Soldier Of Sound: Ashwin Gobinath

An interview with Ashwin Gobinath, drummer and composer for the band Nadir, as well as sound engineer and producer at Nadir Studios.

What projects are you currently involved in?
I play the drums for Nadir. I'm also recording, mixing, and producing a few bands such as Skies Are Red, Cats In Love, and my own band Nadir.

How do you juggle between work and music?
It's not that difficult as my work is also my passion. I just make sure to always get enough rest and I try not to work on weekends.

What's your inspiration behind Nadir's music? 
We get inspired by each other, really. We all come from different cultural backgrounds and life experiences and that makes for a very interesting blend of people that translates into our approach and philosophy of making music.

How's the writing process like for Nadir? 
We all get together and just jam it out for an hour or so, and we let everyone guide the music so it flows through every member of the band. All that is recorded and from that jam, we have the core ideas for a few songs. Sometimes we work on riffs that one of us came up with, and soon it blossoms into a more elaborately laid out arrangement. So it's quite flexible. And from there we add the finesse required until we have a finished product.

Any plans for another album? 
Definitely! We are in the process of recording the songs now.

What are your main musical influences?
Everyone in the band has such a diverse musical taste that it bleeds into our jams and compositions. We craft our songs out of that amalgamation. It's a bit hard to narrow down the specifics but to name a few inspirations: Snarky Puppy, Tool, Rush, Dave Mathews Band, and many more

What was the first song that you learnt on drums? 
ACDC "Back in Black".

What are your weapons of choice?
Vic firth sticks and maybe an axe.

If you had a chance to either perform or record with one of your idols, who would it be? 
John Butler. I've always loved his music, message, and his purity towards his compositions ranging from slow mysterious songs to driving foot-stomping stuff.

What's your message to young aspiring musicians?
Don't give up. Eventually, you'll find your niche and your family. And when that maturity hits, you start creating magic. But you have to pay your dues and go through the shit first.