Ashok Pai, known by his stage name Beyond Charlie in the electronic music scene, is an artist who likes to explore different layers of music and shares a deep connection with nature and art. This is what defines him as an artist and a person who also likes to explore the visual arts, and that inspires his creative process. Coming from the city of Pune, it’s his passion for music and DJing that has transformed him and given shape to his perspective on life. He likes to play with analog, symphonic, and electronic sounds to create his music.
At a young age, Beyond Charlie found music’s power in evoking emotions, and this led him to delve into it completely through producing his music and performing it while he was pursuing law. He began by performing for the nightlife scenes of Mangalore and Manipal, and there he could work on his DJing skills. With the encouragement of the audience, he pushed himself to craft unique sounds of his own. Coming from an orthodox, pescetarian Brahmin family, Beyond Charlie has been brought up with rich traditions of Indian classical music, and her mother taught him to appreciate melodies and the nature of emotive storytelling as she herself was a trained classical singer. Eventually, he started to fuse traditional music with modern electronica, where he was taking two different genres of music forward simultaneously and also bridging generations and their cultures through music.
It was in 2012 when Beyond Charlie was working with Fox Entertainment at Finkenwerder in Hamburg, where he got his share of exposure to the entertainment industry and spent his weekends backpacking to various landscapes to quench his thirst for adventure. He also discovered Berlin’s vibrant techno scene, which deeply impacted his musical sensibilities. Be it the beats or the energy of techno, this exposure to techno music ignited a spark in Beyond Charlie to become an artist with a distinct musical identity, which can be witnessed very evidently today!
Working as an event manager with Wizcraft was a great beginning for Beyond Charlie’s career, and his very first project, Bacardi Megamix featuring Jalebee Cartel and Midival Punditz with Karsh Kale, was a transformative experience in itself. He experienced the fusion of genres and the energy of live performances there; this brought a different kind of understanding to his music, where it wasn’t about sound but about creating an immersive space for the people so that they could resonate with the vibe. This approach helped him discover his passion and push himself to explore new sonic tunes. Working with Bacardi Megamix was not just a job for Beyond Charlie but also his introduction to electronic music, where he could use his creativity and make a way for himself in the electronic music scene as a music producer.
Being a DJ and a music producer has made Beyond Charlie travel to multiple prestigious nightclubs, lounge bars, and music festivals in India, where he got to refine his skills amidst the crowd, feeling their energy and curating sets using different genres. As per him, lounge bars gave him an intimate space to experiment with eclectic sounds. The beachfront in Goa and upscale venues in Pune acted like a platform where he could show his versatility and connect with the audience present there. Music festivals like Sunburn, Vh1 Supersonic, and NH7 Weekender were the places where he got to perform the best of his career and also shared stages with various local and international artists. Performing at the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) is a dream for Beyond Charlie since it is renowned globally as a hub for electronic music where industry professionals, artists, and electronic music enthusiasts celebrate and explore the trends and innovations in dance music. This platform has the potential to give him the freedom to present his style of music on a global level and also a moment to connect with people. It’s the ultimate chance to contribute to the dance music scene while collaborating with artists and fans across the world. Beyond Charlie told us that each venue where he has performed has contributed to his journey of producing music and made him a better artist with every performance.
As we asked him about his first single, “Arundhati,” on the esteemed Tech Tantra Records label, Beyond Charlie responded that it was a remarkable milestone in his career. He further explained that the track was a bold fusion of Indian classical elements with electronic music, highlighting traditional melodies and modern beats. He also talked about it’s response to us being overwhelming, as it resonated with listeners globally and earned great appreciation for it’s unique approach and cultural representation. This outbreak led him to sign Swar VST, a prestigious platform that supports electronic and fusion music.
Beyond Charlie’s ‘Curd Rice’ and ‘Karuna’ crossed over 62K streams worldwide! This marked a fulfilling moment in his career, giving him absolute validation for the countless hours of work. Experiments with sounds finally gave him the fruit of success. Beyond Charlie said that experiencing such a record is indescribable because his music was enjoyed and listened to by people all over the world. This experience pushed Beyond Charlie even more and fueled his fire to work more on his craft of experimenting with his style of music and bringing innovations to reality in electronic music.
He reached another significant point in his career by having his guest mix ‘Tejomaya’ featured on Frankfurt’s No. 1 techno radio, digitalxradio.de. It was an exhilarating experience for him, and this was a great recognition for him as it showed that his music was appreciated on a platform that is known for it’s influence in the electronic music scene. It also paved the way for him to reach a wider audience of techno enthusiasts and fellow artists who possess the same passion for deep, pulsating beats and atmospheric soundscapes. The opportunity to contribute to ‘Tejomaya’ made him extend his limits in producing music where he could show his creativity in the techno genre.
Beyond Charlie has shared the stage with artists like Space Motion, Deniz Bul, and Jay Lumen till now. He talks to us about his experience as something that has left a deep impact on his career as a DJ and music producer. He names his favorites: Modd, Ramiro Lopèz, Jay Lumen, Matan Caspi, Dr. Dru, Goom Gum, Kinky Sounds, Loco & Jam, The Yellow Heads, Far n High, Hollt, Alberto Ruiz, Enamour, Anahit Vardanyan, D Formation, and Maxxim. Each collaboration has added a fresher perspective to his music production journey, helping him to create something out of the box for electronic music fans and followers.