Back in the day, British DJ and producer Anil Chawla famously held down a 5-year residency at the notorious Turnmills club in London. His career has since taken him around the world, performing across North and South America, the UK and Europe, Australia, Dubai, Egypt, Russia, India, the Philippines, Georgia and the Channel Islands.
An acclaimed producer, Chawla has released numerous original tracks on leading labels that have gathered serious props from the techno fraternity, with major plays by Richie Hawtin, Marco Carola, Loco Dice and Carl Cox. Chawla has also received many awards and reviews from DJMag, iDJ, Mixmag and Beatport. Currently based in Berlin, Chawla continues touring across the globe.
Anil Chawla’s Quick 6
1. What’s the first thing you do for inspiration when you get into the studio?
Anil Chawla: I usually spend most of my spare time soaking up inspiration, whether it’s being in clubs at the weekend, record stores, or listening to mixes. When I get into the studio, I’ll normally have an idea in my head where where I want to go (although it invariably ends up in another direction). So I’ll get a strong kick and some drums going, and just vibe from there.
2. Favorite or newest piece of hardware/software in your studio?
I’ve actually just started buying hardware and incorporating it into the studio. I picked up a second-hand Roland Groovbox 303 recently. It’s taken a bit of time to learn how to control it, but there’s quite an extensive sound bank in there, and it’s nice to be more hands-on, rather than having the ‘point and click’ approach to production.
3. One synthesizer you wish you owned?
Without a doubt, a Roland TB-303.
4. Anil Chawlas go-to DAW?
Ableton. I’ve spent a fair amount of time with Cubase/Logic, but feel most comfortable with Ableton.
5. Newest audio technology you’ve heard of?
Just a couple of days ago, I saw that Ambivalent had posted a kickstarter link for the ‘Cerberus 500 series’, which looks really interesting
6. Your favorite website?
I know a lot of people often whine about it, but Soundcloud is essential for what I do – in terms of both sharing new music, and also for searching out new music and producers.