The Brvtalist is proud to present a new mix from Profanayty. The untamed alter ego of India based artist Nayanika Kapoor, Profanayty wears many hats, most often against a running backdrop of routine bans from the social media police for provocative expressionism, and utterly ruthless doomsday techno interspersed with old school rave and gabber kicks. Typically operating at a broiling high BPM, a trip to the upside-down with Profanayty takes no prisoners in her break-neck exploration of strains of techno, acid, and hardcore. An almost ritualistic experience, the ways of Profanayty are designed to inspire an unholy piety amongst the discerning as well as an unsuspecting. Her spawns lovingly refer to her as the First Lady of Pandemonium, for consistently demonstrating her unadulterated fidelity towards the far extremes of the collective grand envelope of music, arts, and culture, and striving to evoke the spirit of uncompromising debauchery coupled with sweat- soaked hedonism.
Since discovering her work, I’ve been drawn in to Profanayty’s super charged universe and today we are thrilled to present this pulse pounding set which introduces us to her sound and energy. In addition, we spoke with the artist about her background, throwing parties in India, the lockdown and more. (see more below).
The Brvtalist: Tell us a bit about your background and how you discovered/got into techno, industrial and rave sounds.
Profanayty: I’m currently based out of India’s culture capital city of Mumbai. My childhood has been, for the lack of a better term, nomadic for the most part. I have changed 16 schools in 18 years. At the risk of sounding like a cliché’, I’d say the only constant in my younger years was music, and it took a pivotal role in my life. As a teenager with an unstable childhood and a lot of angst, my playlists sported everything from metal to hard trance. I was also a drummer in school, which I credit for having developed my affinity towards heavy percussion. My tryst with techno began when I started attending underground gigs with my ex after moving to Mumbai. This eventually led to taking a deep dive into the underbelly of underground sounds. In 2016, I attended Magnetic Fields, an Indian festival that celebrates rave culture in the middle of a barren desert. It was there that I had that defining moment that is crystal clear in my head – a 3 am set by Helena Hauff berating the dance floor relentlessly. The pillars of the courtyard were rattling from the bass, and I had never heard anything as dark, raw, powerful, and liberating in my entire life. It instantly grew on me, and in that moment, I had an epiphany where I found my love for the primal energy that the sound inspires. It was only onwards and upwards from then with my playlists becoming ripe with sounds of industrial, rave and hardcore. My love for the sound was testified again last summer in Berlin, at Berghain to be specific haha. I wake up to the music I play, and I sleep to it. I also happen to be a fashion stylist, so my day job largely thwarted my urge for getting behind the decks for a bit. However, I decided to take the plunge and quit my day job in January to focus on playing music. It's the best decision I've made, but then like an uninvited guest at your after-party with no signs of leaving came Covid-19. But regardless, it's given me up the time to really develop my sense-of-self as an artist so I can't complain.
TB: You also run a party where you live. Tell us about the concept and some of the realities of doing a party like this where you are.
P: Basement SLVTN as a concept was birthed a year ago when I realized the dearth of an inclusive, safe space for artists and ravers alike, to express themselves freely in Mumbai. It is a space modeled to serve as a "playground" of sorts, and most importantly minus the techno purist bullshit and promoting fair play - equal opportunity platform, where new artists get to experiment and play for a limited but discerning audience. I have a distinct memory of being told that it would take me at least 3-4 years to be able to play my sound in India because it was too “hard” and I was advised to consider playing minimal/business techno in order to get booked. It was disheartening at first, but I remember having this conversation with Lina (SPFDJ) after her gig in Mumbai, and she told me to stay authentic to myself and my sound no matter what, even if it feels like you're not moving forward at first. That has always kind of stuck with me, because playing music is an energy exchange, and no one is going to enjoy it if you're not enjoying it. This is my attempt to rid the inspired and initiated lot of the faux scene purists. I was not going to get to play my sound any time soon, so I had to create my own space with my own slot, sans pretense and judgment. That is where my inspiration for the party stemmed from. The first edition of Basement SLVTN actually fell together really last minute and very organically. I was speaking to my friend, who turns out wanted to throw a no holds barred hard-techno party himself and co-create this space with me, and had a fully soundproofed basement to hold it at! Four days later, we had a website, posters, stickers, an all women's Industrial line-up and a Basement ready for sweat-soaked hedonistic destruction. Besides that, it was also important for us to be able to give back to society and we decided with every edition of the party we will choose a new social cause to donate to. Thanks to everyone who came and supported us, we were able to raise relief funds for multiple families in Delhi, whose homes and lives were disrupted by the political riots that ensued in February, and being able to do that honestly was the cherry on the cake. Funnily enough, we hosted the first edition right after Helena's set this year in Mumbai and feels like my journey has come a full circle. In India, all venues have to shut by 1am, so being able to throw a party that starts at 3 am and goes in until X hours feels amazing! I'm hoping once things get better we get to go back to hosting Basement and growing the community.
TB: Talk about the scene in India in general. It seems like more and more artists have been going there to play. Do you think it's growing?
P: The scene in India has evolved substantially over the last decade, and we happen to have niche pockets for almost every genre out there. We have been experiencing a surge of really big international acts coming down almost every weekend! Festivals like Magnetic Fields, Far Out Left and Terminal1 have also really helped change the game for the underground scene in India with some stellar bookings! Industrial is still a super niche genre, with just a handful of Indian DJs dabbling in it. It's well-received, and people love to go hard here, but it's not something you get to listen to every weekend. The 1 am curfew for clubs in India is one of the key hindrances, and the Indian legal framework and the rave scene are mortal enemies. Having said that, the future definitely appears promising for the music scene at large, with a steady influx of homegrown talent as well as international exposure.
TB: How has the lockdown been for you? What's it like where you are and how do you see things changing in the future?
P: Well, to be honest, in the beginning it really took a toll on my mental health. Just when I thought I had taken the plunge, and was ready to get the ball rolling we were hit with the Covid crisis, and the uncertainty of what the future holds for me as an up and coming artist was fodder for anxiety. The pressure of how productive everyone was being, was also really stressful initially. Not all of us have access to the resources, gear, or environment to create at this point and time. So I decided to take a month-long break from social media and just set my own pace. I spent the entire month just digging and buying new music, reading and educating myself and creating an arsenal of music for when this ends. I feel like I've found my groove now and I am spending time focusing on myself and creatively expressing whether through art or music. Just doing things more by intuition. India has now entered its 4th stage of lockdown. We have been in lockdown since 23rd of March, so yeah it feels like we are stuck in time at this point. With a population as big as ours, it was expected to take a while before it hits its peak. Unfortunately, the Covid crisis has absolutely disrupted the events industry, not just in India, but globally. Until this is entirely behind us, which in all likelihood will not be the near future, the music scene is destined for an uphill climb. It is a dreadful thought as so many livelihoods are dependent on it and so much that has been built is on the verge of a collapse. However, I am trying to be optimistic here. I see this black swan event serving to be a catalyst for introspection and re-inventing the status quo. This will certainly disrupt monopolies which weren’t necessary beneficial for the scene, and something that shouldn’t exist in such communities. Although it comes with collateral and friendly damage, I hope it also serves as a cleanse which rids the scene of some of the mold.
TB: What's coming up next?
P: I'm definitely going to use this time to learn to produce. I think I have a pretty clear vision of the kind of music I want to make. It's a journey I'm really looking forward to embark on. Today, I'm just looking at this entire situation as a blessing in disguise for me as I feel like I don't have to unlearn the past and adapt to the future. I get to dive headfirst into whatever the new order is going to be like.
Also so much love and gratitude for this opportunity to express myself on your platform! I hope we can return to a better world and the dance floor soon!
-JRS