Mali Caution To The Wind
producer, vocal tracking & editing, composer, arranger, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist
Mali (Maalavika Manoj) is a Mumbai-based singer-songwriter and one of the leading voices in India’s independent pop scene. A Forbes India 30 Under 30 honouree and the first Indian artist selected for Spotify’s RADAR program, she has built a reputation for thoughtful songwriting that blends classic pop influences with contemporary production
Mali approached me with eight demos ranging from partially developed band arrangements to little more than chords, melody and lyrics. We spent the early stages working through each song together, listening to references, iterating arrangements, demoing, and establishing a sonic language that could retain the intimacy of her songwriting while expanding it into a more ambitious pop record.
It was clear that a lush yet crisp pop sound is what the project called for. As such, live drums were frequently reshaped through editing, looping, sampling and electronic layering, allowing acoustic performances to coexist with programmed drums, synths and more experimental production elements. I worked extensively with her band members and additional personnel to teach, workshop, compose, and capture a variety of musical ideas and parts.
My role encompassed production, arrangement, tracking and mixing across the album. I composed almost all bass parts, programmed synthesizers, arranged vocals and strings, and contributed guitar, piano and auxiliary percussion. More complex recording setups were carried out at Island City Studios. The album was mastered by Kristian Montano for Montano Mastering.
The process was deliberately collaborative and instructional. The goal was to empower Mali with greater ownership of the process going forward. Sessions were kept open and exploratory - everything from programming synths to arranging strings were done together. Ultimately, we were able to realize a coherent aesthetic that ties together a diverse collection of arrangements while keeping her voice front-and-center
Highlights
- Deep artist collaboration and development
- String and choir arrangements on Absolute
- Drum mix & string arrangement on Age of Limbo
- Hybrid electronic/live band production on tracks like Cabaret, Live Again, Mundane
- Vocal arrangement on Horoscope
- The ability to compose for and sub in for a variety of instruments and players (see personnel list)
- Aesthetic coherence over an eclectic set of arrangements
Press & Recognition
- Mali Pays Homage to Synth-Pop with Debut LP — Rolling Stone India
- Caution To The Wind Album Review — RSJ Online
- “Caution To The Wind” is a Strong Debut — High On Score
- Singer-Songwriter Mali Champions Honest Lyricism On Enthralling Debut Album — The Indian Music Diaries
- Mali Releases Her Debut Album ‘Caution to the Wind’ — The Wild City
- Popular indie artiste Mali releases Caution to the Wind, her first full-length album — Indulge Express
- The Class of 2021: 25 Favorites This Year — IndieGaga
- #8 - 10 Best Indian Albums of 2021 — Rolling Stone India
- 12 Indian artists who led the way in indie music in 2020 — Vogue India
- #4 - 10 Best Indian Singles of 2020 — Rolling Stone India
Short Round Favourite Strangers
producer, tracking/editing, composer, arranger, mixing engineer
Short Round is the musical project of Mumbai-based singer-songwriter Jishnu Guha, whose lyrical folk-rock and Americana-inspired songwriting has earned him a distinctive place in India’s music scene. Known for an old-school approach to songcraft and a highly collaborative body of work, Guha has performed at festivals including NH7 Weekender and worked with a broad cross-section of Mumbai’s indie music community.
Jishnu Guha brought me a collection of demos rooted in folk, country and classic rock, with an emphasis on songwriting and character rather than a predetermined production aesthetic. Jishnu admired the raw character achieved on my previous productions. My role was to help translate those songs into a cohesive record while preserving the loose, human quality at the centre of Short Round’s music.
The album was assembled across a series of recording sessions in different homes and studios, consulting with each musician involved in the larger Short Round project. I worked closely with Jishnu and his bandmates on arrangements and instrumentation, shaping performances and adding auxiliary percussion and other production elements where needed. Vocal arrangements became an important part of the record, as we had three distinct backing voices in Aria Nanji, Maalavika Manoj, and Rohan Rajadhyaksha.
Each song was built out from the demos with references ranging from CCR, The Beatles, Wilco, Matt Mayes, and more. My goal was to make sure that each instrument and vocal layer plays a coherent role in the arrangements and occupies a distinct space in the sonic spectrum. I mixed the songs to give the listener the feeling that one is hearing the full band while standing in the front rows of a small club or venue. The album was mastered in Toronto by Kristian Montano of Montano Mastering.
Highlights
- Deep artist collaboration
- Arrangement on Ms. Industry of Cool
- Stereo placement throughout
- Dynamic mixes
Press & Recognition
Full personnel credits & streaming links →The Koniac Net They Finally Herd Us
producer, vocal tracking & editing, mixing engineer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist
The Koniac Net is a Mumbai-based alternative rock band founded by singer-songwriter David Abraham. A fixture of India’s independent rock scene, the band has built an international following through extensive radio play, overseas performances and appearances at major Indian festivals including NH7 Weekender. Their music draws heavily from ’90s alternative and indie rock while incorporating hard rock, punk and contemporary pop influences.
The Koniac Net came into They Finally Herd Us with a collection of demos that pushed their alternative-rock sound into 2000’s-era indie rock territory while retaining the melodies and hooks at the center of David Abraham’s songwriting. My role was to help shape those songs into a cohesive record that could move between hard rock, punk, alternative and pop without making it sound like arbitrary genre-hopping.
The album was built around live drums recorded at Gray Spark Audio in Pune, with the remaining production developed through subsequent sessions in Mumbai. The album was mastered by Kristian Montano in Toronto.
With three guitarists in the band, particular attention went into arrangement and tone: different guitars and amplifiers were used to give each player a distinct sonic role rather than allowing the layers to collapse into a single wall of sound. I worked closely with drummer Karun Kannampilly to achieve a warmer drum tone and mix. I also contributed auxiliary percussion, keyboards and backing-vocal arrangements, while working closely with the band on dynamics and overall production.
The goal was a record that could feel genuinely aggressive when required without sacrificing clarity, melody or detail. The resulting album balanced dense guitar arrangements and forceful performances with a more considered approach to arrangement and placement of various layers
Highlights
- Exceptional guitar-layer management: Organized three separate guitar players into coherent sonic identities before tracking
- Choir arrangement on They Finally Herd Us
- Mix on Crawling and Annual Paean
Press & Recognition
- The Koniac Net Dig Deep on New Album ‘They Finally Herd Us’ — Rolling Stone India
- #2 - 2019 Wrap-Up : The Old And The New — Rock Street Journal
- #8 - 10 Best Indian Albums of 2019 — Rolling Stone India
Roundelay There Just Might Be Enough Time
producer, arranger, tracking/editing, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist
Roundelay is an alternative rock band from St. John’s, Newfoundland, formed in 2001 and rooted in the city’s vibrant 2000s indie music scene. Emerging from the local all-ages punk and hardcore circuit, the band developed an eclectic sound spanning alternative, psychedelic and art rock, releasing two albums and an EP while performing throughout Newfoundland and Atlantic Canada.
There Just Might Be Enough Time was Roundelay’s first full-length album in nearly a decade. By the time the project began, the members were living in different parts of Canada, so rather than bringing the band into a single studio, I travelled to each musician and built the record across a series of location-based sessions.
Drums were recorded in Toronto, bass in Whistler, and guitars and vocals in St. John’s. I contributed acoustic guitar, auxiliary percussion and backing vocals, while working with the band to shape arrangements and preserve the idiosyncratic character that had defined their earlier records. Additional organ was performed by James Robinson in Toronto.
Once tracking was complete, I brought the sessions back to Mumbai, where I mixed the album. The album was mastered by Kristian Montano for Montano Mastering.
Ultimately, we achieved our goal of making the best sounding record possible without sanding away the looseness, personality and history between the musicians
Highlights
- Guitar layer-management throughout
- Arrangement direction on Holy Folk, Ferris, and Ordeal Or No Deal
- Instigating spontaneous musical moments and commandeering them into a coherent and emotive recording i.e. the end of Tidal Waves, and Photosynthesis, the bridge of Ferris, and Ordeal Or No Deal
- Early success in creating a raw sounding recording that still sounds great and retains its life
Press & Recognition
Full personnel credits & streaming links →The Lipstick Junkies The Lipstick Junkies
producer, arranger, tracking/editing, mixing/mastering engineer
The Lipstick Junkies were a Toronto funk-rock band known for energetic live performances and a groove-heavy sound drawing from ’70s funk, alternative rock and contemporary indie. Formed in 2012, the band became a fixture of Toronto’s club circuit, later appearing at Canadian Music Week and Indie Week, touring across Ontario and Quebec, and opening for acts including Walk Off the Earth.
The Lipstick Junkies’ self-titled debut was my first full rock-band production. I had discovered the trio through their live shows and was immediately drawn to the energy and interplay between the musicians. The central challenge was to translate that chemistry into a record without over-polishing what made the band exciting in the first place.
Rather than moving the project into a conventional studio, much of the album was recorded in the house where the band rehearsed. I worked with the band closely through pre-production sessions, tightening sections and identifying opportunities to adapt individual songs for record without losing their personality. I developed recording and microphone setups around the limitations of the space, while working closely with the band on augmenting the arrangements.
The project became an early exercise in treating production as more than simply capturing performances. Pre-production, arrangement, microphone placement, room sound and performance direction all became interconnected parts of the process, establishing an approach to recording bands that would continue to inform my later rock productions.
Highlights
- Band and artist development
- First full band production
- No VST instruments used
- Arrangement details in tracks Like Gold, and Strut It
- Vocal arrangements throughout
AndrewLIVE LIVE from the 32nd Floor, Walk Blind EP
producer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, tracking/editing, mixing/mastering engineer, graphic design, press outreach
AndrewLIVE (later Drew Live) is a Newfoundland-born singer, songwriter and emcee whose music moves between hip-hop and soul. AndrewLIVE was a member of hip-hop group ChessClub, whose self-titled debut premiered through VICE’s Noisey and earned an East Coast Music Award nomination. As AndrewLIVE, his powerful, versatile vocals and introspective lyrics became central to his 2013 debut album LIVE From The 32nd Floor.
Andrew and I began working together during my early years producing music in Toronto, initially developing songs that combined his background in hip-hop and soul with my increasingly eclectic approach to composition and production. LIVE From The 32nd Floor became my first opportunity to take responsibility for virtually every stage of creating a full-length record.
Working largely from my 32nd-floor apartment studio, I produced, recorded, mixed and mastered the album while also composing and performing all of its instrumentation. The arrangements combined programmed drums and synthesizers with bass, guitar, keyboards, trumpet and layered vocal parts, allowing me to build a sound around Andrew's unusually versatile voice.
My involvement extended beyond the recording itself. I created the album artwork, coordinated CD manufacturing, assembled promotional materials and helped organize the release show and press outreach. The project, and the subsequent Walk Blind EP, became an early blueprint for the way I would approach independent record production going forward: not simply as an engineer or beat-maker, but as a collaborator responsible for helping an artist develop an idea from its earliest stages through to a finished, released body of work.
Highlights
- End-to-end album production and promotion
- Guitar solo and self-sampling on Never Know
- keyboard solo and vocal arrangement on DKNY
- Horn arrangements on Aces and Live Again
- Vocal arrangements throughout
- String arrangement on Cycles (Walk Blind EP)
