Name: Anish Sood aka Anyasa
Nationality: Indian
Occupation: Producer, DJ
Current Release: Anyasa teams up with Lost Stories for “Patasa,” out via Indo Warehouse.
Recommendation for Goa, India: I was born and raised in Goa and as cliche as it sounds the beaches are definitely a must-visit!
Topics that I am passionate about but rarely get to talk about: Aside from music I’m very passionate about cooking and coffee. Both are very process driven skills and I find it very therapeutic to follow a process after all the creative work I put in at the studio.

[Read our Lost Stories interview]
[Read our interview with Indo Warehouse's Kahani]

If you enjoyed this interview with Anyasa and would like to find out more about his music and upcoming live dates, visit him on Instagram, Facebook, and Soundcloud.



What were some of your earliest collaborations? How do you look back on them with hindsight?

With the ‘Anyasa’ project, I have had the privilege of collaborating with some incredible singers, songwriters and musicians.

For my first EP, I worked with four exceptional female singers during the lockdown and it was all done virtually.

I thinly that set the tone and gave me a lot of confidence in reaching out to more collaborators around the world to explore new ideas.  

There are many potential models for collaboration, from live performances and jamming/producing in the same room together up to file sharing. Which of these do you prefer – and why?  

I always prefer being in the same room, I think ideas flow more organically and you can feed off each other’s energy. However, there is also a certain amount of “pressure” to perform or write in a session and you can often end up with something that doesn’t fully resonate the next day.

I think a hybrid model works really well for me, the singer or musician does the core bit of writing in their own space over a really simple instrumental idea and we then get into a studio together to record the final takes and any additional bits that we need.

How did this particular collaboration come about?

Rishab and Prayag from Lost Stories have been close friends for nearly two decades now and we have always had a mutual respect for each others’ work.

When Indo Warehouse reached out to me about working on a record for them, I immediately knew that it was the perfect moment and platform to finally make this collaboration happen.

What did you know about each other before working together? Describe your creative partner in a few words, please.

Like I said, Rishab and I have been very close friends for a while and he is one of the most technically gifted musicians and producers I know.

His attention to detail and creative approach to production is very unique and something that stands out in his work.

What do you generally look for in a collaborator and what made you want to collaborate with each other specifically?

I’m generally looking for musicians with versatility and an openness to experiment. Electronic music is quite fluid and I don’t really follow traditional structures with the songwriting or arrangement.

With singers specifically I always look for a unique and often ethnic tone in their voice. It’s something that helps define the ethnic forward sound that ‘Anyasa’ is known for.

Tell me a bit about your current instruments and tools, please. In which way do they support creative exchange and collaborations with others?  

My primary DAW is Logic X and I mostly use software synths like Omnisphere, Diva, Repro-1 and Phaseplant.

My hardware gear includes the Arturia Polybrute 12 and a Electron Analog Four.

Describe the process of working on “Patasa,” please. What was different from your expectations and what did the other add to the music?

For ‘Patasa’ we decided to get together for two studio sessions at Rishab’s studio in Mumbai. I had the initial idea set already which was recreating an iconic Punjabi folk song. Rishab suggested we use Sarthak Kalyani to re-sing the vocal and he did an incredible job with it.

Once we had the vocal ready, we built the production around it. It was a very organic process for this one since we didn’t have too many expectations apart from wanting to make this a proper dance floor banger!

We both understand each other really well so it was easy to align on the direction and build from there.

Is there a piece which shows the different aspects you each contributed to the process particularly clearly?

Yeah absolutely.

With ‘Patasa’ most of the arrangement, drums and basslines with put down by Rishab while I picked the vocal idea and composed the main synth stab hook.

Decisions between creatives often work without words. How did this process work in this case?

We were very aligned with the direction for this record and that definitely made things much easier.

Since we have been friends for long there was a high level of trust within the process and we respected any decisions that were taken jointly or individually.

What are your thoughts on the need for compromise vs standing by one's convictions? How did you resolve potential disagreements in this collaboration?

I think it really depends on the type of collaboration and the final outcome of the product.

Often as a producer I will try to stand by my decision when it comes to working with singers or sessions musicians since it is my record and must fit the overall vision and sound of my artist project.

When collaborating with other producers I always try and look to find a middle ground that works for everyone.

Was/Is this collaboration fun – does it need to be?

Absolutely, it was a ton of fun and I think every collab must be.

If you’re not having fun in a creative process anymore I think that’s a very strong sign to look elsewhere.