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Hi Rahul, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Hello, Vents Magazine! I’ve been well, thanks for asking and having me here. It’s been very exciting and encouraging to see how my single is being received and reviewed by so many platforms.
“Dushtan” translates to “the rogue.” What does that identity represent for you personally, especially in the context of the isolation that inspired the track?
During quarantine in 2020, I missed the daily interaction with my colleagues. You couldn’t replicate that over Zoom calls or virtual happy hours. It made me reminisce about the circle of friends and the times I had taken for granted. Identity wise, at that point in time, I was young and reckless and earned the moniker “Dushtan” from one of my work colleagues. It is also a facet that helps personalize corporate life and makes it enjoyable. However, that identity primarily works in a group setting as you have something to play off. When you’re quarantined, you don’t have that and things are just a little duller. That is certainly part of the inspiration for the track.
The song was born during the pandemic, a time when the world felt caged. How did that sense of confinement shape the emotional and sonic direction of this release?
The pandemic created a lot of interesting opportunities. Since people could not play live, a lot of musicians looked to the internet for engagement. I found that it was a great environment to create collaborations with anyone around the world. In my compositions, I didn’t write down sheet music for the collaborators to play. I provided some explanation on the framework and left the music open to interpretation and execution. While I did make a clear decision to stay away from traditional progressions, I don’t know if keeping the project open was a way for me to counterbalance the feeling of confinement. Sonically, this one is heavier and fun to play.
You blend indo-fusion instrumental music with progressive metal, rock, and jazz. Was there ever a moment where those genres clashed creatively, or did they naturally complement one another?
I certainly had my fair share of challenges trying to marry different styles when working with this project. I was cognizant of the spatial placement, the spectral layout, and arrangement of the instruments within the mix. Having instruments from different disciplines requires a little more attention on planning, arrangement, and execution. For example, there are places where I’ve had to drop instruments, in certain sections, to bring clarity to the mix. I also had to be aware of the dynamics within the song. It can be very tiring for the ear to have all instruments present in the mix the entire time. Some instruments are better suited for softer backing, and some can really scream over heavier sections. The violin is a great example of an instrument that can really add dynamism to a heavy song.
That said, the setup also offers some wonderful complementary opportunities. In the upcoming album, there are some great passages of interplay between the Piano, Mridangam, Duduk, Bansuri, and Guitar among others.
You’ve cited admiration for Pain of Salvation and Symphony X. How did those influences inform the heavier and more technical elements of “Dushtan”?
I am a fan of progressive music and am an ardent fan of both those bands. Like some guitar players I am drawn to the technical side of playing. I also enjoy music which has non-standard structures and timing. Progressive music and Fusion music satisfy both those cravings for me. Pain of Salvation is a massive influence in terms of their songwriting, execution, and dynamics. The genre of progressive music explores non-traditional song structures, odd time signatures, and borrowing from folk, jazz, and world music at times. Dushtan encapsulates the jazz approach of “Head followed by solos” and integrates world music into its template. There is deliberate thought behind the choice of tonality, framework, performance, and instrumentation, which is also reminiscent of progressive music.
Leo Margarit, drummer for Pain of Salvation, delivers an explosive performance on the track. What was it like collaborating with him, and how did his style elevate the composition?
I have always wanted to work with Leo Margarit, and I was elated to have him on the roster for this project. Leo is a consummate musician in terms of professionalism and creativity. He has background in working with Indian music and can navigate the soundscape of fusion music with ease. Working with Dhol beats can be challenging, but Leo excelled in providing complementary tracks to them. He is the driving force behind the track. Leo’s drums really elevated the song in terms of dynamics, nuance, and overall energy.
Rather than prescribing strict parts, you encouraged collaborators to interpret their roles freely. How did that open-ended process change the final shape of the song?
Keeping an open-ended process was a different way of working for me and yielded a lot of surprises. Leaving the track open to interpretation sometimes resulted in frustration from the collaborators, since there wasn’t any clear direction on delivery requirements. On the flip side, sometimes the delivery was so well thought out and executed that it required changing the arrangement altogether as the track evolved well beyond what I had envisioned it to be. For Dushtan, the first violin solo take made the cut! This is true of the other tracks on the album as well: everything is open-ended collaboration.
The track is written around a Phrygian tonality, giving it a darker hue. What drew you to that mode, and how intentional are you about using theory to evoke specific emotions?
I am not formally trained in music, Indian or Western but I enjoy learning music theory. To better appreciate music, academically, I found that having some background in theory helps tremendously. Additionally, theoretical knowledge can facilitate the exploration of creative opportunities, not previously considered. From a technical point, the song and the album have their roots in “exploration of limiting frameworks”.
Maybe an example is the best way to talk about this: While learning how to solo, when students fall into a rut, there is a fairly common practice where the student is given some restrictions to help enable them to explore more creative avenues. Such as giving the student a restriction of “You may only utilize these specific 4 notes of the scale, you may only play a maximum of 2 notes per string at a time before changing strings and you cannot play on consecutive strings.” This kind of a setup will force the student to revisit their approach to soloing while alleviating the trap of “playing familiar patterns all the time”.
So, in that sense, for Dushtan, I chose a synthetic (modified Phrygian Pentatonic) scale to work through. There are a lot of ways you can affect a spectrum of emotions using modes and tonality. The Phrygian is a darker shade of the natural minor and lends itself well to eastern sounds, which worked well for Dushtan and the ambiance I was trying to create.
The violin solo adds an unexpected, almost playful counterpoint to the track’s intensity. Why was it important to disrupt expectations in that moment?
I think it’s great that the violin is a little unexpected. There is a sense of adventure and risk which I really enjoyed as part of the process. It keeps the music from being predictable and safe. I wanted something different and exciting, so I channeled my Mahavishnu Orchestra influences and decided to pull in a violin player on this track. I loved the contrast the violin provided against the guitar and the dynamism it added to the track.
You’re currently based in Boquete, Panama, after growing up in India, and then moving to Maryland. Has relocating influenced your artistic perspective or the global collaborative nature of your music?
Yes, travel has influenced my perspective and continues to do so. Moving around has made me appreciate other cultures and their respective artforms. My music has greatly benefited from my travels and jams with musicians. It’s always a great exchange of ideas and I am grateful to have made friends on multiple continents who have broadened my horizons with respect to music and art. While I’ve just moved to Panama, I’ve already started to experience the vibrant art and music community here.
“Dushtan” introduces your upcoming album Mridingit, arriving March 23, 2026. How does this single set the thematic and sonic stage for the larger body of work?
Mridhangit embodies the same qualities that Dushtan does: improvised music born of collaboration with various artists from around the world. The album features a rich set of instruments such as Duduk, Clarinet, Bansuri, Handpan, Mridangam, and Tablas among others. Sonically it delivers across the aural spectrum with heavy pieces such as Dushtan and some softer pieces. I believe that the songs will resonate with people.
Thank you for your time and the interview! I really appreciate the thoughtful questions. I hope your readers get to check out the album when it drops.
