He started with a band.
At 15, he was the guitarist for an alt rock band in Canada. It’s where he picked up his production chops — in the course of pursuing a degree in film and media studies. When he returned in 2011, he started making music in his spare time (over repeated plays of Thievery Corporation, Massive Attack and YouTube tutorials).
His music unravels.
Hastak’s EP, Foreward (2013), is comforting in its emptiness and whispered lyrics. His live sets are more layered. “I’ve always been interested in sets that have atmosphere. I like to create space and flow in a set.” He samples a host of artists too, from Suzanne Vega to Bonobo. “I don’t [perform] my work till I can find a way to mix it with bits of music I love.”
He’s a geek.
When he’s not working on his second EP (“which is moving towards hip-hop”), he listens to BBC Essential Mixes. He’s really into Shigeto at the mo. “It’s the perfect mix of everything I’d like to be — a little busy, yet mellow.”
Big City Harmonics will be performing at Bacardi Nh7 Weekender, Pune, on November 22. Nh7.in/weekender
