Vridian Releases New EP on San Francisco Based Label Manjumasi

Delhi based electronic music DJ and producer, Vir RC aka Vridian has been carefully steering his career in all the right directions. Having released music on labels like Nie Wieder Schlafen (Berlin), Dream Culture (Toronto) & Qilla Records (India), he is now back with a flavorful EP called Silverfish, which has been released on Manjumasi, a San Francisco based deep, melodic dance music label. Working on expanding his listenership, Vridian has been touring all across the country. The move to release on Manjumasi comes at an opportune time as Vridian plans to explore venues to play outside of the country next year.
We got in touch with him to know more about the release. Read below!

1. How did the release on Manjumasi come about?

The label ‘Manjumasi’ is the brainchild of world-renowned DJ / Producers Atish, Mark Slee and Naveen G. I’ve been a fan/follower of theirs for some time now and they recently announced that they were starting their own imprint. The label itself has an impressive catalogue with music from artists like Doyeq, Tim Engelhardt, Tim Green, Adisyn, M.O.N.R.O.E, Dance Spirit – to name a few. I’ve been using loads of their music in my sets. I had written a few tracks and thought I’d give sending the demos a chance. Atish had also slotted my earlier release ‘Fragments’ into one of his Spotify Playlists. He replied and picked the tunes I least expected him to pick! After that, with some constructive feedback, we took some months to finalize the versions that are now ready for everyone to hear / play.

2. What is the purpose of releasing your music on these foreign labels/how do you think it is helping you?

This question would have a two-part answer. Most of these labels are run by musical tastemakers and are connected to the right audience. To have one’s music selected by them is a great feeling. The audience they have built has a certain taste and these labels help us connect to those people who would be inclined towards that spectrum or style of music. I will not lie, there is a sense of validation in having such associations as well. Not only does one get new listeners, but one is exposed to a whole new network of artists that are dabbling in a similar space. This can potentially lead to all kinds of cool collaborations, depending on how one decides to use this network. These label affiliations can also potentially lead to many opportunities overseas as well. I definitely believe in independent releases as well, but I feel it’s necessary to have these on my catalog as well.

3. How do you decide on who to approach for remixes of your originals?

Many different ways to go about this. In this case the label head honchos asked me a list and I straight away shot the names of my current favorites. That’s probably not the best approach (haha). For me it would be finding someone who can add an unexpected twist to my work or it would have to be someone who is also working in the same mood (the style of music need not be the same, but the mood is similar). Its a super abstract question because sometimes it’s fun to send the remix/collaboration to an unexpected artist.

4. What plans do you hold for the future? Any performances out of the country?

I have recently just begun working on a non-dance music EP that I intend on releasing independently. There will (hopefully) be some exciting collaborations on it and I’m basically writing it to exercise the other side of my musical inspirations / influences. Beyond that, I very much have plans to go play outside the country summer 2020 onwards. Nothing is concrete yet, but its all in the works. Step by step!