Meet the multifaceted Moebius’ versatile duo, Nikunj Patel & Hiren Kangad!
Inspired by a piece entitled “Moebius Strip” by artist and legendΒ M.C. Escher, the band’s title is also a unique mathematical object with only “one side and one edge”. A multidisciplinary entity, Moebius experiments with creation, whether it be inside the studio, or in a live spatial and experiential context through the mediums of Animation, MusicΒ Production, Illustration, VJ-ing, Projection Mapping, Installation Art and Graphic Design.
They collaborate closely withΒ Visual Artists, Musicians, Writers, Directors, VJs, Music Festivals, Creative Agencies, and Record Labels, to bridge the gaps that separate these practices by the means of design.
Credit: Vrushti Jasubhai
Nikunj Patel, the first musician in his family, began his musical journey with Hindustani classical harmonium at a very young age, only to venture into a long-lasting obsession with playing the guitar and eventually, music production. This obsession with music was complimentary to his others, a majority of which lay within the realm of the visual arts. “My music and art were very self-reflective of each other when I was younger and I knew that as I pursued the visual arts, music would drive it to a large extent.”Β Patel quotes.
An animator, designer, and illustrator by profession, Patel has been working in the music space for a few years now. His career in professional art and collaborations has overshadowed his music, until recently. Showcasing his art on platforms the likes ofΒ thump, Kyoorius, Magnetic fields, Pettah Interchange (Bordermovement video lab colombo 2014), various editions of the weekenders, Homegrown, RollingStone India, TEDx Bangalore, TOI, NDTV, Story of light goa 2015, MTV Indies,Β and a bunch more, Patel has now teamed up with Hiren Kangad to further explore his musical prowess. “My music and art were very self-reflective of each other when I was younger and I knew that as I pursued the visual arts, music would drive it to a large extent.” Patel said.
Listen to Moebius’ track Ginseng here!
Although an acclaimed visual artist in his own right, Patel has had an adventurous and sometimes frustrating musical journey. “I took my time trying to explore as much as I could, and building skill before I started making my music public.” He says, “Also, I try maintaining a certain standardof my design work and so, a lot of times when I tell people I also make music, I get a little bit of that ‘oh are you trying to be the jack of all master of none?’ vibe from people who’ve never even heard the music. However, when I put the “Reeling” compilation out, it looked like I pleasantly surprised some folks, and that felt nice.”
Credit: Himani Malhotra
As an animator and self-declared cinephile, Patel spends his time raiding old film-score libraries for samples for his music. “I love watching films and trying to tap into the film-maker’s state of mind, trying to guess what must’ve gone into making one. I love back-stories. Stories of how this film was made or how that album was created or what happened in this musicians or director or actor’s life that led them to that point of creation and sometimes, redemption.”
Blurring the lines between genres, Moebius explores a large spectrum that includesΒ DrumnBass, Disco, Future-garage, Trip-hop, and Hip-Hop, but would rather not be put in a box, genre-wise. “I prefer the ambiguous and umbrella tag of electronica.” Patel says.
Credit: Vrushti Jasubhai
Their advice to a budding artist or musician is this: “It’ll feel tough getting your sound heard and to stand out against the vast landscape of noise that is on the internet but if you keep at it, you will reach a threshold when you feel like it’s important for you to make people listen to what you’ve created. You will reach a point where you’ll want people to peek into your brain and you story, and that’s when you know your journey’s begun. Till then, it’s hard work and persistence.”
Credit: Vrushti Jasubhai
Inspired by the likes ofΒ Jon Hopkins, Floating Points, Badbadnotgood, Hiatus Kaiyote, Lapalux, Burial, Taylor McFerrin and Karriem Riggins to name a few, MoebiusΒ is an artistic venture, that aims to unify music and art and carry it forward. They are even in the process conceptualizing Β “Studio Moebius” with a larger focus on design for music while also stepping into other specialized projects while the music follows it’s own direction. Studio Moebius will be a Multidisciplinary creative collective and is seeking collaborators active in various creative fields.
Like their Facebook page to stay updated on their work! Check out his soundcloud channel here.
