Noni Mouse or Radhapriya Gupta, is a ‘musician who is constantly inventing’. As a musician, she enjoys a healthy challenge. Working with instruments like electronic music equipment, synthesisers, drum machines with the addition of her vocals, Noni creates the most creative tracks with a minimal set-up. Below, she discusses her recent album Kismet - the inspiration behind it, the genre and gives us a sneak peek of her upcoming work.
Inspiration
‘This album is influenced by the music I heard as a child. The main vocal line is inspired by 90s Indie pop, the melodic character of it, especially artists like Sunita Rao and Anisha Chinoy. The name of the album captures my own trajectory. I have realised how fruitful it is to be honest with your creativity rather than factoring industry influences. It is interesting to see how regional culture influences dance music.
For this album, I didn’t expect myself to use my signature vocal chops, but it felt right. My friend once said, “the moment you hear a vocal, you are instantly drawn to the music”. This synced well with Kismet, where the mood of the track is set by the vocal samples. Working within a London circuit is a challenge I’ve come to enjoy. I’ve enjoyed building some restrictions. It has helped me find eureka kinds of moments. There are days when I can’t think of anything, nothing seems to work but then one day it does. Voila! There’s the joy of “I finally cracked it.”
Genre
‘Two years ago, during the See / Fold release, it was only then that I realised the genre IDM - Intelligent Dance Music. Since then I have been a fan of this genre. It challenges you to evolve and experiment with what exists. Plus, it has no rules to it. My aim has always been to challenge the listeners a little bit. This music might need a few listens to understand and digest it. I’m not trying to fit any bracket or criteria or mould.’
On the changes in a track when imagined as being heard through a huge sound system, Noni says that ‘Basic technicalities like the bass, the low end, the grooves should be well pronounced for having a clear mix so that the listener is able to understand what’s going on.’ Moreover, ‘composing for clubs has been a big learning in terms of clubs in India and the UK. For Indian clubs the music is influenced by Bollywood and America and larger than life feel. On the other hand, in the UK the music is minimal and is kept very grounded. This led me to exercise more restraint. I take it as a unique challenge to work with the smallest stack of music.’
Upcoming
‘The fans may get to see an on-stage collab at Lollapalooza 2027. I’m aiming to create an unconventional festival experience, a challenging moment in the sense of “wait! what is this?” Additionally, I’ve worked on a new compilation by Sound of Women - FolkSoul Vol. 2. Had an amazing collab with Krantinaari for that. Further, I’m planning to release more Hindi music, slowly expanding towards that direction.’ Till then, the fans can tune in to Kismet and see where it leads their trajectory.
Words Shruti Verma
Date 29.10.2026