Name: Anil Chawla aka Amotik
Nationality: British-Indian
Occupation: Producer, DJ
Current release: Amotik's Amotik 013 is out July 21st 2023 via AMTK+.
Recommendations: Chris Lum - "Get Connected (Fred Everything's Connected Mix)" - this one’s from the early 2000s when I was playing house in London. Back then, I was doing a lot of opening sets, and this was my favourite track to open the night. My copy is totally worn out from getting played so much. Even though I don’t play house any more (apart from the odd private party), I still kept a bunch of records from that era for nostalgia's sake.
Aztec Mystic ‘Knights Of The Jaguar’ - on those rare times I’ve played it, there’s usually one or two people that ask me which track it is, so I’m hoping for the same for someone reading here.

If you enjoyed this Amotik interview and would like to stay up to date with his  music, visit his profiles on Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud, and twitter.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

With my eyes closed, I see black and white rhythmic patterns, but not so much colour (unless there is a strong external light present).

If the environment allows, I much prefer to listen to music with my eyes closed to really close off the senses and zone in. These are the best moments of escapism on the dance floor, and I regularly do this in the studio to try and mentally picture how things will sound and feel on a dance floor.

What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

When I was around 13 years old, I joined the school brass band - first playing the trumpet and later the tuba. I quite enjoyed music lessons in school, and joining the band was something extra to pass the time. Although I only stuck it out for a couple of years and never did any practical music theory - it really gave me a feeling for music in general, and learning how phrasing works really helped when I started DJing.

Obviously, experience counts for a lot, but I’m really glad those basic lessons were engrained when I started to DJ and then later produce music.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music meant to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

That’s interesting because I didn’t read this question until I answered the previous one, so I guess I already answered it by accident. Later on in that period, when I was around 14-15, I was also listening to a fair amount of acid house / rave / jungle as growing up in the UK in the mid-90s, it was kind of unavoidable - but I was still naturally drawn to it.

Not much has changed since then on a very basic level - I’m still incredibly attracted to and excited by electronic music.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music?

Aside from the early brass band experience, an intuitive sequencer / DAW is without a doubt such an essential tool for me. I’ve been using Ableton for many years now, and it’s just ridiculously functional to get help get what I envision in my brain into the speakers.

I’m also very thankful to have had good friends around me in the early days who helped introduce me to music production - first with Cubase, then logic. But it was only after using Ableton that I felt confident enough to produce music on my own.

As for shaping my perspective on music - these tools simply give me the invaluable freedom to make the music that I want to make.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

Everything I’m searching for, whether it be music for DJing or producing music is based on certain frequencies that get my brain / ears excited. I’m not looking for certain melodies, bpms, or percussive elements but just some undefinable magic freq. and resonance peaks that grab my ear. Even the most simple DJ tools have soul if those frequencies are present enough to make me move.

It’s pretty basic, but that’s what keeps me motivated - finding those frequencies when I’m looking for music and recreating them within my own sound.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

I think that’s a fair statement and also relates back to my previous answer in terms of not looking for any particular element like the chords or lyrics, but something in the sound as a whole that is getting my attention.

My sound was initially created / defined the way it is because I wasn’t very good at mixing, so projects with more than 5 or 6 tracks were very overwhelming. I kept things as limited as possible and did my best to work with sound design via reverb / delay/effects etc to add both character and subtle movement. Then I could ideally keep the same riff running for 5-7 minutes without being boring (in my opinion, of course).

My ethos for making music was heavily influenced by this lack of mixing ability and therefore led me to a minimal sound aesthetic (not specifically the mnml genre). There are exceptions if I’m working with something heavily sample-based, but I still like working 5-6 tracks maximum as this limitation works best for me.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

Where I live in Berlin, I don’t often wake up to birds or crickets chirping as I’m in the middle of a concrete jungle. So when I hear these sounds, it often takes me back to being at a peaceful place like Ubud in Bali where you are completely surrounded by nature, or my Grandfather’s ashram in Hastings (UK) which is also encompassed by nature and peace.

Non-human sounds like this, in my experience, can be mentally transformative and yes, they are absolutely musical.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

I am totally drawn to this. Playing with and creating tension is probably the most exciting and rewarding thing for me in terms of DJing (or producing music) and also the most challenging. This tension and release can only really happen when you have some kind of contrast happening.

Specifically the contrast of having those deeper and quieter moments where you can breathe can only make the intense moments so much more powerful, and this is what I am always looking for, especially in the context of longer DJ sets. This is also what I’m searching for on the dance floor when I’m partying.

As for the response, moments like this, when everything comes together, are therapeutic.

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

My music production process is pretty straight ahead - there’s nothing too complex about it, at least not in terms of a structure. But I do like to play with non-linear nuances within my arrangement to help create some light unpredictability so things aren’t always so 100% straight.

But ultimately, what appeals to me is that primal instinct and addiction that resonates with repetitive beats.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

When producing my new record (AMTK013) I’d just moved into a new studio in autumn last year and had recently bought a new synthesiser (Novation Peak), so I had 2 new things to work with. But all 3 tracks came together within a week, with all synth sounds from the Peak.

It’s quite dear to me because it represents a warmer sound that I’ve been really enjoying playing / making lately in contrast to a lot of the harsher, faster sounds I’ve been hearing in clubs over the last few years, and it’s also special because it is the first record I wrote in my new studio.

Sometimes, science and art converge in unexpected ways. Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

No. I’m into going with a feeling rather than following a particular strategy or insight when I’m writing.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

Aside from the process of connecting with people and disconnecting from the world in nightclubs (and the meditative / therapeutic benefits of that), music has given me the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and from different cultures - whether it be in Berlin or on the road.

I’m so incredibly thankful for this because we all need to be challenged on our beliefs and value systems, and reflection comes naturally within this process. Meeting strangers and having an experience together with someone you may not otherwise interact with can be incredibly introspective and rewarding.

Whether or not this is about understanding music on a deeper level, this is all brought together by music as a foundation.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Making a great cup of coffee is a skill that can be done with a lot of love, just like writing music, so we can absolutely draw some parallels even though we are talking about totally different things here.

As for expression, I can’t speak for others, but I’m sure people are able to express themselves through what could be considered a ‘mundane’ task, whether that be making coffee or otherwise. It’s just a matter of perspective.

You could also argue that making music could be a mundane task for some. I could imagine this is the case for those who make music purely for money.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

Aztec Mystic ‘Knights Of The Jaguar’ is my all-time favourite piece of music (electronic or not). I very rarely play it to be honest, as it’s such a well-known classic so feels like an obvious choice, but it holds a place in my heart.



It’s not that I can’t explain the effect though - the melody in this track is just beautiful and brings me back very fond memories in the early 2000s when I was first seriously getting into clubbing.

It still sends shivers up my spine listening to it now as I write this.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

Everyone’s been talking about the return of minimal music for years now and as we go into the post hard techno / schranz cycle, is it finally going happen? Not that I was particularly fond of minimal as a genre but I’d be happy to see a comeback with a modern twist.

I’ve also been writing some music this week with an old mid-2000s New York tribal vibe, so I would not be unhappy if that had a revival, but again with a modern take on it.