In my most recent dinner session, I sat down with Kabeer Kathpalia, known to the world as OAFF.Between bites of my mom’s secret-recipe chole and homemade gulab jamuns, we dove into the mind of a producer who has transitioned from making DIY punk in a chemistry lab to scoring massive Bollywood blockbusters like Gehraiyaan.
Kabeer is a fascinating study in Creative Duality.
On one hand, he’s a “Gardener”, someone who plants musical seeds without a fixed vision, letting the track grow into whatever it needs to be. On the other, he’s a math-and-physics nerd who views music as a problem of “Tension and Release,” analyzing why a specific phonetic syllable punches harder on a beat than another.
The “Big Hit” Trap
Many people think that once you have a “chart-topper,” the game is won. But as Kabeer shared, hitting the top of the charts doesn’t necessarily change how you feel, it just changes the stakes. “I didn’t feel anything when Gehraiyaan became a hit,” he admitted. “I’m chasing the flow state of creation, not the validation.”
However, there is a professional reality: success brings noise. When you have Bollywood directors, ad agencies, and independent projects all vying for your time, the “Gardener” in you can get overwhelmed by the “Architectural” demands of the business.
This is why even successful producers need a digital architect. When you’re at the top, you need someone to help you:
- Curate the Narrative: Moving between ads, films, and independent “left-of-field” music requires a cohesive digital story so the audience knows which “Kabeer” they are engaging with.
- Institutionalize the Process: Like Lifafa, Kabeer thrives in the studio but faces the “jitters” of the live stage. Managing that transition requires a plan that scales your comfort zone.
- Analyze the Algorithm: Kabeer views music production through a design lens. I view the platforms through a data lens. Together, that’s how you ensure “freshness” doesn’t get buried by the “familiarity” of the algorithm.
Managing the Multidimensionality
Kabeer told me he’s looking for a hobby, pottery, knitting, something purely for himself, because “music is no longer a hobby.” When your passion becomes your high-stakes profession, you need a partner to manage the “Business Dimension” so you can keep the “Creative Dimension” sacred.
My goal is to be the sounding board for artists who are doing it all. You handle the “Tension and Release” of the melody; I’ll handle the “Discovery and Retention” of the digital world.
If you’re a producer with a big release under your belt but you feel like your digital presence is still catching up to your talent, let’s sit down.
