Praveen Achary mixes a two hour set showcasing why he’s such a pivotal figure of the Indian progressive scene…
Praveen Achary stands out in the progressive house music landscape, not just for his captivating DJ sets that span the globe but also as the juice inside the respected label Juicebox Music. Since launching in 2013, the label has been a launchpad for both emerging and established artists, fostering a rich community around its distinct sound.
Achary’s own musical contributions have earned him spots on heavyweight international record labels and a regular presence on Beatport’s Top 100 Progressive House Charts. His commitment to the genre is reflected in his remixes for top-tier acts like Above & Beyond and in the vibrant, evolving sounds his label promotes, marking him as a pivotal figure in shaping the future of progressive house.
On this Balance Selections mix, the Indian selector showcases his impeccable knack for progressive house, weaving through its various shades with a masterful touch. Featuring tracks from artists like Nhar, Analogue Jungs, and Gai Barone, he crafts a journey that is rich in texture and effortlessly engaging.
Tracklist
02. Nhar – Easing Light {Hoomidaa}
03. Sebastian Sellares – Uncertainty {Meanwhile Horizons}
04. Agustin Ficarra – Levitar {Juicebox Music}
05. Volen Sentir & PROFF – Luna Amazonia (AM Mix) {Anjunadeep}
06. Anton MAKe – Soul Collector {PURRFECTION}
07. Left 2 Dust – Attending (Paul Hazendonk & Return To Saturn Remix) {MelodicLab}
08. Four Candles – On The Fence [Balance Music] w/ SQL – Hiraeth {Flow Vinyl}
09. Patch Park – Control {Meanwhile}
10. Montw – Void {Wuzz!}
11. Freedo Mosho – Paradise Lost (Mike Griego Remix) {Electronic Groove}
12. ID – ID {White}
13. Tomas Briski – Juno 77 {Juicebox Music}
14. EMPHI – Locate {Solis}
15. ID – ID {White}
16. Patch Park – Don’t Stop (Guy J Remix) {District Rec}
17. Analog Jungs – Arcturiano Gold {Constellation Music}
18. Gai Barone – Fractals {Univack}
19. Digital Mess – Outlands (Dowden & Andreas Bühler Remix) {Dreaming Awake}
20. Aman Anand – What’s On Your Mind (Unusual Soul Remix) {One Of A Kind}
21. Tonaco – Extrema {Luum}
22. Andrés Moris – Crusher {Mango Alley}
23. Subandrio – Motion Sensor {Vapour Recordings}
24. Fourthstate – Wondershot (Framewerk Reprise) {Late Night Music}
Name: Praveen Achary
Location: Bangalore (India)
Alias/Producer name: Praveen Achary
Labels affiliated with: Juicebox Music, Mango Alley, microCastle, Stripped Recordings
Music, in general, was always a part of my childhood when I lived in the Middle East. Both my parents enjoyed listening to music, whether it was Indian folk music or artists/bands like Bee Gees and ABBA. I’d also have a small stereo system in my bedroom where I’d constantly be tuned into the local radio stations or playing CDs and Cassettes of artists and bands I had discovered from friends or the radio stations themselves.
Rather than being infatuated to one single genre, my curiosity helped me explore a wide sonic palette from Hip Hop, Rap, Pop, Rock and at one stage – Heavy Metal.
I was around 16 years old or so, still exploring genres while being in a small band with my school-mates, when my cousin handed over his copy of The Prodigy’s “Fat of the Land”. Suffice to say, that changed my whole world. I couldn’t believe these kinds of sounds could ever be made.
That’s when I started digging deeper into what electronic music could be. That was one big rabbit hole and I’m still enjoying the process of discovering new sounds.
Since I was pretty young to enter clubs when I initially got interested in dance music, it took a while for me to see any proper DJs at clubs. At the time, I was heavily into Trance and Prog-Trance, which led me to see Above & Beyond in Beirut (Lebanon) as one of the first artists to see in a club.
Fast forward a couple years, I ended up playing for their ABGT001 show in Bangalore (India), opening for them a few times, as well as officially remixing their title track from their album “We Are All We Need” for their India launch. Still a surreal feeling when I think back.
Hard to pin-point a handful as it keeps changing. However, there are a couple of artists who have constantly influenced me in different ways. Within the electronica space – Moderat, Bonobo & Kiasmos, all 3 acts have allowed me to enjoy a non-linear yet emotive space.
John Digweed’s mixes & sets have always been a learning ground for me as a DJ and of course Guy J, not only for paving a new & inspiring sound that we’re all somehow influenced by, but for being such an amazing & helpful soul when I most needed his guidance.
Also, a special shoutout to Greg Tomaz, Funksun, Greenage, Aman Anand, Weird Sounding Dude, Haen, Sandeep Pai, Influence, Deepfire and the many more incredible talented folks from India that continue to proudly represent & push the sound we love forward in our country.
The last digital album I purchased was Navar’s “Bloom” on meanwhile. Beautifully crafted and grows on you after every listen. He has an incredible knack for creating emotive music that can trigger different emotions depending on your current mood.
The last physical album I picked up was Moderat’s “II”, one of my favourite albums, so naturally I had to have the record for my collection.
My production setup’s quite simple and all in-the-box running: Ableton Live 10 Suite, Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 Audio Interface, Dynaudio LYD8 monitors and Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro headphones. For the instruments, I rely on a few like Reveal Sound’s “Spire”, some of Arturia’s analog-emulated synths like “JP8” as well as “Pigment” and Ableton’s Wavetable.
However, most of my work goes into post-processing of the source sounds with a host of FX plugins (from FabFilter, Soundtoys, Cableguys, Valhalla, & chains that I keep messing with).
For DJ’ing, I prefer playing with 4 x Pioneer CDJ3000s and using the Pioneer V10 as the mixer since this setup works best for my workflow. The 3000’s are fantastic if you’re going to be using more than 2 players, and the V10’s great mostly for its routing, 4-band EQ & layered FX flexibility.
Definitely a lot more fun & creative with more toys, haha!
There’s some fun gigs coming up in India that I’ll be announcing on my social pages soon. I’ll be restarting my event property called “PHASE” later this year in Bangalore (and other cities) where I’ll be playing a little more frequently with guest-artists & sometimes full guest-lineups.
It’s a 2 hour set that showcases what I’ve been digging lately, whether the tracks are old or new or unreleased, put together in a flow that I enjoy with attention to transitions & layering. I also wanted to generally highlight artists that I consider to be unique & original, pushing the sound forward with their amazing style.
The Fall Guy
The Office
Thailand
