How to make music you love: A guide to Bangalore's indie music scene by Consolidate's Aniruddh Menon and producer Disco Puppet

The Bangalore indie music scene is growing by leaps and bounds. As music artists from the city continue their climb the creative ladder, other metros must be envious of the space that the talent pool has created for itself.

In order to better understand the Bangalore indie music scene, Catch interviewed Aniruddh Menon from the label Consolidate that is making waves for its first full-length feature FRNDS & FMLY '16 and music producer Disco Puppet aka Shoumik Biswas whose track is featured in the set.

Do you think it is possible to create and give your music the kind of platform in any other Indian city besides Bangalore?

Aniruddh: This is a really hard question to answer. So much of our musical lives have taken place here. I think we can safely say that the team would be making music whether or not we were in Bangalore. But much of our art (tastes, aesthetics, politics, etc) are shaped both by the city and by each other that it's impossible for us to imagine the kind of artists we'd be if we hadn't come here.

And yes, the city has a very supportive scene. If you are making music, it's not hard to find places to play at or people to listen to what you make. We're super psyched to be a part of that.

How much would you credit music festivals for the growing audience for the kind of music you make?

Shoumik: I don't know how much they help us, but music festivals are great. I'd actually give the internet and it's numerous blogs more credit.

Which platforms work best for you? Would you call social media your best friend?

Aniruddh: It's too early to say at this point. The internet is a close friend - it's how a lot of us met each other. Social media is just one of the tools we use to get our music out. We're excited about taking Consolidate live more often though - we have a launch party at blueFROG on 26 February.

It looks like Consolidate has a small but tight group of artists working together. Tell us more.

Aniruddh: Consolidate started with Rahul Giri. He wanted an outfit that brought artists working with electronic elements. It started off as a blog, with him and some of the others posting new music they found or made on it. Then there were monthly Consolidate gigs at the Humming Tree. This year, we became a record label too.

Will Consolidate work with other artists too?

Aniruddh: One of the best things that has happened since our compilation released is that artists have started sending us music and are keen to be involved. That is exactly what gets us excited - new, original music and the people who make it.

Making much money in this industry during the initial years might be hard. Is it absolutely necessary for most music artists to hold day jobs?

Shoumik: It seems to be unavoidable. Making music, or rather music that you want to make, is hard to make money off. Also, I actually think it helps to have a job that isn't music. Separating the money aspect from music works for me. But there are a few people who make it work from the beginning. Kudos to them.

What is the best part about collaborations?

Shoumik: I love collaborating with people because it gives me a lot of perspective on how others work or think. It's always great to learn from people, especially if you like their work. But more than anything, sometimes making music with other people is just more fulfilling than doing it alone.

Check out Consolidate's compilation here: