Kiwiani, an electronic musician, has made a name for himself as a pioneer in the rapidly changing field of electronic music. By combining trap, dreamy downtempo, and relaxed freeform, Kiwiani creates an evocative dance music combination that is genuinely one-of-a-kind.
We sat down with this talented musician to learn more about what makes him tick, his approaches to the creative process and much more in this exclusive interview with TAGG!
What initially inspired you to dive into electronic music? Was there a specific artist or experience that shaped your passion for this genre?
It all started when one of my friends in high school put me on Avicii and Skrillex And I got hooked on it ever since. I spent hours watching a bunch of Tomorrowland videos every single day. My curiosity grew even more when I came across a breakdown video of a song by Martin Garrix on YouTube and I ended up getting FL studio and that’s how my journey began as a music producer. It has been almost five years making every genre possible trying to find my sound. Flume has been a huge influence on me both in terms of artistry and production.
How has your journey from Hyderabad to Los Angeles influenced your music? Do elements of your roots still influence your sound today?
I moved to LA to attend Icon Collective College of Music and I progressed so much in the past 2 years. When I was back in Hyderabad there was no active electronic music scene and no fellow artists who actually took music seriously so it kinda felt lonely. Whereas in LA it felt like I was on the same frequency with a lot of people sharing the same artistic vision and goals. I got to work with a lot of talented artists, songwriters and producers which made me push my boundaries and constantly keep working to become a better version of myself. India has a very rich culture and so is the music and it has a huge influence on my sound.
You blend genres like downtempo, chill freeform, and trap to create your sound. How did you arrive at this unique mix, and what inspired your signature atmospheric style?
Sometimes we all love a bunch of things and it’s hard to pick one out of all, the same went through my head and I figured the only way is to find out by fusing all of these together. And this didn’t happen overnight but took me years of experimenting by making hundreds of demos. I like to make music that makes you wanna close your eyes and go on a trip.
‘Close’ has such an immersive and experimental vibe. Can you walk us through the creative process behind this track?
I went on a road trip to Death Valley and it was this one spot called Artists Palette which is a series of hills in pastel hues, coloured by oxidation. This landscape was breathtaking and I almost had the whole melody and sounds playing in my head I couldn’t wait to get back home to translate everything. I picked one of my own demos and sampled it and somehow all the ideas just flowed and I made something out of it. But after a few months, I finally opened the project and sat down when the inspiration hit again. I finished writing this piece of art.
You’ve mentioned Flume and Sophie as inspirations for ‘Close.’ What elements from their music do you find most inspiring, and how did you channel these influences in the track?
The thing that inspired me the most is the fact that almost everything in nature is musical if and only you took a moment to observe. So with Flume’s music, this was an eye-opening moment for me, all the randomness and chaos can still be organized and made into something musical. The metallic percussion that I used in ‘Close’ is straight up a Sophie snare from her soundpack on splice and it just felt right at that point of time.
You’ve experimented with granular synthesis in your latest release. Could you tell us a bit about your fascination with this technique and how it shapes your sound?
Lately, it’s one of the popular ways of creating cool sounds and a lot of artists have been using this, with this technique you can use almost any sound and turn it into a synth which is so beautiful, and the possibilities are endless which inspires me every single time and somehow works. 90% of the time in the studio I end up using it in my music and I try to keep it super subtle and not overdo it.
You created an audio-reactive visualizer for ‘Close.’ How important is the visual side of your music, and what role does it play in your overall artistic expression?
The whole catalog of music that I had until 2023 was a different era and then I happened to learn Touch Designer which is a visual programming software. This led to the whole idea of creating an Audio-visual world with my music. It’s a whole different feeling that gives you when you just look at some pictures and listen to a song. Now, imagine being able to create a piece where a bunch of visuals react to an audio waveform. This is how everything came together and it feels unreal every time I play it, it takes you on a journey which is so immersive and this is what I wanted to deliver with this release.
You’ve received support from prominent artists like San Holo and Rynx. How have these connections impacted your career and your approach to making music?
The support that I received was amazing, I was featured on prominent radio shows which gave me a lot of exposure. I knew I had to shape my work ethic and be more professional for sustained growth.
You’ve been featured on major Spotify and Apple Music playlists. How has playlist exposure impacted your reach and growth as an artist?
I’ll have to admit that all the editorial support that I’ve got gave me a huge boost, especially in the initial stages. This has given me more exposure to new listeners who then turned into my fans. I gained up to 50k+ active monthly listeners on Spotify which is a milestone in my career. Getting featured on Apple’s Unwind & Winter at #1 alongside artists like Aphex Twin, SG Lewis, Joji and more was unreal. This helped in getting on 70+ electronic charts globally. I know that numbers aren’t everything but looking at these stats it pushed me to work harder and makes me happy when I look back and see how far I’ve come.
Your music has been supported by BBC Radio 1 and featured on Riot Games’ LoL Esports. What was it like to see your work recognized on such a large scale?
It genuinely makes me happy, I’ve got no words for that. Being supported by the BBC was a dream come true. My brother and I used to play Valorant by Riot games almost every day and I made a joke stating how crazy would it be to listen to my music on one of these games, and somehow I found out that my song “I Wanna See the Light” was featured on the official soundtrack for LoL Esports and was used in the live event. I had to explain to my mom how big of a deal it was and was jumping around in the house screaming with immense happiness.
How do you approach blending trap elements with chill freeform? Is there a specific balance you aim for, or do you let the music flow naturally?
There’s no formula for that, it’s all in my head and I let the ideas flow onto my clean slate.
As someone pushing boundaries, where do you see electronic music headed? Are there any trends or emerging styles you’re particularly excited about?
There are so many talented artists out there who are breaking the boundaries of electronic music and I’m all here for it. For example, Artists like imanu, Saka, Buunshin & Rohaan have introduced a completely new flavor to Drum & Bass which is amazing. Another style of music that really excites me is Modern hyperpop pop and I’ve been bumping to A.G Cook’s Britpop which is super fresh and catchy
Your music often features intricate rhythms and experimental textures. How do you find a balance between pushing creative boundaries and keeping your music accessible to a wide audience?
It’s funny but I’m still trying to figure that out, but something that I feel is that as long as you have a pop structure arrangement and a catchy melody, people get hooked on it. Finding that balance is really hard and I can’t say that I’ve figured it all but we are getting there soon.
What advice would you give to aspiring electronic music producers who are looking to carve out a unique space in the industry?
I feel like I’m still not at the stage to give advice to any producers out there but something that I can say is bringing your own flavor to the table and blending that with something that you really like while staying true to your sound is what’s gonna give you a breakthrough and recognition rather than doing the same thing that thousands of people are doing. It’s also less competition if you stay true to yourself and keep pushing your boundaries.
With the release of ‘Close’ and the growing excitement around your music, what’s next for you? Are there any upcoming projects, collaborations, or live performances we can look forward to?
There’s something that I’ve been working on the side for the past three months which is a duo project with my girlfriend who also happens to be a producer and it will be launched in early 2025 with Create Music Group. There is another release “Open your eyes” lined up for December, followed by an EP scheduled in January 2025 which I’m really excited about, currently working on building an Audio-visual world for my live shows which I’m really looking forward to, yet to be announced.
