About
Audio Monk & Shābdha
Audio Monk and Shābdha are the twin musical identities of electronic music artist Pranjal Shetty, a Goa-based DJ, producer, and sonic storyteller dedicated to spinning sacred sounds for wild, free-spirited dancers. Rooted in the psychedelic underground yet open to a wide spectrum of club and ritual music, his sets move between hypnotic psytrance, deep rolling techno, raw house grooves, and everything in between.
Under the name Audio Monk, Pranjal steps into his “altered state of mind,” channeling the classic spirit of Goa and contemporary psytrance into powerful journeys for the dancefloor. As Shābdha, he opens a parallel universe of sound, weaving house, disco, breaks, and techno into immersive, psychedelic narratives that are less about genre and more about energy, emotion, and transformation.
Psytrance journeys from Goa
Audio Monk is Pranjal’s long-standing alias and the project that first connected him with the global psytrance community. As a DJ and producer, he crafts detailed, high-energy sets that blend modern psytrance, Goa-influenced melodies, deeper progressive edges, and darker, more introspective passages. His tracks such as “Swirl” and “Death,” released via DoctorSpook’s compilations, showcase a style that is driving and dancefloor-ready yet rich in texture and atmosphere, designed to push crowds into full-body movement and trance-like focus.
On the decks, Audio Monk is known for long-form, story-driven sets that build from sunrise-tinged grooves to peak-time intensity, often closing with cathartic, emotional releases. He has become a familiar name at parties and open-airs across Goa and India, sharing lineups with respected artists in the psytrance scene and frequently headlining day parties at venues like The Mount and other coastal locations. His presence behind the mixer is both grounded and wild: precise technical mixing combined with a willingness to follow the dancefloor’s collective energy into unexpected territories.
Beyond performance, Audio Monk is also a curator and community-builder, co-creating events such as Goa Espiritu, which bring together local and international DJs for extended psytrance gatherings in South Goa. These parties emphasize high-quality sound, thoughtful lineups, and a welcoming vibe where people can dance for hours in a safe, inclusive environment that honors the roots of Goa’s psychedelic culture.
Shābdha Underground sound in all directions
Shābdha is the newer alias under which Pranjal explores the wider underground spectrum beyond psytrance, while retaining the same psychedelic spirit and attention to narrative. After a period of reflection and introspection, he created Shābdha as a dedicated space for all the other raw, genre-bending sounds he loves – from deep and hypnotic house to groovy disco, leftfield breaks, and driving techno.
The name Shābdha comes from a Sanskrit word, also present in his mother tongue Tulu, meaning simply “a sound” – but for him it points to sound as a force that connects, moves, and transforms human experience. In this project, he treats each set and each track as a sonic ritual: slowly building tension with layered percussion, weaving in tribal and organic elements, and then releasing that energy through euphoric hooks, basslines, and subtle psychedelic details.
While Audio Monk will continue to represent his journey through psytrance and its sub-genres, Shābdha is the playground where Pranjal shares the rest of his musical world – the after-hours grooves, warehouse feelings, beach-side sunsets, and late-night city vibrations that have shaped his taste. New Shābdha releases and mixes are steadily emerging, featuring immersive, rhythmic productions such as “Memories (Original Mix)” that pair multi-layered percussion with melodic textures built for deep dancefloor hypnosis.
Sacred
Sacred sounds for wild souls
Both Audio Monk and Shābdha are grounded in the same core philosophy: music as a bridge between inner and outer worlds, between darkness and light, between the rational mind and the raw, embodied self. Whether he is playing a full-power psytrance day party in the Goan sun, an intimate club night focused on house and techno, or a more ceremonial dance ritual, Pranjal approaches each set as an invitation to step outside ordinary time and into a shared, transformative experience.
On and off the stage, he is deeply involved in the evolving underground of Goa – mentoring younger DJs, collaborating with local crews, and pushing for events that prioritize artistic integrity, safe spaces, and genuine connection over commercial trends. For dancers, promoters, and listeners around the world, Audio Monk and Shābdha offer two distinct but complementary doorways into this universe of sound: one rooted in the psychedelic trance lineage of Goa, the other roaming freely across the underground electronic landscape while staying true to the same heart.
