DJ and producer X Fader, is no stranger to the music scene, highly acclaimed in the Indian music circuit, he has been resident DJ at some of India 's most renowned clubs and even created a name for himself as a radio presenter on Delhi 's hot commercial radio station. Now with years of experience behind him, he is ready to show the world what he is about. X Fader has brought us something fresh for our ear drums in time for 2012… the very best of Fusion; world music and an eccentric mix-up of different genres and sounds. X Fader's latest single ‘ Bekhabar' is a blend of the Indian and middle-eastern culture, from beats to vocals, the track is tranquil with perfect production. This is all just a taster of what is in store for 2012… With his album ‘ Jiwan' in the pipeline, I am super excited to see which talented world artists X Fader will be featuring. In the meantime I catch up with the man of music to find out more!



Tell us a bit about how you got started in the music industry?  

Since a very young age I have always been involved with music, I performed at various inter-school and national music competitions as a keyboard player and a vocalist. During those days, a few friends of mine had bought some DJ equipment. They always used to ask me to come and play around with it. Now back in 1998, turntables and professional CD players were a very new and rare thing in Delhi . I clearly remember, within 2-3 days, I was standing there making live remixes for them, and that's when they started taking me to their events. Professionally, it all started when I was in college. I got picked up by Sound of Music, which is a top entertainment and DJ services company in Delhi , while I was playing at an event and then it went on from there.

You started DJ'in at a young age, was your first appearance in a club overwhelming?  

I was about 16 that time and I was lucky enough to have opportunities to perform various music competitions whilst I was at school. So when I performed at a club for the first time, it was not at all overwhelming. I remember, I was so hyper and into the music.

What musical influences did you have whilst growing up?  

I have always listened to a very diverse range of music, everything from pop – Michael Jackson to bollywood – A.R. Rehman, hip hop – Biggie, Tupac to all sorts of electronic music. And yes, recently a lot of Asian Underground – Karsh Kale, Talvin Singh, Nitin Sawhney etc.

You were also a radio presenter at a popular Delhi station, what was that like?  

It was great!!! I really enjoyed it and learnt a lot of technical stuff while working there. Plus when you're presenting for a leading radio station in Delhi , where the listeners are hundred thousands, the feeling of connecting with so many people is just unexplainable. The most exciting part was taking them live on-air. I used to also do the audio production while I was there, which gave me a chance to master my skills. And yes, voiceovers were a new skill which I developed.

As a producer, would you say you have a signature sound? How would you define your style of music?  

Yes, having a signature sound is good, but I would rather call it having a few signature elements, which I have made sure have come through in my productions. This is the fusion of Eastern and Western influences in all aspects lyrically, vocally and musically. For example, in the first single - ‘Bekhabar' the theme of the track was Arabian. Apart from the Arabian musical bits, I made sure that there were authentic Arabic vocals on the track as well, which in my view gives the track a whole new international feel to it. The western influence came through the beats and programming.

In fact, when I was producing the album, I treated every track differently and tried to do something different but at the same time made sure that the fusion element was always there. Secondly, since I come from a DJing background, the commercial element also has to be present, which means sing-along hook lines and beats you can easily dance to.

I would define my style as Asian, Arabic and Urban Fusion.

With music constantly changing, and a lot of new trends emerging from Europe , how do you keep up with what is in?  

For me, the best resource is the dancefloor. As a DJ, I have been lucky enough to play around the world. I go to India for various events and I have been djing at the top asian clubs and events in the UK since 2003, so I get to learn and am constantly updating myself on what sounds or trends people like in India , over here or any other part of the world. Secondly, the internet, TV and radio stations also provide a fair amount of information on trends, and what people like in general.

Tell us a bit about your latest track ‘Bekhabar'?  

‘Bekhabar' is the first single from the forthcoming album titled ‘Jiwan' (meaning Life). The track is a fusion of Bollywood, Arabic and electro breakbeat sounds, and features two vocalists.

Simran from New Delhi , India , sings the Hindi section which is written by S. Mukhtiar and the Arabic part is sung and written by Mai Khalil who is from London but originates from Syria .

With 'Bekhabar' I have tried to combine to two worlds of commercial Bollywood and underground electronica. Lyrically and vocally, I made sure that the Hindi vocals do the job, as the hook line is simple and catchy. The Arabian vocals were necessary to give the track an international feel. I then fused the vocals with western beats keeping a club audience in mind. As the 4 by 4 housey beats are common and so many DJ's are doing house remixes, I went for something different with the nuskool breakbeat sound. There is an Arabian housey version which is on the album as well.

What was it like working with Mai Kalil and Simran – how did you get hook up with them for the track ?

I met Mai through a common friend. We heard each other's tracks and straight away there was a connection. Mai has done a fantastic job on the track for sure.

With Simran, we were performing at an event in Delhi back in 2007, and I was amazed at her voice. She was only 18 at that time and was performing bollywood hits with so much of confidence. When I started working on the music project, she crossed my mind and I asked her if she would sing ‘Bekhabar' ad luckily for me she agreed.

I do think there is a lot of new and upcoming talent out there who need a proper platform to be showcased.

Tell us a bit about the music video for the track ?  

The video is directed by Shivang Chopra from Studio Live and was shot at an exclusive bar in London . Everything was done in-house and we used whatever resources we had. The girls featuring in the video are Mai Khalil - the singer, Chandini and Simran.

Your debut album ‘Jiwan' is also soon to be released, what is the concept behind this? What can we expect from it?

The album is named after my father ‘Jiwan' which means life. It will be releasing in the middle of next year. I also wanted to call it 'Jiwan' because every song in the album tells it's own story, and they are my interpretation of everyday life and experiences, both lyrically and musically. Musically mainly because of the multi cultural influences which dominate our lives. So, I would say that the main concept of the album is Asian, Arabic and Urban Fusion and will appeal to all ages. You can expect everything from Bollywood and Bhangra sounds to Electronica, R'n'B and even Dancehall influences. Initially, I produced 16 tracks in total, but then had a very difficult task of picking 9 for the album so I made sure that every track was different from the other. We have shot 3 music videos to promote the sound of the project.

Are there any artists you plan on working with in the near future?  

I'll be doing some more stuff with Mai and S. Mukhtiar, the lyricist. I have got a couple of offers to do background music for a few movies in Bollywood which my management are currently negotiating, so fingers crossed that will then hopefully lead to new partnerships and collaborations.

What else do you have in store for 2012?  

Well 2012, is going to be a year mainly for promoting the album. I will be planning a tour to India very soon. I was there between Jan. and April this year and performed at various club/private and corporate events. I'm hoping that next year I'll do bigger and better events and get to travel more.

Where can the B4U fans find out more about you?  

My website – www.djxfader.com

I am also on all social networking sites - facebook (manish djxfader), twitter (manishxfader).