Aroma (IND) is an artistic project focused based in New Delhi, India. He focuses on blending organic essence with modern-day electronic sounds. His signature emanates from nature and captures the beauty of earthly cultures and diversity. His music spans across various spectrums and genres like house, melodic, techno, progressive, organic, and downtempo, inviting listeners on an expedition to uncover their more emotional side, wild thoughts & dreams.
EG caught up with Aroma (IND) to learn more about the drop of his ‘Furuha’ EP on Dialtone, what inspires him, his views on the current state of the scene, and more.
EG: Hi Aroma (IND)! Welcome to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. Where are you based right now? How have you been?
Aroma (IND): Hey EG, thank you so much for having me. It is a pleasure for me as well. I am based out of New Delhi, India. I have been good, super busy with work and life at the moment. A lot is happening!
EG: First of all, congratulations on the release of your ‘Furuha’ EP on Dialtone! What has the reception been like?
Aroma (IND): Oh thank you so much! I appreciate. I am extremely happy about the reception on this. The early support on the EP has been mesmerizing. We have already received tons of positive feedback from great names like Lost Desert, M.O.S, Bona Fide, Fluida, Makebo, Citizen Kain, Minnado, Wild Dark, Weird Sounding Dude, and a lot more. I am extremely grateful for all the love and positivity we are receiving. It makes me feel like I’m on the right track with my music and it is very exciting. I would like to extend a big thank you to my friends Noble Spirits for making this possible.
EG: ‘Furuha’ sounds like quite a peculiar word. Any meaning to it?
Aroma(IND): Yes! So, the word ‘Furuha’ is my self-created variation of the Swahili word “Furaha”, which means “joy and happiness”.
EG: So, what’s the inspiration behind ‘Furuha’? Do you seek to tell stories through your music? Or do you view them as ‘sonic explorations’?
Aroma(IND): There is a story behind this. This idea came to me last year at a time when I was not in a very good head space and was feeling extremely lost and anxious. I was trying to find happiness on a daily basis and it was quite a struggle to feel content. Sometimes we have situations in life that test our patience and for me last year was that time. While I was in a confused head space and searching for clarity, I randomly started playing the keys one day. It was just a casual jam and I was trying to pin down my feelings on the keyboard when this melody came to my head. I immediately recorded it and started to experiment on it, to my surprise it was a reflection of the pain I was feeling, but it sounded like a very happy melody. I knew then that this was going to be the main base for my track. I always try to express certain feelings and emotions through my music. I definitely seek to tell stories through my sound as music helps me heal. Sometimes a track is written just for sonic explorations but mostly comes from a place of feeling something.
“This idea came to me last year at a time when I was not in a very good head space and was feeling extremely lost and anxious […] Sometimes we have situations in life that test our patience and for me last year was that time”
EG: What was the process like for this particular EP? What can your fans expect to find on this one?
Aroma(IND): The process for this was pretty interesting. It started with one basic idea and after working several hours in the studio over a course of at least 2-3 months, I had 3 songs ready. I recorded the guitar and piano on the title track ‘Furuha’ and for the other two ‘Levitate’ & ‘For You’ a lot of atmospheric elements were combined with deep melodic elements and organic percussion, grooves. ‘Levitate’ is about constant growth, changes in life, and ‘For You’ is about love and companionship. The fans can expect a flow of positivity, happiness of course, and a lot of good vibes from this EP. The main aim is to bring peace and joy to them and I hope they enjoy it as much as we enjoyed putting it together.
EG: The EP also comes with 2 remixes, courtesy of Shunus, and Greg Ochman. Any particular highlights?
Aroma(IND): Shunus and Greg Ochman have done a splendid job on the remixes. They both have really created magic with their respective styles and sound. People are really loving their work and we have been getting a lot of ID requests for the same as well.
It was such a pleasure having these two talented producers on board as they are very kind people with exceptional skills. They have been a major source of inspiration for me and collaborating with them has been a wonderful experience altogether. Big thanks to them and team Dialtone for this team effort.
EG: What was the last piece of music you heard before this interview that wasn’t composed by you? Would you recommend it? What are some of your favorite electronic music artists at the moment?
Aroma (IND): I have been listening to ‘Dear Humans – Kidogo (Armonica Remix)’ on Mo Black Records on repeat for a few days. It is my new Afro House favorite and a definite recommendation. Honestly, I have a lot of favorite artists and it is tough to choose out of the lot. To name a few – Weird Sounding Dude, Shrii, Savage & She, Nills Hoffman, Nourey, DT8 Project, Pandora, Themba, and Tinlicker are some of my favorites at the moment.
EG: The pandemic gave us all a chance to slow down and reassess. In the electronic music scene, it even gave us time for some much-needed discussions. What would you like to see more and less of?
Aroma(IND): I agree the pandemic has been a time of self-reflection and deep exploration. I would love to see more collective unity and less hatred amongst the artists and club promoters, bookers, and festival organizers. I also feel it is very important that artists are rightly valued for their talent and get the respect they deserve. Exploitation is one thing I am strictly against, it is very common in our industry so I’d definitely want that to minimize at a great level.
“I always try to express certain feelings and emotions through my music. I definitely seek to tell stories through my sound as music helps me heal”
EG: What’s next for Aroma (IND)? What particular milestones are you looking forwards to now?
Aroma(IND): I am working on a full solo album at the moment, some commercial projects, another EP, a collaboration with Mimi Page, and another one with Noble Spirits which I truly hope can see the light of the day very soon. If all goes well, I am also looking at launching my own record label in the near future.
EG: Thank you so much for your time, Aroma(IND)! We wish you all the best for the future.
Aroma(IND): Thank you so much for having me and for the good vibes. It was great talking to you. Sending my best wishes and positive energy your way.
Aroma (IND)’s ‘Furuha’ EP is out now via Dialtone. Purchase your copy here.
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