents in the country, Anish Sood has played an integral part in the growth of India’s electronic music scene for almost a decade! And now, as the Goan producer/DJ gears up to deliver his highly anticipated debut album in February 2018, we caught up with the man himself to talk about ‘Future Perfect‘, his own label Class Action and much more.
Read on.
TBB: Hey Anish, how’s it going?
Anish: I’m great, thank you!
TBB: Congratulations on the announcement of your debut album ‘Future Perfect’! Can you tell us a bit about the forthcoming LP?
Anish: Thanks! So the album is primarily written in Los Angeles and features established singer/songwriters from the LA scene. While the primary genre is house, the album also embraces pop, funk, disco and techno elements.
TBB: What is your inspiration behind creating such an elaborate body of work? Is there a narrative you plan to evoke amongst listeners?
Anish: Yes absolutely, I’m really lucky that the album sounds like a cohesive body of work that can be listened to from start to finish. I think that’s something most artists aim to achieve.
The album draws heavily from my teenage years when I was listening to a lot of jazz, rock and pop. When I decided it was finally time to write an album I wanted a fresh unique sound and exceptional songwriting. Hence I temporarily moved base to Los Angeles with absolutely no expectations or pre-conceived ideas. I then got to work with some of the best talent and I’m really happy with the end result.
TBB: Earlier this year, you also introduced the world to your own label, Class Action. How did the launch come to be? What is your vision behind the imprint?
Anish: I launched Class Action because I felt that launching my own label was the only way I could have full control on my music which includes artwork, packaging, release and promo. Beyond this I also wanted to create a platform to sign new talent and give them access to the reach and connect we have in the music industry. I’m going to start signing new music from other artists as soon as the album and remixes are out.
TBB: With your recent singles like ‘Don’t Stop’ and ‘Going Under’, listeners have come to witness a more pop-friendly approach from you. Can we label it as a result of your ongoing experimentation with sounds? And if yes, then what else can we expect from you in terms of your musical approach?
Anish: Yeah I’ve always focussed on great song writing throughout my production career while still trying to retain house and techno sensibilities. That’s what you will also hear throughout Future Perfect as the album progressives, it slowly builds from a more pop sounds to a heavier club sound.
TBB: Talking about collaborations, you’ve never shied away from teaming up with guest vocalists for your own records. Can you tell us a bit about how you approach collaborations, and if we will get to see more of that on your album?
Anish: Yeah for sure, every record on the album features one or two songwriters and vocalists. I usually like to build a basic piano demo and send it over to the songwriter if we aren’t in the room together. Once I have a demo vocal in place, I then produce the track around the vocal. I prefer working this way because it allows the writer to be more flexible and he/she isn’t creatively inhibited by my arrangement or production.
For Future Perfect, I moved to LA for a month and got in the studio with all the collaborators. It was an incredible learning process to watch how quickly some of them work and definitely much easier than working over email!
TBB: You’ve been a dance music mainstay within the Indian sub-continent for nearly a decade now! How vastly do you think has the dance music landscape changed in the country, and what does the future possibly hold for India’s booming electronic music scene?
Anish: It’s been pretty insane! I think we saw a serious boom in the 2013-15 space especially with EDM and large format festivals. I personally feel things have slowed down a little bit due to a number of different factors but electronic music is definitely here to stay. I’m not sure how long the EDM format is going to continue but most electronic producers are already branching off into different genres like Pop and Bollywood. On the whole, I feel song writing is making a serious comeback and that’s what will set producers apart now.
TBB: According to you, who are the top rising dance music talents in the country right now?
Anish: I’ve been hearing some great stuff from Ritviz and Sequ3l. I also recently came across this track by CHRMS and it sounds amazing. Dotdat is another producer from Pune who’s producing fantastic techno.
TBB: If you had to choose one memorable moment in your career, what would it be, and why?
Anish: David Guetta in Pune, March 2012. It was my first big arena show, I was incredibly nervous and I still remember that set so vividly.
TBB: Talking about your shows, they certainly differ when it comes to playing at a club or at an arena/festival. And with the arrival of ‘Future Perfect’, can we expect anything special from your live performances in the near future?
Anish: Yes, I’m working on a brand new visual set for my arena shows this season. In addition to that I definitely plan on featuring some guest vocalists from the album to perform live on stage with me.