Trap music producer Karan Kanchan swaying fans with Japanese pop culture and Wagakki blend

J-trap is Karan Kanchan’s forte.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

When music as a career choice is still debated in Indian households, what makes the son of an Indian computer engineer take it up — that too trap music — full time?  “Curiosity and passion,”  says 25-year-old Karan Kanchan.  “I wanted to become a DJ when I came to know that all their music was possible by just a laptop,” says the Mumbai-based well-known multi-genre and trap music producer in India over a Zoom video interview.

Trap music, which was once intrinsic to drug culture,  has evolved into a subgenre of EDM, assures Karan. “That kind of trap goes with vocals and rappers and is all about drugs. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke… with the newer generation, trap music has evolved into newer sounds and newer words. Trap music is heavy bass and heavy drums and what I do is based on an electronic music background.”

Production path

Karan considers himself lucky to have had early access to the laptop and internet at home and discovered software that helped him create music.  “Slowly and steadily, I got into music production more than the performance. I am going with the flow and  looking forward to learning new things and acquiring a new skill set in music production.”

Karan’s string of noteworthy productions featured some top names in the industry. He recently produced music for Royal Challenger Bangalore’s anthem ‘Naya Sher’ with rapper Divine and Jonita Gandhi featuring Virat Kohli.

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Step at a time

Earlier this year, his remix version of ‘Baazigar’ with Divine, which also featured American rapper Armani White, garnered nearly seven million views and some one million reels were made on Instagram.

He produced music for Red Bull’s international IP – 64 Bars and collaborated with artists like Sikander Kahlon, MC Altaf, and Rawal for the same.

In 2022, Karan teamed up with actor-singer Shruti Hassan to produce her second single ‘She’s a Hero’ an ode to women across the world. The song also features rapper MC Altaf. After ‘Edge’, ‘She’s a Hero’ established Shruti as a versatile artiste, a name to reckon with in the pop music genre.

“I like to understand what an artiste is looking for and try to get them from their vision to the final product,” says Karan and elaborates on the challenges in collaborating with artistes. “They (artistes) are very careful about who they allow into their space while they’re working on their music.  As a producer, or someone who’s working with them, you have to allow them to be there. You cannot go and say, ‘This is the song you should sing’, we hear them out and give an honest opinion. Being well-versed with your tools is important.”

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Japanese way

Karan has been inspired by Japanese pop culture and infuses the wagakki’s sounds in his music. It is not the Japanese anime or cartoons but the music he watched on YouTube that inspired him, he says. “I was curious about Japan as a country, been a fan of their architecture and we know it is an advanced country when it comes to technology, and their culture has intrigued me,” says Karan who follows the popular eight-member Wagakki Band keenly and his fascination for Japanese classical instruments like shakuhachi and shamisen made him adopt those sounds. “This band combines their traditional instruments with rock instruments like guitars and drums.  I try to get some influence from that and combine it with my rap music, which I started doing in 2017.”

Karan’s magnum animation video ‘Monogatari’ in 2020 where he also composed music reflects his love for all things Japanese. “My dream is to go to Japan someday,” he says.

Divine intervention

During his early days as a musician, when Karan was trying to contact labels and companies, he says no one believed his Japanese-influenced rock and trap music had any potential in India. Then Karan met rapper Divine, leading to a turning point in his music career. “Divine was one of the first guys to see my music’s production part. He had a vision for me; he helped me figure out what I’m capable of as a producer and empowered me. I was one of the first artistes to be signed up by his label Gully Gang Entertainment Limited.”

Strongly connected to the music producers community in India, Karan wants to strengthen its base to support new talent. “I started my journey with no idea about the industry. I want to bridge that gap,” he says.