As a lead up to the Universal Religion 2012 Edition, we are going to be releasing exclusive interviews with your favorite artists. Some of them you may have seen before, some you shall have the joy of catching this April in Nepal ! This is simply a space to “Know Your Artist”, the person behind the music and the soul behind the sound.
Here we have one of the top trance DJs hailing from the South of India, Shiva Moon. A well respected DJ and organizer of Go:Madras festival, read on to know more about his life journeys, musical influences and his dancefloor sound …….
How and when did the djing bug bite you, your earliest influences?
I have always been a huge music aficionado from the time i was a child. By the age of 6 i had already learned to set up my mum n dad’s super expensive multi room nakamichi sound system, and spent hot summer afternoons playing their extensive collection of tapes and records from the 60’s,70’s and 80’s. As i grew into my teens, i found myself spending most of my money on audio tapes for my collection, being a national level golfer growing up, music and my walkman was the only company i had when i travelled across the country to play tournaments.
The DJ’ing bug bit me in 97 to be precise, i was at university in Los Angeles then. Underground Electronic music was just becoming popular then, artists like Faithless, Paul Oakenfold, Chemical Bro’s, Basement Jaxx, Sasha and Digweed were huge influences on me, and most of my weekends were spent attending massive warehouse parties, clubs or underground parties in the mountains and desert around california and nevada. We went to huge multi stage parties with over 30,000 people some times, the most significant for me being Burning Man.
Where was your first gig, how did it go?
My first few gigs were mainly college parties and small eclectic outdoor gatherings at scenic venues like indian reservations, beaches, deserts and mountains around California. The most memorable being a party with DJ Dan, De la Soul, Heretic in Malibu right on the lawns of my college, this was before any of these guys were the legends they are today, it was purely non profit and all the proceeds went towards the legalization of hemp 🙂
My entry into professional DJ’ing happened only when i returned to India in 2001 and started playing at clubs across the country. This was tough from day one, as i had come from an environment that totally understood and accepted this music, to a society that was completely alien to it. Well things have changed a lot now, and electronic music is definitely BOOMING in India today. So definitely all the heartache and hard work by all the DJ’s and Musicians over the last decade is finally paying off and we can finally be proud of the subculture we have been able to create in India.
Do you like the dance music scene as it’s shaped up in this new decade?
Well i have mixed feelings about this. We have definitely managed to create a thriving industry that supports DJ’s, Artists, Venues, Decor teams and other industries allied to entertainment, but in this mad rush to grow huge i feel quality has suffered tremendously. Every third person now is either a DJ, a Promoter, an Artist, MC etc 80% of the events that happen in this country happen at substandard venues, artists don’t get paid, promoters get greedy, the sound is messed up, the crowd that comes has no clue about the music. The positive side to this though, is that quality events, quality artists and dj’s, quality production have become the key to doing successful events, so eventually the pretenders are slowly weeded out of the market by the public themselves.
What made you take up SAE in Chennai? Has having a diploma for Audio Engineering stood you in good stead?
I always wanted to do a formal education in audio, since i hadn’t played a musical instrument growing up. In 2001 after finishing my bachelors, i had taken a one year hiatus. During which i spent a lot of time producing music on Reason and mixing tunes on Traktor. I didn’t understand most of the audio terminology then, and i felt the course would give me a solid foundation in whatever aspect of the music industry i found myself in, as a DJ, Producer, Recording Engg, Audio Engg, Mastering, Live Sound etc Also close friends Arjun Thomas (Singer), Ashwin (Jalebee) and Tarun (Boombay Central) were doing the course at the time, and we got to learn a lot from them about software etc Which finally prompted me into doing the course. Well now if i look back, doing SAE in 2001 is about as good as learning BASIC in computer science class in 1990. In the end knowledge has only a certain shelf life, wisdom is acquired through experience 🙂
It was definitely a great foundation, a great environment to learn and most of my friends from SAE are all established in their own right in the music industry today. So i guess we all took it pretty seriously 🙂 I’m equally comfortable doing live sound for a concert, needing to mix a track in a studio, do a quick and decent mastering if i have to, record a band, wax eloquent about the music industry only because my course gave me the basic fundamentals to handle all these depths, excelling in them is another ballgame all together and i hope that i do so in a few of them at least.
Your association with Digital Om and Universal Religion, share your thoughts on the festival in Nepal?
Well my association began with them last year. It was a really last minute thing and i really didn’t know what to expect as i hadn’t planned to be at the festival. Ankytrixx and Nishan insisted on me being part of it, and what can i say it was one of the best festivals i have been to in the subcontinent and definitely in the world as well, and the last day of the festival being my birthday was truly the cherry on top. The intimacy, the venue, the quality of the lineup, the smiles, the new friendships are all the makings of a great festival. I only wish them the best for 2012 and promise to bring the mayhem to the dance floor 🙂
Have you ever had a crazed fan with a funny request?
Yeah way too many. Lets not get into the gory details hahahah
What is your current Dj setup, any additional equipment that you like to fiddle with?
I play on CDJ 2000’s as well as a Macbook Pro with a NI sound card, sometimes i jam up with a Djembe or Darbhouka for Tech house gigs and a Midi controller.
Is production rearing it’s musical head at ya, any plans afoot?
Well in terms of sitting in the studio full time no not really. I had a great setup at home till a few years back and was forced to move. In 2008 i did release my first track on Dacru Recs (Belgium), which is available on beatport. Since then life and work has been really chaotic and i haven’t been able to find the time to seriously focus on an album or an EP. I am in the process of building a new studio at home to be able to create a few tracks whenever i’m musically inspired, but i’m not the type that looks to release tracks every month, make label deadlines, fit in a particular style. My main priorities are live sound for events, organizing music events and travelling on gigs, i get a bit claustrophobic if i’m only in the studio lol So expect some great music in 2012, but don’t expect too much of it 🙂
A favorite gig night that you can recall, which was off the hook?
Well there have been way too many of these! All three editions of the GO:MADras festival are my favourites as they were planned, executed and finally performed at by me and the response i got from the people for my music and for my efforts in putting together the festival successfully were extremely inspiring and satisfying.
Which is your first love as your musical repertoire is vast, that you really get happy playing?
My first love is and always will be Psy Trance, but i really dig Drum n Bass, Breaks, Techno and Progressive sounds as well. I love playing all of these genres, every music has its time and place. The best way to describe it is that certain stuff sounds really good indoor like minimal sounds, techno etc cos they use the walls of the club to amplify the sub sonic frequencies and create that wonderful room resonance, and certain sounds are meant for the outdoors to surf through the wind and travel for miles like a shamans drum. They use nature to enhance the sound,so its just about how you use the sound and when. Its like a horse, do you want him to rip across the field in a gallop or walk through the turf club in a controlled canter. Both have their time and place 🙂
Tell us briefly your role in MMD Records and Airsnare, where is that standing currently?
Well my association with MMD Recs began a few years back when i was running my label Rudraksh Recs, i got to know Lyle aka DJ Archive (Label Manager MMD) and found that we were both really into the same sounds and had new labels that weren’t afraid to put powerful cutting edge sounds into an otherwise cheesy market. A mutual respect developed and i was asked to join MMD as their label rep for India, i’m really proud to say that these guys have gone places in the last few years and are putting out some quality night full on sound in terms of releases. I personally prefer to play a more goa styled 148 – 150 BPM night set these days, but you’ll find my morning sets laced with secret goodies from the MMD and the South African stable.
You are known as a successful party promoter in India, how’s that going?
Really ?? Well besides playing i like organising events, the main one being my annual festival by the beach called The Go:Madras Festival. I used to do a lot more smaller events earlier, now i just like to focus on my festival and spend the year working on it. Though i still help with programming at a few bars and clubs, as well as executing events for sponsors etc
Who are the artists/ producers that have caught your attention in the current scene?
Constantly changing, constantly evolving and totally based on if i like a track or not. I find most artists tend to repeat their same trademark synths, kicks, hooks etc, so i’m really just looking for that one gem of a track where everything is perfect from start to finish. I love looking for completely new, offbeat, unknown upcoming artists, than playing the same top ten rigmarole. I wouldn’t like to name any one person, as i play many genres.
Your party poison?
Whisky
What do you do to chill out?
Cook, swim, eat, ride bikes, read. You figure that out 🙂
What’s your Universal Religion 2012 set plan, or are you keeping it a secret?
I have no set planned till i know what time i’m playing 🙂
What can we expect from the Moon in this year, what’s going to keep you busy?
Setup my new studio plus school, gigs, a few tracks, travel and working towards a great Go:Madras festival at the end of the year 🙂
Looking forward to Universal Religion 2012 edition, Nepal?
HELL YEAHHHH!!!
Check out more of Shivamoon at
http://www.facebook.com/shivamoondj
Check out information on Universal Religion at:
http://www.facebook.com/universal.religion.nepal
Courtesy Priya Sen
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