Rapper and producer Ashwin Gane is breaking new ground in the hip-hop world. We catch up with the rising artist on his musical inspirations, signature sound, and dream fashion picks.
Tell us about your musical journey! When did you realize you wanted to do music full-time?
I knew I was either going to do science or I was going to do something in a creative field, whether that be film or music. There’s ways of expressing what’s in your head and creating a world. That’s what draws me to art, to music. As a young creator, I wanted to do something where I could do it by myself. Music is a powerful form of communication. More importantly, it’s portable. You can take it anywhere you are. As soon as you pop those headphones on, maybe you’re going to feel a different way, and that’s the least music can do for you. The most it can do for you is take you somewhere else.
Ashwin Gane (Courtesy)
Was there a moment when you realized your career was taking off?
When I first started, I had a lot of music on my hard drive, and I never put it out. It only took off when I put it out. I’m not going to tell you when I did some of this music; some of the songs are probably four years old, and you wouldn’t know. You’ve got to put the work out, that’s step No. 1. Then things started taking off. People can feel any way they want about it, but that’s going to create momentum. I’m not saying just dump out whatever you have; it still needs to be good. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
Whose musical career would you like to emulate?
I try not to emulate; I try to be inspired. I think early Kanye [West] was inspirational. He didn’t care about genre. Genre was something he played with.… You can call it hip-hop, but in my mind he went beyond hip-hop. I was inspired by how Ye was able to draw from multiple genres and create his own sound, and his sound kept evolving. I’m like Ye in that sense; I don’t stick to one sound, and I evolve over time. If I were to emulate anyone, it would be The Weeknd, because there’s a storyline, there’s a new character every time, there’s a new sound every time. I emulate The Weeknd in that sense.
How would you describe the sound of your music?
Hip-hop is the skeleton driving the whole thing. There’s some elements of pop and R&B. I have a few sounds, and I like some of my sounds more than others. My voice, a lot of people compare it to Pop Smoke, Future, Travis Scott, and it’s probably because of the baritone bass. A lot of people think it’s very Barry White. I always try to make sure this is something where you end up feeling powerful listening to it. I’m also a producer. What people know me for as a producer is my inclination to combine film score, classical music, and hip-hop. I did an album for Lil Reese. I wanted to create a contrast, so I combined it with symphonic orchestras. That’s my signature sound as a producer, but I also do R&B. There’s a lot of R&B on my EP, Got It, and you can also find cinematic sound on my latest EP, Twilight Tales. On that one, I incorporate a bit of that 2020s-era SoundCloud rap, grunge-inspired vocal inflections. But in the coming few months, you can expect my true sound to be coming out. It sounds like Pop Smoke and Future had a kid, over a Mozart-meets-Hans Zimmer score. That’s how I would describe my sound going forward.
What’s your autumn looking like? Any new projects or plans in the works?
My original plan was, I was going to be a director when I was 45, and I just said, “Why don’t I just do it now?” I’ve always been involved to varying capacities, but I directed my first music video, and I can say this, it’s unlike any other music video I’ve ever done before. It’s for a song called “Flip Dat,” which is hopefully coming out within two months. It was a very Don Juan type of instrumental, so I wanted to write a song that was like a Don Juan character. The way I did [the video] was Wes Anderson cinematography combined with Agatha Christie “whodunit” mystery. If you think about it, there’s some meta commentary, but I don’t want to give it away.
You’re also active on social media. How do you use socials to promote your music?
The way I see it is, it’s a new-age marketing tool. When I was growing up, we had infomercials. Now we have social media. They play the same role, so that’s how I operate. When I first started, I saw it as, “People want to invade into my personal life,” but that’s not what it is. It’s really a form of marketing.
Let’s talk fashion! How would you describe your personal style?
My personal self and my artistic self are very different. I like to keep it simple. I don’t like to be the loudest person in the room, because I believe silence is power. That’s how I like to dress personally, and that’s how I would put it. I try to follow color theory. Teal is a good color for me, so I take that into consideration. It’s simple, but effective. When it comes to artistry, it’s different. I’m not always portraying my life. I try to make it clear that this is a fantasy. There’s a heavy fantasy backdrop to most of my music. When it comes to wardrobe, I may want to dress up as a knight, and I did that in one of my videos called “Outside.” I’m willing to go the extra mile to portray the character I’m playing.
What brands or designers do you like?
I’m not a big brand guy, but I respect the works of several designers. When the time is right, when I have the right project out, I definitely want to have an Armani Mafia-style suit. That would be cool. If you look at it as pure art, I think Raf Simons is very artistic. Rick Owens is something I don’t know if I would wear every day,
but I appreciate his world-building.
All images: Courtesy of Ashwin Gane
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