Today we’d like to introduce you to Sunset Shades.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’d say it’s a crazy personal arc with so much growth and learning throughout. I’m born and raised in Mumbai in India and I come from a middle-class family with no connection to the arts/creative industries. As a little kid, I was constantly told I had an inclination toward sound and a great sense of rhythm. I picked up a few instruments growing up that’s where I began developing my musical skillset. It started making me more and more passionate about music. As I got into my teens, I was exposed to several global styles of music and electronic music especially. It immediately piqued my interest and curiosity about how these sounds were made/programmed. I later learned that anyone could produce music as well as mix different songs using software on their computer.
I initially was driven towards the latter and started to teach myself how to DJ on my computer using a free software called Virtual DJ. I learned all the basic techniques and tricks but was keen on getting experience with a real DJ setup. I came across a friend who was a DJ at a restaurant and was also older than me at that time. He tested my knowledge and skills in mixing music and I was pretty decent even for a first-timer. He just showed me which buttons I’m not supposed to press at all and would let me play for hours just by myself. Gradually he would ask me to fill in for him and that was pretty much how I got better at DJing, while I was still in school. In high school, I began playing at pool parties, house parties, and little talent showcases for free. Even at the restaurant where I regularly played, my payment was a glass of soda and a small Margherita pizza.
On the other side, I was studying to become an engineer which I was not interested in, and was struggling to convince my parents that I potentially could pursue something in music or a creative industry as a career. It was tough since they had no idea what I was up to all this while. During this time, I started teaching myself how to produce music. The internet was and is my teacher and most things I know to do in my field of work are learned through it. Being a self-taught musician, I lacked theoretic knowledge but had the benefit of not following any rules, steps, or guidelines to producing music, hence allowing me to put in endless hours in crafting my sound, which I feel I’ve discovered recently. It’s been over 7 years since I’ve been making music and it’s become more of an expression than just a hobby or passion. I’m able to convey feelings and express thoughts that I would fail to explain verbally. I completed my bachelor’s in advertising and moved to the US in 2019, to get a master’s in the music business.
To me, it was a great opportunity to combine my passion for music and add the business and management element to it that I could potentially use in my career in the future. It was around this time that I kick-started the Sunset Shades project and started building a sonic universe of my music. All of this was possible because of my parent’s support and motivation and I’ll owe all of my progress and success to them. I’m currently 24 years old and in the early stages of my career as an electronic artist. I’ve played shows alongside incredible and established touring artists, to audiences as big as a thousand people in various venues across different cities like Chicago & Seattle, and even music festivals like SXSW in Austin. I’m excited and ready for this year as I’m about to put out my first album under the alias.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been equal amounts of smooth and challenging to establish myself as an artist. When I moved to the US, I had to start from scratch, with no friends, no support/connections, and at most times I’d be treated like an outsider. To break this perception and convince people to give me a chance and a platform, it definitely took a lot of extra effort to let people know I’m here and deserving because of the merit of my talent. Spending most years as an international graduate student after being in the US, would limit me from taking up opportunities that would pay me leading to low initial investments in the project. Personally, I would say there aren’t many major challenges that felt difficult to power through but there definitely have been tiny little obstacles that felt tough to overcome, but in a field like mine or any other in the creative industries, it is a part of the process and you eventually learn to work around them.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I would primarily describe myself as a musician, an electronic music producer, and a performer. Some of the elements involved in my music-making process are writing, recording, sound designing, and programming audio using a mix of organic and synthesized sounds and building a unique sonic experience for a listener. The music is organic, chilled-out, euphoric electronic music that sonically fits the sunset’s visual. The goal is to reflect what I feel and hear in my head when I watch a sunset, represent my mysteriously fluid and uplifting personality, and allow listeners to relate and experience their version of nostalgia. A weird feeling of nostalgia that surprisingly makes you look forward to better beginnings. I play two kinds of sets, mainly a live set that involves performing with instruments and analog musical gear, as well as DJ sets, where I mix different songs to curate a thematic experience for the audience. Both shows, aim to be a culmination of sonic & visual storytelling. The idea is that you’re sharing this thing with everyone, but everyone is experiencing it in their own way. The music and the shows display hopefulness like a sunset, by promising a new dawn/beginning.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Growing up I was never into reading and even till date, I don’t usually pick up books as frequently to learn about new things or use them as a resource to help me do better in life or my craft. Honestly, Apple’s voice notes app is something I use a lot to randomly record ideas, real ambient soundscapes and textures, and melodies, and even record myself banging on random objects to make drum sounds out of them. In addition to that, I also use the Dolby On app to record high-quality stereo audio, just in case when I’m with a vocalist and I could track studio-quality vocals from my phone. I also have been using the Auxy Pro app for over two years now which is an on-the-go music production app.
It’s super easy and very convenient to import the files I’ve made on the phone onto my computer and continue where I left last. I’m very comfortable making music in random weird places be it a patio, the back of a car, on airplanes, hotel lobbies, etc. Since I’ve developed this habit of writing music anywhere, I use these tools to never lose a creative flow, no matter where I am. I watch/listen to a bunch of podcasts like the Tape Notes Podcast for learning more about modern music production and the approach to writing music and The Ranveer Show by BeerBiceps for motivational and spiritual learning. I do read a bunch of blogs too to be updated with new developments in the industry and the world and learn tricks and quick fixes pertaining to my craft.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunsetshadess/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sankalp-tambe-80ab6b1a4/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/sunset_shades
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/sunset-shades
Image Credits
Shehzad Ali Chaudhary (Shami)
