I remember meeting songwriter and music producer Arsh, aka FuzzCulture at a music convention in Mumbai called SoundBound. This was in 2010, and I was eyeing a CD he had of his then band The Circus. I quietly took the From Space CD he offered me, and he walked off to find some friends and distribute more CDs. We had no conversation at all, it was only smile-hi-CD?-thanks!-cool..Ā When I took the CD back home, I realized my brother also had a copy!
Weād heard so much about the band and had seen them live only a couple of times. That particular record for me really translated as bouncy, super groovy and funky, all captured at once. The Circus were one of Channel [V] Launchpadās finalists, and the music reality TV show held the competitionās finale in Mumbai. The band was one of my instant favorites! From there, Iād seen each of them take up their own music projects individually with other bands and solo productions.
Arsh had paired up with New Delhi drummer Srijan Mahajan, forming FuzzCulture. The act started off with pounding drums that were played live at their gigs, along with Arshās setup, where he played around with samples, guitars and also did vocals. Many people got into listening to them from the No EP in 2014. A few accolades were won through this time including a VIMA Music Award, and FuzzCulture toured in a few countries across South Asia, even Reunion Islands.Ā
Srijan and Arsh eventually parted ways, and Arsh spoke to the good folks at 4/4 Experiences, which was also my workplace at the time! Most of my time knowing Arsh personally was through handling digital marketing there. He released his album Escape To Where Youāre Wanted in 2019, which did very well as his first solo release. 2021 was the year of Strange Cities, another fantastic release. It brought out a very different sound, with some unavoidable earworms, and elements of pop, dance and electronica.
I thought it would be a great time to speak to him as weād also done some fun video interviews with him over the past month! Watch his Artist Spotlight video interview, and read the chat below to know more!Ā
Pratika: You’ve gone through quite an evolution as a musician and producer; from your days as the guitar player of Delhi rock band The Circus, up to your electronic music project FuzzCulture. What steered you into the direction of the music you make today?
FuzzCulture: I donāt know. Itās always been natural, Iāve always followed my muse whether my muse wants me to or not. With The Circus, we were all always into all different types of music. In fact, the other dudes were way ahead of me in their interests and love.
Iām naturally curious to a fault so I just followed what I wanted to do to its logical end. I still donāt know how the music Iāll make will end up. I really donāt have an agenda besides the love of music, and just finding new things that excite me.
P: Besides FuzzCulture, what other music and production work have you done in the past 2 years?
FuzzCulture: Besides FuzzCulture, in the last two years, Iāve mixed a lot of tracks for some great bands and artists like Daira, Seedhe Maut, Pratika, Cartwheels Over Moon, Ahmer, Tienas, and quite a few more. Besides that, I have done a few ad jingles and a Hindi song release as well.
As of now, Iām looking into releasing a lot more Hindi songs and collaborations over the next few months/years. Also, the FuzzCulture collaboration with Manas Jha and Sidhharth Basrur was a killer project (MyroohĀ from āTrifectaā). The pandemic did hit work pretty hard, but Iām hoping to amp it up over the next few years (fingers crossed).
P: What do you like to do in your spare time when you’re not working or making music?
FuzzCulture: Iām majorly into world political history, reading up and watching endless documentaries on the subject. I love playing chess and actually love researching economics and financial studies. Iām also crazy into psychology education, and a lot of my time goes into studying that as well. Basically, all subjects that donāt have anything to do with the arts, and help me dig a little deeper into my nerdy side!
P: Pick one favourite release by: 1. The Circus 2. FuzzCulture
FuzzCulture:
The Circus – With Love
FuzzCulture – Strange Cities (So far)
P: Tell us one CRAZY incident on tour from anywhere in the world!
FuzzCulture: Once while in Singapore after playing a gig, I partied a little too hard with all the A&Rs from different labels and got so drunk that when I came home, I actually fell on the sidewalk and got a major cut on my forehead!
Next thing I know, my lovely friend Srijan had taken me to a Singapore ER where I got 20 stitches and I spent the night there as I was a little too wasted to sign the approval form. Next day, I played my 2nd show in Singapore with broken glasses, a mild concussion and 20 stitches. Good times!
P: What are some of the albums that you look up to as some of the best-sounding when it comes to music production, mixing and mastering?
FuzzCulture: Iāve actually stopped judging music like that. I try to see it more in terms of vibe, and some of the records I love are actually very poorly mixed. But they have a great vibe and represent the music perfectly. The more Iāve grown up, Iāve realized how emotional and vibe-based mixing and mastering can be. Iāve also stopped seeing things as right or wrong sonically as thatās a really narrow box to fit yourself into.
Vibe and communication is all there is in my opinion. Fundamentally, we are just throwing sound waves into the air and itās too abstract a concept to get so stuck up on!
P: Who is the musician or producer, past or present, you were most excited/happy to see or meet
FuzzCulture: Iāve met some great producers and musicians and I doubt I can single out a fanboy moment as I generally donāt see things like that. But to be honest, every time Iāve watched Megadeth live, Iāve been a complete fanboy! Otherwise, I just like to have a conversation with some of the great people Iāve met if theyād oblige me with one.
P: As scary as it’s been, whatās been one of the better things you think has come out of the lockdown?
FuzzCulture: I donāt know if it sounds positive or negative, but it has just shown me how fickle and meaningless most of our endeavours are. Also the fact that weāre the only ape species which needs to be paid by other apes to be able to eat. All our plans and ideas are so easily disrupted and destroyed within a few minutes. A lot of people would see this as nihilistic but I see it as an opportunity that if nothing really matters. Iām not going to take my time on this random rock in space so seriously and do exactly what I want to do with my time on it.
P: What are your favorite venues to play in India?
FuzzCulture: I love every venue that has ever hosted us! Iām an equal opportunity offender and every venue who wants us to play is the best at that time, and everyone who supports us is the best person possible. Equal love for all!
P: A word of advice to aspiring and young musicians and producers?
FuzzCulture: I think the young producers are absolutely smashing it with some of the work theyāre doing, and I find myself learning from them a lot more. So maybe Iād ask them to share some tips they have with an old scrooge like me!
Maybe the only advice I would have is to be open to all lines of thought, and thereās something to learn from everyone. No matter how much you work, you never know it all. And please be kind to your fellow musicians, everyoneās trying their best in this exceptionally difficult world.
We thank Arsh for giving us his time and being a super cooperative guy! We wish him all the best for all his future endeavours.
Listen to FuzzCulture: @fuzzculture | Linktree
You may also like;
- Handpicked Music Releases: January 2021 (India) | TFword. (ticketfairy.com) featuring FuzzCultureās EP Strange Cities.
- Ā TF Selections Vol 2 | TFword. (ticketfairy.com) featuring FuzzCulture
