To play or not to play in 4/4? That is the question that haunts all prog musicians’ nightmares.
Sinusoidal Music sat down with Shivam and Varun from Space Remedy, Vishal of Fallen Letters, and Abhishek from Pulse Theory for a candid conversation on shenanigans and work.
“What is a prog musician’s favourite energy drink?”
The answers go completely off-track. Varun throws in “lemon soda” and Shivam backs “Irish coffee” because it gives you “the best of both worlds.” Varun quickly adds that Scotch is definitely the wrong answer, which somehow makes it feel like the most correct wrong answer.
Soon, the conversation shifts to pre-show rituals. Shivam admits he has gone deep into the coffee rabbit hole over the past year. Brewing coffee has become a full-on routine, something he plans the night before a gig.
Read More: Fan Records 10,000 Concerts Over 40 Years – Historic Music Archive Upload in Progress
Abhishek’s answer reflects how things have changed over time. “Many years back before the show we used to drink a lot and go on stage all woozy and happy,” he says. That phase did not last. As the music got more intricate, the rebelliousness shrank. “We lost the privilege.” Now it is coffee, or in his case, ginger water. “People think I’m taking neat shots, but it’s just hot water with ginger.” He laughs it off. Shivam jumps in with a quick reality check: “age plays a role too.”
So How Did Prog Encounters Happen?
That shared experience eventually fed into something bigger. Prog Encounters was not originally planned as a long-running series. Abhishek explains that it started as a one-off idea in 2023, when Pulse Theory was launching their first album. The goal was to put together a multi-act gig. Space Remedy joined the first edition through Geometry Box, and the response was strong enough to spark a bigger question – Could this grow beyond a single night?
By 2024, things started scaling up. More artists came on board, including renowned bands like Coshish. The focus was on how the entire event was run. Abhishek points out that professionalism became a key part of what they were trying to build. Smooth artist experience, timely payouts, better organization. The idea was to create value beyond just the music.
Four years in, Prog Encounters has hosted over 30 artists across multiple cities. What started as a single gig now feels like a growing circuit, for a genre that’s very nostalgic to Indian alternative music lovers. This year marks another step forward, with one of its most ambitious editions yet, including a full weekend run in Bengaluru.
Prog Encounters 4.0 will take place on 17th April at Antisocial in Pune, 19th April at The Stables in Mumbai, and on 24th and 25th April at Fandom in Bengaluru.
You don’t wanna miss this!
