On today’s episode of music/Maker with Tyler Kline, Tyler is joined by composer, performer, vocalist, and producer Anuj Bhutani.

Described by PATRON Magazine as “a force multiplier with more talents than time,” Anuj creates music that moves between visceral grooves, meditative textures, narrative depth, and a fluid mix of acoustic and electronic sound. A first-generation Indian American, his work often inhabits liminal spaces—drawing from classical, emo/screamo, ambient, singer-songwriter, and electronic traditions—and engages deeply with theater, dance, and film.

His music has been performed by Beth Morrison Projects, MATA, the American Composers Orchestra, The Crossing, and artists across a broad spectrum of new music. He has received awards from Chamber Music America, ASCAP, Verdigris, Nief-Norf, and organizations nationwide, with recent residencies at Loghaven, Avaloch, Banff, Atlantic Center for the Arts, VCCA, and others.

In this conversation, Anuj traces a nonlinear path into music—moving from metal bands and DIY songwriting to psychology studies, then into community college and formal composition training. He and Tyler talk about how personal history, cultural identity, and in-between spaces have shaped his voice; how genre-fluid listening opened new artistic possibilities; and how curiosity, intuition, and narrative emerge as guiding forces in his process. They also discuss the evolving performance practice behind his work, what it means to hold multiple musical worlds at once, and how storytelling—especially in his project Manu—is opening the door to new creative directions.

Anuj is online at https://www.anujbhutani.com/

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Ep. 043 - Expanding Music from Personal History into Narrative Possibility with Anuj Bhutani