From hospitality manager to renowned psy-trance artist, Novlik Nisudan has carved out a trailblazing career in India’s music industry. Novlik Nisudan’s passion for the music industry began when he was a child. He has performed with many of the most prominent names in the music business including Vini Vici. Skazi. Mandragora. Hilight Tribe. Avalon. Burn in Noise. Kindzadza. Novlik, who entered the Indian music market in 2018 as a professional musician, has rapidly gained recognition. His innovative productions have helped to push the limits of India’s nightlife and brought psy-trance, and other forms electronic dance music, to a larger audience. We will explore the evolution of Novlik Nisudan’s career in this exclusive interview. From his beginnings as an underground music DJ to his current success as a mainstream music producer and DJ.Q1: What inspired you to become a DJ and music producer, and
what was your journey like in getting started in the industry?
Answer – I always wanted to be a DJ since the age of 14, but
when it was time to start thinking of a qualification after school and a career
thereafter, it wasn’t a choice that I was given. But while I was training at a
hotel in Bengaluru, I got to witness a psy-trance gathering & I was totally
mind-blown by the music. That’s when I totally knew that I had to shift to
music as soon as I could make myself financially ready for it.
Fast-forward to 7 years later, I made the plunge by quitting
my then job as a manager at a hotel in Hyderabad and turning into an
independent DJ and event organizer. I tried my hand at producing music after
having completed a few courses in Manchester, UK, in 2017, but the quality of
music I produced was not at par with what I hoped for it to be, so I limited
the marketing of my own music while DJing was going well, which took up most of
my time, focus and energy. It wasn’t until the lockdowns kicked in, that I got
the time to seriously develop myself as a music producer, after which I’ve been
able to get recognized as both a music producer and a DJ and the journey has
been a one full of surprises ever since.
Q2: Could you please share some of your most memorable
experiences or performances from the events you have hosted and performed
across India?
Answer – I have to start with Holi at Pushkar in 2022, where
we had an audience that could be anywhere between 50,000 and 1,10,000 as per
various estimates. I performed there as a supporting DJ for Shanti People and
it was mind-blowing by all accounts, as thousands and thousands of music lovers
were a part of a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The next one would be the recent launch of the Ravanasura
Anthem at Prism Club & Kitchen, Hyderabad. Again, this was a
first-of-its-kind event featuring a mainstream Telugu movie music track launch
as the concept of a nightlife event. The next day, the track “Ravanasura
Anthem” that this show was about, went on to go viral reaching as far as being
the #3 trending music video on YouTube worldwide for a few hours.
I must also mention the Decodelic series of parties we
hosted in 2018-2019 in Aqua, The Park, Hyderabad. We hosted a total of 12
events – all financial successes (it’s not very common in nightlife in India,
to see consistent success of an entire event series) – that had psychedelic
décor as the central theme, with something special in each edition, which could
be artists, concepts or even a celebration of the headline artist’s birthday.
Q3: What inspired you to pursue music production, and what
were some of the significant obstacles and achievements during your transition
to this field?
Answer – Back when I started producing music after having
completed courses from a renowned institute, I didn’t exactly have much of an
inspiration. I just wanted to have some of my own music to play and perform as
a DJ. However, that wasn’t going to be the situation for too long as COVID-19
happened to the world, pretty much freezing the live entertainment side of the
music industry.
I must admit that it was the blankness of the lockdown days
that really got me going as far as taking music production seriously goes. The
inspiration I drew was from what music I played the most as a DJ, which
included a plethora of masterpieces from artists like Infected Mushroom, Juno
Reactor, Astrix, Camacho, and a few others.
Q4: Could you tell us about your work on the Ravanasura
Anthem from the recently released movie Ravanasura, including how you got
involved, what inspired the electronic music track, and the creative and
technical process you used to integrate different elements into the song?
Answer – Mr. Abhishek Nama is the producer of the movie
“Ravanasura”. I believe that Mr. Nama’s having a history of enjoying the vibe
and being associated with nightlife, would’ve influenced the decision of
incorporating a trending style of music from the dance-floors, into a movie.
Through a mutual friend, Mr. Nama got in touch with me for
the production of a distinguished electronic music track and the idea was to
feature the vocals of Shanti People.
Given that many recent dance numbers in movies – especially
those produced in the South of India – seem to adapt certain styles of
“basslines” and “arpeggiated acid guitars” that are signature to psy-trance, I
lately felt that there was a potential market already. However, there are
certain elements and methods of music production and sound engineering that
still distinguish psy-trance from those tracks, and somewhere I felt the need
for new listeners to get a chance to hear something closer to what we, as
psy-trance producers, tend to work on.
Q5: Your recently released latest track “Anahata Trip”
features a visually stunning music video on YouTube. Can you tell us more about
the inspiration behind the track and the accompanying visuals, and what you
hope listeners will take away from it?
Answer – This track has a funny story associated with it.
Originally, I produced the music to complement a vocal recording by Shanti
People. It featured a mantra in the voice of Uma of Shanti People. Just before
we were about to publish the track, certain events lead to us aborting the
plan, but as you may have noticed, that music work wasn’t worth discarding.
In order to use the music, I had to remove all vocals and
fill in the spaces with more music and I also worked on finding a different
vocal sound for filling in some of the parts that seemed like they needed
nothing apart from vocals. I spent an unusual amount of time to polish and
refine it, because while the previous vocals were there with the music, it had
set quite a benchmark in my mind, which I naturally didn’t wish to go below. I
had to work on learning a lot of musical tricks to achieve what the track
finally came to – it is a smooth yet energetic number that showcases a bunch of
original sounds that blend neatly into one-another, effectively taking the
listener into what I can only term as a “heartful trip”, which is what also
brought about the name of the track (In Sanskrit, the “heart chakra” is
addressed as the “Anahata chakra”).
About the YouTube video – GetAFix visuals is a well-followed
YouTube channel that features cool videos made in sync with some truly amazing
electronic music tracks. I always wanted such a video for my first fully
original track that I’m proud of. And when I completed Anahata Trip, I knew
this was the one, so I approached the channel. It turned out that Bru – the man
behind GetAFix visuals is a very professional, dedicated and creative
individual who liked the idea of working on this track. He connected the idea
and musicality with his expertise in compiling his sort of visual objects in an
artistic visual rendition that complements the track, and that’s how it all
came through.
Q6: Can you tell us more about your upcoming track ‘’ you
‘’?
Answer – “You” is the first time I’ve felt inspired to
produce a romantic psy-trance track. The track is currently nearing completion.
Featuring a touching guitar performance and deep, old-school
soft-rock style vocals, it presents what I believe is a fresh vibe in an
original psy-trance production – I do not know of any other such track that’s
both psy-trance and romantic. As you listen to the track, you are likely to
notice how the track takes you through a journey very similar to what many
people go through in their love life – it starts with a feeling of having found
something of value, quickly followed by a feeling of being lost and then found.
It is then followed by absolute surrender, that finally resolves into a relief.
Q7: As an experienced DJ and music producer, what advice
would you offer to aspiring artists based on your own experiences and lessons
learned?
Answer – The music industry is very diverse and one that
doesn’t feature a very defined structure – that means, we don’t have the
support of many qualifications, guidebooks and defined career paths that serve
as a clear or sure-shot ladder to growth and success. Each music producer or DJ
is likely to have their own unique journey. This can be seen as a problem, a challenge
or even an advantage depending on how one chooses to frame it in their own
mind. Some artists get recognized early on, some take time, while some also
live by the motto of “faker it until you make it”. Sometimes luck helps and
sometimes hard work and dedication do too. Sometimes despite all the hard work
and dedication, nothing seems to. But if time has taught us anything about the
industry, it is the fact that it takes an undying persistence and will power to
make space for oneself in the scene and keeping luck aside, the only thing that
is really required is a consistent dedication in a healthy direction. This has
been the principle I have stood by and despite a thousand hard blows and
endless obstacles, I can say that it seems to be working.
Q8: What are your future plans as an artist, in terms of
music ?
Answer – I plan to continue working on producing more and
better music that influences psy-trance as a genre and the musical taste of a
wider audience, with the idea to spread the love for psy-trance to fresh
listeners. I love collaborating with artists who produce various styles of
psy-trance, as well as some who are known for an entirely different style of
music, which helps bring in a fresh vibe. You can expect a bunch of new tracks
from me in the near future, that blend psy-trance with genres like deep house,
soft rock, techno, dubstep, Hindustani classical and more.
Q1: What inspired you to become a DJ and music producer, and what was your journey like in getting started in the industry?
Answer – I always wanted to be a DJ since the age of 14, but
when it was time to start thinking of a qualification after school and a career
thereafter, it wasn’t a choice that I was given. But while I was training at a
hotel in Bengaluru, I got to witness a psy-trance gathering & I was totally
mind-blown by the music. That’s when I totally knew that I had to shift to
music as soon as I could make myself financially ready for it.
Fast-forward to 7 years later, I made the plunge by quitting
my then job as a manager at a hotel in Hyderabad and turning into an
independent DJ and event organizer. I tried my hand at producing music after
having completed a few courses in Manchester, UK, in 2017, but the quality of
music I produced was not at par with what I hoped for it to be, so I limited
the marketing of my own music while DJing was going well, which took up most of
my time, focus and energy. It wasn’t until the lockdowns kicked in, that I got
the time to seriously develop myself as a music producer, after which I’ve been
able to get recognized as both a music producer and a DJ and the journey has
been a one full of surprises ever since.
Q2: Could you please share some of your most memorable experiences or performances from the events you have hosted and performed across India?
Answer – I have to start with Holi at Pushkar in 2022, where we had an audience that could be anywhere between 50,000 and 1,10,000 as per various estimates. I performed there as a supporting DJ for Shanti People and it was mind-blowing by all accounts, as thousands and thousands of music lovers were a part of a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The next one would be the recent launch of the Ravanasura Anthem at Prism Club & Kitchen, Hyderabad. Again, this was a first-of-its-kind event featuring a mainstream Telugu movie music track launch as the concept of a nightlife event. The next day, the track “Ravanasura Anthem” that this show was about, went on to go viral reaching as far as being the #3 trending music video on YouTube worldwide for a few hours.
I must also mention the Decodelic series of parties we
hosted in 2018-2019 in Aqua, The Park, Hyderabad. We hosted a total of 12
events – all financial successes (it’s not very common in nightlife in India,
to see consistent success of an entire event series) – that had psychedelic
décor as the central theme, with something special in each edition, which could
be artists, concepts or even a celebration of the headline artist’s birthday.
Q3: What inspired you to pursue music production, and what were some of the significant obstacles and achievements during your transition to this field?
Answer – Back when I started producing music after having completed courses from a renowned institute, I didn’t exactly have much of an inspiration. I just wanted to have some of my own music to play and perform as a DJ. However, that wasn’t going to be the situation for too long as COVID-19 happened to the world, pretty much freezing the live entertainment side of the music industry.
I must admit that it was the blankness of the lockdown days
that really got me going as far as taking music production seriously goes. The
inspiration I drew was from what music I played the most as a DJ, which
included a plethora of masterpieces from artists like Infected Mushroom, Juno
Reactor, Astrix, Camacho, and a few others.
Q4: Could you tell us about your work on the Ravanasura Anthem from the recently released movie Ravanasura, including how you got involved, what inspired the electronic music track, and the creative and technical process you used to integrate different elements into the song?
Answer – Mr. Abhishek Nama is the producer of the movie “Ravanasura”. I believe that Mr. Nama’s having a history of enjoying the vibe and being associated with nightlife, would’ve influenced the decision of incorporating a trending style of music from the dance-floors, into a movie.
Through a mutual friend, Mr. Nama got in touch with me for the production of a distinguished electronic music track and the idea was to feature the vocals of Shanti People.
Given that many recent dance numbers in movies – especially those produced in the South of India – seem to adapt certain styles of “basslines” and “arpeggiated acid guitars” that are signature to psy-trance, I lately felt that there was a potential market already. However, there are certain elements and methods of music production and sound engineering that still distinguish psy-trance from those tracks, and somewhere I felt the need for new listeners to get a chance to hear something closer to what we, as psy-trance producers, tend to work on.
Q5: Your recently released latest track “Anahata Trip” features a visually stunning music video on YouTube. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind the track and the accompanying visuals, and what you hope listeners will take away from it?
Answer – This track has a funny story associated with it. Originally, I produced the music to complement a vocal recording by Shanti People. It featured a mantra in the voice of Uma of Shanti People. Just before we were about to publish the track, certain events lead to us aborting the plan, but as you may have noticed, that music work wasn’t worth discarding.
In order to use the music, I had to remove all vocals and fill in the spaces with more music and I also worked on finding a different vocal sound for filling in some of the parts that seemed like they needed nothing apart from vocals. I spent an unusual amount of time to polish and refine it, because while the previous vocals were there with the music, it had set quite a benchmark in my mind, which I naturally didn’t wish to go below. I had to work on learning a lot of musical tricks to achieve what the track finally came to – it is a smooth yet energetic number that showcases a bunch of original sounds that blend neatly into one-another, effectively taking the listener into what I can only term as a “heartful trip”, which is what also brought about the name of the track (In Sanskrit, the “heart chakra” is addressed as the “Anahata chakra”).
About the YouTube video – GetAFix visuals is a well-followed
YouTube channel that features cool videos made in sync with some truly amazing
electronic music tracks. I always wanted such a video for my first fully
original track that I’m proud of. And when I completed Anahata Trip, I knew
this was the one, so I approached the channel. It turned out that Bru – the man
behind GetAFix visuals is a very professional, dedicated and creative
individual who liked the idea of working on this track. He connected the idea
and musicality with his expertise in compiling his sort of visual objects in an
artistic visual rendition that complements the track, and that’s how it all
came through.
Q6: Can you tell us more about your upcoming track ‘’ you ‘’?
Answer – “You” is the first time I’ve felt inspired to produce a romantic psy-trance track. The track is currently nearing completion.
Featuring a touching guitar performance and deep, old-school soft-rock style vocals, it presents what I believe is a fresh vibe in an original psy-trance production – I do not know of any other such track that’s both psy-trance and romantic. As you listen to the track, you are likely to notice how the track takes you through a journey very similar to what many people go through in their love life – it starts with a feeling of having found something of value, quickly followed by a feeling of being lost and then found. It is then followed by absolute surrender, that finally resolves into a relief.
Q7: As an experienced DJ and music producer, what advice would you offer to aspiring artists based on your own experiences and lessons learned?
Answer – The music industry is very diverse and one that
doesn’t feature a very defined structure – that means, we don’t have the
support of many qualifications, guidebooks and defined career paths that serve
as a clear or sure-shot ladder to growth and success. Each music producer or DJ
is likely to have their own unique journey. This can be seen as a problem, a challenge
or even an advantage depending on how one chooses to frame it in their own
mind. Some artists get recognized early on, some take time, while some also
live by the motto of “faker it until you make it”. Sometimes luck helps and
sometimes hard work and dedication do too. Sometimes despite all the hard work
and dedication, nothing seems to. But if time has taught us anything about the
industry, it is the fact that it takes an undying persistence and will power to
make space for oneself in the scene and keeping luck aside, the only thing that
is really required is a consistent dedication in a healthy direction. This has
been the principle I have stood by and despite a thousand hard blows and
endless obstacles, I can say that it seems to be working.
Q8: What are your future plans as an artist, in terms of music ?
Answer – I plan to continue working on producing more and
better music that influences psy-trance as a genre and the musical taste of a
wider audience, with the idea to spread the love for psy-trance to fresh
listeners. I love collaborating with artists who produce various styles of
psy-trance, as well as some who are known for an entirely different style of
music, which helps bring in a fresh vibe. You can expect a bunch of new tracks
from me in the near future, that blend psy-trance with genres like deep house,
soft rock, techno, dubstep, Hindustani classical and more.
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