While some musicians will tell you they can’t stand to listen to their own record after it’s released — considering the years or months they’ve spent finessing the tracks — UK producer and multi-instrumentalist Prashant Mistry says he loves listening to his latest work, Symbol .
He enjoys the 2017 electronic album, which has just earned his band, Engine-Earz Experiment, a Grammy nomination in the Best Immersive Audio Album category, especially in its 9.1 and 5.1 mix versions. Speaking from London, he says, “I think because it took such a long time, I was able to fashion something that I would forever be proud of releasing. Also, almost every song features a collaboration, so each listen allows me to enjoy their contributions all over again.”
The 14-track Symbol is in the running alongside heavyweights such as The Alan Parsons Project’s seminal album Eye in the Sky. But Engine-Earz Experiment are the first electronic group nominated in the category (previously called Best Surround Sound Album) that has been traditionally dominated by classical musicians, progressive rock and jazz. When the nominations were announced, Mistry was in bed scrolling to see if singer-songwriter Jorja Smith had received due recognition (for Lost & Found , an album that he mixed and mastered). It turns out she was nominated for Best New Artist. “After a quick celebration, I continued scrolling down on my phone and saw my name and just could not believe it! It’s all very surreal still,” he says.
All about the bass
Mistry has been at the DJ decks and behind consoles in studios since his early teens, with Engine-Earz becoming one of the frontrunners of dubstep when it exploded into mainstream consciousness around 2011. Although essentially British, he has engaged his Indian roots regularly with his records, curating part of the Vh1 Supersonic music festival and touring the country with rapper-poet Akala. When asked about bringing Symbol to India, Mistry says, “I don’t have any plans for a tour yet, as I’d like the live show to reflect the immersive audio factor: this takes some doing. However, I might make it to Mumbai later this week to talk about mixing and mastering, and how I approach a record.”
Even though fairly technical, mixing and mastering is definitely a part of how incredible an album can be as a finished product. In the case of Symbol, Mistry and the band were sure of every note meeting their vision from start to finish. Describing his song-writing process, he says, “First of all, I’ll lock myself in a room alone, usually at night, and start synthesising strange tones or take a piece of field recording. Then I’ll try to find the implied melody in that abstract loop, which I will complement on the keys or on a synth or bass. From there, I’ll just let the song tell me where it wants to go.” The result is breathtaking, considering all of Symbol weaves through melody and beats in a way that’s perfect for headphone listening. Mistry adds that after the first stage of mixing and mastering, they repeated the process to convert it into 5.1 & 9.1 surround Auro3D for Pure Audio Blu-ray, “which gives the album an entirely different level of immersiveness”.
Red carpet ready
With this kind of wide-reaching success and acknowledgement of Symbol , what does validation mean for Mistry? He calls it “a strange beast”, adding, “I think there are different types (of validation) — from your peers, your band, your industry, family etc. But I think because this was quite an emotional body of work, when I receive a message that it’s helped someone through a period of loss or challenge, it means so much... perhaps because composing it did the same for me.”
There’s a lot more in store in 2019, including a short film that accompanies the album, and projects with artists such as singer-songwriter/rapper Maverick Sabre and hip-hop artist Benji Flow. But Mistry also has a trip to Los Angeles, to attend the 61st Grammys on February 10. He says, “My mum, dad and girlfriend really want to go, so I’m not sure if I have much choice!” And is he mulling over his red carpet suit? “I’ll just wear whatever they tell me to wear. I’m far more comfortable in the studio, to be honest,” he says.
