Lost Stories all set to perform at Wicked Weekends

Lost Stories

, the Indian electronic music duo composed of Prayag Mehta and Rishab Joshi, began their journey in 2009 and immediately rose to prominence when their single ‘False Promises’ was released on Tiësto’s Black Hole Recordings. More support followed as the likes of

Armin Van Buuren

supported the track with multiple plays on his ASOT shows. Their debut artist album "Music For The # Generation" was released by a big label and now they are performing at Baleno

Wicked Weekends

gig where they will be playing some cool new tracks.

How important is it that Media houses and brands are taking Indie music events to another level? Is it a welcome move? What does it mean for the indie music scene?I think the main dream of all Indian musicians is to be associated with a prominent brand. They work very hard to ensure that their music gets the right channel, gets published by the right label and is heard by the right people. They want to be in the mainstream media and to be appreciated by them. Because the masses are connected to the big brands. That’s the only way to get the music out to the public. Artists can choose not to be commercial and stick to their genre if they want to. But such associations is what helps you get the music out to the masses. I think we need more platforms like Wicked Weekends since there are so many artists out there, who need a platform to perform.

You guys started off in 2009 as Lost Stories and achieved incredible popularity rather quickly. What drove your success?It's not in no time, honestly. It’s been six years and and we are still very far away from what we want. However, we have always been focused on one thing. One big thing at a time! One year, the goal was to play at Tomorrowland festival, another year it was to get signed by a big label. These things could take two weeks or two years. Our idea was to primarily achieve one big thing in a year, so that we can sustain our careers.

Your single released on Tiesto’s Black Hole Recordings and Armin Van Buuren played it at multiple ASOT shows. How did that feel?I met Prayag online on a music forum and we shared a common interest which was to bring the Indian sound out of India and show people that India is not all about cricket and Bollywood. We wanted to show the world that India had quality music and producers as well. We just made something, a basement thing, which we weren't sure if anyone would like. We send it to Tiesto, because we had some really big dreams. We didn't expect any response, but they liked it and replied back saying they want to sign it. It was definitely a moment. But these moments kept happening because Armin Van Buuren got in touch with us after that. I and Prayag are very clear about what we want. And we don't have any unattainable dreams. What we try to do is to stay ahead of everyone, at the top of our games when it comes to dance music in India.

Lost Stories is an integral part of India's ever growing EDM scene. What do you foresee in the future for EDM scene in India?At this point of time, I think it's already huge because a brand like EDC (Electric Daisy Carnival) from US or a Tomorrowland or a Mysteryland is happening in India and it's only because united power of Indian EDM scene. They have the capability to bring any artist/ brand to India. I don't know what opinion people (artists) had of India when it comes to dance music. As soon as they come to India, their opinion changes. Marshmello had come to India and during his performance when he faded, people were singing the song! We party like crazy in India. It's not just that, people worship the artists. They go through the entire tracklist of the artists and they have genuine love for the music. It's the honest love for music that driving the growth of EDM in India.

Your album Music for The #Generation was a blockbuster on iTunes. What inspired the album ?We wanted to create an album for the current generation. That's why it's #Generation. Because the hashtagging culture is everywhere. We didn’t want to create a classic that people would listen to all their lives or become the album of the year. It was about that particular moment, the current generation.

Which are the international artists you look up to? There are way too many artists that we look up to. KSHMR, for instance. He's half Indian And he's killing it internationally at the moment. We do like the same particular thing, Indian element in quality dance music. And when I met him at a festival, we were like long lost brothers. I really look up to him, he's a top player. Then there’s The

Chemical Brothers

, because they are great performers.

What are the major challenges you faced as independent artists?We are musicians, but we don't come from music business background. So we are often overlooked by labels and event companies. It's also because we don't know how things work. Now we have a team to protect us. We don’t come from very affluent families, so we couldn't invest on equipment in the early days. Also, any music we produce today has to compete with the global artists. It's not just India that we create music for. It has to be of those standards, if not better.