11 Questions with Anish Sood

1. When did you get into DJing and did you have any early influences?

I started DJing in high school when I was about 16. I was influenced by a lot of jazz and rock as I was growing up, cause my uncle and dad are both guitarists, and I think growing up surrounded by music in the family definitely had a very positive impact on me.

2. What was the first event you played at and what’s the best gig you’ve played at?

My high school’s annual festival was the first event I played at and Tomorrowland’s UNITE gig in Mumbai earlier this year was one of the best.

3. What do you consider to be defining moments in your artistic career?

Definitely touring with David Guetta in 2012!

4. What is the main challenge you face as a DJ?

Not sounding like everybody else! I’m always striving to find the perfect balance between fresh music and the more accessible stuff in my sets.

5. What is it about DJing that excites you, compared to maybe producing your own music?

DJing is an art form in itself. There’s a very specific skill set which involves reading crowds and maintaining the flow of the night aside from the technical and performance angles. It’s sad to see many festival DJs using set lists today and sequencing their sets. My ideal DJ set would be about 4-5 hours long in a small intimate 200 capacity club with no lights and just great music.

6. How do you choose what record to play at your gigs? Is there a criteria?

Purely instinct! If it’s a vocal track then it’s a fairly easy choice cause the popular vocals and hooks always get the crowd going, otherwise it just depends on how I want to build my set and what style I’m playing that night.

7. Any tracks that never fail?

Wax Motif & Hunter Siegel – All Night Man.

8. It has become increasingly hard to know what constitutes an original and a remake anymore. What’s your opinion about respecting originals and sources?

I’m totally up for sampling. I think when a producer chooses to sample or remake another track that in itself says a lot about respecting the original. Having said that, I think it’s definitely essential to credit the source and the original composer.

9. How has your audience changed over the years and how do you see the EDM scene in India 5 years from now?

Well it’s definitely multiplied in quantity! I think it’s absolutely amazing to watch the dance music scene evolve globally and more specifically in India. More people are clued into dance music now than ever, more people are going out clubbing and more people are going to music festivals. I think that speaks volumes about this being a subculture in itself and not just a bubble. We definitely have a lot more growth coming our way in the next 5 years.

10. Tell us about your current DJ/production setup? What hardware & Software do you use, and your thoughts on digital DJ setups like Serato, Traktor, Ableton? Do you use them?

I use the Pioneer CDJ2000nexus players and the Pioneer DJM900nexus mixer on stage. I’ve never used a digital setup simply because I’m so used to the tactile feel of CDJs and now with Rekordbox I have all my loops and cues set up perfectly. In the studio I use Logic Pro and Ableton Live to write my music. I use a lot of the NI plugins in the Komplete 10 bundle alongside Sylenth1 and this really cool synth by Vember Audio called Surge. On the hardware front I own a Moog Sub37 and Roland TB3. I use the Focal Twin6 monitors and I’m saving up for the new Dave Smith Prophet 6!

11. Who’s throwing the best parties at the moment?

I think the major players, i.e. Sunburn, Supersonic, NH7 and EVC are all doing a phenomenal job in the mainstream festival space. On the alternative side, RESET is killing it and I think Kunal Lodhia and Wild City are doing a great job with Grime Riot Disco and Magnetic Fields.