Coffee Break with Rao
First of all, when was your first introduction to dance music and when did you decide to become a dance music producer?
My first introduction to dance/house music specifically was probably when my sister would get mixtapes (literal cassettes) in the late 90’s from DJ friends in NYC. She used to work the door at The Limelight, a legendary club in Manhattan. I would listen through them all and try to figure out how the tracks were being blended so well. The radio in the 90’s also had a lot of great dance tunes. Deee-lite’s ‘Good Beat’ and ‘Groove is in the Heart’, Armand Van Helen’s ‘Witch Doctor’ and ‘You Don’t Even Know Me’; Cece Peniston’s ‘Finally’, Robin S - ‘Show Me Love’, Snap! - ‘Rhythm is a Dancer’ were all frequently rinsed and repeated. I love a good 90’s organ lead! (Thanks MK)
You are based in New York City. How would you describe the electronic music scene there, and what impact would you say it had on your sound?
New York’s scene is very eclectic and it’s at the nexus of so many other genres of music. From Rock, Metal, Indie, Hip Hop, Pop, I feel comfortable borrowing from all styles when producing and DJing, from the 90s tracks mentioned above to experimental techno, metal/doom and everything in between.
Did you have any music background (playing instruments) before starting to produce dance music?
Yes! I played flute as my first instrument in 4th grade, then switched to the snare drum in 6th grade.Things got serious when I got my first electric guitar as a Christmas gift at 11 years old and basically played it every single hour I could. Growing up as a short, skinny Indian kid, there were no famous rock musicians that looked like me, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to play in a band, and at 19, I dropped out of college to pursue my dream of touring in a metal act. Even though our band dissolved, I never lost my dream of pursuing music full-time.
What kind of instruments/gear do you use to produce? Are you more analog or digital?
I’m mostly a digital guy, but I incorporate components from real instruments. I use soft synths like the built-in logic synths and Alchemy, Native Instruments Battery, Kontakt and Massive. I also play guitar and bass on many of my tracks. One of the more interesting and challenging tracks I produced recently features my good friend Nish playing classical Indian sitar, which I’m super excited about.
How would you describe your sound in 3 words, to someone who doesn’t know anything about electronic music?
Ethereal, thoughtful, instrumental
We noticed you seem quite close to Sainte Vie. Could you tell us about your relationship with him?
Pablo is actually my father.
Just kidding! I consider him a friend and mentor, we connected first at the Akumandra party I played this past summer in New York. We kept in touch through Burning Man, where I was supposed to play Tierra Bomba’s party, but the rain and mud had other plans. After that, I sent him some of my tracks, and he invited me to play his yearly boat party in NY. The rest is history.
You actually released an EP on Sainte Vie's label 'Akumandra', which we just premiered on Melodic Diggers with the track 'Synesthesia'. Could you tell us about the story behind this EP?
Synesthesia means the ability to see sound or music as colors, and I had this guitar riff I wrote that reminded me of the calming, dappled paint strokes from one of those old Bob Ross paint shows. Running Pine contributed his haunting vocals to the instrumentals, which completed the feeling of music so atmospheric you could almost see it. On the other hand, “Valen”, the other track on the EP was inspired by the rock anthem “Jump” by Van Halen. With that, I wanted to write some shred-y guitar-laced riffs in a tune that could command attention in a festival lineup.
Which track is your favorite and why?
Synesthesia is probably my favorite of the two, it’s emotive and musical, but still playable. I like the verse/chorus structure of the track because it reminds me more of a rock song than just another ‘banger’.
What gear or plug ins did you use to create the different tracks from this EP?
Gibson SG Special, Fender jazz bass, Ebow, Alchemy, Logic’s sampler, Ultrabeat for the production. Sonnox Inflator, SSL Bus comp, Decapitator, Valhalla Super Massive, RingMod just to name a few for the mixdown. It’s a hot mess haha.
Are you working on exciting projects for 2024?
Absolutely! I’ve got a second EP and remix on the way early in the year, the sitar-influenced track I mentioned before, and a bunch of new tunes in development.
What are the clubs or festivals where you would love to play next year?
I recently went to Volt in Milan for the first time and was blown away by the intimate vibes and energy of the crowd — would love to play there. Stereo in Montreal is probably the best club I’ve ever been to, sound-wise. Bar Americas in Guadalajara and MN Roy in Mexico City would also be great! Zamna NY was also an amazing production, and would love to play one of their Tulum events. Any DGTL event is just outstanding. And of course, I’d like to keep my one-year-deferred date with Burning Man 😂.
Last but not least: how do you like your coffee?
Black, or double espresso
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