Name: Abhiruk Patowary aka Baba & Co
Occupation: Composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer
Nationality: Indian
Current release: Baba & Co's debut single "Colorhead" is out via Abstract Reality.

If you enjoyed this Baba & Co interview and would like to know more about his music, follow him on Instagram.



When did you start writing/producing/playing music and what or who were your early passions and influences? What was it about music and/or sound that drew you to it?

I started to play piano around 13 years ago, drums around 9 years back and guitar and bass around 8 years.

First started writing around my 6th year of schooling and got into production at 2015. Earliest influences were The Beatles, ABBA and Linkin Park. I also really enjoyed Michael Jackson and Westlife as well as a child!

When I first started playing I got a sense of an individual identity which was a great feeling. That feeling was a big push to carry forward in this craft. Also something about creating art always fascinated me and I enjoy writing and creating music tremendously.  

When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening and how does it influence your approach to creativity?

Two things in particular. The first thing being analysing the music from a critical point of view and the second being just recognising what I’m feeling in response to what I am hearing. Both of these things happen subconsciously.

Critical listening helps in arranging the song and the emotional aspect helps in delivering the voice of the authentic self. Which I feel is a big part of what makes a piece unique.

How would you describe your development as an artist in terms of interests and challenges, searching for a personal voice, as well as breakthroughs?

Searching for a voice was just a bunch of trial and error.

I like writing for a lot of genres but after writing and experimenting a lot I decided to make three projects, Flying Cupid - which is a Modern Metalcore Act, Baba and Co. - which is dedicated to making intricate and experimental music and Baba - which is dedicated to making more mainstream music (debut single for Baba will come out March end- April first week). Now the goal is to develop these three projects simultaneously.

A big challenge I am facing currently is marketing my music. It is a craft in itself and I have tremendous respect for the people who do this.

Tell me a bit about your sense of identity and how it influences both your preferences as a listener and your creativity as an artist, please.

I like colours and have a constant desire to keep life colourful. That desire keeps me constantly searching for new art and falling in love with a familiar art over and over again.

Because of this I generally tend to write music which has a lot of textures and different soundscapes. It also helps me to make music not limited to just one genre.

A big part of my identity is also peace and love, like to live a chill, low-key life with lots of peace and lots of love which helps me be inspired and happy all the time hence writing blocks never happen.

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

Making art is a very in the moment process. I practice and learn new things, ponder about song ideas and just make small demos and record ideas.

And then I just sit in the studio and the writing process happens very naturally.

How would you describe your views on topics like originality and innovation versus perfection and timelessness in music? Are you interested in a “music of the future” or “continuing a tradition”?

I believe an artist is feeling a certain emotion when they are making a piece of music and making the listener experience that same feeling is what I am interested in.

If one successfully displays this, one has already created something original. Which I’d say is a success.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools - and what are the most promising strategies for working with them?

DAWs (Logic Pro X to be precise)!

When I started recording and producing music on my own, it was a game changer. With the help of MIDI, editing the creative process became much faster. And with how smooth the workflow is in a digital setting, the experimenting possibilities are endless.

Another very big tool is consistency, in terms of writing and learning.

Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work, please.

I don’t have a fixed routine but rather weekly objectives which can be learning, writing, practising and miscellaneous work related to the things I mentioned.

The freedom of not falling into a patterned schedule helps me be creative and keeps life exciting.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of a piece, live performance or album that's particularly dear to you, please?

Before writing “Colorhead” I had a few things I wanted in a song. I wanted a Phrygian Dominant chorus, a guitar solo with Guthrie Govan influences, a metal outro, and also a section with the brass section. And then it took me around 2-3 sessions to get these ideas recorded.

From there, it was just filling in the gaps and adding different colours to taste.

Listening can be both a solitary and a communal activity. Likewise, creating music can be private or collaborative. Can you talk about your preferences in this regard and how these constellations influence creative results?

Its a mix of both when it comes to listening. But in terms of creating, the first session I will ALWAYS work in absolute isolation.

Once I know what I want and have a better vision to navigate, then only I’d step into collaborations.

How do your work and your creativity relate to the world and what is the role of music in society?

I feel like we make art because we like to and not because it is a necessity. However, it is appreciated if a piece of art brings wellness to society or even has a positive impact on an individual.

But that is a bonus and art is not limited to just that.

How do you see the connection between music and science and what can these two fields reveal about each other?  

Science and music theory have proven that you can find a lot of patterns in music. Music is just a bunch of wiggly air.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. 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?

Writing music, painting, dancing or making a cup of coffee, these are just different vessels one can use to express oneself.

To do even a ‘mundane’ task with excellency one needs to attain some level of mastery so I don’t think you can rank these expressions of creativity.

Music is vibration in the air, captured by our ear drums. From your perspective as a creator and listener, do you have an explanation how it able to transmit such diverse and potentially deep messages?

Every single cell in our body gets replaced in a span of 5 years. So in 5 years the entirety of my physical being would be someone new, but that doesn’t mean I’ll become a new human being. Similarly if I cut my finger off that doesn’t mean I’ll become less of myself. That’s because we have a consciousness and we are greater than just mere entities made by science and we don’t understand most of it.

Yes, music is vibration in the air, captured by our ear drums, but that’s just the process of how we are hearing it. Our self awareness and consciousness connect us to art in a much deeper way and that is because of physiological, cognitive and socio-cultural reasons - and also other aspects which I believe we still do not fully understand.