MUMBAI: For any electronic music producer, ‘music festive’ season can act as a game-changer in terms of outreach, attention and creative growth. The second half of the year opens the door to several music festivals and initiatives and every promoter desperately needs electronic music considering its growing fanbase in India and its commercial value that attracts major brands and associates.
Christmas arrived a bit early for the Bengaluru-based producer Oceantied. A ‘new-kid-on-the-block’ not even a year ago, Ketan Bahirat has managed to actually escalate things in his project’s favour in an impressive short period of time. To have even one defining moment or highlight in a year seems to be a task for an ‘indie’ musician regardless of the genre association, however 2016 gifted Oceantied two such incredible moments. The latest came through the performance at the Boiler Room’s India debut, and the fact that not a single eyebrow were raised upon Oceantied’s inclusion in the line-up for one of the biggest initiatives concerning underground music speaks volumes about the general approval of the musician as a serious prospect. Oceantied joined the exclusive list of artistes featuring Sandunes, _RHL and British producer Actress for the Boiler Room India debut, and arguably – taking people’s reaction and post event social media feedback into consideration – unleashed the best set of the night.
Listen to ‘Tribes’ here –
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The crowd was graced with some unreleased, never-performed-before sounds prompting Bahirat to summarise the entire night as “special and amazing.” Oceantied followed Sandunes’ performance on the night, and the hour-long set paved the way for a vocal-dominated sound, effortlessly turning the venue into a dance-floor.
The second defining moment came through the release of debut EP, titled ‘Tribes’, released earlier this month. With four tracks, including ‘Streets’ (a result of his stint at Red Bull Music Academy), ‘Tribes’ has already gained enough attention in the electronic music ecosystem. “’Tribes’, to me, is a representation of my music making over the past couple of years. All music listeners are like Tribes, sticking together or hanging out with people who listen to similar music as us, and I wanted my first EP to be one of those EPs that may introduce people to a new sound coming out of India, keeping the roots and sounds alive but also experimenting and letting my clear inspirations and ideas take over,” informed Bahirat.
The young musician is just getting started, or at least that is exactly what his short-term plans suggest. “Since I make different kinds of music with different moods and genres, I am working currently on building a hybrid DJ+Live set where I can play my own tunes using my laptop and some gear through Ableton for all my own music, and work on CDJs/Turntable to DJ depending on what kind of a show it is.” Bahirat, also an integral part of post-rock outfit ‘Until We Last’, hopes to extend Oceantied into a band featuring more musicians.
With his recent ‘one minute beat’ project underway, the musician further justifies his identity as an ‘experimental’ act in its true nature. Taking complete advantage of social media platforms, Bahirat has been uploading beats onto his Instagram account. “That allows me to be free and not think too much about content, and over a span of a couple of months, I will release these beats as a full tracks as a compilation of all the one minute beats. I am also looking to collaborate with more vocalists and rappers apart from this.
The protégé has now become protégée and Bahirat offers a sane advice or two to the ones hoping to imitate the musician’s success and path. “My advice to music aspirants and enthusiasts is to use the internet wisely and trust their instincts when it comes to making music. If you’re already making music, always try stepping out of your comfort zones, you’ll learn a lot more, and have way more fun making music too. If you’re completely new to music making, check out the Ableton website, or various other blogs/channels on YouTube about a music making program that may appeal to you.”
