Learn DJing the Right Way — From Vinyl Roots to Modern Decks Started on vinyl at 16, I bring years of real-world experience to help you master the art of mixing, transitions, track selection, and cr

Learn more about Kartik

• 1) When did you first develop a passion for music and your favourite instrument?

  Getting into music is just like a deep dive in an ocean and this is what exactly happened with me. While I was growing up I was highly influenced by electronic music no matter what genre it was. I was listening to nu-disco, techno, house, east coast, west coast everything that I could find in tapes or CDs. All this made me google things and I came across my first D.A.W (Digital Audio Workstation) Fl Studio, started out by myself figuring out how the software works was a pain but I continued since I was enjoying it, alongside I was getting into DJing using softwares because I felt like to keep the music production scene going or support it I had to perform live which I did for a couple of years.
  
  From that point till now there has been nothing that pulled me back and I just expanded myself as an artist, producer, DJ and an educator.

• 2) Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  My approach to listening to music has always been intentful and that is what I recommend to all my students. If I listen to music I always go back and forth in that song so that I can focus on the elements I like the most and try to incorporate that into my own tracks/projects and mentoring. With that being said yes I do have a lot of favourite artists who have top notch production level and I like them for their own specific qualities for e.g I love Flume for his granular synthesis, James Hype for his minimalist style but yet so addictive, Louis The Child for the amazing song writing skills, Vanic is another one that I like because of his clarity in the mixes and Skrillex for his sound designing skills. I am sure a lot of you guys would relate to me and might experience the same thing.

• 3) Explain to us the most difficult or riveting course you could personally give to a student of music.

  The most difficult course/module that I can teach is how to break free from writer's block. I have dealt with this issue for a very long time in my music production journey and I understand how difficult it can be to come out of that situation and also depends on how you deal with it but sometimes I feel overthinking brings in a little extra trouble. Other than that I feel mixing/mastering is something that has been presented as some sort of sorcery in the music industry which makes them look at it as a mountain they have to climb in just a matter of days but it's a journey which could lead to good and bad experience but being patient and trusting your ears in that scenario is what I teach my students.

• 4) What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  My perspective on this would be that the most complicated instrument is always the first one that you start learning it has nothing to do with the instrument it's the ear training, developing muscle memory, hand eye coordination etc are the skills that takes some time for any first time learner to grasp and once you have that every instrument seems a lot more easier.

• 5) What are your keys to success?

  Depends on how you measure success, from what I understand is that success can be achieved by just sticking to some of the good habits like discipline, an open mind, hard work, persistency and last but not the least the right attitude. If someone presents himself/herself with a bad attitude or the one who acts like he/she knows it all will always face issues in making connections which plays a huge role in achieving success.

• 6) Name three musicians you dream of meeting in your favourite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  The names that come to my mind at this moment are Diplo, Drake & FKJ. I would love to talk to all three because they are from very different backgrounds and such versatility is what I always look for. I could understand so much about marketing from Diplo and his early experiences in the music industry. Drake on the other hand is one of my favourites and knowing how he managed to succeed at an early age is what I would want to know more about. Lastly FKJ is like a prodigy for me since he's a multi instrumentalist and his music is damn good NO DOUBT he could provide me a lot of knowledge about western classical and could also help me understand a lot of instruments which would help me to add a lot more natural touch when writing music.

• 7) Provide a valuable anecdote related to music or your days at music school.

  The anecdote that I can think of is from my college days and as I recall it I remember my professors getting irritated with me because I would skip their lectures for my electronic band in college where my job was to provide backing tracks/accompaniment to my other band members. I feel all my life I have given more importance to music than anything else which was clearly visible due to the difference between my college grades and my music grades, I was getting distinction in my western classical music examinations and would just manage to pass my economics honours semester examinations.

• 8) What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  I have been teaching different subjects in music for more than 8 years and have never given up on any student. That is because I know first hand how difficult it can be to stay motivated and keep working on an art that you have no initial idea about. That's where I try to go an extra mile with my students, talk to them about my personal experiences and try to pull them out of tricky situations.