Based in the vibrant city of New York, atish has a musical journey spanning over 15 years. He’s a true master at blending deep melodies and sophisticated rhythms into musical journeys that transport his listeners to another world.
In this interview, we dive into atish’s plans for Amsterdam Dance Event, his musical influences, and even his go-to dance move when the beat drops.
atish is scheduled to perform at Electronic Groove, Listed, and Manjumasi’s fundraiser event during ADE Week 2023 on October 19th at Duke of Tokyo. He will share the stage with Mark Slee, Maxi Meraki, Ivan Sandhas, Arianna Danae, Rivellino, and our special guest Danny Howells. Grab your tickets here.
EG: Hi atish! Welcome back to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. How have you been? Where are you right now?
atish: Hi EG, thanks for having me. I’m currently home in NYC. To be honest, it’s been an emotionally exhausting last few weeks, starting with Burning Man which was many things all at once. That being said, I’m finally coming back to centering myself, and I’ve been finishing and signing a fair amount of music, which has got me fired up in a very good way.
EG: So, the Amsterdam Dance Event is just around the corner, which has us all very excited! What are your plans this time around? What mischief will you be up to?
atish: But Thursday morning, I’m doing a panel/podcast with DJ N1NJA (Farah Nanji) and Saqib, discussing the tipping point for artists. Both Farah and Saqib are my mentees in my Artist Mentorship Program, so will be nice to have us hang together and talk about our perspectives on the music industry. Beyond that, we have our event (discussed) below, and I’m just going with the flow to see what trouble I get into 🙂
EG: You’ll be a part of our ADE week 2023 fundraiser, which will take place on Thursday, October 19th, seeking to raise funds for AnimalRIghts.NL! What can we expect from your performance?
atish: I’ll be playing back-to-back with Mark Slee, my Manjumasi label co-founder, and brother-from-another-mother! We haven’t played B2B in a couple of years, so I think our ADE set probably warrants a chat beforehand to see where we’re lining up. Though to be honest, even without a pre-gig music session, I have no doubt we’ll quickly get into a groove. We’ve been collaborating together on artistic projects for 25 years, so we have each other figured out by this point 🙂
EG: Speaking about playing…What track has been doing the rounds the most in your recent sets? Why?
atish: Richardo Villalobos – Dexter. It’s an old one (2003!), but timeless. I played it at Burning Man, and it evoked such a strong feeling within myself and the dance floor that I’ve worked really hard to work in a few more sets to arrive at more Dexter moments. It’s a track that does so little, is so delicate, yet so powerful… I can’t get enough of it.
“ADE is a reminder that the music industry is about the people just as much as the music”
EG: Now, you’re about to drop the most epic track at the ADE event. What’s the one dance move you’d bust out when the beat kicks in?
Atish: The Bernie dance, of course!
EG: Speaking about tracks and music…. rapid-fire round!
– Current Favorite Banger… Enamour – Body Test. So sad this one just came out, it’s no longer my secret weapon. But of course, I am happy for Michael at the same time 🙂
– I hate it when DJs… Overuse effects (namely flange and reverb). I’ve never seen a flange successfully pulled off, and too many reverb washes tire my ears.
– I love it when DJs… Take risks. I’d rather hear a DJ flop on a musical risk than play it safe for 2 hours. For me, the risks are where the magic happens.
– Guilty pleasure track… Backstreet Boys – Everybody (Backstreet’s Back). I don’t care what you say, that bassline fucking SLAMS.
– Your favorite music memory is when… I saw Daft Punk at Coachella 2006. This was the first show with the Pyramid. Nobody had any idea what to expect, and we all lost our minds.
EG: What are three essential items you always carry in your DJ bag?
atish: Outside the regular technical setup:
– OOFOS recovery sandals. I wear these sandals at almost every gig to mitigate plantar fasciitis foot pain. Old man DJ issues.
– My recorder – I don’t release many sets, but I like to archive everything.
– I have a deck of business cards that just say Stop Talking. I’ve given these out only once or twice in my entire life, but when the timing is right, giving one of these to an overzealous extrovert is hilarious and satisfying…(and really mean).
EG: Amsterdam’s well known for its coffee shops – if your music was a cannabis strain, what kind would it be?
atish: Oh tough one. I honestly don’t know the difference between strains other than Indica vs Sativa. Given that, I’d probably go for a hybrid of the two. I love music with dynamics, so something that pulls from both sides is up my alley.
EG: What’s your go-to pre-gig ritual or lucky charm that gets you in the groove?
atish: Hmm, no real rituals. But I do like to spend time deeply analyzing the crowd response from the DJ playing before so I know where to take my set.
“I’m finally coming back to centering myself, and I’ve been finishing and signing a fair amount of music”
EG: Most importantly, if you could have a holographic DJ battle with any historical figure, who would it be, and what’s your secret weapon track?
Atish: I’d like to take on Mr. Bean to see how wonky he’d take things, and I’d keep ‘Lee Jones, Patrice Baumel – Voice Scatter’ in my pocket!
EG: Finally, what’s the one thing you’re most looking forward to at Electronic Groove’s ADE Week event this year?
atish: Just hanging with friends, like Mark Slee, and making new ones. ADE is a reminder that the music industry is about the people just as much as the music.
EG: Thank you for your time, we can’t wait to catch up at our ADE Week event! See you soon!
atish: Likewise, we’re going to have a great event, and thanks for having me!
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