Few people are strangers to the plummeting feeling that follows the honeymoon stage of a new relationship. And those very emotions are now captured in musical phrases and rhythm by EDM duo Lost Stories in their newest single ‘Faking It’. Comprised of Mumbaikars Rishab Joshi and Prayag Mehta are the country’s fieriest contributors to the global EDM scene, their newest release now part of, marketed and distributed globally by the Artist Originals (AO) programme conceptualised by digital streaming platform Saavn.
Born in 2009, Lost Stories rose to global fame with their single ‘False Promises’, and their official remixes of Alan Walker’s ‘Faded’, One Republic’s ‘Wherever I Go’, and Afrojack’s ‘The Spark’. Their latest single has its roots in a rainy evening in 2015, when Rishab Joshi recorded a video of the song’s hook on Instagram. Fast forward to a cabin studio in Amsterdam, and the song was born, tempered with the vocals of friend and musician Matthew Steeper. But it is the platform that Saavn’s AO has given them that Joshi is most excited about. “I think artists like us always dreamt of something liek this, mainly because of the artistic freedom it gives you,” he says. This, he believes, has also meant that a larger audience is consuming their music, which is always made directed at an international listener base.
International appeal
The duo prides itself on being able to transcend borders – geographic and musical – with their work. Lost Stories featured at #52 in the Top 100 DJs list and are the only Indian DJs to perform in over 150 cities. Being able to balance the traditional sounds of EDM with inspiration from Indian folk music is what Joshi and Mehta are particularly adept at. As for their signature sound, like all true musicians, he believes it evolves with time. “We travel a lot and hear so much music through that,” he says. “Our sound keeps updating itself.”
Considering Lost Stories itself was born many years ago on an internet forum where the duo met, Joshi is acutely aware of the immense power of social media and its ability to link musicians to audiences. “Back when we started, we had to rely on the label’s reach,” Joshi says. Now, however, “the artist can connect directly with the audience and promote their music without any filter in the middle”.
Their interaction with fans and fellow musicians has also played a role in their growth. “It has changed the way we produce our music,” he says. “We are far more content driven now than earlier.” Who do they follow for inspiration? CGI artist and digital illustrator Beeplecrap is one of their favourites on Instagram. “He is the visual genius behind Zedd [world-renowned DJ, songwriter and instrumentalist] and many big artists,” Joshi says.
Giving back
Lost Stories has a fair bit in the pipeline. This July, they will be performing at the prestigious Tomorrowland for the fourth consecutive year. “We’re doing a track with Zaeden for our Budweiser Tomorrowland campaign,” Joshi says. “We also have another track called ‘Reveal Yourself’, which we are going to release with a music video soon.”
Joshi and Mehta may be known for topping charts and setting dance floors around the world ablaze, but they also believe in giving back. The artists run an academy for students interested in music production.
The greatest lesson they give their students is to stop comparing themselves to international stars but focus on their own progress. “I tell my students: there cannot be another Martin Garrix, but there can be another you,” Joshi says. “Everything is possible if you break it down into small steps.”
