Vridian's new EP Mulberry Dreams leans into club-friendly house and deep techno

Delhi-based music producer Vir RC who goes by the moniker Vridian conceived his debut EP Mulberry Dreams as a way of streamlining his sonic curiosities surrounding deep techno, house and ambient sounds. “All the stuff I had written before this was basically dance music that was heavily influenced by the listenable electronica. I wanted to further diminish the listening elements and make some more club-friendly music. As luck would have it, our friendly neighborhood virus hit the town and now clubs are closed globally!” he tells us. 

We caught up with Vridian to talk about his new four-track EP (released under Miami-based label Magician On Duty) and how he’s staying in touch with his craft amid the lockdown:

Tell us about your new EP Mulberry Dreams 

The Mulberry and its tree have been significant in various cultures as symbols of wisdom and patience. These are two profound concepts I am always dreaming of. One can consider it an affirmation for my dreams to come true. I truly believe genre classification is important only for the sake of jargon, but in this case I simply tried to make dance floor friendly melodic house and techno. 

One of the tracks (called 'Megara') was written with my old friend and former colleague Siddhant Jain. We originally started out as a duo, but decided over time that individual monikers would work better for both of us.

How would you define your sound? 

Deep, groovy and atmospheric. I have realised that it is difficult for me to write a happy song. Even if it is somehow uplifting, it will usually have a melancholic undertone. Of course, all of this is open to interpretation. 

How has the lockdown affected your process?

Gigs have surely been knocked off indefinitely. I am happy to have more studio time and also to take a backseat and focus on learning new stuff. Of course I am doing what I can to shift focus to some audio related commercial work so that the income is not deeply dented. Apart from that, it's nice to be doing chores again. In addition to all this I am now a celebrated sous chef to my girlfriend. I am privileged to have such a positive outlook to this situation and I will never take that for granted.

How are you staying close to your craft amid the quarantine? 

There is a person inside of all of us that loves to be at home, no matter how extroverted. This is a celebration for that side of me. Of course, I am making music more regularly now as many other responsibilities are at a lower intensity. I have to sit down and work on something everyday. Even if not a track, then simply mucking about making sounds or recording a DJ set. Looking for new music is also an important part of the protocol. 

Do you enjoy the underground music scene in the country? 

It was and still is shaping up to be a great time in history for alternative and independent musicians in this country. Even though it's going to be a large step back in terms of shows / events / venues, there has never been so much quality music coming out of random little corners across the country. So many genres are well represented.