When we heard that three EDM artists, of which two are well known to have played alongside stars like Hardwell, Axwell^Ingrosso and Afrojack, have decided to visit the Sunburn campus Manipal (thank you RedX), we decided to stop by and chat them up about how it feels like to be successful on the road less taken. Making a career out of your dreams is worth every bit as we could clearly see from the crowd that couldn’t stop dancing. Also we had Rajat Mahajan a.k.a DJ Axonn, who started his gigs at KC(relatable much?) and is en route to making it big.
Read on to know more about their favorite DJs, their experiences with the heroes of the EDM world, and what you need within you in order to be successful.
Sartek, known for being the first Indian artist to have been signed by the legendary Revealed Recordings, Hardwells label, brought the crowd alive with his exclusive performance. He has performed with Axwell^Ingrosso, Armin Van Buuren, Martin Garrix and Hardwell. Being a producer turned DJ from Delhi, he is a dream come true for many budding DJs who plan to take this up as a profession. It was a great pleasure to hear him talk while he took us through the journey from the beginning to now, when he’s signed by Hardwell, and is working on an upcoming collaboration with Armada Music. Here is an exclusive interview.
MTTN: How does it feel like to be the first Indian to have been signed by the label Cloud9Music? You are the very first Indian to have been signed by an International label. Your music has been played by Hardwell and you’ve released a single alongside him.
Sartek: There are absolutely no words to this feeling. I was always confident about reaching this place. I happened to upload a free track on my Facebook page, and within four months Hardwell stumbled across that page. That’s how my confidence arose. It made me believe in myself, made me confident about what I can achieve.
MTTN: Do you remember your first club gig? How would you describe your journey from then to now?
Sartek: It has been a very different journey for me. I was a producer first, and then turned on to be a DJ. My first gig was in AIIMS Delhi, and it was the Sunburn festival. Ever since then, my career has gone uphill. I’ve come up with more music labels. Initially I was signed up by David Guetta. Presently I am signed with Hardwell.
In my first show, about 2000 students turned up. I was overwhelmed with the response I got while DJing and my career has turned the other way round since.
MTTN: If you weren’t working one night and got the chance to see any DJ perform, who would that be?
Sartek: That’s a pretty difficult question, a good one nevertheless. But I have to go with Armin Van Buuren. He was my first inspiration. I would love to see him perform live if I ever got a chance.
MTTN: So what next? What future plans?
Sartek: I am coming up with a new track on the 14th or 15th of February. There are a lot of shows lined up till then. We have quite a lot of Sunburn Campuses to visit and yes, that’s all I am doing for now.
Click here for his Facebook page, where he shares his latest compositions and tour destinations!
You can also click here to check out all his tracks.
The first thought that comes into my mind as he ushers me into the green room is that he’s a charismatic and affable person. His debut album “Stay with me” has got him going places and from being a DJ he has now become an all-out producer. Sharing the stage with Afrojack and Blasterjaxx has been just the tip of the iceberg to an interesting personality. Here’s what he had to say about his journey.
MTTN: How would you define the transition since your first performance, to this very day?
Rohan Kapoor: It’s been insane. It’s been a great transition, right from the very beginning. Nothing has happened overnight. It’s been slow and steady. I’ve travelled a long way to come here and I’ve not even reached halfway. Only a quarter of my journey has been accomplished yet.
MTTN: How do you describe your sound and style?
Rohan Kapoor: I’ve always lived by a particular quote as you can see on my page- “Music is in my soul and my soul is in my music”. It totally describes me. Life is music for me. There is nothing beyond it. What I feel, I generate. I believe that the audience comes first, and I give them what they want to hear.
MTTN: You’ve played alongside stars like Afrojack in the Sunburn festival. Is there any particular thing you’ve learned from them that you would like to share with our readers?
Rohan Kapoor: I’ve learned so much from them. Showmanship. They have all reached a level of showmanship that is commendable to say the very least. They are all top notch- it is their showmanship that sets them apart.
MTTN: You’ve worn a lot of different hats throughout your career. You’ve been a touring DJ and currently you’re producing. Which has been the toughest and why?
Rohan Kapoor: Well yeah, I have DJed first. My first song for the people got me excited. Initially everything seems difficult. Perseverance is what gets you here. What do I do? I learn the mechanisms. It is similar to when you drive a car. You need to learn the mechanisms. I love making music and I’ve worked hard to perfect everything I could.
MTTN: I’ve asked Dj Sartek this question, and would love to know your answer too. If you weren’t performing one night, and got the chance to listen to someone perform, who would it be?
Rohan Kapoor: Well, Axwell. Definitely. He has been my inspiration since I was 15 and I’d pick to watch him perform live any day.
MTTN: I remember one of your tweets being about fun backstage at the Sunburn festival. Any specific memory you’d like to share about the behind-the scenes party at Sunburn?
Rohan Kapoor: Well basically they have all these stocks of fruit, meat and alcohol for the stars when they’re here. Their green rooms are literally stocked with the best stuff. And Afrojack is such a busy person, he landed, performed and left. He didn’t even enter the green room. So yeah we got a chance to enter that room and finish everything that had been stocked for him- it was a night of insane partying- and I don’t even want to go into the details of how much fun we had.
MTTN: So what are your future plans?
Rohan Kapoor: Future plans? Making more music. Producing more music. I’ve joined hands with an international producer in England. He is like my brother from another mother, and we have the same passion and interest in music. All our music will now be released under one banner.
MTTN: Some advice you would love to give the budding talent in our college?
Rohan Kapoor: Well, one important advice would be, not to put one leg here, and one leg there. Give it your all or give it nothing. It is an advice I’ve been giving to lot of young guys nowadays. It is a leap I took. And I have a Masters. But I didn’t bother about that, I made music at a time when the money wasn’t big. Nowadays there are way more attractive things than this, so it’s one essential advice-give it your all or nothing.
Check out Rohan Kapoor’s Facebook page here.
A rush of nostalgia washed past him as he recounted how it was being an Engineering student while he dreamt of making his own music. Having finally put his first step towards that very goal, he was overwhelmed at being able to perform at his very own alma mater. Despite having a Btech degree, he took the leap of faith to make his dream come true. Here’s what he had to say about the journey.
MTTN: So, you are an alumnus of MIT. You have carved a niche for music lovers such as you, to take up this dream. How did the transition occur?
Axonn: MIT is where it all started for me. My friends believed in me and they put me up at KC one day to perform. Seeing the crowd light up here is what encouraged me to take it up as a career. I had no idea then that I was going to be this big. It’s full of nostalgia for me to perform in MIT again.
MTTN: How did you come up with such a name-“Axonn”?
Axonn: This is an interesting story. My friends and I were sitting in a room and they suggested I think of a name. We came up with Axonn because it means “Strong wind”. It’s a different and unique name, and literally nobody in the world has this name.
MTTN: Who would your dream remix be for?
Axonn: Well I would love to do a remix for Steve Angello or Axwell.
MTTN: And if you wanted to see someone perform live?
Axonn: Definitely Martin Garrix. I’ve adored him since long and it would be a dream come true to see him perform live.
MTTN: Any advice you’d like to give to the aspiring DJs in our very own classes who want to take the road you took?
Axonn: Well I would say focus on one thing. Make sure your parents are supportive of you. My mom is supportive, dad not so much. Hailing from a Punjabi family I’ve always heard things like “larki nahi milegi” (you won’t get a girl). If you want to make a career out of it, believe in yourself, have a good taste in music and give it your best shot.
To know more about his music and inspiration, click here.
RedX, the Socio-Adventure Club of Manipal organized this as a charity event for underprivileged children. As a person who got to witness both the crowd and the behind-the-scenes of the show, I realized how difficult it is to make such a show a success, also since it was a first-of-its-kind by the club. Despite minute errors, and a few inevitable loops, the night was priceless for the innumerable people who’d turned up. Most importantly, it served its purpose of being quite a successful charity event.
As said to Prattusha Mukhopadhyay for MTTN.