Gurbax on what he misses about shows: “That visceral reaction my music had on people…”

DJ and producer Kunaal Gurbaxani, better known as Gurbax, is hailed one of the fastest rising names in India’s electronic dance music scene. He is recognised for being at the forefront of the bass music movement in sub-continent and is adding a massive coup to his creative repertoire.

The artist is the first of Indian trap to debut at the psychedelic playground ‘The Mushroom’ at the virtual edition of the revered annual week-long desert gathering, ‘Burning Man’ which was scheduled from August 30th to September 6th this year. Aside from this he has continued to tour across India and also internationally, showcasing his talent and building the Indian presence in the scene.

BizAsiaLive.com caught up with Gurbax to talk about his journey.

What fascinates you about the electronic dance music scene?
The endless sonic possibilities, the fast-paced innovation of new genres, the inclusive culture of love & acceptance.

How would you describe the genre in expressing your artistic style?
Almost every style of modern music has some form of electronic influence. I think Skrillex put it best when he said electronic music “isn’t a genre… it’s a platform” – it allows you to do whatever you want with it. For example, a jazz musician can make jazz-inspired electronic music, a Hindustani musician can make classical-inspired electronic music, and so on. It’s a far-reaching, all-encompassing concept.

You’re scheduled for music releases this year – please could you tell us about these offerings?
All can say at the moment is that I’m moving in a new direction sonically and I’m going to be releasing a couple of singles soon that will slowly start to reveal it.

What would you say has been the most challenging thing about your journey so far?
Overcoming the fear that I might’ve started too late and that fact that I don’t come from a musical background.

What do you wish you knew when you were starting out?
Difficult to say because if I had known certain things back then, I might not have struggled and learnt the lessons I needed to get me here.

You’ve worked with some world renowned names and the experiences are sure to have been interesting. What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt from them?
I think the most important take-away was humanising my heroes. Young artists tend to believe that they’re musical inspirations are god-like infallible figures, but the reality is that a lot of them are as error-prone and imperfect as we all are.

What advice would you give to someone who desires to enter the industry and particularly in electronics dance music?
Ask yourself, what do you value more – buying a BMW or being the master of your time? Don’t lie to yourself about that answer – any skill can be learnt over time if you are honest & aware that it won’t come without the struggles. You will only end up ‘failing’ because you’ll realize that your priorities were never aligned with this kind of a career.

What do you most love about performing on stage and what do you most miss?
A lot of artists, including myself, are quite insecure about the work we do – experiencing that visceral reaction my music had on people at shows really helped reassure the value in what I was doing alone in my studio. It’s the one & only thing I miss and it definitely feels like it’s left a void in my life right now.

BizAsiaLive.com would like to thank Gurbax for taking the time to talk to us.