The Mix 019: Rafiki

Why did you want to create your label Krunk Kulture in 2020?

There was a gap in the market to showcase Indian electronic music talent. Some small labels do specific sounds but I wanted a label to showcase the different styles of electronic music coming out of the country and to platform cutting-edge sound. Lockdown gave me the perfect opportunity, and I was thinking about starting a label for ages. This whole time while I was exploring my sound in both the bass sphere and the techno and house sphere — I was running an events organisation called Krunk since 2009. So that’s the parent company, we do events and artist management. But no one spoke about us or wrote about us until 2021, it was the label that helped the Krunk brand get recognised. We got noticed worldwide. From 2009 to 2020 Krunk has hosted over 400+ international artists in India. Out of which at least 50% were UK acts – but no one knew about us. So the label was our outlet to say we exist, and there is a scene and lots of talent in India. Listen to us.

How is it going at Krunk Kulture right now?

What’s happening in the world, and all the ongoing conflict [in Gaza], is taking over our mindsets and our mood in the workplace. It’s been really difficult, we’ve had to pause some of our output and promotions today because it didn’t feel right. I’ve delayed some promotions of my music too, that’s the vibe right now. I hope for peace in Gaza

I was at a Daytimers event last weekend and we spoke about how as South Asians we feel a greater need to raise awareness and take action, and it can impact how we do things that are supposed to be “fun.”

Definitely. It is a challenge. But, it’s important for creatives and artists to use art at this time to create more awareness and talk about the genocide that’s taking place. I will work on doing the same with my time. But we just have to see and take every day as it comes.

What else have you learned in the process of running a label?

It’s not easy running a label. We’ve broken even on maybe five out of 20 releases. Streaming is changing everything – but we’re in a better place than we were in 2020. Interestingly we found that dance music doesn’t do as well on the streaming platforms, but chill music does. However, in India we don’t have the infrastructure to support smaller artists on these platforms. In the UK there are lots of editorial playlists at Spotify or Apple Music which can sometimes boost listening for smaller artists, but very little exists here for electronic music. We’re very happy with the content we’re putting out, and I get to work with some amazing artists. Krunk [the events company] makes the money, while the label is the passion project and we do lots of festivals, events & artist management under Krunk. The label is our outlet and a way for us to creatively express ourselves – I don’t want to put too much financial pressure on it because it feels so pure.

Do you think that the global dance music community, especially from the South Asian diaspora, can do more to support artists from the Indian sub-continent?

Yes. I don’t want to point fingers but I don’t think it’s fair that there are almost 200 + international artists coming to India each year but it’s rare to hear about Indian and South Asian artists going abroad to play. Often it’s at their own expense, no one is really funding them. I saw Dialled In is doing a Boxout FM showcase which is good. But we need more opportunities. I write to a lot of people and try to book a lot of my artists. I don’t think South Asian electronic music is reaching as far as it could – apart from a few exceptions such as the likes of Arjun Vagale, Sandunes, Ritviz and a few more. We have to work extremely hard just to get a few opportunities, while we’re a very open country and we welcome people with open arms. So there is a lot to happen from the West.

How have your own recent adventures back into music production been?

It’s actually been really good for me, it has helped me deal with depression and tough times. It’s helped me heal. Music is the biggest healer I have, more than therapy. One of the EPs I put out last year, ‘New Shifts’, is a journey of me recovering from a breakup and other stuff. I tracked how the songs on the EP changed month-on-month with my therapist which was really interesting. I found in difficult times I write more meaningful music, so I’m enjoying all of that and exploring that.

Your new single ‘Black Smoke’ with Tara Lily, how did that come about and why did you collaborate with her?

When I met Tara, Me and Tara already realised we had lots in common. We faced similar things in London and Bombay, respectively. She was on tour and shooting a music video in India and we had the chance to connect and she felt like she could add something to this track. The instrumental I’ve had in the works for a while, originally I was maybe going to collaborate with a different vocalist but it just didn’t work out. I was confident Tara was a special artist – she took her time with the track and understood how dance music vocals really work – because she had done mostly jazz before. It was really cool and was a learning experience for me too because I hadn’t worked much with vocals in that much detail before. This experience has made me a lot more confident with collaborations. I want to collaborate more now. It takes vulnerability to work with someone creatively. So this was an important song for me to give me this push.

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What was putting on the Krunk Boiler Room showcase like?

It was great, and the Boiler Room crew I worked with was amazing. We created a line-up of Krunk acts, friends and artists who deserve to be showcased from our community. Boiler Room is Boiler Room, it has its perks of helping you elevate your career. But it’s very daunting too, and if you make a couple of mistakes then it will bother you for the rest of your life! I actually got a stye in one of my eyes so I had a shut eye in the week of Boiler Room. So I wear shades, which is fine but with one eye shut but it was an interesting experience.

Do you ever plan ahead for gigs?

It really depends. If it’s a serious gig or if people are going to be peaking, you know, I want to have a thought-out set so there’s a bit of planning there. Even if the mixes aren’t planned I have a rough idea of what I’d want to hear in those times. Most DJs will know, you have to know the music inside and out. But if it is a regular club show then actually I don’t prepare much at all.

What hat have been some of your favourite places, events or festivals that you’ve DJed at?

I’ll start with Bombay – there was this event called Room 303. That was amazing and it was in a 180-year-old Great Eastern Mills, one of Mumbai’s last surviving textile mills – and wanted to bring a warehouse feel to the city. I love playing at antiSOCIAL and Bonobo (my two homes). Last summer I took Rafiki on a European tour, Brussels and Oslo were really special. I also often play in Sri Lanka and have done some incredible parties there, I also love playing in Goa. A lot of my community from Bombay have moved to Goa. And yeah, even though, over the years I’ve played in a bunch of really cool places, Bombay will always be one of my favourite cities. There is something about the energy in Mumbai (Bombay). It is really special.

What’s next for you?

I want to make a really nice studio space for myself this year. My current studio is not great, so I’d like to improve it. I would like to focus on doing quality gigs. I’m getting older now, so I can’t really do back-to-back shows every weekend like I did in my 20s, so instead I want to play only quality shows now. I’d love to build my project and name in the European and Asian markets. We’re actually trying to build an Asian ecosystem and get a touring circuit going and flowing between different countries in Asia, rather than only relying on Europe/UK/America to make a name. I see Asia becoming a massive phenomenon in the next five years. I’m touring South-East Asia in the autumn and I’m pretty excited about that prospect.

Tell us about this mix.

The Mix features a lot of my released and unreleased music. It also features some of my fave labels and artists I’m listening to at present and playing across dancefloors. It perfectly showcases my love for house/techno /electro/electronica and broken beat. It also features a couple of tracks from my new EP ‘Anand Mahal’ and a bunch of other releases from the label, Permanent Vacation (that released Anand Mahal).

Aneesa Ahmed is a freelance journalist, follow her on Twitter