StoKed: purveyor of infectious energy

'StoKed'' is making some serious inroads amongst the new breed of international techno artists. With each one of his releases StoKed has managed to showcase his skills as a producer. His success in Beatport's International Top 100 Charts has helped him garner top support from heavyweights such as Umek, Spartaque, Loco & Jam, Ramon Tapia, Cristian Varela, Ramiro Lopez, Spektre, LuigiMadonna and many more.

Radio Intense talked to one of Asia's most promising Techno exports about his life, Indian nightlife and new release "Bitonal Creatures" coming on Codex. Read it below right now!
— Hi Rajat! How are you doing? Where are you right now?
— Hey guys thanks for having me on board for this interview. I am doing fabulously well and am super stoked to have moved to Goa with my girlfriend. We are enjoying amazing sunsets on the beach, drinking coconut water and playing some very good sunrise sets at festivals. Life is good ;)
— Tell us more about StoKed. How did it all start for you?
— Basically it is my state of being, and that reflects in my productions, how I am behind the console & most importantly in everyday life. ''Purveyor of Infectious Energy'' hence StoKed. It felt right when I was choosing this moniker for myself. Never had second thoughts about it.
— It's the first time we take an interview from Indian artist. Has the influence of your country impacted on your creative development? If so, how?
— I am glad to be doing this interview for you guys, happy to be the first one haha. As far my country's influence on my productions goes, India loves its melodic / progressive house & I love hard-hitting drops. I have developed my own style combining these two primary aspects. They work brilliantly on dace floors worldwide & especially on the Indian crowd. If you listen to most of my tracks they have memorable melodic hooks & solid drops. Techno Hero released on IAMT last year is a perfect example of that.
— And what about nightlife in India? Can you recommend places to visit?
— The nightlife in India is burgeoning; almost all major cities have massive nightclubs & bars. Pertaining to underground music I would suggest Goa (Larive, Toy beach club, Marbella, Sunburn beach club) Hyderabad (Prism Super club, Block 22) & Bangalore (Kitty Ko, Nazara roof top). Though the options are myriad, these are my top recommendations.
— 5 Indian artists who have inspired you
— There are quite a few actually but if i have to name 5 then they would be Arjun Vagale, Bullzeye, Rohit Gidda, Browncoat who have been at the forefront of the Indian underground scene for a decade and more.

But the one person who is majorly responsible for the current burgeoning Indian underground scene is Nikhil Chinapa. It's amazing to see how he has transformed our scene by giving deserving local upcoming talent an international platform to realise their potential and dreams.
The majority of us owe it to him. He is and will be one of the most important figures spearheading the electronic & underground scene in India.
— Your new release "Bitonal Creatures" soon will be out on Codex. What is the story behind the tracks?
— ''Bitonal Creatures'' came about because I did not want to make a ''just another banger''. Mostly every one has two sides to them and I wanted to express that in the track. It's about people embracing their dualities and coming together as one. Thereafter I got in touch with my buddy Kai "Fire between us'' and gave him a low down of my idea. Fire came back with some meaningful vocal lines & voila BC was born.

''Metal gear'' is an all out dance floor smasher. It is the balance the EP needed. Primarily a track I know Spartaque would love haha. Straight up no nonsense dance floor cracker.
— What are your expectations from the release?
— After my very successful ''Girl With the Red Hair'' EP on IAMT (with Fire on vocals), I hope it delivers over and above the expectations set by GWRH. It's a privilege to be on CODEX as Spartaque & Greenjack are doing a phenomenal job with the label & I hope I can live up to if not surpass the best of CODEX releases.
— What are your goals for 2021?
— I do not have plans as such for 2021 as a year. Because in hindsight every plan in 2020 fell apart or got delayed because of the unpredictability of the virus situation. I how ever have goals that I have set for my self which I most def plan to achieve. The goals are primarily label based as producing top-notch music is in my hands no matter the global entertainment scenario, which has been impacted heavily by the virus.

Most importantly though I am working on a follow-up EP for Codex which is going to be mega. Really pushing my boundaries with it as I did with Bitonal Creatures & Metal Gear.