Praketh Sunder aka BlueOrb chatted with Pallavi Gupta about his fascination for playing downtempo sets and alternative music
Why did you come up with this nameIJ
Back in 2003, I extensively used the Isratrance.com forum for all my info on the electronic and psychdedelic music culture. BlueOrb was my nick on the forum and it evolved into a project as well. When I think of ‘BlueOrb’ the planet earth comes to my mind!
How did you get into deejayingIJ
I come from a defence background and we people love to party almost every week, hence I was exposed to the concept of DJs at a very early age. I also always liked to collect all kinds of music, so both interests clicked and I started deejaying around 1999-2000 but that was just for fun and I took the hobby seriously around 2003-2004 after BlueOrb came into existence.
What do you personally consider to be the incisive moments in your artistic careerIJ
Moving to New Delhi in 2008 changed a lot of things for me, both personally and professionally.
Who were some of your influences when you startedIJ
A healthy dose of psychedelic dub music along with numerous mixtapes by the likes of DJ Shadow, Thievery Corporation, Slater, Soma, Talvin Singh, the DJ Kicks series and a lot more.
These days I find myself influenced by a lot of music coming out from New Zealand like deep dubstep artists on Bassweight Recordings, the neurofunk and glitch hop sounds of Adapted Records to the experimental Enigmatik Records and a lot more.
What do you prefer, deejaying or composing musicIJ
I like both equally.
Who would you love to collaborate withIJ
First name that comes to me is liquid Stranger but I’d play with anyone who shares a common taste in music.
Is BuffaPirate your (blueOrb) alter egoIJ What does it meanIJ
I like playing bass music and on dance floor oriented sets a lot because its fun and energetic but I equally dig playing downtempo sets and promoting alternative music which I feel needs more exposure and listeners in India. Hence somewhere down the line I felt it became important to make a distinction to the variety of music I play and BuffaPirate happened. The rest is history!
What has been your inspirationIJ
It might sound cliche but my own life is my inspiration.
What do you love about musicIJ
I love everything about it.
How do you connect to the Escape Summer VibeIJ
Escape for me always brings up positive memories and feelings. I definitely feel connected to the festival and its wonderful team of people.