SPURRING emotions and transforming actions, music seems yet another mysterious way evidencing the workings of the universe. But as rising music talent Insight Code would have it, the veil on the existential enigma can be lifted using musical self-exploration coupled with acquired technological prowess.
The Kuala Lumpur-based DJ and producer duo who are best friends narrowed their craft to “embedding heart deep within the science of sound”, via electronic dance music, socially abbreviated as EDM.
“In a nutshell, we are programming your vibes and energy through the music we produce, and the live sets that we play,” said Harvind Ganase, 27, one half of Insight Code.
“Our stage name represents our style and direction. ‘Insight’ refers to our love of knowledge, while ‘code’ refers to the spaces from where we draw our insight into knowledge,” said Sanjjiv Kumar Pillai, 25, the other half.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Insight Code’s quest to sonically program and deliver happiness began when Harvind and Sanjjiv discovered their shared passion for electronic music in 2011, amid the high notes of EDM festivals past.
But it was only in 2014 that the two friends decided to make a concrete path out of it, after individually learning to master the discipline of disk jockeying in their pastimes.
Harvind says of his virtuosic journey into music, “I started with playing my favourite songs on the guitar, back in my high school days. I was also in a band. It’s only during college that I started to really get into music. As my musical taste evolved to electronic music, my focus eventually shifted to music production.”
Mirroring this effect was Sanjjiv’s own personal journey into music, although his recollection of it indicated more the affections of a passionate listener, a trait typical of the maestro archetype.
“I’ve always been a universal music listener. Even today, I still enjoy jazz, hip-hop, R&B, metal, and alternative rock. But growing up, electronic music has left such an impression on me. I realised that it is a form of language, a technology, that can change people’s lives and perspectives. After realising my passion for it, I’ve been wanting everyone to know how good it can be.”
In hindsight, their individual journeys unfolded to later sum up a maestro-virtuoso dynamic proven effective between them during production phases and live spin sessions.
“When you create electronic music, you have to feel the whole sound spectrum. You have to imagine and visualise a three-dimensional box and fill up its space — the entire width and depth of it,” explained Harvind.
“Each instrument occupies a different space on the frequency range, as well as amount of reverbs and delays, that fill up the depth. You are creating a whole world of sounds in one single moment. That’s how live instruments translate into electronic music.”
BALANCING ACT
Proving that millennials are as sensible as the generations before them, both Harvind and Sanjjiv hold day jobs while working on Insight Code at night, whenever they can. The duo firmly believes that used effectively, technology can definitely play to one’s advantages and thought-mapping abilities.
As a network consultant at telecommunication giant Huawei Technologies during the day, Sanjjiv knows too well the rigorous demands of a technical job. “As an engineer, I face technicality daily, so it’s not hard for me to accept it. In a sense, it makes it easier to organise my music life,” he said.
Harvind, meanwhile, harnesses discipline from his day job in a different way. As a celebrity manager to Malaysian artist Resh (previously known as Reshmonu), he acquires daily insight into the scopes of music event management and sound engineering.
“I’m lucky — my day job relates to music. I head into studios, I go to live shows, I work with sound engineers, although it all does come with unique challenges” said Harvind.
Being sensitive to sound, Harvind continued, is something he has intuitively picked up from his boss. “Somehow, all of the information that I’ve picked up from watching him is being translated into my work for Insight Code. Every decibel, every nuance of reverb and delay, matters,” he said.
BLENDING TECH WITH MUSIC
Working their successful yin and yang dynamic perfectly, Sanjjiv and Harvind decided that technology does not only hold fort in the way their futuristic music sounds but it also influences the way they organise the production and ideation tasks surrounding them.
Asked for their digital organisers of choice, and the musicians were quick to name Trello and Google Drive, proving that the pace of this age calls for creators to master simplicity.
“Trello is the easiest when it comes to managing ideas. The both of us would work on different paths or parts of a project. On the app, we can keep track of our overall progress, whether it’s regarding new melodies, drum beat improvements or general branding work,” explained Vind.
“With the app, we keep our communication going even without meeting physically. So when we do meet in person, we already know what we are doing next, therefore saving ourselves more time.”
With all scopes being closely interwoven in the digital dimension, it’s worth taking the extra effort to stay organised with their audio files, stored in alphabetical order in their shared Google Drive. “For us, it’s a constant battle of getting the most out of each day, every day, considering our daytime responsibilities. Time is a constraint but we have to keep pushing,” said Sanjjiv.
To that, Harvind echoes, “In the end, our workflow and organisation is nothing really set in stone. But ultimately, we will and must always find a way.”
To aspiring DJs and producers out there who know not where to start, Insight Code has this to say: Know your programs and softwares. Chief among them is one’s choice of digital audio workstation or DAW.
Guised under several brands out there, a DAW is essentially an organised system encompassing synthesisers and plugins, which with one produces sounds and curate effects such as distortions, reverbs and delays in “flavouring” their music.
“We started out with Logic Pro and transitioned shortly to Ableton Live. We have been using it since to produce our mixes. Currently, we are using version 9,” said Harvind.
Alluding to the way technology influences to their unique styles of sound, Sanjjiv says, “A DAW, in our case being Ableton Live, makes music so easy to understand as a dimension. It’s really important to get to know your preferred DAW. Everything in there ultimately moulds the feel of a song or track, which only contributes to your overall artistic sensitivity as a musician.”
Another tool that Insight Code swears by is Splice, an online creative platform where musicians from all walks of life can exchange workable files and project structures.
“You can see the instruments and plugins involved in another person’s project uploaded on Splice. You access a project file, you make your observations and then you reverse-engineer the sounds to understand the entire process,” explained Harvind.
THE FUTURE OF SOUND
With all of the musical knowledge and wisdom they have amassed, one can’t help but ponder upon Insight Code’s idea of happiness as sets of sounds. Will the duo keep up with the translation work?
“Happiness is always our message. Technically, it depends on the factors of the BPM (beats per minute) and the frequency level a track is tied to, that affects a listener’s emotions. But ultimately, it still majorly relies on intuition and the emotions you program your tracks with,” mused Sanjjiv.
“And when performing live, the way a DJ flows from high energy to low and brings it back up can create a lingering impact on the audience.”
Harvind nodded in agreement, adding, “What our generation is doing, with technology being their tool, is creating sounds that have not been heard of. As a listener, when you hear something that you’ve never heard of, you just feel its originality. And emotionally, it pulls you in, since you aren’t yet desensitised to it, having not heard it before.”
And thus, the purpose of technology in music. As Sanjjiv concludes, “Technology is just another way for humankind to collaborate and help each member of society progress. And music, being a universal conduit, helps channel and transfer high vibrations amounting to happiness.
“We know that one day, our message will reach the entire world.”
Follow Insight Code on Soundcloud (soundcloud.com/insightcode), Facebook (facebook.com/insightcode) and Instagram (@insightcode).