Exclusive Premiere: HOIA’s Turn to Synth on ‘Iconoclast’ EP
Mumbai-based guitarist Prateek Rajagopal goes from prog to industrial on one long song presented in three parts
Artwork: Courtesy of the artist
After releasing two singles to launch his solo prog-leaning project HOIA ”“ named after a Romanian forest that’s infamously labeled haunted ”“ Mumbai-based guitarist and producer Prateek Rajagopal got himself a Korg Minilogue synthesizer early this year. This, after selling one of his guitars.
Of course, he’s still a riff-master, with albums coming up from both, his instrumental prog project The Minerva Conduct as well as brutal death metallers Gutslit. He says about his latest acquisition, “It sparked some creativity. I’d always wanted to write something like this, something quite industrial.”
Rajagopal doesn’t cite any specific industrial artist, preferring to go with a spontaneous method of songwriting for HOIA’s new EP Iconoclast. “Initially I thought I’d make it a 20-minute EP, but I ended up writing one song connected by three parts,” he says. He discusses the songs with emotions more than sonic references, calling the first part an “intriguing intro” followed by “melodic” shift in moods and ending with what he calls a “perfect piano, melodic and industrial, which is also my favorite part.” He adds, “I wanted to write something contrasting.”
Listen to ‘Iconoclast’ below.
