Smokey

We are listening to Low Spirits (2017) by Smokey. Waves of dark ambience swell and under a hard warping bass-line and a typical Dubstep groove. A ghostly voice lingers in and out. Next tune, titled ‘Mood’ (2017) opens up to shadowy chords, juxtaposed with a bouncy beat and sprite little synth lines. The occasional words whisper and vaporize within the sound. “This has been a long time coming and I can't explain the feeling of no longer letting my anxiety get the best of me” says Smokey about her next tune ‘Serenity’. A haunted piano melody lingering under synthetic waves and a rather quixotic groove straying between Drum & Bass and Dubstep. Up next, ‘Maiden’ is a throw-it-all-in banger! Slamming and persistent, the sound takes us back to the mosh-pit euphoria of Noisia, Marcus & Intalex and Black Sun Empire.

Smokey as a producer and DJ has been making waves in India since 2013. She is invoking new aesthetics while retaining the roots of Drum & Bass and all things bass heavy! She represents the ‘BASS’ generation - which is about slamming short tunes, a bit deprived of attention span, yet persistently putting out fresh mixes and new tunes. While doing so, she is assimilating everything from Jungle, Ambient, Darkstep, Dubstep and even bits of Bollywood and Indian folk. FEMWAV recently spoke to Smokey and her responses were short and sharp, albeit so sure!

What led you to take up music?
I’m a zoology graduate, but a 9 to 5 job wasn’t my thing. So, I worked as a professional background dancer in the Bollywood Film Industry but soon realized I wanted something else from life. I wanted to experiment & test my boundaries and right then music happened. I was very intrigued by it. I did everything I could to become a DJ / Music Producer. Producing music allowed me to be creative with sounds & today I’m fortunate enough to make a living through music. And here I am today..

Does your music reflect your own personality and desires?
Totally!

Tell us about your workflow?
I am into Bass Music, Drum & Bass especially. Usually I start my projects with drum arrangements first, adding bass-lines and proceeding sounds and short elements. I do like blending Indian elements into my projects.
 
As an independent artist, What challenges do you face in terms of distribution, and outreach for your music?
Nothing. This is 2022. In this digital world, there are so many platforms to release music and connect with audiences directly. We can clearly see that a lot of artists are releasing their music independently on their own.
 
What are your current projects and works about?
Currently, I am working on a couple of bass music projects; one of them got selected by a record label (sorry but I can’t reveal all the details as of now) ... It will be out soon as a part of a compilation with many other international artists.
 
What are your future plans, in terms of music and artistic direction?
Making lots of music & Performing everywhere I can!