GrooveBot

GrooveBot is an industrial rock/metal project and the brainchild of Chinmay Agharkar, guitar player of progressive rock band Paradigm Shift and grunge outfit Hook from Mumbai. He recently released ‘Gentle Scars‘ on the 25th January 2021 featuring the mighty Siddharth Basrur on vocals.

The music video for ‘Gentle Scars’ uses Unreal engine which is the world’s most advanced real time 3d graphics and immersive experience platform to create the gameplay kind of effect on the video which makes it something you cannot miss at any cost!

We are stoked to be able to interview Chinmay about GrooveBot thanks to Ashwin Sharma for making this happen!

Musicmandir – Hi Chinmay Agharkar, tell us a little about yourself?

Primarily I’m a guitarist for Prog Rock/Fusion act Paradigm Shift and Grunge act Hook and I also freelance with a few other commercial artists in the same capacity. While touring took up a majority of my time in the pre-Covid era, since 2020 I’ve majorly been focusing on music production in the commercial space like ads & jingles. I’m also a music educator and visiting faculty for Guitar at Euro International School, Airoli.

Musicmandir – How would you describe the soundscape of ‘Gentle Scars’?

With Gentle Scars I had to be a producer first, guitarist second. I managed to do that pretty well and it reflects in the overall sound of the track. It’s an amalgamation of old-school synths, lots of ambient layers and some cyclic distorted guitar riffs which helps me dial in those dark undertones in the track.

Musicmandir – How was it working with Siddharth Basrur and how do you think he’s influenced the track/music?

It was honestly a breeze. He perfectly understood what the song needed and his vocals were mostly unchanged since the first draft barring some harmonies and variations. He completely elevated the song in so many ways and the lyrics which reflect the protagonist being in a spiral of self-doubt and stagnation are just apt for the intense and dark undertones of the track.

Watch the Music Video for Gentle Scars (feat. Siddharth Basrur)

Musicmandir – The music video is absolutely amazing! How was the process the working with Unreal engine?

This answer would be incomplete without mentioning Ronen Samson from Dark Matter who worked on the music video. A fellow gaming enthusiast, he completely conceptualized the video and made it from scratch using Unreal Engine which is a Game Development / 3D Creation platform by Epic Games. We’ve been able to achieve some really detailed and rich textures and elements thanks to UE. It’s a dystopian setting where you see a cyborg exploring the remnants of a bunker of sorts. 

Musicmandir – Any new music coming up in the coming months?

I’ve already started working on the next track. Got an exciting collaborator in the pipeline. Hopefully our dates and work commitments fall in place so that there aren’t any delays in that regard. Having said that, I dont mind if the track gets done when it gets done.

Musicmandir – Five Indian artists you enjoy listening to?

Advaita, Indus Creed, Samar Mehdi, Skrat, Soulmate.

Speaking of Soulmate, we were fortunate to interview the band about their latest album titled ‘Give Love’ which you can read here.

---

Watch / Listen to The Musicmandir Podcast HERE

---

Follow Us

---

If you enjoyed reading about GrooveBot and would like to discover more such artists across India consider subscribing to our newsletter to get lates news, new music & fresh interviews straight into your inbox. To subscribe please click here.