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Sickflip, a boundary-pushing pressure in India’s digital music scene, makes use of his genre-blending beats to champion unity, inclusivity, and self-expression. Known for his seamless mixture of serene melodies and bass-driven vitality, Sickflip reveals on this interview how music can break boundaries and produce individuals collectively.
Sickflip discusses the facility of inclusivity on the dance flooring, his collaborations with Smirnoff’s ‘We Do We’ marketing campaign, and the way international influences form his genre-defying sound.
In the ever-evolving world of digital music, few artists are as dynamic and boundary-pushing as Sickflip. Known for his genre-defying beats and a sound that blends serene melodies with festival-shaking bass, Sickflip has carved out a singular house in India’s indie music scene. But for this artist, music is about extra than simply catchy rhythms or revolutionary soundscapes—it’s a platform for unity, inclusivity, and self-expression.
As he joins forces with Smirnoff’s “We Do We” campaign and platforms like The Lab, Sickflip is on a mission to use the power of music to break down social barriers and bring people together. With a musical style influenced by his global travels and an ear tuned to both traditional folk and modern electronica, Sickflip’s work resonates with listeners from all walks of life. In this exclusive interview, Sickflip opens up about his journey, his artistic vision, and the values that drive his music. From his legendary Ladakh Project—where he captured the ethereal landscapes of Ladakh through sound—to his high-energy performances that captivate audiences across India, he shares what makes his music a unifying force.
In an exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, Sickflip explores the essence of music, the power of a dancefloor, and the future of India’s electronic scene. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of his eclectic beats or new to his musical journey, this interview offers a glimpse into the creative mind of an artist whose work is as inclusive and adventurous as it is unforgettable.
Here are the excerpts:
Q: The “We Do We” marketing campaign goals to rejoice inclusivity and unity. How does this align together with your imaginative and prescient as an artist and your strategy to music?
Sickflip: The music I like to create and play out at my reveals celebrates self-expression, freedom, inclusivity, and variety. The most primal want for us people once we take heed to music is to specific ourselves, dance, belong, and really feel a way of unity with each other. It’s my duty to amplify these values via the vessel of music and motion. The dance flooring is the one unifying place the place everybody can belong, past the methods society retains us aside.
Q: How do you suppose platforms like ‘The Lab’ and partnerships like Smirnoff Lemon Pop can foster a extra inclusive and numerous digital music scene in India?
Sickflip: It’s encouraging to see manufacturers like Smirnoff discovering advantage in associating with international platforms like ‘The Lab’ coming to India. As I discussed earlier, the dance flooring creates a unifying place the place everybody appears like they belong, and with the assist of manufacturers like Smirnoff, we will guarantee these areas usually are not solely sustainable but additionally right here to remain.
Q: As an artist identified for creating eclectic beats, how do you see your music contributing to a motion that transcends cultural and social boundaries?
Sickflip: I imagine a couple of of my tracks have carried out that previously. The Sickflip DNA is all about journey and music, which I attempt to convey via my productions. ‘Mehmaan’ is an ideal instance of that. Blending Rajasthani people with modern-day digital beats, it appeared to resonate with the viewers, particularly in tier 2 and three cities the place it’s a staple in my units every time I carry out.
Q: What attracts you to the world of electronica, and the way do you retain evolving your sound in a scene that’s consistently altering?
Sickflip: Endless prospects. The big selection of electronica provides a basis of countless creativity with artwork and music from all components of the world. My evolution of sound occurs naturally as time progresses. A staple course of whereas creating is for me to observe my instinct and amplify what I’d wish to see extra on the earth of music.
Q: Your sound as Sickflip is thought for its mix of serene melodies and bass-heavy pageant anthems. How do you stability these contrasting vibes in your music?
Sickflip: Flipping the script at all times retains it attention-grabbing and boundless for me as an artist. It’s a deep dive into worlds that make one really feel feelings via music deeply. Sometimes it’s a melodically shifting universe, and typically it’s bass-heavy rhythms.
Q: With such a dynamic vary in your sound, what conjures up you to shift between calm atmospheres and high-energy beats?
Sickflip: The depth and emotion in each ends of the spectrum is what conjures up me. What I like to make or take heed to within the morning after waking up might be worlds aside from what I really like to listen to late at night time. Drawing from my private listening experiences, it’s pure to understand one over the opposite at completely different occasions.
Q: SickFlip’s music has a world attain, with releases on labels like High Chai Records, Rub A Duck, and Sony Music India. How has the worldwide music scene influenced your manufacturing model?
Sickflip: More than affect in model, it introduced me nearer to understanding that our world is far smaller and nearer to one another than we predict.
Q: The Ladakh Project was a singular mix of journey and music. What was the inspiration behind this conceptual audio-visual showcase, and the way did it form your inventive imaginative and prescient?
Sickflip: The thought was to journey to the surreal panorama of Ladakh and write music there with my distant studio setup. The output was a 5-track EP, a music video, and a dwell AV present that I toured with in 2014-15. This set me off on the assumption that journey, music, and collaboration have been the core of my inspiration to create music.
Q: Can you stroll us via your course of of making a challenge like ‘The Ladakh Project’? How did you combine the pure panorama into your music and visuals?
Sickflip: I traveled with my childhood buddies (The Outbox Project) to completely different areas of Ladakh for 15 days. The total distant studio setup was packed within the automobile, together with tools to shoot distant areas. Within our street journey, we’d discover off-grid surreal areas to arrange the distant workstation and camp there for a few hours whereas I wrote scratches of latest music at each location. I narrowed the works down to 5 songs named after the areas they originated in.
Q: You’ve change into identified on your charming stage presence. What position does dwell efficiency play in your artistic expression, and the way do you retain every set distinctive?
Sickflip: The stability between quiet studio days and hyped dwell performances is sort of attention-grabbing to me. Almost like one feeds the opposite. I’m consistently impressed to create attention-grabbing moments on the dancefloor with motion and music, experimenting with new sonics. Every present is an enter of data as to find out how to transfer ahead with innovation and creativity.
Q: Platforms like Spotify and YouTube have performed an important position within the rise of unbiased artists. How have these platforms formed your profession as Sickflip, and what recommendation would you give to rising artists?
Sickflip: Yes, these platforms have performed an enormous position in bringing followers nearer to my music. Platforms like Spotify and YouTube enable artists like me to achieve audiences who may by no means come to a dwell present or who dwell removed from main music hubs. This accessibility has modified every part for unbiased artists. It’s superb to see individuals discovering my tracks from everywhere in the world, whether or not it’s a chill ambient piece or a bass-heavy pageant anthem.
My recommendation to rising artists is easy: maintain it attention-grabbing for your self first. Don’t simply attempt to match right into a mildew; shock your self with new combos, experiment, and take dangers. If you’re excited by what you’re creating, that vitality will resonate with listeners. Use these platforms as instruments to get your music on the market, however be certain the music you’re placing out represents your personal model and fervour.
Q: You’ve been part of the indie music scene in Mumbai for a while now. How do you’re feeling the scene has modified, particularly by way of inclusivity and variety?
Sickflip: The indie music scene in Mumbai has undoubtedly grown and developed. There’s a bigger viewers now, and it’s nice to see numerous lineups at reveals extra incessantly. There’s additionally been extra inclusivity, with artists from varied backgrounds and genres coming collectively. However, I do suppose we’re nonetheless missing by way of venues that assist the scene purely for tradition, fairly than revenue. Many venues are profit-driven, which may restrict the varieties of artists and occasions they’re keen to assist.
Q: You’ve labored with varied artists throughout genres and particularly inside Desi Hip-Hop (DHH). What has been your most memorable collaboration, and the way did it affect your strategy to music?
Sickflip: My collaboration with Prabh Deep has been extremely enjoyable and productive. Working with him is an expertise in itself as a result of we’re each consistently experimenting and pushing one another to strive new issues. Prabh has this unimaginable mind-set about music that challenges me to rethink my very own strategy, and I feel our chemistry within the studio results in a singular sound that’s distinctly ours.
Q: What conjures up your soundscapes and beats, particularly when creating music that may join with individuals from completely different backgrounds and walks of life?
Sickflip: Simplicity and minimalism encourage me so much. I imagine {that a} easy however well-crafted beat or melody can have a huge effect and attain a variety of listeners. I like creating soundscapes that depart room for individuals’s personal interpretations and feelings. The much less crowded the music, the more room it leaves for listeners to seek out their very own meanings inside it.
Q: When engaged on a brand new observe or remix, what’s your course of for guaranteeing that the ultimate product maintains the stability between experimental and accessible?
Sickflip: Listening to it time and again and going “all in” on a track for a few days has been an effective approach for me. I’ll play around with different sounds and structures, sometimes going to the edge of what’s considered experimental. But then I pull it back slightly to make sure it’s still approachable. It’s about finding that sweet spot where the track feels fresh but still has a vibe that listeners can easily connect with.
Q: Your music often blends diverse influences from global and local sounds. How has your journey as a Mumbai-based artist shaped your perspective on electronic music?
Sickflip: Mumbai is a fast-paced city with various layers. Things can happen quickly if you’re focused and diligent. I take inspiration from its resilience and hustle to keep pushing forward. These values are ingrained in my work ethic and sometimes find their way into how my music sounds too.
Q: Looking back, what have been the most significant milestones in your journey as Sickflip, and how have they influenced the artist you are today?
Sickflip: Most recently, representing India at Brooklyn Mirage, NYC for the Indo Warehouse show was a major milestone for me! Along with that, the success of my tracks – Mehmaan and Desert Bae felt like great achievements too.
Q: What message would you like to leave with your audience through your involvement in the Smirnoff Lemon Pop and ‘The Lab’ collaboration?
Sickflip: Keep dancing and having fun! And I hope to see you guys on a dancefloor near you soon! 🙂
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