Equanimous Talks New Album Merging Elements

Equanimous is a breakout artist in the world bass scene. He is gaining popularity with his eclectic sound and its blissful energy. He has been hard at work during quarantine and recently released his new album Merging Elements through Gravitas Recordings. The album features over 11 collaborations with other inventive artists such as Skysia, Ahee, Auralponic, and many more. It takes listeners on a euphoric voyage filled with melodic and complelling sounds over the course of the 9 tracks. Equanimous recently chatted with iEDM and discussed the inspiration behind Merging Elements, creativity, and his love for collaborations.

iEDM: Tell us about yourself. How did you get your start in music?

Equanimous: I was born playing, I can’t even remember when I didn’t. I moved from drums to piano and guitar at an early age and began producing music electronically in middle school. Here’s a fun clip of me playing as a kid!

iEDM: What is the primary inspiration behind Merging Elements? The tracks are very soothing yet powerful.

Equanimous: The inspiration for this album was to get some of my favorite producers together and collaborate with them to weave all of our energies in order to create a unique journey of expansion, dancing, and love. I love to bridge that line between bliss and bass and this album was a way for me to express that.

iEDM: Do you have any favorite tracks?

Equanimous: That’s a tough question. I like them all for different moods. If I’m feeling more spiritual and ethereal I’ll throw on Arise or Merging Elements but if I’m trying to get down I’ll go with Bumpin Bass Beatbox or another one of the bassier tracks :)

Equanimous · Equanimous & nok nok - Bumpin Bass Beatbox

iEDM: How has your approach to music and creativity changed due to the pandemic and the lack of live events?

Equanimous: To be honest not too much of my mindset has changed. I was just coming off of an 80 show 12 month tour when the pandemic started so I was planning on grounded down for a while to create music anyways. I’m focusing more on growing my online presence and still collaborating with other producers its just more virtual now. I have missed playing at big festivals though, I really hope those come back soon.

iEDM: Any advice to artists who are struggling to adapt to the changes in the music industry because of the pandemic?

Equanimous: Spotify, Spotify, Spotify. Lots of bookers look at Spotify when they’re deciding how much you’re worth. Might as well grow that element of your artistry so that when shows do come back, you’ve grown your following in a way that promoters like to see.

iEDM: Do you have any hobbies or passions besides music that you’ve been diving into lately?

Equanimous: I’m a HUGE Basketball lover. I play all the time, follow the NBA obsessively, and the finer details of the game have set great principals for how I live my life outside of sports. It’s obviously been harder to play full pick up games like before but I still am able to get my shots in on the hoop at my house. I’m also really into meditating and do it often but I’m not sure I’d call that a passion more as it is just an important part of my life, kind of like sleeping.

iEDM: Once live events are safe again, what is one event you dream of playing?

Equanimous: I know its a dream for many artists but I’d like to play one of the main stages Coachella. Besides that, I’d say headlining Lightning in a Bottle has always been a dream of mine as well as playing at the NBA All Star game but that’s more just because of my love for basketball.

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Thanks to @mrkapowofficial for making this sweet video of me playing at @earth_frequency this winter. Full Video on YouTube. 🎵😊🙌 ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ #liveshow #livetronic #livetronica #deyadova #remix #returnofthebirdtribes #doentempo #musicfestival #eff #earthfrequency #earthfrequencyfestival #musicfestivals #music #keys #livekeys #piano #livepiano #highvibes #goodmusic #goodmusicallday #foryou #passionpassport #instagokd #instadaily #instamusic

A post shared by Equanimous (@equanimouslove) on Apr 10, 2020 at 12:46pm PDT

iEDM: Tell us about your experience working with Ecstatic Dance. I’m sure it is a profoundly special movement to be a part of.

Equanimous: Yes ecstatic dance has played a huge roll in the growth of me as Equanimous. I started DJ’ing these a few years back and it really helped me become not just a producer but an actual DJ. I fell in love with the ecstatic dance community and how they’re committed authentic expression and love. It grew a passion in myself for dance and now I love to dance, especially contact improv. It’s been a wonderful outlet for me not just performing at them, but going to them and dancing as well. To this date I’ve played over 50 ecstatic dances all over the United States and overseas as well.

iEDM: What do you envision for the future of your music career?

Equanimous: Someone called me the DJ Khaled of the conscious electronic scene the other day. I’m not sure if that hat fits perfectly, but I’m honored by the comparison because I really like working with others and expanding through collaborations similar to DJ Khaled. I see my future as an artist constantly putting out creative dance tracks with lots of different people. Still focusing on rhythm and beautiful melodies, I can see myself performing unifying blissful sets for large groups of people.

iEDM: Any last thoughts you’d like to share with our readers?

Equanimous: I feel like most people are experiencing themselves in this weird time in our human existence. I know for some this may be a struggle. I’d just like to offer to anyone something that really helps me in tough times and that is shifting your awareness from the outside to the inside. What I mean by that is to explore internally. Every single day, take some time to feel what you’re feeling. Not just emotionally, but physically as well. Explore your body, your cells, your energy with your awareness and see what you experience. A lot of healing and joy can occur just from being still and letting the body witness itself. This may not be super music related, but I thought I’d throw in there anyways :)

Thank you for taking the time to share you wisdom with us Equanimous! You can listen to Merging Elements below!