Mixmag Asia Radio: Kohra takes us into his deep, dark techno mindset

Where are you based and if you’re not from there, how did you get there?

I’m currently based in Goa, but I’ve grown up all over India. I lived in over 10 cities before finally moving here during the first month of the pandemic. I was unsure if music and the gig economy would resurrect itself but what was clear to me was that I had to live in a quieter place, surrounded by nature and that my life as a city dweller had come to an end.


What’s your favourite thing about the music scene in the city you live in?

Goa is so rich in its dance music culture and history but what's even more exciting is the creative community that lives here now. I’m kind of glad for that since the parties here have thinned out over time.


In five words, what do your DJ sets sound like?

Groovy, fluid, psychedelic, meditative and fun!


How are you feeling about the ongoing tour across India? Any favourite cities to play in?

It’s been a lot of fun actually! I’ve played almost all the major cities for underground music here. Some of my favourite cities to play in are usually Goa, Mumbai and Hyderabad but the scene has been a bit challenging as of late as we’re really struggling with timings, lack of support from the govt and a scarcity of venues dedicated solely to dance music. I really hope this changes soon as we do have a very open-minded and willing audience here.


You’re going on tour in the UK; how does that make you feel and what are you most excited about in Europe?

Yes, I am. I’m pretty excited since this will be my first time in the UK.

Monophonik and I are going to be going back-to-back for the first gig, which is a Space Lab showcase in Bristol at the “Love Inn” with Inner Zone and Adam Pits. I’ve been listening to and playing Adam's music and Space Lab releases for a while and Adam has also been playing out a lot of my tracks as well as music from Qilla so it’s great to finally be meeting them.


Tell us a bit more about your recent EP with Monophonik!

The ‘Jugalbandi’ EP came out of the first series of jams we did together during the monsoons in Goa. The skeleton of the tracks were written at my studio and then we worked on it remotely for about a year before we completed and signed the tracks to Space Lab. We’re super happy with the response as there has been a lot of great feedback from our peers and the vinyl is also doing pretty well!


How was it working together?

It’s super fun working together! I think the process of writing this EP was a great way to get to know Shatrunjai’s creative process in a deeper way. He’s just great at going with the flow and capturing moments during a modular jam in the studio. I usually end up taking a slightly more structured and precise approach but together, it just feels like we can do more and go to places we wouldn’t otherwise, musically.

I think we’ve identified each other's strengths and respect the process more than our personal thoughts which invariably leads us to make stuff that surprises the both of us. After 'Jugalbandi', we’ve actually decided to make music together a yearly ritual and we already have four new tracks that we made at the start of this month which we’re hoping to release soon.

Both of us also have a mutual love for good food, great coffee and exploring new cities so it just makes spending time and touring together a blast.


What were the influences on the sound?

We both have a lot of similar interests but different sound palettes so we just tried to bring it all together. There’s rarely ever any chat about intellectualising stuff - it’s just what sounds good and whatever we have fun doing.


What recent trends in music have caught your attention, and why?

I try to stay away from trends but the recent mutation of genres to create new hybrids that just sound good and don't fit into any boxes has been getting my attention the most.


Are there any producers and DJs in Asia that have recently caught your attention?

The talent coming out of Asia these days is insane, but if I had to narrow it down I’d pick the following names:

I was introduced to Temple Rat’s music through a common friend and instantly resonated with her work. Her unique sound is hard to come across in times like these which is why I invited her to be a part of our compilation, 'Chakrayvuh', the 100th release on Qilla Records.

I heard Occa late last year at Wonderfruit Festival in Thailand, at the Catch 428 Stage curated by Rural (Japan). It was one of my personal highlight sets at the festival and totally up my alley.

Asfandyar is an ambient producer from Pakistan whose work I’ve been digging for a long time. I often go back to his strangely comforting jams full of analogue tape sounds and guitar tones drenched in copious amounts of reverb.


Tell us a bit about your label Qilla!

Qilla has been around for over a decade now. We recently celebrated our 100th release with a compilation featuring 35 tracks featuring artists from all over the globe. A special edition vinyl version is also expected to be out soon.

It’s a lot more than a label for me and a real community of artists. I’m really grateful for the kind of people and friendships we’ve built over the years. It’s really what sustains us today.

We also have a label showcase called Sacred Alchemy through which we’ve had the pleasure of hosting artists like Amotik, Blazej Malinowski, Ness, Sunju Hargun, Haruka, Claudio PRC, Van Anh, and many more.


What can you tell our readers and listeners about your mix? Why is it special to you?

It’s hard to narrate a full story in an hour but that’s the idea with every set I play. It’s yet another story that dives into what I am feeling in the momen and moves through the various styles of music I play.

Henry Cooper is a Writer at Mixmag Asia. Follow him on Instagram.

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