Coming from the state where beautiful waves weave a story every moment, Goa
In his conversation with us, Varun Fernandes shared his story of how he started loving music and how he broke into the production scene to support aspiring musicians.
As we begin with Varun’s initial time with music, learning, and performances, he said that he spent most of his time in clubs and music festivals held in Goa, as his father worked in the hospitality sector, where he had good connections; hence, he got a good exposure to music from the beginning. His parents were also quite supportive of his desire to learn music and bought him studio gear. Though living in a happening place like Goa, Varun also mentioned that there are many instances where one can get carried away with one’s energy rather than finding a balance and being productive. So, the catch is to keep finding inspiration while living in the chaos.
Varun is that artist who believes in going with the flow rather than making a proper plan before composing any piece. He keeps looking for inspiration from his surroundings and continues to compose music, which also keeps him engaged with his craft. He doesn’t follow a definite style or method to create his magic. When we inquired about his debut album, he explained that he had been making music for a while and was just waiting for the right moment to feel ready to release it to the public.
“One has to have confidence and self-belief in themselves because that’s how others are going to believe in you,”
Varun
He also shared an anecdote of meeting Nikhil Chinnapa in Goa when he was playing “Sundowners” in the Mambo cafe at Tito’s Lane, where he could see nobody listening to him until Nikhil came to him to appreciate his art and offer him a slot in the Sunburn festival. Submerge, his artist management agency, also serves as his manager, and he has been working with him ever since. His favourite venue is Chronicle in Vagator, where he managed the programming and was the resident DJ there. He also mentioned the Offgrid festival in Manali, where he enjoyed playing his style of music and loved the festival’s energy.
On sharing stage and hosting Ben Bhomer, Artbat, and John Digweed, Varun recalls that it was surreal for him to have an opportunity to work with great artists like them, and it’s always a learning experience playing with them. When asked about “Evolve,” Varun said that when he began his musical journey 15 years ago, there was no guidance for him or any curator. There were very few exclusive DJ circles, and that was another challenge to beat, so to give support to young and upcoming artists in the country, he came up with the initiative of “Evolve.”.
Varun has a line-up of tracks that he has completed and is yet to release this year under different labels. Also, he is looking forward to his merchandise collection with MHC and several LPs for Goa and other places in the country. He also has a few tours scheduled with international artists, starting in August. As we asked him about his idol, he was initially hesitant as he had a lot of names in his head, but to answer one, he took the name “Tale of Us,” as he finds them quite evolved and their journey truly inspiring, be it through a lens of business acumen or through their musical power.