Tracing the bass

The story of DJ Nucleya’s soaring success runs parallel to the story of electronic music in India. From listening to old Bollywood songs to playing in the electronica outfit Bandish Projekt, to now playing his bass heavy tunes like Raja Baja and Bass Rani to prodigious crowds, Udyan Sagar has come a long way from life in his hometown Ahmedabad.“I think d*mn nightlife, there was no day life also,” he says, reminiscing about his early days, as seen in a trailer of the documentary, Ride To The Roots, produced by Red Bull Media House, which is based on his life.

“Earlier this year, Red Bull approached me about doing a documentary covering my story so far and really giving fans an insight into how long it has actually taken me to reach here,” says Nucleya. The documentary follows the artiste as he returns home to Ahmedabad and has a reunion with his parents, re-visits his hangout spots and meets old friends and managers. “I think the most interesting place to re-visit was the basement we used to make our very first tracks as Bandish Projekt. I never actually thought I would be able to go back there and see that space again. However, over the course of the documentary, it happened and that was really exciting,” he reveals. We also meet his wife Smriti, and son Guri in this sneak peek into his private life. 
Along with the ups, there were a few downs as well. “There are always rough patches in any career, but I think this film really captures my overall struggle of 20 years, and how those rough patches actually helped me reach where I am today. It’s important to recognise that and understand how formative those rough years are.” The documentary also sees Nucleya performing on the Red Bull Tour Bus to a crowd of about 10,000 fans in his hometown. He feels that was an incredible experience and never imagined something like that would happen in the city. 

Talking about his upcoming projects, the artiste says he has a few singles expected later this year. “Some will be collaborations and some my own tracks. Rapper Divine and I have a song in Mukebaaz, Anurag Kashyap’s new movie, which I’m excited about. There are some super-exciting plans in the live space, which I cannot talk about much, but definitely stay tuned as this season is shaping up to be the biggest one yet,” he signs off on an upbeat note. 

Premieres August 15 on VH1 at12 pm.