Lights flashing, beats dropping, hearts pumping, there’s nothing that raises your energy level better than a good EDM show. Known for some of the greatest party songs and most memorable festival performances, Niles Hollowell-Dhar, known professionally as KSHMR, has a way of hyping the crowd with his beats and melodies.
An American musician, songwriter, DJ, record producer, former rapper, and singer, he has recently released the second track of his album ‘KARAM’ titled ‘Bhussi’ in collaboration with the musical group, Seedhe Maut. In a conversation with TMS, the all-rounder talks about his musical journey and experiences.
You were earlier a part of the hip-hop production duo The Cataracs with your high school friend David Singer-Vine and released hits such as ‘Like a G6’ with Far East Movement and ‘Bass Down Low’ with DEV. How was the experience?
It was great! I was making music with my best friends and we stumbled upon a huge hit that changed our lives forever. From there I had to find out how I fit in the pop world because a lot of people wanted me to recreate the success of ‘Like A G6’, and I did have success but after a while. I realised dance music was better suited for me because of the creative freedom it offers.
In 2014, you started making electro-house music under the alias of KSHMR. Why did you choose this name?
That’s because I’m a Kashmiri-American. My parents are from Kashmir and I wanted my name to include an authentic part of myself and my heritage, not just something that sounded cool.
You released your first single, Megalodon, in 2014 through Spinnin’ Records.
At the time I was ghost producing, making songs for other people so to finally put my song out as KSHMR and to see the reaction was the beginning of a feeling that I wanted to capture again and again.
You did your first live show at the Ultra Music Festival in 2015. What is the strategy to get the crowd going?
My first live orchestra show where I used instruments was Ultra 2017. They had offered me the stage which at first I scoffed at thinking I would only want to play the main stage but as the gears turned in my mind I realised the potential of a KSHMR show with strings, horns and tyco drums and other instruments and I got excited.
When the day finally came, I was nervous because for the first time, not only was it my responsibility to do my job but it was my responsibility to make sure everything else was running correctly. It was one added layer and it stressed me out and to this day makes me a little more nervous than usual when I play those live orchestra shows.
How do you handle requests and feedback?
I do not take requests when I’m DJing. But I do take feedback pretty well, I think. If you mean in general if people have criticisms of a song I’m working on, then I will consider it. As a human being one has to be open to feedback but also not bend yourself to the point where you don’t recognise your beliefs, so finding the middle ground for me usually means limiting the listening to the feedback to a small number of people otherwise you start creating through consensus which none of the artists we admire would have done.
You’re a regular visitor to India. What is it like having an open line of communication with artists and the industry folks here?
Well, I love India, you know, I’ve been visiting regularly since I was a kid. And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve made so many friends through music. As someone who’s traversed a range of styles, what drew you to making a hip-hop album, one that’s mostly rooted in Indian languages?
In music, hip-hop was the only genre that I liked, and that I wanted to produce. I would come to India and my dadaji would buy me CDs. I’d be buying a Cam’ron CD or a Nas CD and feeling like this was just for me. Nobody around me in India seemed to be interested in hip-hop, and then to come back after all these years and see that there’s this huge, exploding hip-hop scene in India was almost unbelievable. I wanted to be part of it and immerse myself in it.
Does music have the power to change one’s mood? What is music to you?
I do think that music has the power to change one’s mood and I feel that music as a source is also used to reinforce a mood that one is already feeling. As human beings, we just want to relate to someone else and not feel alone, so music serves that purpose.
What inspired you to start playing and making music? Were you interested in this field from a young age?
I loved music from a young age and was interested in computers so when the software to make music came out, it was perfect for somebody like me. Many artists made songs that I loved, it felt like magic in a world that’s mostly mundane.
I felt amazed listening to songs of artists such as Korn, Marilyn Manson, Eminem, Dr Dre and The Beatles.
From a young age, if I got my eyes on something, I had this urge to figure out how it would work for me. I didn’t have that chip that some people have where they think that the ability to do something is only possessed by other people.
I wanted to do things that adults and professionals did, it always just seemed to me that it was a matter of time before you had to invest. There wasn’t anything fundamentally different about those people.
Who is your ideal musician to collaborate with and why?
My ideal musicians are generally vocalists. I’m so envious of people who have a great voice and convey emotion through the same.
I am fond of songwriters who go beyond trying to craft a catchy hit. They feel like they have something to say and that emotion cuts through and reaches out to the audience.
It’s like when you see a movie with a great performance from an actor, you just feel it and they bring you to a certain emotion by picking words that aren’t unfamiliar but arranged in a way that brings you back to a time or an emotion.