The Spindoctor
by Mister Mime
6th June 2021
The Spindoctor from Mumbai is indeed a multifaceted and enigmatic personality. Between his two polar passions of being a professional turntablist and a practising doctor lies a polite, humble and talented person, who is ‘just a nerd’ at heart.
The DJ/producer, self-proclaimed as ‘geeky and proud’, has put out his second original - a unique experimental track that holds its own in the thriving Indian hip-hop scene. Supporting raw and powerful verses from Gravity and Poetik Justis, the track contains his signature scratches honed from years of practice and playing to crowds of all sizes. The evidence is clear that the Indian hip-hop scene has finally moved out of its nascence and is evolving into a force to be reckoned with.
MM: Why is the track called Ashwatthama?
The Spindoctor: When I made this beat, I sent it to Gravity. He wrote a verse for it and the last line of the verse went like, "Ashwatthama...na marte hum maare nishaana". When I heard it, I realised that the word 'Ashwatthama' is so powerful. In Indian mythology, Ashwatthama was a character who pretty much had superpowers, even though he was only human. And on being betrayed by the Pandavas, he did a lot of 'bad' things. So, I felt it would be a fitting title for the track.
MM: Is this your first proper foray into production?
The Spindoctor: This is actually my second track. The first one was a Gujrati track called "Aavi Gayi Holi" that I released about 3 years ago. It's a beautiful track. After that, I was playing a lot of live gigs and so I didn't have the time to produce. This lockdown, however, has been so relaxed gig-wise that I got the time to sit down and make music again.
Technically, Ashwatthama was ready even before the lockdown came, in February last year. I finished playing at the Sula festival and immediately after that, I told Gravity and Poetik Justis that we had to record this track.
MM: How is it different for you to wear a producer's hat as compared to DJing?
The Spindoctor: It's quite different for me, as being a DJ, I always focused on the performance aspect of music rather than creating music. I always knew that when I get the chance to sit down and make music, I will have my own ideas, flavours and terms of experimentation.
This track is weird in the sense that it is actually two tracks in one, which is not something that most conventional producers would do. But as a DJ, you have a good idea of what works in the crowd.
MM: Can you tell us who is the Spindoc? And a bit about your personal/professional and musical background?
The Spindoctor: He is a super nerdy guy, a geek who wanted to become 'cool'. So he got into music..haha. But the geeky part is still there and always will be.
First of all, I am a doctor by profession. Music started for me when I was in my first year M.B.B.S., and it was very difficult for me to cope up with the studies, and all the stress. I always wanted to do something in music, and coincidentally, hip-hop was introduced in India at that time, around 2007, mostly through Eminem and 50-Cent. Before that, we were into punk-rock, and everybody wanted to be a 'Rockstar'. We used to have 'Rock music - Battle of the Bands', and now we have Rap battles. So, initially, I wanted to be a rapper myself, initially, but my English was terrible, as I was educated in a Gujrati medium school.
The Spindoctor: These days we live in the internet age, but at that time it was the TV- age. Whatever we saw on TV as kids, we wanted to be just that. We had Channel-V, VH1 and MTV Select, where they would play tracks like "Bebot" by The Black Eyed Peas. And in that track, there was the scratching sound towards the end..."Philli-Philli-Phillipino". So I would binge-watch MTV and VH1 24/7, where I saw Fatboy slim playing at some beach festivals, and then DJ Tiesto's videos. That's where I got attracted to DJing. I would go to cyber cafes, pay 20Rs. for an hour and browse for at least 4-5 hours a day. That's how my 'research started.
So, during my first year of Medical school, since I couldn't afford a guitar, I tried to learn Dj-ing from Youtube. I signed up for classes at an institute but I couldn't pay the fees, so they kicked me out. Finally, I met a few DJs and befriended them and they asked me to come to their gigs and watch in order to learn. I picked up bits and pieces from here and there and finally started DJ-ing. Eventually, DJing grew into me, and the artist in me grew as well. It's all about staying focused, learning and adapting to new things every day. I have no formal training in music or music production. I learned completely from friends and Youtube. I had zero knowledge of keys, chords, scales, etc. when I began.
The Spindoctor: When I started listening to international music, there were mainly four artists who dominated the space: 50-Cent, Eminem, Sean Paul and Akon. We would listen to their songs back to back. Then slowly, I went into retro and old school hip-hop and ended up learning about the entire history of hip-hop. I even started teaching little kids about hip-hop, and for that, I had to go really deep into it myself. I studied it a lot: how hip-hop started, technically, culturally, all the different movements, and so on. I discovered the music of Nas, Pac, Biggie, and I was thoroughly amazed. Biggie is my favourite rapper of all time. Then I heard Mobb Deep, gangsta rap, NWA, and so many others. I also learnt about the DJs and producers of hip-hop music. My favourite DJ is DJ Premier. He is just the smoothest. These guys started off with literally nothing, and with so many limitations. In hip-hop history, there were 3 DJs who started it all: DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash. After them, guys like Mix Master Mike and Grand Wizzard Theodore came, then DJ Qbert, DJ Shortkut, DJ Stretch Armstrong; they are all legendary turntablists. Since we were not born in that culture, it’s really good to go back in time and learn from them.
The Spindoctor: In 2005, I went to Channel V's Big V concert in around 2005-06, and I saw this DJ with cornrows playing hip-hop. It was DJ Sa, and he is my best friend. I was super inspired by him, and I still am. I was also following Nikhil Chinappa a lot. So I was learning house music as well as hip-hop. My core is hip-hop but I follow all genres. I don't limit myself only to hip-hop, as it is always good to have a broader vision so that you can take interesting bits from here and there and make something new and unique in this scene.
Being a 'science guy' in school, I realised that music is actually very scientific. In music production, for example, you need to know the sonics. Since I was good at physics in school, it helped me a lot in my music production. Of course, you need to have some experience of life, to translate into music.
MM: How do you balance your medical profession and your creative profession? Do they overlap, or do you see any kind of similarities in these contrasting worlds?
The Spindoctor: There are no real similarities between them, they are poles apart. When I am in the hospital, I am a different person, and when I go to a club, I'm a different person. I don't mix these things. I don't ever go to a club and start flexing my medical knowledge haha. I have a switch. However, I would say that professionality from my DJing came into my practice as a doctor. I was a professional DJ before I completed my M.B.B.S. I learned a lot of things about business, marketing, in my DJing career, and I applied those things in my practice as a doctor.
MM: How did the pandemic period affect your life?
The Spindoctor: As I've said before, 'I went literally from mic-check to seedha temperature check'. This whole Covid-phase was full of ups and downs for me, just like everyone else. When I would go to the hospital, I was super-down by seeing a lot of deaths and watching the world collapse. My whole lifestyle changed. I was a guy who would party every night, and now I'm so much more disciplined, going to bed at a certain time, waking up and going to work and back. I still give some time to recreation, to my music, and of course medical research. I'm doing a lot of studies these days, as a doctor, and also learning new things in music. I'm a total nerd as it is, so I read a lot, about everything, world politics, social issues. It's always necessary to educate yourself about ongoing events, as well as history. I never make statements or give opinions randomly just because I am "in the flow", or to appear cool. The whole internet age is like that. "Intellectuality" has become quite a corrupt term. You need to know the context, facts, and so much more, in order to evaluate things or situations from your own genuine perspective. This should be a true artist's pursuit as well.
MM: Outside of music, what inspires you?
The Spindoctor: History. Stories, of anybody who makes it from rags to riches, or vice versa. I try to absorb all the little elements of these stories that can help me become a better person. I want to be a good human being in society. In sports, for example, I follow and love Sachin Tendulkar for changing the face of Indian sport and so much more, without ever getting into any controversy. I love to follow the legacies of people from all walks of life, sportspersons, politicians, scientists, physicists. From Sachin, I learn how to handle fame, and the ups and downs of life gracefully. From Jeff Bezos, how to handle your business. Similarly, with regards to musicians, what good they did, what went wrong in their lives. I take inspiration from all these things and put it into myself. I try to keep the broadest perspective of life possible. The suffering of people, at the hands of casteism, racism, and other prejudices, also makes me want to do my best for my community. We all need to develop our conscience in order to be better as people.
MM: Your advice to those who pursue a unique or different career path?
The Spindoctor: It's okay to not be conventional. You just need to believe in yourself, first and foremost. When I was studying medicine and Djing, I got so much backlash. I was called all sorts of names and told many times to 'leave this DJing bullshit'...But all this just made me realize even more, that some people will never see or understand your vision, so I shouldn't be wasting my time and energy with them. Have a clear vision, back it up with solid plans, the right focus and the necessary work.
However, you need to be absolutely sure about what you want. For example, don't just try to be a DJ, or anything else, just because it's "cool". When I started down this path, I never knew I would come this far, or make my own tracks. I just wanted to play gigs and make money. But when you reach a certain level, you know that you need to level up. I met my manager around 3 years ago, with my team, Shark and Ink, and I gave him my 4-year plan. You need people who are like-minded and can keep you on track with your vision, and also guide you on what and how to do things in such a way that you keep growing.
I lost a lot of friends over the past few years. I had made a lot of friends just through Djing, who would hang around for parties, free drinks and free food. As soon as the gigs collapsed at the start of the pandemic, those people just vanished. And I realized, these were the exact kind of people that I didn't want around in my life.
MM: Is there anything that the medical side of your life contributed to your artistic side?
The Spindoctor: Yes absolutely. The medical side made me think about, what is the meaning of life? What is truly important in our lives? My whole perspective on health came from medicine. I drink on very rare occasions, and I never drink in clubs. Thus, it kept me away from the 'dark side' of the partying/clubbing scene. And people would respect me and take me seriously as an artist, because of this. Many artists are not taken seriously because, while they may be good artists, they lack important human qualities and values, and a true understanding of human behaviour and certain aspects of society. So, all these things came from my medical education, and I think they made me a better human being.
All my patients love me; they say, that I'm a very 'cool' doctor haha. I give them genuine advice; I'm not thinking only about making a profit off them, and they can feel that. The way doctors are sometimes portrayed, as not being "allowed" to make friends with their patients, I think that’s wrong.
MM: How much did "Munnaibhai M.B.B.S. inspire you?
The Spindoctor: That's my favourite movie! It taught me to not have an ego as a doctor, and as a person. You may be intelligent, successful and powerful, but if you aren't good as a person, then it's worthless.
MM: Can you give us some styling tips? You seem to have a good sense of style!
The Spindoctor: Haha, well I don't follow any particular things. It's somehow a part of me, perhaps since my college days. I was always different from the herd. I was the only student in my year who would wear a t-shirt every day, except for the test days. I just want to be comfortable. When I see myself in the mirror, looking and feeling good, that's all the validation I need. It's all about how I perceive myself.
I consider myself an Indie artist. I don't feel mainstream at all. Indie is something that is real. I want to really level up as a producer. I love doing sample-based work, and my tracks will be full of samples. Hip-hop is all about sampling. There are no DJs who are also producers, out there in the market. There are very few hip-hop Djs who are putting out meaningful tracks.
I've been using Ableton for about ten years now. I would make a few beats here and there, and also do a lot of DJ edits. Like, if you can't play a track in a certain way, then you would manipulate the track and re-produce it, like a mashup, switching up intros and outros, etc. Also, when you do DJ routines, the tracks are often not perfect for your routine, and you want certain parts to come in or go out differently; so you change the structure of the track. That's how I learned a lot of the production I know. When you listen to a lot of music, you understand that music is composed of so and so elements, and you play permutations and combinations with these elements that you like and make a track. That's how 'Ashwatthama' came about too. I liked the distorted 808s from a certain track, and some other sounds from another track. I've been making music behind the scene for a while, but I was never serious about putting out my own music until now. I had a lot of skills as I producer that I've never used, and "Ashwatthama" is a 'comeback' of sorts for me.
MM: How would you describe your own sound?
The Spindoctor: Indian experimental hip-hop. I could make a conventional hip-hop track, but that would put me in contention with all the producers who are already doing that sound. At the end of the day, people are the judge. If they like it, that's all that matters.
MM: What is your association with Divine and Gully Gang like?
The Spindoctor: Being associated with Divine made a proper artist. Before joining Gully Gang, I was just a DJ. I joined Divine when he just started his journey. We met in a club, connected and began talking. One day, he called me and said that he needed a DJ for a performance, and I agreed. This was Divine & Gully Gang Live at Saavn Headquarters; you can find it on Youtube. Before that, I had played with a few rock bands and hip-hop artists but I couldn't vibe with them. However, with Divine, it was magical. We never had any rehearsals but the performance went great. Divine has a great vision as an artist and a performer. I had been travelling a lot as a performer even before I joined him, and I was able to bring that aspect to the table. We had the energy of a full-on live band.
Previously, being only a DJ, my vision was limited to just clubs. Then, when I started travelling with Divine, we would play all these music festivals. So I met bands like Soulmate, The Local Train, Sapta, and learned a lot of things from them. Those 3 years were the best learning curve for me, to understand that as a DJ I was a musician and another equal member of the band.
The Spindoctor: I was right beside Divine to witness his meteoric rise in the music scene. I also saw how he would make deals, handle the business side of things, branding, music videos, networking, and so many other things, and I picked up a lot of things from being in close quarters with him. People love him as a person, and that's why he has grown this big. The social media aspect was anyway inherent to me, so I figured it out for myself. But all these other things it became easy and natural for me to absorb them and put them into practice in my own life.
Like with my own brand, people used to know me only as a DJ. But now they know that I am a practising doctor as well. On the other hand, people in the hospital who discover that I am a DJ also find it very amusing. They come up to me and say, "Ah..that makes sense. That's why you're a bit different.."
MM: Any teasers about the next track you'll be putting out?
The Spindoctor: It's obviously going to be a rap track. I had made the beat and put it out on my IG asking people to make a track with it. And I got a bunch of good demos, from which I picked one to record and release. So the track is pretty much ready. Also, all my tracks will have scratching because I'm a turntablist and I do it live. You can even hear them on "Ashwatthama", my signature scratches performed and recorded live. Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit used it in Rock music, so it's a very versatile sound. As a Dj, I always take feedback from people about what I play or perform.
Follow The Spindoctor on:
https://thespindoctor.streamlink.to/ashwatthama
https://www.instagram.com/thespindoclive/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/thespindoclive
All Images courtesy of The Spindoctor
