Changing face of EDM music 
They are three of many other tracks that the 35-year-old has produced over the last eight years, since he took over the new stage name. Interestingly, Dhar has been a part of the music industry for far longer and has seen quite an evolution in the last two decades. He explains, “In the beginning, it was all hip-hop for me. Then I went into pop music and I produced for people like Selena Gomez and Robin Thicke.” 

However, in the last decade, Dhar has seen EDM change quite a bit. “It started with a lot of big room music - it was just European dominated with guys like Avicii and Hardwell who took charge. Then there was EDM bass music. Now, you are seeing some simpler stuff like house, darker stuff on the techno scene.” But, KSHMR says since dance music is very broad, it is almost hard to consider it one genre because emotionally it is so diverse and that brings a lot of new energy and keeps it exciting. 

Over the years, this journey has also made him collaborate with many musicians, some of them being for Sunburn, where he plays often, and the music has become a part of his sets for the music festival. “I have had some great collaborations, some great people that helped me level up over the years in my own production. For me to play at Sunburn and create some of them that have become some of the biggest sets in my performances if I am playing in India or the world is such an amazing feeling,” says the producer, who has also performed at Coachella, Tomorrowland, Ultra, and was recently in Mumbai to perform at Road To Ultra at the NESCO Centre in Goregaon. 

On the work front, more recently, he collaborated with Armaan Malik on ‘Echo’, after previously working with another much-loved Bollywood singer, the experience of which is close to his heart. “Making my song 'Under Water' with Sonu Nigam was great because he is my grandpa's favourite singer,” adds a happy Dhar, who mentions how taking the patriarch on stage is one of his cherished memories in India. 

Apart from Nigam and Malik, KSHMR worked on his seven-track 2021 album, ‘Harmonica Andromeda’ during the Covid-19 pandemic. The album was a result of the Covid-19 pandemic because he wasn’t able to play at concerts, so KSHMR says the period gave him the time to work on the album, which he believes is also his best body of work till now. The American record producer’s connect with India has only been forged further as he has also worked with King, MC Stan and Krsna for his latest hip hop album, ‘Karam’. A taste of which fans got recently when he released the first single ‘Haath Varthi’ with Indian rapper and Bigg Boss 16 winner MC Stan. If the song is an indicator of the other songs in the album, then fans can expect it to be yet another great album from KSHMR. 

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