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  3. at __TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37->block_title(array('pages' => array(array('id' => '385', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '310', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:36:32', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2020-12-28 13:16:03', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'About', 'content' => '<p>Wild City was established as an online music magazine and community platform in 2011. It has since grown to become an events company (hosting a variety of musical showcases, events and the annual Magnetic Fields Festival), cultural PR agency (City Press launched in 2015), consultants for brands engaging with contemporary music culture in India (partners include Boiler Room, Resident Advisor, Red Bull, Jameson, Bira 91, Puma, Social Offline, Bumble, Ray-Ban, Budweiser, British Council amongst others), and executors of regional cultural programs across South Asia.</p> <p>Dedicated to spotlighting the latest in alternative culture and music from India and South Asia, Wild City’s inception filled a much-needed gap in the Indian music space.<br /> <br /> A year after its establishment, Wild City partnered with Gerriet Schultz (founder of iconic Berlin club VMF) and the Goethe-Institut to create Border Movement, an online platform and series of events, workshops and residencies that promote interaction between grass roots electronic music communities in South Asia and Germany.<br /> <br /> In 2013, Wild City co-founded the first-ever Magnetic Fields, arguably India’s most popular boutique music festival. Taking place in Alsisar Mahal, Rajasthan, Magnetic Fields has been included in the ‘50 Best Music Festivals in the World’ by Time Out Magazine. It has also been lauded by Resident Advisor, New York Times and other notable publications.<br /> <br /> In 2016, Wild City further went on to win an award for 'Best Promoter in India' and co-curated the music stream of The Coalition.<br /> <br /> Wild City is the voice for alternative music in the region. Whether showcasing local or international sounds, the company constantly thrives to challenge and develop the independent cultural space and its audience.<br /> <br /> <strong>Contact Us:</strong><br /> <br /> Promos | Music Submissions: music@thewildcity.com<br /> Listings | News | Features: amaan@thewildcity.com<br /> Press | PR: ruhi@thewildcity.com<br /> Commercial | Ads | Partnerships: munbir@thewildcity.com<br /> Recruitment | Hotdesking: info@thewildcity.com<br /> Inquiries | General: info@thewildcity.com</p> ', 'slug' => 'about', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => '')), array('id' => '386', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '311', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:51:38', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2018-04-19 06:50:04', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Advertising', 'content' => '<p><sub>To advertise with Wild City please contact press@thewildcity.com. For partnerships please speak to munbir@thewildcity.com.</sub></p> ', 'slug' => 'advertising', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => ''))), 'feed' => array(array('id' => '20610', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19421', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-15 12:43:44', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-15 15:50:09', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '2023 In Review', 'date' => '15/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Vinayak^a, Komorebi, Sandunes, Dreamhour, Tarun Balani, Ruhail Qaisar, Rafiki, Ditty, Lush Lata, Mali, Oblique, Bulli Bainbridge, Merak, Dhanji', 'business' => 'Dynamite Disco Club', 'content' => '<p>2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of its predecessor and no change of digit has ever put a break on the continuity of trends, talent or conflict.</p> <p>The exercise of shedding light upon the developments in alternative music in the Indian subcontinent in a particular year and highlighting what we predict will ripple forward doesn’t just help people reflect on what has been and catch up on things they might have missed or overlooked. It also has proven to signal the upcoming prominence of budding artists.</p> <p>For instance, from our <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20037-2022-in-review" target="_blank">2022’s reflection</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chaardiwaari/" target="_blank">Chaar Diwaari</a> has since released on Def Jam India and collaborated with Yo Yo Honey Singh and all 3 of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11700-noni-mouse" target="_blank">Noni-mouse</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7080-kiss-nuka" target="_blank">Kiss Nuka</a> made their Boiler Room debuts with the latter two also doing prominent shows in UK and Berlin respectively.</p> <p>Eitherway, we find it worth pausing to take in what we witnessed in 2023 – a year, that wasn’t the first period out of the pandemic but the one where the visions, growth and ideas developed on an individual level during the pandemic were exercised and showcased to its fullest.</p> <p>See what that looked like by focusing on handpicked artists and their work in the past year below:</p> <h3><b>Vinayak^a</b></h3> <p>A long-standing figure of Indian dancefloors, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/129-vinayak-a" target="_blank">Vinayak^a</a> would have defined 2023 in alternative music space just through the sheer quantity of his releases alone. While things had been sporadic on the release front in the nearly two decades-worth of career for the Chennai-based DJ-producer, 2023 was filled with a drop after another. Out of them, ‘Andar Bandar’, Vinayak^a’s second-ever solo LP looms large. Layers from electronic to sampled organic collide to create rich atmospheric tapestries while Vinayak^a shows how spoken word samples can be used to add to the textures rather than as devices to spoonfeed a message and emotion.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2587720108/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Andar Bandar by vinayak^a</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sandunes</b></h3> <p>Almost every year is filled with some commendable work by this electronica frontrunner but 2023 stands out for Sanaya Ardeshir aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/301-sandunes" target="_blank">Sandunes</a> through her most ambitious release to date: the album ‘The Ground Beneath Her Feat'. The 13-track release combines all the aspects Sandunes has become known for: the meticulously layered synth layers, syncopating grooves and experimentations with guest vocalists. She dials it all up another notch with the sweetness of woodwinds. The result is a work of electronica that’s in parts at par in its reflective emotionality with the best of any year or region. I recommend going in with ‘Tsunami’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3390681302/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Sandunes</iframe></p> <h3><b>Komorebi</b></h3> <p>If we are talking ambition, Tarana Marwah aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/177-komorebi" target="_blank">Komorebi</a>’s album ‘The Fall’ isn’t just one of the most ambitious works of 2023 but of any year so far for India’s indie music. Released with a comic, music videos, tying lore and scores of collaborations within it, the multi-tiered album goes back and forth between being an electropop effort and a progressive structured work suitable for a musical with its dramatic shifts between ideas.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QxmEUt3fVfk?si=1TE4A17yNNsq6Qw3" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Mali</b></h3> <p>In the case of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17335-mali" target="_blank">Mali</a>, it’s been about focusing on the basics. There were no added frills, just an album i.e. ‘Semi Automatic Butane’, music videos to help present it and a busy tour to support it. Within those basics, the Mumbai artist tightened her songwriting to indie-pop perfection and offered it with economically picked ideas. For a listener of the style, the album is destined to achieve that rarer-than-expected feat among independent releases, which is, to be part of people’s playlists beyond its promotional cycle.</p> <p>That itself is enough and yet, the singer-songwriter enjoyed another breakout success with her efforts in Tamil music with the worth checking out ‘<a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=n7_tASChbw4" target="_blank">Anniku Raatri</a>’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=969156237/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Semi Automatic Butane by Mali</iframe></p> <h3><b>Dhanji</b></h3> <p>After a long buildup to it, Gujrat’s rap artist <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20330-dhanji" target="_blank">Dhanji</a> released his <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20328-dhanji-releases-his-earnestly-awaited-debut-album-ruab" target="_blank">debut album ‘Ruab’</a> and the whirring repetitions of the title have been echoing in our brains ever since. The 11-track release brings in elements from funk, rock and even electronica but without compromising on the qualities of hip-hop as meticulously written verses flow through a dramatic progression of ideas. The album, supported via live performances throughout the year, is an instance where the ambitiousness is purely musical and demonstrates the kind of risk-taking that hasn’t been seen in Indian hip-hop for a while.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1663662427&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Dhanji">Dhanji</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic/sets/ruab-1" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="RUAB">RUAB</a></div> <h3><b>Kinari / Finsta</b></h3> <p>Another occasion of something fresh dropping in the space of hip-hop came through the New Delhi artist formerly known as Finsta with their EP ‘QUEERBOPS’. Not just due to the still rare instance of queer narratives finding a space in the genre, but rather for the merit that Finsta deals with both hip-hop and themes around queerness with a distinctly and naturally fitting Indian flavour. Though the artist has since reinvented themself as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kinaripurrs/" target="_blank">Kinari</a> with already an album entitled ‘KATTAR KINNAR’ in the pipeline, the strong statements over the added delight of an experimental edge of the 6-track release still manages to move the body and shake the brain.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2fvC5Y9lS5Y34t6GdPAovG?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Dot.</b></h3> <p>While her involvement in the lead cast of ‘The Archies’, Bollywood’s most-talked-about movie of 2023, looms larger than anything for most, it was a good year for people who know Aditi Saigal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20131-dot" target="_blank">Dot.</a> as a musician first. Alongside inviting the audience to witness her growth as a live performer over the year, the singer-songwriter ended the period with a collection of recordings from her practice room as an album entitled ‘Practice Rooms’, which even kicks off with her most popular raw take of ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’. At the same time, the year saw her at her most polished with the soft pop of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20135-dot-begins-to-find-a-new-voice-with-indigo" target="_blank">Indigo</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u0OG7rjgqxc?si=TfyMy6H5EhmXkcaB" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Long Distances</b></h3> <p>A product of remote collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11187-aarifah-rebello">Aarifah Rebello</a>, Apurv Agrawal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/456-cowboy-and-sailor-man">Cowboy &amp; Sailor Man</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zubinski/">Zubin Pastakia</a>’s combined effort <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20375-long-distances" target="_blank">Long Distances</a> has outlasted the shadows of the pandemic, outliving most other projects born in that period. In 2023, the trio started unfolding singles that would lead up to the EP ‘How the Mighty Will Fall’ and through live performances, solidified their name among the newest generation of indie live groups of India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=3217313286/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Delicate Surrender by Long Distances</iframe></p> <h3><b>Excise Department</b></h3> <p>2023 was also the year New Delhi got to familiarise itself better with their new alternative hip-hop heads <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20177-excise-dept-take-a-dig-at-the-absurdity-in-present-day-religious-figures-on-baaro-maala" target="_blank">Excise Department</a> – which always remains tricky for an act that likes to stay anonymous and operate in English, Bengali and Punjabi. Alongside their debut live show and several others since, the group released 3 defining singles, namely ‘Baaro Maala’, ‘Birhada’ and ‘Billo’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oq_Qql2yu78?si=sc-JTcSKJNmKbyyf" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Yuhina</b></h3> <p>While talking of acts we got to familiarise ourselves with in 2023, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yuhinalachungpa/?hl=en" target="_blank">Yuhina Lachungpa</a> is an easy mention for her debut EP at the tail-end of the year. After years of having just the occasional collaboration and self-released work, the Bangalore-based Sikkim-rooted artist combined Buddhist chants and equally meditative lyricism about self with electropop production on the 5-track EP ‘Mnemonic’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4076191914/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">MNEMONIC by Yuhina</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bengal Chemicals</b></h3> <p>Even with the occasional emerging and new acts, it still felt like the alternative music space of the region had a decline in fresh talent and fresher growth. That story seemed completely different in leftfield genres like noise and ambient. Pritam Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bengal.chemicals/?hl=en" target="_blank">Bengal Chemicals</a> emerged as a good representative of the renaissance that seems to be emerging in Kolkata in these genres. While there is no shortage of recommendable works (shoutout to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20316-harmonium-ambient-torture-form-the-basis-of-nilotpal-das-aka-bios-contrast-s-harmonium-i">Nilotpal Das’ ‘Harmonium I’</a>), Bengal Chemicals’ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20186-bengal-chemicals-channels-deteriorating-cityscapes-on-sophomore-ep-via-biswa-bangla-noise">sophomore EP ‘তা​র​ক’</a> is the best way into unravelling the leftfield undercurrents that hopefully will get their rightful place in the discourse and industry around alternative music.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2291060274/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">তারক by Bengal Chemicals</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ruhail</b></h3> <p>Whether the spotlight is on noise or not, Ladakh's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4979-ruhail-qaisar" target="_blank">Ruhail Qaisar</a>’s album <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima" target="_blank">‘Fatima’ is one of the strongest albums of the year</a>. A most uncompromising and unflinching take on identity and personal history, Ruhail’s debut album, released via Danse Noir, is both about self and the world he comes from – its people, its transformations and tragedies. A layered work that uncovers meanings the more you dig into it and learn about its references and elements, ‘Fatima’ is a testament to the merit of being free from expectations and believing in one’s own artistic impulses – a quality that has also taken the artist to stages <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CttObMvoVIh/" target="_blank">across the EU</a> including Berlin's famed Berghain for the CTM festival.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <h3><b>Philtersoup</b></h3> <p>Sanjay Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/philtersoupmusic/?hl=en" target="_blank">Philtersoup</a> has been present in the undercurrents of India’s alternative music for a while but the Mumbai-based producer-composer found greater agency in 2023. Besides experimental A/V shows in art studios and synth jams, Das performed alongside <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20068-karshni" target="_blank">Karshni Nair</a> and released the collaborative single ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20263-karshni-philtersoup-release-collaborative-single-long-gone" target="_blank">Long Gone</a>’. Parallely, he served as a music supervisor on the OTT-release ‘Rainbow Rishta’, helping cross over more of India’s independent music to the OTT-media audience.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=4239800201/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Long Gone by philterSoup x Karshni</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sourya Sen</b></h3> <p>Operating in close proximity and joining in on the aforementioned synth jams with Philtersoup, Sourya Sen (also known as <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17413-oblique" target="_blank">Oblique</a>) has not only been a longstanding presence as a live visual artist for some leading independent artists but has also been one of the most evocative abstractionists within the modular synth space. The claim is no less potent when paired with his 11-track memoir of the places he has lived entitled ‘In The Cities’. Top that with his input at the earliest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkyBRg9A6EA" target="_blank">A/V show</a> at one of Mumbai’s newest (certainly one of its most heavily discussed in recent memory) spaces i.e. the <a href="https://nmacc.com/" target="_blank">NMACC</a>, and the Mumbai-based artist’s creative footprint is as relevant as it is subtle within the portrait of 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2242427289/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">In the Cities by Sourya Sen</iframe></p> <h3><b>I7HVN</b></h3> <p>It was a year of growth for Safar collective co-founder <a href="https://www.instagram.com/i7hvn/?hl=en" target="_blank">I7HVN</a>, who stepped beyond his IDM and trip-hop experiments for two long-form releases that showcased moments of self-realisation and a comfortable embrace of his styles. After the abstract atmospheres of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a>-released ‘Youthful’, Bangalore producer put out a broken beat techno EP ‘Anodyne’ at the end of the year. His best moments emerge within the restrained ambience of ‘Youthful’s closer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20252-first-look-i7hvn-sanoli-chowdhury-collaborate-on-imaginary-love">‘Imaginary Love’, which features Sanoli Chowdhury</a>, and the opening title track of ‘Anodyne’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=514984918/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Youthful by I7HVN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Merak</b></h3> <p>While the Goan sibling duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20296-merak" target="_blank">Merak</a> isn’t the first to bring jazz into electronica, there is a balanced tastefulness in their work which gets rendered even more potent in the hands of seasoned acts like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a> and in the shared prowess of collaborators like Shreyas Iyenger – both of whom appeared on the duo’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20300-dreampop-electronica-jazz-mix-on-merak-s-manic-mode" target="_blank">EP ‘Manic Mode’</a>. Besides the appreciable release, Merak frequently became part of the festival lineups around the year to leave a lasting imprint on Indian alternative music’s 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=553102807/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 274px;">Manic Mode EP by Merak</iframe></p> <h3><b>Seasonal Affected Beats</b></h3> <p>It’s hard to think of an artist who has seemed harder working in 2023 than New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4958-tarun-balani" target="_blank">Tarun Balani</a>. The multi-instrumentalist, educator and composer kicked off the year by touring his A/V show ‘2°’ with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/16948-spotlight-parizad-d" target="_blank">Parizad D</a> as Seasonal Affected Beats and filled the year treading the line between meticulous and intuitive through the music from his album ‘Where the Ice Meets the Water’. Add to that another tour in support of the album and two singles focusing on his more jazz-centric work with the Dhamma Collective, and it’s been undoubtedly big 12 months for Tarun Balani.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1503216166/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Where the Ice Meets the Water by Seasonal Affected Beats, Tarun Balani</iframe></p> <h3><b>Debo Sanyal / Dokodoko </b></h3> <p>Is it a cliché to call something ‘underrated’ at this point? If it is, then it’s unfitting of me to use a cliché for someone who usually offers anything but that. Siliguri’s Deno Sanyal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4501-dreamhour" target="_blank">Dreamhour</a> has been dropping quality music full of humour, underexplored styles and singular quirk for years now. More recently, it has found a partner with the complimentary irreverence and straightfaced attitude (which translates sonically as well) of Dr. Kritika as the duo releases music as Dokodoko – <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20419-dokodoko-release-grunge-infused-hindi-electropop-with-shor" target="_blank">gracing 2023 with a foray into Hindi electropop</a>. For more puristical Dreamhour synth bops, the album ‘Now That We Are’ is as punchy as it comes alongside proving that there are still grounds to explore and fun to be had with synthwave.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3930647123/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Now That We Are Here by Dreamhour</iframe></p> <h3><b>Warehouse Mix</b></h3> <p><a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Warehouse Mix</a> is the latest (and increasingly rare) case of a bunch of young creatives coming together not for the primary purpose of making a quick profit but rather to create something “cool” or something that they believe in. In this case the belief is around the original ethos of house music and its ability to provide spaces for diverse expression. While the collective has been budding over the years, 2023 saw them break their immediate bubbles to create bigger impacts, hosting their flagship <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Anticlub</a> parties, live percussion dances and vinyl-only sessions at the city outskirts.</p> <h3><b>Dynamite Disco Club</b></h3> <p>Another collective based near house music (and several other adjacent styles) but more defined by its experienced members, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/18599-dynamite-disco-club" target="_blank">Dynamite Disco Club</a> has been one of our year-defining acts in the past – the year it announced that it would function as a label as well. But this year, DDC embodies the idea that 2023 was the period all the visions developed during the COVID-19 pandemic about life after it were fully realised (as much as they will ever likely be). Besides a string of its parties throughout the year and having a space at almost every notable music festival in the country, the label realised releases from not just its well-known members like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/5027-stalvart-john" target="_blank">Stalvart John</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3929-hamza" target="_blank">Hamza Rahimtula</a>, but also newer talents like ISHXN and even bigger list of foreign acts. On top of importing off-shore acts to its label, the collective also took its domestic talent reach out to shores beyond with Stalvart John touring through parts of South and East Asia.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=2610448964/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Disco Disco, Good Good (Original mix) by ISHXN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Lush Lata</b></h3> <p>It was a big year for New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>, who reached a milestone in her ascent as a DJ with a set at dance music mecca Berlin’s The Berghain early in the year as part of CTM Festival. Since then the stripes have kept attaching in the form of live sets for the likes of HÖR, Rinse and Kiosk Radio, and, constantly, the Indian dancefloors.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1464837649&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Rafiki</b></h3> <p>Through his work as a longstanding promoter and DJ, Sohail Arora aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7552-rafiki" target="_blank">Rafiki</a> has maintained his relevance for a while. This year, however, there was heightened emphasis on his musical output in the form of two EPs: first in the form of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20144-rafiki-gives-retro-sounds-a-modern-edge-on-the-source" target="_blank">The Source</a>’ and then ‘New Shifts’. Surrounding it, the Mumbai-based music industry professional delivered notable mixes, joined his curation for Boiler Room, and toured through Europe, Sri Lanka and clubs across India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=141835852/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">New Shifts by Rafiki</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ditty</b></h3> <p>2023 also was the year of the return of Aditi Veena aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/12649-ditty" target="_blank">Ditty</a>. Though the singer-songwriter was hardly gone, having toured in the latter half of 2022 and releasing music as part of the group Faraway Friends before that, this year saw her put out her <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20452-exclusive-first-listen-ditty-offers-a-distinct-approach-to-indie-pop-with-single-hold-me-from-the-ep-skin" target="_blank">first solo release in 4 years</a> – during which she battled a major illness, got married and partly relocated to Berlin. The trickle of releases started with a collaborative track with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8232-jordan-johnson" target="_blank">Jordan Johnson</a> (another artist who put out standout work in 2023) and followed into the rollout of her own EP ‘Skin’ with live dates punctuating the process.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=966494420/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Hold Me by DITTY</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bulli Bainbridge</b></h3> <p>If you’re an avid listener of indie music and yet don’t know who Zain Calcuttawala is, it’s still likely you have unknowingly enjoyed his contributions. Besides his past as a gig programmer, the multi-faceted talent has been hosting podcasts on mental health and more popularly producing for everyone from Bhrighu Sahni and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19113-second-sight" target="_blank">Second Sight</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18207-raghav-meattle" target="_blank">Raghav Meattle</a>. His work with his moniker <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18024-bulli-bainbridge" target="_blank">Bulli Bainbridge</a> has been no less versatile. He kicked off the year with an album entitled ‘Seasons’ that saw contributions from the likes of Ankit Dayal, BobKat, and Bombay Dub Orchestra and followed it with a collaborative hip-hop single ‘One Me’. Since then, the producer, engineer and composer has been reimagining some of the most popular recent indie hits – cue an orchestral version of Bloodywood, a lo-fi cut of Raghav Meattle’s ‘City Life’ and a swing-era take of Dot’s ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5ZULHCsrfC91weo5SUtENC?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words: Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Image Design: Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9199-2022-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '4028-2023-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of...'), 'href' => '/features/20610-2023-in-review', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20609', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19420', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-14 12:37:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-14 12:45:06', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #234: Hammer', 'date' => '14/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>A member of the <a href="http://www.feelmybicep.com/" target="_blank">Feel My Bicep</a> crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go on to form the duo Bicep), Rory Hamilton aka <a href="https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/hammer" target="_blank">Hammer</a> isn't just someone who has a sense for discovering interesting electronica works. After decades of hosting parties in Glasgow and later London, as well as spinning records the world over, the Belfast-born talent knows how to stitch together those records to create moments of passionate revelry.</p> <p>India has bore witness to that skill multiple times at this point as Hamilton returned to the country earlier this year <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/11647-london-based-dj-producer-hammer-announces-show-in-delhi" target="_blank">after half a decade</a>, adding dates in Goa and Kolkata alongside Delhi and Mumbai before jetting off to Sri Lanka for further performances with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for an 8-show tour of India and Sri Lanka. He recorded a mix for Wild City in Sri Lanka at the end of his tour to look back at his time in the region, which also included signing on Kolkata's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7818-8-bit-culprit" target="_blank">8-bit culprit</a> – the second artist from India to work with the label after New Delhi Anhad Khanna aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19691-sublime-sound-releases-club-ready-ep-that-love-affair-through-hammer-s-remmah-records" target="_blank">Sublime Sound</a>.</p> <p>"From the first ever gig I played in Auro in New Delhi, I learnt that the dance floor in India is special in that the sense of excitement is genuinely palpable. Taking risks pays off," says Hamilton. "I’ve also learnt that like every country, each city is different and you need to be ready to fit into it."</p> <p>Consequently, while often operating close to house, disco and some techno, how Hammer uses a particular style can vary. Recorded at The Luna Terrace of Galle's Closenburg Hotel, the HQ of Tropical Wax, the Wild City mix goes from an unreleased remix of Syreeta Wright's chants on 'Shanti', to the disco-inspired Baldo Remix of Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami's 'Sugar Snap'. Testifying Hammer's abilities to create notable moments in his sets, the mix offers several instances – from the melody-led energy of Two Mamarrachos to the respite of the laidback chords of Madvilla's 'Galactic Banana'. The best, however, is the house-meets-pop euphoria that comes almost as a cinematic euphoric climax to the mix with an unreleased track featuring the voice of Lili Chan.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehammerhits/" target="_blank">Hammer</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-234-hammer%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-234-hammer" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #234: Hammer</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Suricata - Algo Para La Fiesta (Alma &amp; Mater Dub)<br /> Syreeta - Shanti (Hammer Remix) [He She They]<br /> Two Mamarrachos - Let's Find Another After [Nein]<br /> Calystarr - Heartdown (Tronik Youth Remix)<br /> MADVILLA - Galactic Banana<br /> Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami - Sugar Snap (Baldo Remix) [Semi Delicious]<br /> HAMMER - Swivel [Skylax]<br /> Aaron Rutherford - Infinite Cycle<br /> Hammer - Highland ft. Lili Chan [He She They]<br /> KIRA BLUSH - What u Want [Remmah]<br /> Dharma - Turbulence [Remmah]<br /> HAMMER - Swerve [Skylax]</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7604-hammer-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '8183-wc-mix-hammer-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'A member of the Feel My Bicep crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20609-wild-city-234-hammer', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20606', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19417', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-12 09:20:09', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-12 12:20:42', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'sudan Strikes A Fine Balance Of Styles With 'omg'', 'date' => '12/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release under its critique is <a href="https://microplastics.substack.com/p/wiping-the-moistness-from-music-criticism?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank">at least 6 out of 10</a>, it's refreshing to come across a piece of music from an artist just starting out that's easy to get behind with robust promise. 22-year-old Pritpal <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">Sudan</a> from Mumbai, who is previously seen backing the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18225-releases-of-the-week-okedo-ditty-the-revisit-project-more" target="_blank">Anoushka Maskey</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20015-lavi-foenix-give-a-blend-of-rock-disco-for-the-internet-generation-on-no-phones-at-the-dinner-table" target="_blank">Lavi &amp; Foenix</a>, launched his solo act named after his last name with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">2021's 'Fire / Snow'</a>. Nearly 3 Years on, the producer and instrumentalist has announced his debut album 'sudan?', to be released on June 21, from which he has just released the single 'omg'.</p> <p>Lo-fi recording of soulful singing over large piano chords transforms into a brimming electropop-meets-neo soul passage a la Sampha or Kamaal Williams. The production keeps growing with moments of satisfying drops and layering styles over another without overpowering the previous or the songwriting – giving a perfect balance of interesting ideas without becoming too eager to impress.</p> <p>Listen to 'omg' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/notsudan/" target="_blank">sudan</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTOBfFzE_o4?si=ASspQLLmXpvX3d0x" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Pranav Marde</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '8267-sudan-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '8725-sudan-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release...'), 'href' => '/news/20606-sudan-strikes-a-fine-balance-of-styles-with-omg', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20603', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19414', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-11 11:47:37', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-11 11:49:47', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'boxout.fm Recordings' 2nd V/A Compilation Sees Lush Lata Handpick Dancefloor Stompers', 'date' => '11/03/2024', 'artists' => 'MadStarBase, Lush Lata', 'business' => 'boxout.fm', 'content' => '<p>After <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19295-kohra-oceantied-zequenx-more-feature-on-first-of-boxout-fm-recordings-compilation-series-v-a-suchi-selects" target="_blank">2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS'</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4724-boxout-fm" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> is back with the second instalment of its artist-curated compilation series with 'LUSH LATA SELECTS' handpicked by New Delhi DJ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>.</p> <p>The 7-track compilation kicks off with 'Cognac Bounce' by duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a>, who continue to prove themselves masters of creating booming dancefloor numbers with a sensual oomph while <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zealotantrik/" target="_blank">Zealotantrik</a> continues that boom but with the colour of some lo-fi artefacts. Following <a href="https://www.instagram.com/insowmya/" target="_blank">Insowmya</a>'s sampled esoteric percussion-heavy 'Shut Up', collaborative numbers by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pav4nco/" target="_blank">PAV4N</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sukhknight/" target="_blank">Sukh Knight</a>, as well as, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/captain.fuse/" target="_blank">Captain Fuse</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/muktmusic/" target="_blank">Mukt</a> highlight the defining quality of the compilation: heavy use of sampling, picking up vocal hooks from a variety of sources but more commonly vintage records and creating bass-led compositions.</p> <p>The latter collaboration by Captain Fuse and Mukt remains the most interesting offering on the compilation as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97-Ch6d2LBE" target="_blank">Geeta Dutt's 'Tumi Je Amaar'</a> transforms into a stuttering concoction of slow-funk and hip-hop.</p> <p>Listen to 'Lush Lata Selects' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/boxoutfmrecordings/" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3602297268/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 373px;">Lush Lata Selects by Various Artists</iframe></p> <p><em>Artwork by Sijya</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0028-lush-lata-selects-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '4170-lush-lata-selects-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'After 2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS', boxout.fm Recordings is back with the second instalment of its...'), 'href' => '/news/20603-boxout-fm-recordings-2nd-v-a-compilation-sees-lush-lata-handpick-dancefloor-stompers', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20591', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19402', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-06 10:40:01', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-06 11:11:00', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Jyoty Singh Tours India As Part Of Ultra Soulflyp's Biggest Shows', 'date' => '06/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Jyoty Singh', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at weekly <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> events to more than half a decade of presenting a leading show at <a href="https://rinse.fm/" target="_blank">Rinse.fm</a> and a viral <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> performance, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/?hl=en" target="_blank">Jyoty Singh</a> has always been privy to the cutting-edge sounds of the dancefloor. Stitching together the revelry of dancehall, afrobeats and funk when DJing live and tying threads between cultures when curating for her radio mixes, her parties '<a href="https://www.instagram.com/areyouhomegrown/" target="_blank">Homegrown</a>' and her magazine 'The Move', the Punjabi-descent Amsterdam-born London-based artist espouses versatility and ear for the fresh.</p> <p>The multi-faceted selector arrives in India for the first time since her breakout Boiler Room set gained popularity during the pandemic, performing at Mumbai's Famous Studio, Bengaluru's Sunburn Union and Gurugram's Imperfecto Patio on March 22, 23 and 24 respectively.</p> <p>The shows take place as part of <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp</a>, the event series by Kingfisher Ultra, Wild City and Gently Altered which kicked off almost a year ago and has taken over spaces across the country with various styles of dance music over the year. With support yet to be announced, the dates with Jyoty are slated to be Ultra Soulflyp's biggest celebrations to date as it promises to amp up its curation, capacity and immersiveness to make live music a multi-sensorial experience.</p> <p>Reserve your spots for the events and find out more about Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp through its <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and follow Jyoty Singh <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/" target="_blank">here</a>. Listen to her Boiler Room set below to get a sense of what to expect.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2VrztYTNYT8?si=zotxj2S3zpV3o6Vh" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Filipa Aurélio</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9992-0-thumb--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'picture' => '4636-0-banner--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at...'), 'href' => '/news/20591-jyoty-singh-tours-india-as-part-of-ultra-soulflyp-s-biggest-shows', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20588', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19399', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-04 13:43:12', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-04 13:50:41', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Slowspin, Sijya, SIDD & More Feature On Ninja Tunes' Remix EP for Nabihah Iqbal's 'DREAMER'', 'date' => '04/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Slowspin, Sijya', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Tune" target="_blank">Ninja Tune</a>, bringing together South Asian acts, namely Pakistan's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/haideruppal/" target="_blank">Haider Uppal</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4495-slowspin" target="_blank">Slowspin</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/young_dervish/" target="_blank">Zak Khan</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/siddbeats_/" target="_blank">SIDD</a> as well as India's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a>, to reimagine tracks off her 2023 EP 'DREAMER'. As a bonus, the release also features Berlin's Innervision's label-owner and one-half of Âme, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/frank__wiedemann/" target="_blank">Frank Wiedemann</a>, who remixes 'Zone 1 to 6000' from Nabihah's 2017 debut album 'Weighing of the Heart'.</p> <p>All the South Asian artists on the package have shared the stage with the London-based Pakistani-descent artist, who DJ-ed alongside Haider Uppal and SIDD on her first-ever gig in Pakistan, invited Slowspin and Zak Khan to support her during her US tour and discovered Sijya at London's Tate Modern, when the New Delhi artist toured the UK in 2023 before being asked to open for Nabihah at Yes Manchester.</p> <p>Both Haider Uppal and Sijya take a textural approach to their remixes with the former suffusing a techno beat with deep pads out of which harmonic melodies and string lines emerge and diffuse. Meanwhile, Sijya offers the grittiest outing with 'Sunflower' as synths fizzle and distort over a visceral thump and Nabihah's near-spoken singing places itself as a transcendent chant.</p> <p>Frank Wiedemann and SIDD, one of Karachi's most prominent DJ-producers, present two flipsides of techno with their remixes. There is a clear edge of experience with Frank's innovative and effective structuring and Berlin-associated spaciousness as acid house synth squelching plays against Nabihah's singing, highlighting its singular qualities, while SIDD offers a more Detroit-influenced take on the genre with atmospheric spoken voice deepening the minimal nature of the production.</p> <p>The remixes play off of Nabihah's unique vocal style, an element that takes centre stage on Slowspin's sparse remix of the title track from 'DREAMER' alongside Zak Khan's gentle piano-playing, recontextualising the song with a simple arrangement to bring notice to the meaning behind the songwriting.</p> <p>Listen to 'DREAMER (Remixes)' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=316911633/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">DREAMER (Remixes) by Nabihah Iqbal</iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Joseph Hayes</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9103-nabihah-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '2452-nabihah-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Nabihah Iqbal has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label Ninja Tune,...'), 'href' => '/news/20588-slowspin-sijya-sidd-more-feature-on-ninja-tunes-remix-ep-for-nabihah-iqbal-s-dreamer', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20584', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19395', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-01 13:42:57', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-01 13:46:45', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi', 'date' => '01/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Talal Qureshi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/14605-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Talal Qureshi</a>. Even as the Pakistan's electropop pioneer has transformed from a Coke Studio mainstay with esoteric productions on the side to someone who brings his worlds together and creates the collaborative woofer-friendly bangers, that characteristic zaniness remains. As evident by his 2023 debut album 'TURBO' and its recent re-release with <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5AqK0sYFr4bVWAtVKTmXcz" target="_blank">a deluxe edition</a>, it has married itself to the sound of South Asian hip-hop with sometimes a satirising presence of Pakistan's hyperlocal elements.</p> <p>It is embodied in the announcement he makes at the start of his Wild City mix before launching into cuts from the 15-track release, unreleased demos, edits of his other work and even someone Skrillex to demonstrate how his work can boom alongside the globally prominent.</p> <p>Contrary to most mixes of nearly all-originals, Talal's quick-moving mix is a product bigger than the sum of its selections. Constant flow through hard cuts between collaborations that feature the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8936-seedhe-maut" target="_blank">Seedhe Maut</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faris_Shafi" target="_blank">Faris Shafi</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_Raheem" target="_blank">Hasan Raheem</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18090-natasha-noorani" target="_blank">Natasha Noorani</a> speaks to the effective structures of Talal's productions. It's a mix worth a listen even if just for the reimagined energy of Talal's take on '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mNaNMmxJ1I" target="_blank">Faltu Pyaar</a>' and '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3pUsXxCfEk" target="_blank">Muaziz Sarif</a>'.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-233-talal-qureshi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-233-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>MAAL(DEMO) - Blal x Talal Qureshi (Unreleased)<br /> Intro - Talal Qureshi<br /> Tarka - Talal Qureshi<br /> NACH LE - Imran Khan (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> ASAL G - SEEDHE MAUT x Talal Qureshi x Faris Shafi<br /> Paisa - Talal Qureshi x Hasan Raheem (TQ Honey Flip) (Unreleased)<br /> No ID - Skrills (unreleased)<br /> Push ID - Skrillex &amp; Hamdi ft. Taichu<br /> Muaziz Sarif - Coke Studio, Faris Shafi, Meesha Shafi (Talal Qureshi Version) (Unreleased)<br /> Peechay Hutt - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Justin Bibi's<br /> LEFT RIGHT - Ali Sethi, Maanu, Shaegill, A.S (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> Raazi - Natasha Noorani, Talal Qureshi (TQ Honey Flip) (unreleased)<br /> Faltu Pyar - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Natasha Noorani (TQ Honey Flip)(unreleased)<br /> Hico - Talal Qureshi, Maanu (TQ Honey FLIP)(unreleased)<br /> JOGI - Maanu x Talal Qureshi<br /> At the AfterParty - Trick Singh ( Talal Qureshi Version) (unreleased)<br /> KYA - Talal Qureshi x Asim Azhar</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '2345-talal-qureshi-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '1548-tq.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's Talal Qureshi. Even as the...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20584-wild-city-233-talal-qureshi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20576', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19387', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-22 10:41:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-22 10:59:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'New Delhi Gets A New Record Store By Digging In India ', 'date' => '22/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Digging In India', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka <a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-mix-187-digging-in-india" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> has just launched his record store in New Delhi's Shahpur Jat.</p> <p>Known for his sense of discovering overlooked Indian heritage in an exceedingly wide variety of styles, Mittal brings a collection he has accrued over 7-8 years to the store. Besides well-known classics from Western shores and Bollywood alike, the store also specializes in eclectic and rare grooves ranging from desi disco, Tamil funk, Bengali baul sangeet, qawwali, ghazal, Hindustani classical, Carnatic, Telugu soundtracks and Marathi koli geet to Japanese city pop, Afro Funk, Middle Eastern pop and more.</p> <p>Besides the musical collection, the store also features uncommon records like spoken word, political speeches, poetry and comic offerings, alongside vintage posters, comics, collectable matchboxes, stamps and other artefacts.</p> <p>The record store also shares the space with Mallika Tandon's designer cake studio <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bobo.cakery/" target="_blank">Bobo Cakery</a>, which will keep cake slices and bakes with a nostalgic twist for dine-in at the store in the coming month to make the vinyl store a space for more than just sales.</p> <p>Mittal explains: “One thing I’ve noticed is that record stores can be quite intimidating to people who are not familiar with the formal and that’s something I want to change. I want to create an easy-going comfortable space where people can come just to hear good music and learn how this thing works.”</p> <p>Head to the store at 141A/2 1st Floor, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi between noon and 7 pm on any day and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/digginginindia/" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> on Instagram for more information. Listen to Digging In India's Wild City mix below to familiarise yourself with Mittal's work.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/763668214&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5972-dii-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '9516-dii-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka Digging In India has just...'), 'href' => '/news/20576-new-delhi-gets-a-new-record-store-by-digging-in-india', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20560', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19371', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-14 13:07:29', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:16:55', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #232: Innerworld', 'date' => '14/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Innerworld', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Akshay Mathker aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20562-innerworld" target="_blank">Innerworld</a>'s Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most subtle forces. Starting with dark ambience, the mix is defined by its hypnotic atmospheric nature even when the languid textures clear to the thump of the techno's proprietary grooves.</p> <p>Like an experienced DJ, the Goa-based artist layers his selections, elevating them from their standalone value. The ebb and flow between lulling ambient numbers and compelling rhythms begin to combine as distorted gritty kicks creep up from behind the aqueous pads and slow breaks of ULV's '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjclQfXjQCI" target="_blank">My Sofa Turns Into A Desert</a>'. The influence of Goa's trance heritage doesn't shy away as deep airy washes remain a near-constant part of the selections – before the mix slowly turns towards more zany and esoteric cuts for a final push for energy.</p> <p><strong>"This mix is an expedition into the realms of intricate polyrhythms and otherworldly frequencies. Abstract, textural, ravey and laced with psychedelia, this journey through space-time is accentuated by moments of atmospheric bliss and fast-paced, yet minimal, irrefutable grooves.” - Innerworld</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-232-innerworld%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-232-innerworld" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #232: Innerworld</a></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0844-innerworld.jpg', 'picture' => '0323-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Akshay Mathker aka Innerworld's Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20560-wild-city-232-innerworld', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20552', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19364', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-10 08:21:19', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-11 06:55:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '"The Atmosphere That We All Create Together": Jeff Mills On His Legacy, DJ-ing As Non-Verbal Storytelling & More', 'date' => '10/02/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => 'Far Out Left', 'content' => '<p>“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me on a week that started with the now-considered-dying <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo/" target="_blank">Pitchfork rating his 1996’s ‘Live at the Liquid Room, Tokyo’</a> a rare 10 out of 10, and would conclude with the producer, DJ, label-head and dance music legend performing <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20499-jeff-mills-dj-red-arjun-vagale-more-announced-for-far-out-left-mumbai-goa" target="_blank">in India for the first time</a>. “It’s for others more than myself.”</p> <p>The mix, found only as <a href="https://soundcloud.com/theclassicmixcdseries/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo" target="_blank">unofficial uploads</a> on the internet and described in the said review as “the Techno Bible, unequivocally The One”, is arguably the glorious peak of Mills’ early techno legacy. Leading up to it, he had pioneered a minimal form of the genre alongside Detroit-mate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hood" target="_blank">Robert Hood</a>, developed a loyal following through his residency at Berlin’s then-fledgeling <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tresor_(club)" target="_blank">Tresor</a> and redirected the course of techno from his native city of Detroit with the Parliament bassist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Banks_(musician)" target="_blank">‘Mad’ Mike Banks</a> as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Resistance" target="_blank">Underground Resistance</a>, nudging the genre towards grittier realms with the help of militant outfits and political messaging.</p> <p>Prioritising energy over pristineness, including the audience in the process of phasing kicks coming together, the mix blazes through selections – sometimes barely offering more than a glimpse of some. They become more of a connecting component, featured less for their standalone value and more for their role in a greater whole that is the DJ set.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uapn-mknXVU?si=z6XkRrpzv31cRQ4a" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The breakneck mixing style finds its roots in the earliest chapters of Mills’ story when he was known as ‘The Wizard’, championing Detroit's talent, passionately finding the freshest releases from hip-hop to industrial, and informing the local tastes through his radio mixes. As if the deitifying by thousands (maybe millions?) of dance music fans wasn’t enough, Mills' early legacy also figures in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVDzDy1yvo" target="_blank">Eminem’s verses</a> with the lines: “<em>discovered this DJ who was mixing, I say it to this day, if you ain't listened to the Wizard, you ain't have a fucking clue what you was missing”</em></p> <p>As radio slots shortened while championable music remained abundant, Mills started mixing and moving through the selections quickly to develop his fast approach on turntables and mixing desk. It was also at the radio where Jeff Mills the music-maker developed his conceptual style as he opted to edit tapes and stitch together library sounds in his shows to communicate on air instead of speaking. The increasing competitiveness between stations meant Mills had to distinguish his selections, bringing in drum machines and keyboards to layer over records or create bespoke passages earlier on the same day.</p> <p>Visceral rhythms of 909s would underline abstract emotive layers when he finally started releasing his productions. More than a beat to move to, there’d always be a story running underneath whether as the sweeping tones accompanying the incessant distorted kicks of ‘The Hacker’ from the seminal ‘<a href="https://youtu.be/OGQBdEAo9RM?si=T3ZVS7aZ2h-TgPHq&amp;t=1264" target="_blank">Waveform Transmission, Vol. 1</a>’ or the cinematic strings of ‘Utopia’ from ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppJPQ3xsKWI" target="_blank">Cycle 30</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/STpOak4iAJY?si=XAS1qJHIRyZKBhKW" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Decades later, after feats like re-scoring Fritz Lang’s silent film ‘Metropolis’, performing with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra and celebrating 50 years of the moon landing with NASA, Mills’ music continues to either look inward or to a distant future. 2023’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/jeff-mills-the-other-maria/" target="_blank">The Other Maria</a>’ is about the often-restrained and potentially chaotic part of us that deals in hard truths and raw unrestricted emotion, while 2019’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/moon-the-area-of-influence-cd-digital/" target="_blank">Moon: The Area of Influence</a>’ discusses the effects of the moon on our lives and culture. Three decades on, it’s still the same sounds of 909s and analog pads that mark the sonic palette of Mills but the results are even more abstract and less frequently reminiscent of shaking walls in a raving warehouse.</p> <p>“I developed a sense to understand sound in cluster arrangement more than ever. I also understand the barriers due to sectionalizing between genres are becoming less. That musicians could and want to play with each other more,” addresses Mills, talking about how his futurism and sci-fi-influenced work has changed as the technology and idea of the future itself have evolved. “I hear music differently now as a result of the way we communicate. Also, the amount of information we can engage with in such a short amount of time has had an effect.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eU-UsvYbIV0?si=T5bG0meirnNjJoGd" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Techno is not just for dancing, is the philosophy that Mills has been espousing over the years. “If you can dance to it, that's great, that's a bonus, but music should say something. It should be made in a manner with seriousness, and that would enlighten someone simply by listening to it,” he has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/gv34jj/the-man-from-tomorrow-an-interview-with-jeff-mills" target="_blank">told Vice</a> in the past. It is what also guides him as a label-head with his <a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/" target="_blank">Axis Records</a>. Initially a platform for Mills' own work (under his various guises), it has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic to platform talent from the world over including the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/18876-review-arjun-vagale-s-reflective-journey-into-outer-space-on-exit-fragments" target="_blank">debut album by India’s own</a> techno frontrunner <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3379-arjun-vagale" target="_blank">Arjun Vagale</a>. “Having strong visions about the future isn’t privy to any particular country or city so, it was just a matter of coincidence. In this respect, no place on Earth is distant or remote. We’re all quite close to one another as we occupy the small patch of this Planet’s landmass,” he tells me.</p> <p>Behind the decks, the story isn’t much different. Cuts from other techno pioneers like Kevin Saunderson, Robert Hood, Eddie Fowlkes and Phuture intercut with Mills’ original (often extremely fresh) bits and fresher talent with similar substance to their music. The focus continues to remain on overarching energy as much as the selections if not more so as the mixing can go from boldly sudden to so subtle you’d hardly notice.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cCpHiWwA2Rg?si=yGxCmMJkwj1adMlI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“DJ sets are generally for dancing, but also can be widened to be considered as a non-verbal story about ‘The Fantastic’, ‘The Amazing’ or depending [on] how clever the DJ is, even ‘The Unbelievable’”, he says, explaining how a successful set is about giving the audience a sensation that wasn’t there before. That sensation is where the self-expression figures in. “I play based on how I feel at that time and it’s got nothing to do with anyone else. On occasion, not even the audience because my mind is somewhere far away,” he says, echoing the explanation he gave for <a href="https://ra.co/features/3436" target="_blank">Resident Advisor’s The Art of Djing</a>, wherein he recalls sometimes using his set to describe what it might be like to approach a planet.</p> <p>Yet, amidst the abstract tapestry of his sets, there are unmistakable points of recognition, where the selection itself becomes a focal point. While Mills argues, “I tend not to watch others to compare myself so, I can’t really say how I match up. This isn’t how I was taught to play music,” I see Mills able to create moments that only a few DJ-producers who have reached a certain stage of popularity with specific work can create. A moment similar to a rock or pop act “playing their hit”. For Mills’, that hit is ‘The Bells’, the popular and highly effective minimal work most recognisable through its sequence of melodic call and response. “I've tried not playing it, and people were sad! [laughs] So I kinda just gave up,” he says in The Art of DJing, going on to say how the track is a turning point in the set and now signifies that he is completely ready at his stations to kick proceedings into another gear.</p> <p>Nevertheless, relying on hits isn't something easily associated with Mills. While he frequently performs at large-scale events (an easy and sometimes unnecessary prompt for derision from a chunk of the techno audience), much of his recent touring has been dedicated to a collaboration with tabla maestro Prabhu Eduoard and keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, extending the '<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/71W9z9hP84oB6zVmQdRrXW" target="_blank">Tomorrow Comes Harvest</a>' project initiated with afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1352-13-jeffmills-tomorrowcomestheharvest-170923-photographer-thomasecke-109256.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Jean-Phi Dary, Prabhu Eduoard &amp; Jeff Mills in Berlin || Photograph by Thomas Ecke</em></h5> <p>Instead of cashing on his status as a pioneering figure in techno, Mills continues to release a stream of new music that diverges starkly from his '90s output, even while operating within similar styles and using a familiar sonic palette. “I like the thought process of making something from nothing so, I really enjoy starting over again,” he adds.</p> <p>Techno is more than just for dancing remains a recurring theme in his work and a harder thing to sell. “Music is such a suggestive medium that it’s just not possible to measure people’s appreciation level,” he says. “At times in my past, I remember being congratulated but also advised to “give it up - it’s not going to work”, “I’ve lost it and should stop” and many other discouraging things. So, I can’t put much value into what people say or what they appreciate. Instead, I only have to rely on what I feel is right and guide myself from this.”<b> </b></p> <p>That internal guiding compass remains the constant. It’s the same whether it was at Tokyo’s Liquid room, blazing through selections with hard stops and phasing rhythms 3 decades ago; or in Mumbai and Goa for <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/10414-far-out-left" target="_blank">Far Out Left</a> this weekend – drawing from his more abstract cluster arrangements and talent he has sifted through for Axis Records after years of building a legacy that has inspired most in the lineup and an audience that might await ‘The Bells’. “We’re just in different places at different times, but the objective is all the same,” he says. “It’s not about me or them, but rather, it’s always been about “it”. The atmosphere that we all create together.”</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by <a href="http://instagram.com/atemporarymatter.in" target="_blank">Amaan Khan</a></em></p> <p><em>Photo by <a href="http://instagram.com/jacobkhrist" target="_blank">Jacob Khrist</a></em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '4823-jeff-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5147-jeff-mills-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me...'), 'href' => '/features/20552-the-atmosphere-that-we-all-create-together-jeff-mills-on-his-legacy-dj-ing-as-non-verbal-storytelling-more', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20494', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19309', 'createdDate' => '2024-01-03 11:21:10', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:15:29', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #231: Krithi', 'date' => '03/01/2024', 'artists' => 'Krithi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19636-krithi-continues-to-explore-south-asian-sounds-in-contemporary-dance-music-with-uyirudan" target="_blank">Krithi</a> reaches for rhythms and sounds from her native land and the like, they fit into the mould of dance music as if they've always been a natural part of it rather than (as it often is) a forced gimmick of limited yield. Her achievement seems to go further on her upcoming EP 'Coping Mechanism' as she finds the style a vessel of personal narratives, calling the release a "sonic exploration of how she communes with the shadows of depression".</p> <p>Both the released singles from the EP 'Suppress' and 'Medicate' demonstrate that within Krithi's Wild City mix which features a heavy dose of original unreleased work and glimpses of the record that drops on February 15.</p> <p>Introduced through 140BPM techno, the mix quickly shifts to and operates in and around bass and breaks. A peppy start moves into sombre moods as a slightly slowed down 'Heist Track' by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/501-malfnktion" target="_blank">MALFNKTION</a> staggers into Krithi's own work before a jubilant return with the standout moment of Yourboykiran's Bollywood flip 'Yamma Yamma'.</p> <p><strong>"This mix has some of my favourite Bandcamp Friday finds (both new and old) by friends, mentors and producers I love. I recorded it at 140 bpm and with no particular genre in mind—but only with the hope that the listener keeps movin’ from start to finish. It also features some of my unreleased tracks and a couple from my upcoming EP ‘Coping Mechanisms’, which drops on Feb 15th.” – Krithi </strong></p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-231-krithi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-231-krithi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #231: Krithi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Pozibelle - Wait<br /> Mera Bhai - Be This Way (Feat Private Joy) - Provhat Rahman Remix<br /> Jadalareign - Defect<br /> Malfnktion - Heist Track<br /> Krithi - Medicate<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Rodman - Falcata<br /> Despina - Trickle Down Baby<br /> PlayPlay - FYI<br /> Venïson Man - Jewelry (Frost Version)<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - Suppress<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Yourboykiran - Yamma Yamma<br /> Dyslecta - Annihilate<br /> Tony Quattro &amp; Siete Catorce - Qesem Cave</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7067-krithi.jpg', 'picture' => '8500-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer Krithi reaches for rhythms and sounds from her...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20494-wild-city-231-krithi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20488', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19303', 'createdDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun', 'date' => '16/12/2023', 'artists' => 'Kohra', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4465-magnetic-fields-festival" target="_blank">Magnetic Fields Festival</a> taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi producer, DJ and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a> co-founder Madhav Shorey aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/291-kohra" target="_blank">Kohra</a> and Thailand's globe-trotting polymath <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sunjuhargun/" target="_blank">Sunju Hargun</a> are revisiting their B2B set from last year. </p> <p>Performed at the Resident Advisor afterparty, a highlight for the dancefloor-dedicated with its music going from the late hours of the night to the earliest moments of the morning, the accumulated energy of the night and its transformation into the morning audible in the set. Acid's mind-bending textures give way to increasingly guttural techno, pulling heavily from its minimal repertoire. As the night sky begins to lighten, the emotions are guided by the wash of the pads for a more refreshing conclusion. </p> <p><strong>"A combination between records from the past, present, and future. Sonically enhancing the atmosphere with zero limitations to pushing boundaries of tempo and feeling" – Sunju Hargun</strong></p> <p><strong>"A really fulfilling experience taking a restrained and fluid direction for this one, at my favourite stage of the festival." – Kohra</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:<br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun</a> // <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/WildCity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun/" target="_blank">Head here for Mixcloud</a></p> <p><em>Image by Parikshit Deshpande for Magnetic Fields Festival 2022</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5451-mf-2022---ra---image-credit---parikshit-deshpande---3.jpeg', 'picture' => '6442-kohra-sunju.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With the Magnetic Fields Festival taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20488-wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20147', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18982', 'createdDate' => '2023-04-04 16:56:55', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-04-05 11:27:44', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'My First Release: Shantanu Pandit', 'date' => '05/04/2023', 'artists' => 'Shantanu Pandit', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.”</p> <p>It was optimism-inspiring to hear these words from <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18674-shantanu-pandit" target="_blank">Shantanu Pandit</a> on my 27th birthday as I sat cross-legged on the floor among the audience at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art to watch him bring his first tour promoting his album ‘Milk Teeth’ to a conclusion. The New Delhi singer-songwriter had spent the weeks prior travelling by road across the length of India in a bespoke caravan to share his music while pausing at each stop to not just give but take in a sense of the places he performed at.</p> <p>“I had been holed up on the mountains when we put out the album and Dhruv was like ‘Dude, you released an album. You can’t just sleep on it like that. Now you’ve got to come down and let’s take it on tour and celebrate it’”, he continued at the show before launching into chirpy <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/track/do-u-know" target="_blank">comforting melodies</a> that underpin lines like <em>“Put that bullet in my head // Shoot me dead // Put that bullet in my head // Get it over with”.</em></p> <h5><em><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1133-shantanu-pandit-bts-milk-teeth-tour--1.jpeg" /><br /> Shantanu in his bespoke caravan for 'Milk Teeth' tour in 2022 | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>Walking through melancholic reminiscing and processing sorrow over dreamy musicality and nostalgic lightness is what defines the 2021 album. The very dichotomic sophistication is what highlights how far his songwriting has come since his first official release, the EP <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/album/skunk-in-the-cellar" target="_blank">‘Skunk In The Cellar’</a> in 2014 – which, like ‘Milk Teeth’, was also an album born out of seeing a relationship heartbreakingly come to end. However, the natural propensity to just write and share music disconnected from the cycle of talking about it, promoting it and packaging it remains a common thread.</p> <p>“I didn't have that word in my vocabulary,” he says while pondering on the idea of “official release” at the start of his career. “I was very much naive to the whole idea of putting out music in a proper format, putting out a press statement and all that.”</p> <h5><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PHVvVHVQxZg" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2012 for Tehelka TV</em></h5> <p>Before ‘Skunk In The Cellar’, Shantanu had been frequently sharing raw performances on Youtube as soon as he recorded them. Whether it was a host at HIT 95FM giving him CD recordings of his appearance on the radio or the sound engineer at Blue Frog giving him the soundboard recordings from his performance, the then-teenager musician’s first instinct was to just put it on Youtube as soon as he got home. “I didn’t think that hard. For me, I just heard the songs back and immediately thought, ‘I want to share this with my friends. I want to share this with my family.’”</p> <p>That immediacy was shaken up and replaced by process when he was contacted by his soon-to-become long-term manager and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/12653-pagal-haina" target="_blank">Pagal Haina</a> head honcho Dhruv Singh to record the songs which were to become ‘Skunk In The Cellar’. “I was like: ‘Hey, so we've got the songs. Let's just put them out.’ And he said, ‘No. This is just the start. Now we need to plan the whole release.’ And I went, ‘What does that mean?’” The process meant Shantanu had to wait for artwork to be made, distribution to be aligned and press strategies put in place before the music and the artist could represent each other to the world.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/0851-shantanu-pandit-4-by-shiv-ahuja-2014.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2014 | Photograph by Shiv Ahuja</em></h5> <p>Even while he could see the sense in all the auxiliary activities, the waiting time struggled to sit well with a songwriter that developed his material and style with notable intensity. “One thing that has been recurring through my career so far, as a songwriter, is that generally, I move fast. If I'm sitting eight months from now, I would look back at my material and be like, ‘Man! I need to write a bunch of new shit because I don't want to play this old shit.’” Even the debut EP ‘Skunk In The Cellar’ felt like a reinvention for the songwriter who started as a 16-year-old playing largely Bob Dylan covers at open mics before quickly replacing them with fast and loud originals that he dubs as his first wave of songwriting.</p> <p>The instinct to move on quickly translated to Shantanu punctuating his career with jumps from one outlet to the next – most notably the group <a href="https://runitsthekid.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Run It’s The Kid</a> and his moniker Morning Mourning, which was partly formed as a subconscious reaction against the limitations imposed by formal and elaborate creation and release cycles to retreat back into the straightforward sincerity of an artist just exorcising his creative impulses.</p> <p>Even while concluding the first promotional tour around ‘Milk Teeth’ in 2022 at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Shantanu’s set was replete with new material ripe for another album. At the same time, littered with older material too and light-hearted addressal of his relationship with it all. Greater patience has seeped in with the artist who crafted ‘Milk Teeth’ after 4 years of writing.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5129-shantanu-pandit-bts--mt-tour.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu in 2022 for 'Milk Teeth' promotional tour | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>“I have recently been able to enjoy performing live after a long time,” he says after walking me through years that included getting disenchanted with the return from releasing music, riding across the country as an escape, diverging into educational degrees, losing the individual self in a long-term relationship and the hardships finding that self again – themes that he tackled on ‘Milk Teeth’ through reflecting back on memories of growing up.</p> <p>After more than a decade as an artist, the New Delhi artist has traversed a long and winding road till the multiple facets of his career are beginning to be at peace with one another. His declaration of touring ‘Milk Teeth’ as a highlight of life so far is a testament to that – further supported as he recently embarked on another one, this time across North-East India. While <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CqDU1ZGy8lA/" target="_blank">announcing</a> it, he remarks: “I didn’t want the last one to end when it did and I’ve been itching to get back on the road ever since.”</p> <p>Listen to 'Milk Teeth' below and head <a href="https://www.skillboxes.com/events/business/pagal-haina-presents-shantanu-pandit-the-east-india-tour" target="_blank">here</a> for tickets and dates of Shantanu's tour across North-East India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1889828902/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Milk Teeth by Shantanu Pandit</iframe></p> <p><em>Words by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Lead artwork designed by Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5402-mfr-shantanu-08.jpg', 'picture' => '7416-mfr-shantanu-05.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.” It was...'), 'href' => '/features/20147-my-first-release-shantanu-pandit', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20078', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18920', 'createdDate' => '2023-02-15 11:49:31', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-02-15 12:11:15', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '“There Was No choice But To Make Room”: Ruhail Qaisar On Centering The Spectres That Haunt Debut LP 'Fatima'', 'date' => '15/02/2023', 'artists' => 'Ruhail Qaisar', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/fatima" target="_blank">Fatima</a>' predates even its creator.</p> <p>Rooted firmly in geo-personal histories, the noise album which happens to be the artist’s debut full-length offering, showcases the full range of his leftfield explorations that began with an extensive catalogue of singles on his SoundCloud, followed by the '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/ltalam-ep" target="_blank">Ltalam EP</a>' in 2016 and<i> </i>the<i> '</i><a href="https://hkcr.live/shows/the-hounds-of-pamir-the-fires-of-bal-ashram-w-ruhail-qaisar-06-11-2020" target="_blank">Hounds of Pamir</a>'<i> </i>radio residency in 2020.</p> <p>At the heart of Ruhail’s practice, which ranges from sound creation to analog photography and experimental filmmaking, is an unwavering emphasis on identity and history.</p> <p>For the indigenous artist hailing from one of the most controversial and unforgiving terrains of South Asia, Ladakh and its people – particularly the Skyayongs Gogsum community – are often seen in Qaisar’s works as straddling the dichotomies of a traumatic past and uncertain future, suffering from what’s colloquially described as <i>perpetual stasis</i>.</p> <p>The 90s were a time of dramatic change, recalls Ruhail. From growing up in a two-room rented house “with 6 hours of electricity, no traffic, no telephones, to being swept by an accelerated existence with 3G smartphones,[...] an endless slew of terrible smartphone tourists,” the landscapes of his childhood had changed drastically soon after the turn of the century.</p> <p>Yet, nothing could have prepared him for the climate of death, decay, and disease that was to characterise his hometown over the last decade. When he returns this time, after having completed his education in Delhi, Qaisar finds a self-sustaining community now completely destabilised, “battling chronic diseases or had passed away, others moved away, rented their old houses out, some squabbled over land in courts for their newly constructed hotel projects….” It induced in him a state of dysphoria, disconnect, and exile, even when home.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <p>'Fatima', whose very title invokes the memory of a late grandaunt, rises out of this abscess, carrying over the leitmotifs and the “main characters” of Qaisar’s tight-knit Ladakhi community, from an intransitive loss-state towards posthumous life.</p> <p>In Qaisar’s own words, the album is a “hauntological compendium of personal tribute” to these people who occupied those bygone spaces and eras, but also to “the pan-Ladakhi identity”, and the strife and struggle of all “indigenous communities in the Himalayas that are all suffering at the hand of unplanned industrialization and urbanization along with military atrocities”. Incidentally, 'Fatima' hits the airwaves at a time of mass unrest in Leh, over demands for Ladakhi statehood and cultural preservation under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5127-02-fatimas-poplar.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-45c11ae8-7fff-7d0b-9dbf-242538d004b7">Home videos and photographs as relics of an irretrievable past and a close-knit community | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>The idea for the record had fallen into place quite unconsciously upon the artist’s return to Choglamsar, Leh, during the pandemic in 2020, and was born out of a strong desire to rid himself of the muscle memory of traditional compositions - “I dispossessed myself of my own voice and shredded it only to a few whispers.”</p> <p>As soon as the first COVID wave abated, Qaisar (stuck in Delhi during the lockdown) took off, carrying with him (he lists:) a university laptop on which he’d downloaded Moog apps, the cheapest Behringer sound card that he’d painstakingly saved up for, and a basic zoom field recorder he’d borrowed from a filmmaker friend. He documented everything: nightly hikes alongside the Indus, when he would go stargazing in Choglamsar with his younger brother and a neighbour; conversations with his granduncle, a Sino-Indian war veteran; stories of his uncle’s disappearance in 1989; the blitz of Indian military tanks during the recent Galwan valley incursion.</p> <p>These voices and tapes, scaffolded by power electronics, frame ‘Fatima’<i>, </i>creating a somewhat minimal and rather tactile musical performance.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/4817-03-hotel.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-b236a0b9-7fff-a8e7-eb72-44ca729b3032">The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti, Leh, stoic in the face of dereliction | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>A self-taught experimenter, Qaisar’s musical influences are a pastiche of works by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/6937-hemant-sk" target="_blank">Hemant SK</a>, heavier emissions by EXHUMATION, Einsturzende Neubauten and Maurizio Bianchi, South Asian experimenters Senyawa and Raavan Kommand, contemporaries like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3934-jamblu" target="_blank">Jamblu</a> (aka Kartik Pillai) and KMRU, even the early works of AR Rahman. For 'Fatima', he mostly turns inwards, mixing influences of folklore traditions with experimental music and drawing sonic styles and guideposts from Ladakhi processional, funeral and tribal hymns.</p> <p>The album masterfully orchestrates the dramatic highs and lows of sonic expression, borrowing heavily from the surrealist movement, oracle rituals and vernacular theatre tropes. It morphs into stretches of unsettling ambient static, injecting distorted field recordings with drones and silence into some cuts, and crystallising others with DIS FIG, Elvin Brandhi, and Iben KasJer’s “oracular dreamspeech.” Iben’s invocations on 'Fatima’s Poplar' in particular, reciting the vitriolic poetry of political writer Nick Land, not only sets the tone for the sensory experience that follows, but also invites us to reckon with Ladakh’s present “smog-laden loss-state” hollowed out by “the colourful promises of neoliberalism”.</p> <p>Composed of nine microstories,<i> '</i>Fatima' is replete with these spectres that “could no longer be ignored”, and with totems willed into serving as their placeholders. The poplar, for example, is a visual reminder of the titular grandaunt, whose cremation site is guarded by the fabled tree. 'The Fanged Poet' whose story bookends the album is similarly “a dispossessed spectre haunting the derelict sites of what was once home.”</p> <p>On 'Partition', one of the record’s more serene and lingering tracks, Qaisar encrypts yet another dimension to his interactions with history. It is part tribute and part requiem for the powerful legend of another ancestor, this time his great-grandmother, who had undertaken the perilous journey from Glgit to Leh in 1947, with four young children in tow. Just as a refugee’s journey interminably connects their home and their destination, the sonic layers on 'Partition' mutate harmoniously into a hazy mass, so that the sum of its parts is indistinct, indistinguishable, and never truly separate.</p> <p>In our email conversation, Qaisar talks about digitally restoring a series of home videos on VHS tape, describing them as “the last remaining phantasmic spectres that capture…the now long-gone characters and quotidian life of late 20th century Ladakh”. The fourth track, which originates from one of these videos documenting a relative Ramazan’s wedding, is his attempt to illuminate this lost memory with sound. (A visual from the video appears in the accompanying album booklet which holds other snapshots from the family archive and some of Ruhail’s own lens-based works).</p> <h5 style="margin-left: 80px;"><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5980-partition.png" /></h5> <h5 style="margin-left: 40px;"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-ad810fd4-7fff-9591-b68a-6b9c095a271b">Illuminating the generational trauma of partition with sound | Photo of Qaisar’s great-grandmother from accompanying album booklet</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>Recorded between Leh and Delhi, 'Fatima' also reinterprets the lexicon, exploring notions of the temporal, internal, and the inter-generational, that echo Qaisar’s experience growing up in a state that’s rapidly changing but not really improving, ravaged instead by the echoes of “old tragedies” and “present disasters”, wrought by late-capitalism, militarisation, and conservatism.</p> <p>In one of the record’s most foreboding tracks, where the deceitful calmness is quickly corroded by drones and garbling samples, Qaisar positions the abandoned hotels of Zangsti as the totems for “three different waves of tourism in Ladakh”. Qaisar recounts strolling past these structures during the pandemic, “[of] old hotels built between the 70's - 80’s that were once the pride and glory of locality, [were now] totally derelict. New upcoming properties [were] halfway constructed…or devoid of any staff or customers, windows covered in newspapers from 2003, collecting leaves, insects, and dust,” explaining the stasis left by the pandemic, when the tourism industry in Ladakh went anomalously cold-turkey for the first time in nearly fifty years, leaving the sustenance of his community in the lurch.</p> <p>Later in 'Painter Man', we’re placed in more intimate settings, with Ruhail’s attempt to connect listeners to the internal life of an artist, the fear of artistic failure and societal shaming in Ladakh, where creative endeavours are generally discouraged. There is a mention in the liner notes about musicians typically occupying the lowest rung of Ladakh’s social hierarchy, to the extent that the only two avenues to make a living, for Qaisar, were either in the “seasonal tourism industry or as a civil servant.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/7374-04.png" /><br /> <strong><i>“I wouldn’t change anything on the album…I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked” | Snapshot from accompanying album booklet</i></strong></h5> <p> </p> <p>Qaisar’s own politics are not divorced from the themes that emerge from his music. He works outside of binaries, untouched by the commodified logistics of indie music production and the demands of cultural logic, clout, or even the desire to be understood. “I frankly don’t care about that world…had no time to find comfort in its rot,” says Qaisar. “There was no choice but to make room.”</p> <p>Challenging and disorienting at first, Qaisar has sure-footedly carved his niche through a series of self-designed, self-taught steps, which has involved unlearning, transgressing disciplines and mediums of expression, discovering the liminal spaces where leftfield artists can unreservedly thrive. One of these spaces certainly was the HKCR residency where Qaisar put out 60-minute selections of compositions improvised and performed live on a Moog Model-D for the better part of a year. (In fact, earlier drafts of 'Namgang', 'Painter Man', and 'The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti' can be traced back to 'Hounds of Pamir' archives). It catapulted him to the international noise music “scene”, with a tour across Switzerland which allowed him to perform his new compositions before an intuitive audience, and later put him on Danse Noire’s radar.</p> <p>A record label founded by Swiss-Nepalese producer Aisha Devi, Danse Noire is presently on the frontlines of decolonising experimental music (which is still typically viewed through eurocentric lens) and on a mission to support noise’s barebones-DIY economy centred around self-releases and underground blogs, with a space where acts like Ruhail have access to the same resources and infrastructure as mainstream global music. For Qaisar, working with Danse was also rewarding because he never felt he had to compromise his vision for Fatima.</p> <p>Clocking in at about an hour<b>, '</b>Fatima', all said and done, is about an artist’s temerity to document his and his people’s histories, about resisting oblivion by preserving it in whatever form - image, text, sound. It is beyond immersion or abstention, an incredible evocation of space and intimacy in a way not normally considered possible for music to communicate.</p> <p>At the time of this interview, Qaisar was preparing for his debut at Berghain, where he performed shortly after, for the CTM Festival alongside DIS FIG. Unfazed by streaming figures, he reports being thrilled with the initial response to 'Fatima'. When asked about this journey and if he would have done anything differently, Qaisar politely declines, saying, “I see most aberrations as rewards, I welcome them, I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked.”</p> <p>“Only thing I can assure is that everything that was done on this album would not be repeated in the next.”</p> <h5>.</h5> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by Prarthana Mitra</em></p> <p><em>Image by Adnan Zayed</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0831-ruhail-qaisar.jpg', 'picture' => '2748-ruhail-qaisar-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s 'Fatima' predates even...'), 'href' => '/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '19908', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18761', 'createdDate' => '2022-09-28 13:52:52', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2022-10-13 14:38:19', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Spotlight: Akshat Nauriyal (Yesnomaybe, St+Art, Now Delhi, Awaaz)', 'date' => '13/10/2022', 'artists' => 'Teddy Boy Kill, Hoirong', 'business' => 'St+rt India Foundation', 'content' => '<p>Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined up on Mumbai’s nearly-150-years-old <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassoon_Docks" target="_blank">Sassoon dock</a>. They overlooked the hectic rhythms of the fish market below, wafting in concentrated doses of the smell that is part of almost everyone’s experience of the seaside city.</p> <p>In a population more used to having the faces of movie stars plastered across its streets and public spaces, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_tahska/?hl=en" target="_blank">Akshat Nauriyal</a>’s co-created (with Pranav Gohil) array of portraits on Sassoon Dock pushed back on it by giving the limelight to the docks’ primary community and Mumbai’s earliest settlers: the fisherfolk.</p> <p>“To be able to speak to people, learn about their communities, sensitise myself about their dynamics, and then be able to bring that into the project was the most important takeaway for me,” says the New Delhi artist of capturing and exhibiting those portraits in 2017 as a contribution to French artist JR’s global participatory art initiative ‘<a href="https://www.insideoutproject.net/en/explore/group-action/sassoon-dock" target="_blank">Inside Out</a>’. By making the fisherfolks the subject of the portraits, convincing them about the work, capturing their likeness with a pop-up photo studio and then plastering the stylised results across the space that they define, Nauriyal and his colleagues highlighted the predominant trinity of Koli, Hindu Maratha and Banjara communities.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/6396-inside-out.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Inside Out at Sassoon Dock</em></h5> <p>“To bring the voices of people that are usually not heard from, or stories that are left on the wayside by the mainstream – those define the projects that I am always interested in”, explains Nauriyal as the mandate that drove his effort at Sassoon dock and his wider body of work. That body of work includes co-founding St+art, the collective and platform now widely celebrated for galvanising the undercurrents of street art in India by transforming localities like New Delhi’s Lodhi Colony and Shahpur Jat and creating India’s largest as well as tallest murals; documentaries capturing the capital city’s underground sub-cultures; socio-political stance-charged Instagram filters that examined social media platforms as a space for activism; short films tracing music-driven activism in different countries; music acts ranging from Another Vertigo Rush and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3598-teddy-boy-kill" target="_blank">Teddy Boy Kill</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4660-hoirong" target="_blank">Hoirong</a> and <a href="https://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/music/2020/aug/07/akshat-nauriyal-on-his-solo-project-yesnomaybe-his-upcoming-ep-and-augmented-reality-as-a-performat-27115.html" target="_blank">Yesnomaybe</a>; and currently, an ongoing project that keeps <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irom_Chanu_Sharmila" target="_blank">Irom Sharmila</a> (famously known as the ‘Iron Lady Of Manipur’) at its centre while it inquires into the cost borne by the leader of a movement.</p> <p>Whether music, film, augmented reality or paint-based, the New Delhi artist’s efforts carry an easily notable sub-layer of activism, which has founds its necessity rooted as far back as he can remember.</p> <h3><b>Early Beginnings</b></h3> <p>Coming from a military background, Akshat was privy to the slow cogs of government offices which worked its way into disillusionment with the system around the time he developed his initial interests in arts and culture. He recalls sitting stunned listening to tracks by the likes Rage Against The Machine after downloading them off of Napster at the cusp of Indian households getting connected to the Internet and finding his thoughts make cohesion within the activist lyricism of the band and similar angsty associates.</p> <p>The result was a deep-seated formative ethos that leaned towards art that stands for change and of having ready access to it. An ethos which was held back from getting showcased, save for through the array of rock bands that he drummed for during his school and college, while he navigated through the most common education pathway of engineering degrees and college placements prescribed to middle-class Indian kids. Eventually and gradually course-correcting himself with a move towards filmmaking and work for NDTV’s ‘Almost Famous’, Akshat started venturing out on his own around 2007 and 2008.</p> <h3><b>Now Delhi</b></h3> <p>“Because of being involved with the music scene, I was involved with a whole bunch of creative people from across the spectrum. Art galleries and things usually have a specific kind of people coming to them, but I’ve found that music is quite open in terms of the kind of audience it draws,” says Akshat. “Through that experience, I started seeing this other side of Delhi which I hadn’t experienced before I met these performance artists, digital artists and all kinds of artists who were the same age as me and were trying to push the envelope.”</p> <p>Making these artists the focus of his first major venture as an independent filmmaker, Akshat, who often works under the pseudonym Tahska, established ‘Now Delhi’, a film studio now synonymous with a run of short documentaries it generated on the likes of street artists, B-boys, extreme metal groups and rap cyphers in the capital. “At that time, you could still say that there was this underground – an underbelly that Delhi had which nobody was talking about in the mainstream media,” he continues, expanding upon his comparison of a city to a living breathing thing defined by the people that it in turn influences. “‘Now Delhi’ delivered an exploration of that. It was an exploration of all the different kinds of subcultures that exist in the city, and also how the artists are responding to the city itself.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vlCt2ji7IFA" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The films exposed a running motif early on – one of prioritising the question. Akshat carries strong openings and convictions, but they remain held back when he is behind the artistic lens to allow for the audience to do their own thinking. The ‘Now Delhi’ film on Khirkee Extension, a collective effort of street artists to create art around the namesake South Delhi locality, presents the artists reflecting on the economic dichotomy of the neighbourhood and how it inspires their art. They retell how the kids kept engaging with the creation process of the murals before the documentary ends with the local elders frustratingly venting how they don’t get the purpose of this art and its messaging. The film invites the viewer to ponder over the significance of the street artists’ efforts and their relation to the residents of the locality.</p> <p>“It’s something that I’ve tried to carry forward with all my work,” explains Akshat. “It comes from being able to first understand what the people who actually I’m trying to talk about feel, rather than impose my preconceived idea of what they might want to talk about.” For all the films of ‘Now Delhi’, Akshat first became a part of the sub-cultures he was highlighting or a close associate before micing them up. A decade later, with his current subject being a national icon like Irom Sharmila, he is tagging along to observe her usual going-abouts to discover the narrative naturally instead of imposing it. “I’ve always been a fan of gonzo journalism, like Hunter S Thomson and his writing – in terms of just immersing yourself in a situation to truly tell the story.”</p> <h3><b>St+art</b></h3> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6NaQbBiSMsI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Being close to his subjects meant Akshat had become a close associate of the street community of India, having made them the focus of ‘Now Delhi’ multiple times. Sharing a studio with one of its proponents, Hanif Kureshi, he soon found himself teaming up with Arjun Bahl, Giulia Ambrogi and Thanish Thomas to create the five-piece team that would become the founders of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/startindiafoundation/">St+art</a>.</p> <p>“There was an initial conversation about doing a festival, which we did without having any idea that it [St+art] would become this behemoth of an organization,” Akshat recounts the early days of the organization with the festival bringing together the artists to Shahpur Jat and its founders being hands-on with everything from moving the ladders and bringing the paints to Nauriyal documenting the process. “It was a logical progression for ‘Now Delhi’ to transition to St+art India,” quips Akshat, noting how the documentaries took a backseat as the workload got higher and allowed him to honour his formative drives of making art accessible while exploring a city and the many narratives it homes.</p> <p>Within a few years, St+art became a go-to organization for cultural consulates and medium to big brands, creating local landmarks across the country and transforming neighbourhoods, especially in New Delhi and Mumbai. The former’s Lodhi Colony remains defined by the makeover given by the collective during its annual festival. It was the place where St+art was fully able to realize its early motivations of creating art that was available to all and integrated all – specifically, through participatory murals, singing workshops, painting workshops and the like. Yet as the organization became a brand in itself, the ship started to feel too big to steer into radical corners – which Akshat still longed to address.</p> <p>“The initial years of anything are the best. They're the most honest. They're the most genuine. They're the closest to the vision that you start with. As things get bigger, there comes a set of compromises that one has to start making. I think that's the nature of anything that becomes big after a point of time,” he concludes his around half-a-decade-long journey with the prominent street art collective.</p> <h3><b>Yesnomaybe, Augmented/Virtual Reality</b></h3> <p>As St+art began to fade out from his professional life, his other continuing artistic efforts began to appear more prominently in the limelight again. Adding another feather to the musical cap, Akshat debuted his solo moniker Yesnomaybe, an outlet where he brings together all the facets of his work as marries the retrofuturism of synth-rock with the futurism of interactive filters and augmented reality-driven films. The latter also becoming a device for Akshat to continue posing topical questions while creating work that stood for something.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3_dwP09Genk" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>2019 was a particularly politically-charged year for India: BJP, the country’s right-wing majoritarian government, was re-elected to power with a higher parliamentary presence; it used it to abrogate Kashmir’s special status; and introduced the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act which faced nationwide protests that were met with controversial police violence. With augmented reality, Akshat offered tried to offer a response for all of it: a filter fashioned after prime minister Narendra Modi that let out the word “lie” every time you open your mouth, headers stating stances on Kashmir and CAA, and, for the following year’s state elections in Delhi, an interactive quiz where you can nod or shake your head based on who you’re voting for.</p> <p>“I felt social media platforms are almost like the new town halls where people are coming and discussing things. It was an interesting space to explore to try and also see if I could create work that could help on ground movements and also get people involved more than just changing a display picture,” says Akshat. “It was honestly a social experiment.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:16px;"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Akshat Nauriyal (@_tahska)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script> <p>Within days, around a million people saw the multiple of the filters. The mode of activism was talked about by the likes of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/1/29/meet-the-artists-resisting-indias-new-citizenship-law">Al Jazeera</a>, attracting loud pro-government commentators to Akshat’s profile alongside concern for safety by well-wishers. The work definitely rattled a few minds and sparked newer questions in Akshat’s own. “I started a conversation about what use it actually played in society. On my Instagram Stories, I asked people the question, whether they thought that it was just armchair activism or whether it actually led to any kind of change,” he remarks. Alongside equal amounts of opposing viewpoints, the “social (media) experiment” also saw its second phase as the platforms began, in most cases, a silent clampdown on politically-charged use of its platform. The traction for the filters and their related posts began to go down and, as is currently being highlighted in courts, the platforms themselves had to cater to clampdowns by the government. “It was also quite disillusioning, because the same platforms, which are supposed to be platforms for free speech are the ones that ended up censoring you,” reports Akshat.</p> <h3><b>Awaaz</b></h3> <p>With censoring becoming more and more obvious and Instagram itself pivoting from a creator-friendly platform, Akshat moved his exploration into creating meaningful work and examining the modes for it to other outlets: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHAWPwVJC2w/" target="_blank">installations</a>, talks and, coming a full circle, to films again. As part of Goethe-Institut’s ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19288-m-a-p-a-m-p-highlights-performances-stories-of-musicians-with-a-cause-including-ahmer-sheetal-sathe-more" target="_blank">M.A.P // A.M.P</a>’, the filmmaker created a series of documentaries entitled <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19524-awaaz-akshat-nauriyal-creates-documentary-films-on-protest-music-histories-of-india-pakistan-sri-lanka-iran">‘Awaaz’</a>, turning the lens yet again to underrepresented artistic voices. Handpicking with the help of research and local social networks, ‘Awaaz’ highlighted politically outspoken artists from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Iran to look at the history of protests from these countries.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ml2iV7BfkLE" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“Anytime you go on Twitter, somebody is getting boycotted. We’re living in an age of outrage,” says Akshat, noting how any political discourse is getting mudied up online by internet trolls while a work of activist nature doesn’t get platformed enough outside it. Allaying that, ‘Awaaz’ unearthed the nature of dissent specific to each country – whether it was about signalling the erosion of administrative infrastructures and economy in Sri Lanka, which erupted within weeks of the film getting released, or the difficulty in finding a voice that can publicly speak against the powers that be in a country like Iran. “There was a responsibility that I had on my end which was to ensure that I don’t put out content that can eventually lead to trouble for them [the artists],” continues Akshat. “Which is why I did in a way where we were actually chronicling the past protest movements to give context of where the country is right now, rather than attack any of the present figures.”</p> <p>Even with the varying specifics, much like M.A.P // A.M.P’s crowdsourced repository of protest music, ‘Awaaz’ brought out the parallels between artistic activism around the world, signalling a unification of voices and the possibility of shared empathy. According to Akshat: “[The films] platform these movements in a way so that other people in other parts of the world can see that we’re all pretty similar and that there is merit to creating work like this.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/2386-irom-5.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Irom Sharmila with family by Akshat Nauriyal</em></h5> <p>“I feel a cycle has finished and a new cycle is beginning,” he adds as we agree on how the films on national sub-cultures with ‘Awaaz’ feel like coming a full circle in light of how films on Delhi’s sub-cultures with ‘Now Delhi’ kicked things off. Since finishing ‘Awaaz’, two of the countries Akshat turned his lens to have been taken over by protests, which have emerged out of the shadows to engulf the streets, at times, fulfilling predictions touched upon in the films. Meanwhile, Akshat has moved on to creating the new chapter for Yesnomaybe and shadowing Irom Sharmila, not just documenting the cost her struggle for fairer civil rights has demanded but also building a multi-faceted reflection of her poetry and personality. For the New Delhi creative, the parallels and narratives to be unearthed by his personal artistic vision continue to draw him to the margins.</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Word by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Profile image by Akshat Nauriyal</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5133-akshat-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5937-akshat-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined...'), 'href' => '/features/19908-spotlight-akshat-nauriyal-yesnomaybe-st-art-now-delhi-awaaz', 'key' => 'features')), 'repo' => 'https://repo.thewildcity.com/', 'host' => 'https://www.thewildcity.com', 'page' => null, 'bannerhead' => array(), 'bannertop' => array(), 'bannermid' => array(array('label' => 'Mailing List', 'url' => 'https://thewildcity.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=3fbebf9eadf7433315c051d4e&id=e053aa3ae5', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column middle', 'image' => '3413-signup.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'bannerlow' => array(array('label' => 'follow us on instagram', 'url' => 'https://www.instagram.com/thewildcity/', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column bottom', 'image' => '2532-followus.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'app' => object(Application)), array('meta' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_meta'), 'title' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37), 'block_title'), 'banner' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_banner'), 'main' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37), 'block_main'), 'body' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_body'), 'aside' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_aside'), 'asidehigh' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_asidehigh'), 'asidelow' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_asidelow'), 'javascripts' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_javascripts'), 'stylesheets' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_stylesheets'))) in Template.php line 215
  4. at Twig_Template->displayBlock('title', array('pages' => array(array('id' => '385', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '310', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:36:32', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2020-12-28 13:16:03', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'About', 'content' => '<p>Wild City was established as an online music magazine and community platform in 2011. It has since grown to become an events company (hosting a variety of musical showcases, events and the annual Magnetic Fields Festival), cultural PR agency (City Press launched in 2015), consultants for brands engaging with contemporary music culture in India (partners include Boiler Room, Resident Advisor, Red Bull, Jameson, Bira 91, Puma, Social Offline, Bumble, Ray-Ban, Budweiser, British Council amongst others), and executors of regional cultural programs across South Asia.</p> <p>Dedicated to spotlighting the latest in alternative culture and music from India and South Asia, Wild City’s inception filled a much-needed gap in the Indian music space.<br /> <br /> A year after its establishment, Wild City partnered with Gerriet Schultz (founder of iconic Berlin club VMF) and the Goethe-Institut to create Border Movement, an online platform and series of events, workshops and residencies that promote interaction between grass roots electronic music communities in South Asia and Germany.<br /> <br /> In 2013, Wild City co-founded the first-ever Magnetic Fields, arguably India’s most popular boutique music festival. Taking place in Alsisar Mahal, Rajasthan, Magnetic Fields has been included in the ‘50 Best Music Festivals in the World’ by Time Out Magazine. It has also been lauded by Resident Advisor, New York Times and other notable publications.<br /> <br /> In 2016, Wild City further went on to win an award for 'Best Promoter in India' and co-curated the music stream of The Coalition.<br /> <br /> Wild City is the voice for alternative music in the region. Whether showcasing local or international sounds, the company constantly thrives to challenge and develop the independent cultural space and its audience.<br /> <br /> <strong>Contact Us:</strong><br /> <br /> Promos | Music Submissions: music@thewildcity.com<br /> Listings | News | Features: amaan@thewildcity.com<br /> Press | PR: ruhi@thewildcity.com<br /> Commercial | Ads | Partnerships: munbir@thewildcity.com<br /> Recruitment | Hotdesking: info@thewildcity.com<br /> Inquiries | General: info@thewildcity.com</p> ', 'slug' => 'about', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => '')), array('id' => '386', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '311', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:51:38', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2018-04-19 06:50:04', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Advertising', 'content' => '<p><sub>To advertise with Wild City please contact press@thewildcity.com. For partnerships please speak to munbir@thewildcity.com.</sub></p> ', 'slug' => 'advertising', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => ''))), 'feed' => array(array('id' => '20610', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19421', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-15 12:43:44', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-15 15:50:09', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '2023 In Review', 'date' => '15/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Vinayak^a, Komorebi, Sandunes, Dreamhour, Tarun Balani, Ruhail Qaisar, Rafiki, Ditty, Lush Lata, Mali, Oblique, Bulli Bainbridge, Merak, Dhanji', 'business' => 'Dynamite Disco Club', 'content' => '<p>2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of its predecessor and no change of digit has ever put a break on the continuity of trends, talent or conflict.</p> <p>The exercise of shedding light upon the developments in alternative music in the Indian subcontinent in a particular year and highlighting what we predict will ripple forward doesn’t just help people reflect on what has been and catch up on things they might have missed or overlooked. It also has proven to signal the upcoming prominence of budding artists.</p> <p>For instance, from our <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20037-2022-in-review" target="_blank">2022’s reflection</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chaardiwaari/" target="_blank">Chaar Diwaari</a> has since released on Def Jam India and collaborated with Yo Yo Honey Singh and all 3 of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11700-noni-mouse" target="_blank">Noni-mouse</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7080-kiss-nuka" target="_blank">Kiss Nuka</a> made their Boiler Room debuts with the latter two also doing prominent shows in UK and Berlin respectively.</p> <p>Eitherway, we find it worth pausing to take in what we witnessed in 2023 – a year, that wasn’t the first period out of the pandemic but the one where the visions, growth and ideas developed on an individual level during the pandemic were exercised and showcased to its fullest.</p> <p>See what that looked like by focusing on handpicked artists and their work in the past year below:</p> <h3><b>Vinayak^a</b></h3> <p>A long-standing figure of Indian dancefloors, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/129-vinayak-a" target="_blank">Vinayak^a</a> would have defined 2023 in alternative music space just through the sheer quantity of his releases alone. While things had been sporadic on the release front in the nearly two decades-worth of career for the Chennai-based DJ-producer, 2023 was filled with a drop after another. Out of them, ‘Andar Bandar’, Vinayak^a’s second-ever solo LP looms large. Layers from electronic to sampled organic collide to create rich atmospheric tapestries while Vinayak^a shows how spoken word samples can be used to add to the textures rather than as devices to spoonfeed a message and emotion.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2587720108/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Andar Bandar by vinayak^a</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sandunes</b></h3> <p>Almost every year is filled with some commendable work by this electronica frontrunner but 2023 stands out for Sanaya Ardeshir aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/301-sandunes" target="_blank">Sandunes</a> through her most ambitious release to date: the album ‘The Ground Beneath Her Feat'. The 13-track release combines all the aspects Sandunes has become known for: the meticulously layered synth layers, syncopating grooves and experimentations with guest vocalists. She dials it all up another notch with the sweetness of woodwinds. The result is a work of electronica that’s in parts at par in its reflective emotionality with the best of any year or region. I recommend going in with ‘Tsunami’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3390681302/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Sandunes</iframe></p> <h3><b>Komorebi</b></h3> <p>If we are talking ambition, Tarana Marwah aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/177-komorebi" target="_blank">Komorebi</a>’s album ‘The Fall’ isn’t just one of the most ambitious works of 2023 but of any year so far for India’s indie music. Released with a comic, music videos, tying lore and scores of collaborations within it, the multi-tiered album goes back and forth between being an electropop effort and a progressive structured work suitable for a musical with its dramatic shifts between ideas.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QxmEUt3fVfk?si=1TE4A17yNNsq6Qw3" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Mali</b></h3> <p>In the case of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17335-mali" target="_blank">Mali</a>, it’s been about focusing on the basics. There were no added frills, just an album i.e. ‘Semi Automatic Butane’, music videos to help present it and a busy tour to support it. Within those basics, the Mumbai artist tightened her songwriting to indie-pop perfection and offered it with economically picked ideas. For a listener of the style, the album is destined to achieve that rarer-than-expected feat among independent releases, which is, to be part of people’s playlists beyond its promotional cycle.</p> <p>That itself is enough and yet, the singer-songwriter enjoyed another breakout success with her efforts in Tamil music with the worth checking out ‘<a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=n7_tASChbw4" target="_blank">Anniku Raatri</a>’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=969156237/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Semi Automatic Butane by Mali</iframe></p> <h3><b>Dhanji</b></h3> <p>After a long buildup to it, Gujrat’s rap artist <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20330-dhanji" target="_blank">Dhanji</a> released his <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20328-dhanji-releases-his-earnestly-awaited-debut-album-ruab" target="_blank">debut album ‘Ruab’</a> and the whirring repetitions of the title have been echoing in our brains ever since. The 11-track release brings in elements from funk, rock and even electronica but without compromising on the qualities of hip-hop as meticulously written verses flow through a dramatic progression of ideas. The album, supported via live performances throughout the year, is an instance where the ambitiousness is purely musical and demonstrates the kind of risk-taking that hasn’t been seen in Indian hip-hop for a while.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1663662427&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Dhanji">Dhanji</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic/sets/ruab-1" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="RUAB">RUAB</a></div> <h3><b>Kinari / Finsta</b></h3> <p>Another occasion of something fresh dropping in the space of hip-hop came through the New Delhi artist formerly known as Finsta with their EP ‘QUEERBOPS’. Not just due to the still rare instance of queer narratives finding a space in the genre, but rather for the merit that Finsta deals with both hip-hop and themes around queerness with a distinctly and naturally fitting Indian flavour. Though the artist has since reinvented themself as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kinaripurrs/" target="_blank">Kinari</a> with already an album entitled ‘KATTAR KINNAR’ in the pipeline, the strong statements over the added delight of an experimental edge of the 6-track release still manages to move the body and shake the brain.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2fvC5Y9lS5Y34t6GdPAovG?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Dot.</b></h3> <p>While her involvement in the lead cast of ‘The Archies’, Bollywood’s most-talked-about movie of 2023, looms larger than anything for most, it was a good year for people who know Aditi Saigal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20131-dot" target="_blank">Dot.</a> as a musician first. Alongside inviting the audience to witness her growth as a live performer over the year, the singer-songwriter ended the period with a collection of recordings from her practice room as an album entitled ‘Practice Rooms’, which even kicks off with her most popular raw take of ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’. At the same time, the year saw her at her most polished with the soft pop of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20135-dot-begins-to-find-a-new-voice-with-indigo" target="_blank">Indigo</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u0OG7rjgqxc?si=TfyMy6H5EhmXkcaB" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Long Distances</b></h3> <p>A product of remote collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11187-aarifah-rebello">Aarifah Rebello</a>, Apurv Agrawal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/456-cowboy-and-sailor-man">Cowboy &amp; Sailor Man</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zubinski/">Zubin Pastakia</a>’s combined effort <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20375-long-distances" target="_blank">Long Distances</a> has outlasted the shadows of the pandemic, outliving most other projects born in that period. In 2023, the trio started unfolding singles that would lead up to the EP ‘How the Mighty Will Fall’ and through live performances, solidified their name among the newest generation of indie live groups of India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=3217313286/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Delicate Surrender by Long Distances</iframe></p> <h3><b>Excise Department</b></h3> <p>2023 was also the year New Delhi got to familiarise itself better with their new alternative hip-hop heads <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20177-excise-dept-take-a-dig-at-the-absurdity-in-present-day-religious-figures-on-baaro-maala" target="_blank">Excise Department</a> – which always remains tricky for an act that likes to stay anonymous and operate in English, Bengali and Punjabi. Alongside their debut live show and several others since, the group released 3 defining singles, namely ‘Baaro Maala’, ‘Birhada’ and ‘Billo’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oq_Qql2yu78?si=sc-JTcSKJNmKbyyf" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Yuhina</b></h3> <p>While talking of acts we got to familiarise ourselves with in 2023, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yuhinalachungpa/?hl=en" target="_blank">Yuhina Lachungpa</a> is an easy mention for her debut EP at the tail-end of the year. After years of having just the occasional collaboration and self-released work, the Bangalore-based Sikkim-rooted artist combined Buddhist chants and equally meditative lyricism about self with electropop production on the 5-track EP ‘Mnemonic’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4076191914/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">MNEMONIC by Yuhina</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bengal Chemicals</b></h3> <p>Even with the occasional emerging and new acts, it still felt like the alternative music space of the region had a decline in fresh talent and fresher growth. That story seemed completely different in leftfield genres like noise and ambient. Pritam Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bengal.chemicals/?hl=en" target="_blank">Bengal Chemicals</a> emerged as a good representative of the renaissance that seems to be emerging in Kolkata in these genres. While there is no shortage of recommendable works (shoutout to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20316-harmonium-ambient-torture-form-the-basis-of-nilotpal-das-aka-bios-contrast-s-harmonium-i">Nilotpal Das’ ‘Harmonium I’</a>), Bengal Chemicals’ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20186-bengal-chemicals-channels-deteriorating-cityscapes-on-sophomore-ep-via-biswa-bangla-noise">sophomore EP ‘তা​র​ক’</a> is the best way into unravelling the leftfield undercurrents that hopefully will get their rightful place in the discourse and industry around alternative music.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2291060274/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">তারক by Bengal Chemicals</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ruhail</b></h3> <p>Whether the spotlight is on noise or not, Ladakh's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4979-ruhail-qaisar" target="_blank">Ruhail Qaisar</a>’s album <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima" target="_blank">‘Fatima’ is one of the strongest albums of the year</a>. A most uncompromising and unflinching take on identity and personal history, Ruhail’s debut album, released via Danse Noir, is both about self and the world he comes from – its people, its transformations and tragedies. A layered work that uncovers meanings the more you dig into it and learn about its references and elements, ‘Fatima’ is a testament to the merit of being free from expectations and believing in one’s own artistic impulses – a quality that has also taken the artist to stages <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CttObMvoVIh/" target="_blank">across the EU</a> including Berlin's famed Berghain for the CTM festival.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <h3><b>Philtersoup</b></h3> <p>Sanjay Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/philtersoupmusic/?hl=en" target="_blank">Philtersoup</a> has been present in the undercurrents of India’s alternative music for a while but the Mumbai-based producer-composer found greater agency in 2023. Besides experimental A/V shows in art studios and synth jams, Das performed alongside <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20068-karshni" target="_blank">Karshni Nair</a> and released the collaborative single ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20263-karshni-philtersoup-release-collaborative-single-long-gone" target="_blank">Long Gone</a>’. Parallely, he served as a music supervisor on the OTT-release ‘Rainbow Rishta’, helping cross over more of India’s independent music to the OTT-media audience.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=4239800201/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Long Gone by philterSoup x Karshni</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sourya Sen</b></h3> <p>Operating in close proximity and joining in on the aforementioned synth jams with Philtersoup, Sourya Sen (also known as <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17413-oblique" target="_blank">Oblique</a>) has not only been a longstanding presence as a live visual artist for some leading independent artists but has also been one of the most evocative abstractionists within the modular synth space. The claim is no less potent when paired with his 11-track memoir of the places he has lived entitled ‘In The Cities’. Top that with his input at the earliest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkyBRg9A6EA" target="_blank">A/V show</a> at one of Mumbai’s newest (certainly one of its most heavily discussed in recent memory) spaces i.e. the <a href="https://nmacc.com/" target="_blank">NMACC</a>, and the Mumbai-based artist’s creative footprint is as relevant as it is subtle within the portrait of 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2242427289/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">In the Cities by Sourya Sen</iframe></p> <h3><b>I7HVN</b></h3> <p>It was a year of growth for Safar collective co-founder <a href="https://www.instagram.com/i7hvn/?hl=en" target="_blank">I7HVN</a>, who stepped beyond his IDM and trip-hop experiments for two long-form releases that showcased moments of self-realisation and a comfortable embrace of his styles. After the abstract atmospheres of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a>-released ‘Youthful’, Bangalore producer put out a broken beat techno EP ‘Anodyne’ at the end of the year. His best moments emerge within the restrained ambience of ‘Youthful’s closer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20252-first-look-i7hvn-sanoli-chowdhury-collaborate-on-imaginary-love">‘Imaginary Love’, which features Sanoli Chowdhury</a>, and the opening title track of ‘Anodyne’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=514984918/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Youthful by I7HVN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Merak</b></h3> <p>While the Goan sibling duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20296-merak" target="_blank">Merak</a> isn’t the first to bring jazz into electronica, there is a balanced tastefulness in their work which gets rendered even more potent in the hands of seasoned acts like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a> and in the shared prowess of collaborators like Shreyas Iyenger – both of whom appeared on the duo’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20300-dreampop-electronica-jazz-mix-on-merak-s-manic-mode" target="_blank">EP ‘Manic Mode’</a>. Besides the appreciable release, Merak frequently became part of the festival lineups around the year to leave a lasting imprint on Indian alternative music’s 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=553102807/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 274px;">Manic Mode EP by Merak</iframe></p> <h3><b>Seasonal Affected Beats</b></h3> <p>It’s hard to think of an artist who has seemed harder working in 2023 than New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4958-tarun-balani" target="_blank">Tarun Balani</a>. The multi-instrumentalist, educator and composer kicked off the year by touring his A/V show ‘2°’ with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/16948-spotlight-parizad-d" target="_blank">Parizad D</a> as Seasonal Affected Beats and filled the year treading the line between meticulous and intuitive through the music from his album ‘Where the Ice Meets the Water’. Add to that another tour in support of the album and two singles focusing on his more jazz-centric work with the Dhamma Collective, and it’s been undoubtedly big 12 months for Tarun Balani.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1503216166/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Where the Ice Meets the Water by Seasonal Affected Beats, Tarun Balani</iframe></p> <h3><b>Debo Sanyal / Dokodoko </b></h3> <p>Is it a cliché to call something ‘underrated’ at this point? If it is, then it’s unfitting of me to use a cliché for someone who usually offers anything but that. Siliguri’s Deno Sanyal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4501-dreamhour" target="_blank">Dreamhour</a> has been dropping quality music full of humour, underexplored styles and singular quirk for years now. More recently, it has found a partner with the complimentary irreverence and straightfaced attitude (which translates sonically as well) of Dr. Kritika as the duo releases music as Dokodoko – <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20419-dokodoko-release-grunge-infused-hindi-electropop-with-shor" target="_blank">gracing 2023 with a foray into Hindi electropop</a>. For more puristical Dreamhour synth bops, the album ‘Now That We Are’ is as punchy as it comes alongside proving that there are still grounds to explore and fun to be had with synthwave.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3930647123/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Now That We Are Here by Dreamhour</iframe></p> <h3><b>Warehouse Mix</b></h3> <p><a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Warehouse Mix</a> is the latest (and increasingly rare) case of a bunch of young creatives coming together not for the primary purpose of making a quick profit but rather to create something “cool” or something that they believe in. In this case the belief is around the original ethos of house music and its ability to provide spaces for diverse expression. While the collective has been budding over the years, 2023 saw them break their immediate bubbles to create bigger impacts, hosting their flagship <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Anticlub</a> parties, live percussion dances and vinyl-only sessions at the city outskirts.</p> <h3><b>Dynamite Disco Club</b></h3> <p>Another collective based near house music (and several other adjacent styles) but more defined by its experienced members, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/18599-dynamite-disco-club" target="_blank">Dynamite Disco Club</a> has been one of our year-defining acts in the past – the year it announced that it would function as a label as well. But this year, DDC embodies the idea that 2023 was the period all the visions developed during the COVID-19 pandemic about life after it were fully realised (as much as they will ever likely be). Besides a string of its parties throughout the year and having a space at almost every notable music festival in the country, the label realised releases from not just its well-known members like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/5027-stalvart-john" target="_blank">Stalvart John</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3929-hamza" target="_blank">Hamza Rahimtula</a>, but also newer talents like ISHXN and even bigger list of foreign acts. On top of importing off-shore acts to its label, the collective also took its domestic talent reach out to shores beyond with Stalvart John touring through parts of South and East Asia.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=2610448964/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Disco Disco, Good Good (Original mix) by ISHXN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Lush Lata</b></h3> <p>It was a big year for New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>, who reached a milestone in her ascent as a DJ with a set at dance music mecca Berlin’s The Berghain early in the year as part of CTM Festival. Since then the stripes have kept attaching in the form of live sets for the likes of HÖR, Rinse and Kiosk Radio, and, constantly, the Indian dancefloors.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1464837649&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Rafiki</b></h3> <p>Through his work as a longstanding promoter and DJ, Sohail Arora aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7552-rafiki" target="_blank">Rafiki</a> has maintained his relevance for a while. This year, however, there was heightened emphasis on his musical output in the form of two EPs: first in the form of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20144-rafiki-gives-retro-sounds-a-modern-edge-on-the-source" target="_blank">The Source</a>’ and then ‘New Shifts’. Surrounding it, the Mumbai-based music industry professional delivered notable mixes, joined his curation for Boiler Room, and toured through Europe, Sri Lanka and clubs across India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=141835852/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">New Shifts by Rafiki</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ditty</b></h3> <p>2023 also was the year of the return of Aditi Veena aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/12649-ditty" target="_blank">Ditty</a>. Though the singer-songwriter was hardly gone, having toured in the latter half of 2022 and releasing music as part of the group Faraway Friends before that, this year saw her put out her <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20452-exclusive-first-listen-ditty-offers-a-distinct-approach-to-indie-pop-with-single-hold-me-from-the-ep-skin" target="_blank">first solo release in 4 years</a> – during which she battled a major illness, got married and partly relocated to Berlin. The trickle of releases started with a collaborative track with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8232-jordan-johnson" target="_blank">Jordan Johnson</a> (another artist who put out standout work in 2023) and followed into the rollout of her own EP ‘Skin’ with live dates punctuating the process.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=966494420/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Hold Me by DITTY</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bulli Bainbridge</b></h3> <p>If you’re an avid listener of indie music and yet don’t know who Zain Calcuttawala is, it’s still likely you have unknowingly enjoyed his contributions. Besides his past as a gig programmer, the multi-faceted talent has been hosting podcasts on mental health and more popularly producing for everyone from Bhrighu Sahni and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19113-second-sight" target="_blank">Second Sight</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18207-raghav-meattle" target="_blank">Raghav Meattle</a>. His work with his moniker <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18024-bulli-bainbridge" target="_blank">Bulli Bainbridge</a> has been no less versatile. He kicked off the year with an album entitled ‘Seasons’ that saw contributions from the likes of Ankit Dayal, BobKat, and Bombay Dub Orchestra and followed it with a collaborative hip-hop single ‘One Me’. Since then, the producer, engineer and composer has been reimagining some of the most popular recent indie hits – cue an orchestral version of Bloodywood, a lo-fi cut of Raghav Meattle’s ‘City Life’ and a swing-era take of Dot’s ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5ZULHCsrfC91weo5SUtENC?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words: Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Image Design: Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9199-2022-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '4028-2023-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of...'), 'href' => '/features/20610-2023-in-review', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20609', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19420', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-14 12:37:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-14 12:45:06', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #234: Hammer', 'date' => '14/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>A member of the <a href="http://www.feelmybicep.com/" target="_blank">Feel My Bicep</a> crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go on to form the duo Bicep), Rory Hamilton aka <a href="https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/hammer" target="_blank">Hammer</a> isn't just someone who has a sense for discovering interesting electronica works. After decades of hosting parties in Glasgow and later London, as well as spinning records the world over, the Belfast-born talent knows how to stitch together those records to create moments of passionate revelry.</p> <p>India has bore witness to that skill multiple times at this point as Hamilton returned to the country earlier this year <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/11647-london-based-dj-producer-hammer-announces-show-in-delhi" target="_blank">after half a decade</a>, adding dates in Goa and Kolkata alongside Delhi and Mumbai before jetting off to Sri Lanka for further performances with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for an 8-show tour of India and Sri Lanka. He recorded a mix for Wild City in Sri Lanka at the end of his tour to look back at his time in the region, which also included signing on Kolkata's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7818-8-bit-culprit" target="_blank">8-bit culprit</a> – the second artist from India to work with the label after New Delhi Anhad Khanna aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19691-sublime-sound-releases-club-ready-ep-that-love-affair-through-hammer-s-remmah-records" target="_blank">Sublime Sound</a>.</p> <p>"From the first ever gig I played in Auro in New Delhi, I learnt that the dance floor in India is special in that the sense of excitement is genuinely palpable. Taking risks pays off," says Hamilton. "I’ve also learnt that like every country, each city is different and you need to be ready to fit into it."</p> <p>Consequently, while often operating close to house, disco and some techno, how Hammer uses a particular style can vary. Recorded at The Luna Terrace of Galle's Closenburg Hotel, the HQ of Tropical Wax, the Wild City mix goes from an unreleased remix of Syreeta Wright's chants on 'Shanti', to the disco-inspired Baldo Remix of Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami's 'Sugar Snap'. Testifying Hammer's abilities to create notable moments in his sets, the mix offers several instances – from the melody-led energy of Two Mamarrachos to the respite of the laidback chords of Madvilla's 'Galactic Banana'. The best, however, is the house-meets-pop euphoria that comes almost as a cinematic euphoric climax to the mix with an unreleased track featuring the voice of Lili Chan.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehammerhits/" target="_blank">Hammer</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-234-hammer%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-234-hammer" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #234: Hammer</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Suricata - Algo Para La Fiesta (Alma &amp; Mater Dub)<br /> Syreeta - Shanti (Hammer Remix) [He She They]<br /> Two Mamarrachos - Let's Find Another After [Nein]<br /> Calystarr - Heartdown (Tronik Youth Remix)<br /> MADVILLA - Galactic Banana<br /> Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami - Sugar Snap (Baldo Remix) [Semi Delicious]<br /> HAMMER - Swivel [Skylax]<br /> Aaron Rutherford - Infinite Cycle<br /> Hammer - Highland ft. Lili Chan [He She They]<br /> KIRA BLUSH - What u Want [Remmah]<br /> Dharma - Turbulence [Remmah]<br /> HAMMER - Swerve [Skylax]</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7604-hammer-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '8183-wc-mix-hammer-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'A member of the Feel My Bicep crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20609-wild-city-234-hammer', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20606', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19417', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-12 09:20:09', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-12 12:20:42', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'sudan Strikes A Fine Balance Of Styles With 'omg'', 'date' => '12/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release under its critique is <a href="https://microplastics.substack.com/p/wiping-the-moistness-from-music-criticism?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank">at least 6 out of 10</a>, it's refreshing to come across a piece of music from an artist just starting out that's easy to get behind with robust promise. 22-year-old Pritpal <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">Sudan</a> from Mumbai, who is previously seen backing the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18225-releases-of-the-week-okedo-ditty-the-revisit-project-more" target="_blank">Anoushka Maskey</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20015-lavi-foenix-give-a-blend-of-rock-disco-for-the-internet-generation-on-no-phones-at-the-dinner-table" target="_blank">Lavi &amp; Foenix</a>, launched his solo act named after his last name with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">2021's 'Fire / Snow'</a>. Nearly 3 Years on, the producer and instrumentalist has announced his debut album 'sudan?', to be released on June 21, from which he has just released the single 'omg'.</p> <p>Lo-fi recording of soulful singing over large piano chords transforms into a brimming electropop-meets-neo soul passage a la Sampha or Kamaal Williams. The production keeps growing with moments of satisfying drops and layering styles over another without overpowering the previous or the songwriting – giving a perfect balance of interesting ideas without becoming too eager to impress.</p> <p>Listen to 'omg' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/notsudan/" target="_blank">sudan</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTOBfFzE_o4?si=ASspQLLmXpvX3d0x" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Pranav Marde</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '8267-sudan-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '8725-sudan-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release...'), 'href' => '/news/20606-sudan-strikes-a-fine-balance-of-styles-with-omg', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20603', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19414', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-11 11:47:37', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-11 11:49:47', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'boxout.fm Recordings' 2nd V/A Compilation Sees Lush Lata Handpick Dancefloor Stompers', 'date' => '11/03/2024', 'artists' => 'MadStarBase, Lush Lata', 'business' => 'boxout.fm', 'content' => '<p>After <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19295-kohra-oceantied-zequenx-more-feature-on-first-of-boxout-fm-recordings-compilation-series-v-a-suchi-selects" target="_blank">2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS'</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4724-boxout-fm" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> is back with the second instalment of its artist-curated compilation series with 'LUSH LATA SELECTS' handpicked by New Delhi DJ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>.</p> <p>The 7-track compilation kicks off with 'Cognac Bounce' by duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a>, who continue to prove themselves masters of creating booming dancefloor numbers with a sensual oomph while <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zealotantrik/" target="_blank">Zealotantrik</a> continues that boom but with the colour of some lo-fi artefacts. Following <a href="https://www.instagram.com/insowmya/" target="_blank">Insowmya</a>'s sampled esoteric percussion-heavy 'Shut Up', collaborative numbers by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pav4nco/" target="_blank">PAV4N</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sukhknight/" target="_blank">Sukh Knight</a>, as well as, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/captain.fuse/" target="_blank">Captain Fuse</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/muktmusic/" target="_blank">Mukt</a> highlight the defining quality of the compilation: heavy use of sampling, picking up vocal hooks from a variety of sources but more commonly vintage records and creating bass-led compositions.</p> <p>The latter collaboration by Captain Fuse and Mukt remains the most interesting offering on the compilation as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97-Ch6d2LBE" target="_blank">Geeta Dutt's 'Tumi Je Amaar'</a> transforms into a stuttering concoction of slow-funk and hip-hop.</p> <p>Listen to 'Lush Lata Selects' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/boxoutfmrecordings/" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3602297268/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 373px;">Lush Lata Selects by Various Artists</iframe></p> <p><em>Artwork by Sijya</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0028-lush-lata-selects-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '4170-lush-lata-selects-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'After 2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS', boxout.fm Recordings is back with the second instalment of its...'), 'href' => '/news/20603-boxout-fm-recordings-2nd-v-a-compilation-sees-lush-lata-handpick-dancefloor-stompers', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20591', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19402', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-06 10:40:01', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-06 11:11:00', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Jyoty Singh Tours India As Part Of Ultra Soulflyp's Biggest Shows', 'date' => '06/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Jyoty Singh', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at weekly <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> events to more than half a decade of presenting a leading show at <a href="https://rinse.fm/" target="_blank">Rinse.fm</a> and a viral <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> performance, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/?hl=en" target="_blank">Jyoty Singh</a> has always been privy to the cutting-edge sounds of the dancefloor. Stitching together the revelry of dancehall, afrobeats and funk when DJing live and tying threads between cultures when curating for her radio mixes, her parties '<a href="https://www.instagram.com/areyouhomegrown/" target="_blank">Homegrown</a>' and her magazine 'The Move', the Punjabi-descent Amsterdam-born London-based artist espouses versatility and ear for the fresh.</p> <p>The multi-faceted selector arrives in India for the first time since her breakout Boiler Room set gained popularity during the pandemic, performing at Mumbai's Famous Studio, Bengaluru's Sunburn Union and Gurugram's Imperfecto Patio on March 22, 23 and 24 respectively.</p> <p>The shows take place as part of <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp</a>, the event series by Kingfisher Ultra, Wild City and Gently Altered which kicked off almost a year ago and has taken over spaces across the country with various styles of dance music over the year. With support yet to be announced, the dates with Jyoty are slated to be Ultra Soulflyp's biggest celebrations to date as it promises to amp up its curation, capacity and immersiveness to make live music a multi-sensorial experience.</p> <p>Reserve your spots for the events and find out more about Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp through its <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and follow Jyoty Singh <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/" target="_blank">here</a>. Listen to her Boiler Room set below to get a sense of what to expect.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2VrztYTNYT8?si=zotxj2S3zpV3o6Vh" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Filipa Aurélio</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9992-0-thumb--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'picture' => '4636-0-banner--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at...'), 'href' => '/news/20591-jyoty-singh-tours-india-as-part-of-ultra-soulflyp-s-biggest-shows', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20588', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19399', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-04 13:43:12', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-04 13:50:41', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Slowspin, Sijya, SIDD & More Feature On Ninja Tunes' Remix EP for Nabihah Iqbal's 'DREAMER'', 'date' => '04/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Slowspin, Sijya', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Tune" target="_blank">Ninja Tune</a>, bringing together South Asian acts, namely Pakistan's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/haideruppal/" target="_blank">Haider Uppal</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4495-slowspin" target="_blank">Slowspin</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/young_dervish/" target="_blank">Zak Khan</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/siddbeats_/" target="_blank">SIDD</a> as well as India's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a>, to reimagine tracks off her 2023 EP 'DREAMER'. As a bonus, the release also features Berlin's Innervision's label-owner and one-half of Âme, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/frank__wiedemann/" target="_blank">Frank Wiedemann</a>, who remixes 'Zone 1 to 6000' from Nabihah's 2017 debut album 'Weighing of the Heart'.</p> <p>All the South Asian artists on the package have shared the stage with the London-based Pakistani-descent artist, who DJ-ed alongside Haider Uppal and SIDD on her first-ever gig in Pakistan, invited Slowspin and Zak Khan to support her during her US tour and discovered Sijya at London's Tate Modern, when the New Delhi artist toured the UK in 2023 before being asked to open for Nabihah at Yes Manchester.</p> <p>Both Haider Uppal and Sijya take a textural approach to their remixes with the former suffusing a techno beat with deep pads out of which harmonic melodies and string lines emerge and diffuse. Meanwhile, Sijya offers the grittiest outing with 'Sunflower' as synths fizzle and distort over a visceral thump and Nabihah's near-spoken singing places itself as a transcendent chant.</p> <p>Frank Wiedemann and SIDD, one of Karachi's most prominent DJ-producers, present two flipsides of techno with their remixes. There is a clear edge of experience with Frank's innovative and effective structuring and Berlin-associated spaciousness as acid house synth squelching plays against Nabihah's singing, highlighting its singular qualities, while SIDD offers a more Detroit-influenced take on the genre with atmospheric spoken voice deepening the minimal nature of the production.</p> <p>The remixes play off of Nabihah's unique vocal style, an element that takes centre stage on Slowspin's sparse remix of the title track from 'DREAMER' alongside Zak Khan's gentle piano-playing, recontextualising the song with a simple arrangement to bring notice to the meaning behind the songwriting.</p> <p>Listen to 'DREAMER (Remixes)' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=316911633/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">DREAMER (Remixes) by Nabihah Iqbal</iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Joseph Hayes</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9103-nabihah-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '2452-nabihah-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Nabihah Iqbal has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label Ninja Tune,...'), 'href' => '/news/20588-slowspin-sijya-sidd-more-feature-on-ninja-tunes-remix-ep-for-nabihah-iqbal-s-dreamer', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20584', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19395', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-01 13:42:57', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-01 13:46:45', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi', 'date' => '01/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Talal Qureshi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/14605-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Talal Qureshi</a>. Even as the Pakistan's electropop pioneer has transformed from a Coke Studio mainstay with esoteric productions on the side to someone who brings his worlds together and creates the collaborative woofer-friendly bangers, that characteristic zaniness remains. As evident by his 2023 debut album 'TURBO' and its recent re-release with <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5AqK0sYFr4bVWAtVKTmXcz" target="_blank">a deluxe edition</a>, it has married itself to the sound of South Asian hip-hop with sometimes a satirising presence of Pakistan's hyperlocal elements.</p> <p>It is embodied in the announcement he makes at the start of his Wild City mix before launching into cuts from the 15-track release, unreleased demos, edits of his other work and even someone Skrillex to demonstrate how his work can boom alongside the globally prominent.</p> <p>Contrary to most mixes of nearly all-originals, Talal's quick-moving mix is a product bigger than the sum of its selections. Constant flow through hard cuts between collaborations that feature the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8936-seedhe-maut" target="_blank">Seedhe Maut</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faris_Shafi" target="_blank">Faris Shafi</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_Raheem" target="_blank">Hasan Raheem</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18090-natasha-noorani" target="_blank">Natasha Noorani</a> speaks to the effective structures of Talal's productions. It's a mix worth a listen even if just for the reimagined energy of Talal's take on '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mNaNMmxJ1I" target="_blank">Faltu Pyaar</a>' and '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3pUsXxCfEk" target="_blank">Muaziz Sarif</a>'.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-233-talal-qureshi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-233-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>MAAL(DEMO) - Blal x Talal Qureshi (Unreleased)<br /> Intro - Talal Qureshi<br /> Tarka - Talal Qureshi<br /> NACH LE - Imran Khan (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> ASAL G - SEEDHE MAUT x Talal Qureshi x Faris Shafi<br /> Paisa - Talal Qureshi x Hasan Raheem (TQ Honey Flip) (Unreleased)<br /> No ID - Skrills (unreleased)<br /> Push ID - Skrillex &amp; Hamdi ft. Taichu<br /> Muaziz Sarif - Coke Studio, Faris Shafi, Meesha Shafi (Talal Qureshi Version) (Unreleased)<br /> Peechay Hutt - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Justin Bibi's<br /> LEFT RIGHT - Ali Sethi, Maanu, Shaegill, A.S (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> Raazi - Natasha Noorani, Talal Qureshi (TQ Honey Flip) (unreleased)<br /> Faltu Pyar - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Natasha Noorani (TQ Honey Flip)(unreleased)<br /> Hico - Talal Qureshi, Maanu (TQ Honey FLIP)(unreleased)<br /> JOGI - Maanu x Talal Qureshi<br /> At the AfterParty - Trick Singh ( Talal Qureshi Version) (unreleased)<br /> KYA - Talal Qureshi x Asim Azhar</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '2345-talal-qureshi-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '1548-tq.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's Talal Qureshi. Even as the...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20584-wild-city-233-talal-qureshi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20576', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19387', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-22 10:41:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-22 10:59:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'New Delhi Gets A New Record Store By Digging In India ', 'date' => '22/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Digging In India', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka <a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-mix-187-digging-in-india" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> has just launched his record store in New Delhi's Shahpur Jat.</p> <p>Known for his sense of discovering overlooked Indian heritage in an exceedingly wide variety of styles, Mittal brings a collection he has accrued over 7-8 years to the store. Besides well-known classics from Western shores and Bollywood alike, the store also specializes in eclectic and rare grooves ranging from desi disco, Tamil funk, Bengali baul sangeet, qawwali, ghazal, Hindustani classical, Carnatic, Telugu soundtracks and Marathi koli geet to Japanese city pop, Afro Funk, Middle Eastern pop and more.</p> <p>Besides the musical collection, the store also features uncommon records like spoken word, political speeches, poetry and comic offerings, alongside vintage posters, comics, collectable matchboxes, stamps and other artefacts.</p> <p>The record store also shares the space with Mallika Tandon's designer cake studio <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bobo.cakery/" target="_blank">Bobo Cakery</a>, which will keep cake slices and bakes with a nostalgic twist for dine-in at the store in the coming month to make the vinyl store a space for more than just sales.</p> <p>Mittal explains: “One thing I’ve noticed is that record stores can be quite intimidating to people who are not familiar with the formal and that’s something I want to change. I want to create an easy-going comfortable space where people can come just to hear good music and learn how this thing works.”</p> <p>Head to the store at 141A/2 1st Floor, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi between noon and 7 pm on any day and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/digginginindia/" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> on Instagram for more information. Listen to Digging In India's Wild City mix below to familiarise yourself with Mittal's work.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/763668214&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5972-dii-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '9516-dii-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka Digging In India has just...'), 'href' => '/news/20576-new-delhi-gets-a-new-record-store-by-digging-in-india', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20560', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19371', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-14 13:07:29', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:16:55', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #232: Innerworld', 'date' => '14/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Innerworld', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Akshay Mathker aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20562-innerworld" target="_blank">Innerworld</a>'s Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most subtle forces. Starting with dark ambience, the mix is defined by its hypnotic atmospheric nature even when the languid textures clear to the thump of the techno's proprietary grooves.</p> <p>Like an experienced DJ, the Goa-based artist layers his selections, elevating them from their standalone value. The ebb and flow between lulling ambient numbers and compelling rhythms begin to combine as distorted gritty kicks creep up from behind the aqueous pads and slow breaks of ULV's '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjclQfXjQCI" target="_blank">My Sofa Turns Into A Desert</a>'. The influence of Goa's trance heritage doesn't shy away as deep airy washes remain a near-constant part of the selections – before the mix slowly turns towards more zany and esoteric cuts for a final push for energy.</p> <p><strong>"This mix is an expedition into the realms of intricate polyrhythms and otherworldly frequencies. Abstract, textural, ravey and laced with psychedelia, this journey through space-time is accentuated by moments of atmospheric bliss and fast-paced, yet minimal, irrefutable grooves.” - Innerworld</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-232-innerworld%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-232-innerworld" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #232: Innerworld</a></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0844-innerworld.jpg', 'picture' => '0323-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Akshay Mathker aka Innerworld's Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20560-wild-city-232-innerworld', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20552', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19364', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-10 08:21:19', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-11 06:55:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '"The Atmosphere That We All Create Together": Jeff Mills On His Legacy, DJ-ing As Non-Verbal Storytelling & More', 'date' => '10/02/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => 'Far Out Left', 'content' => '<p>“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me on a week that started with the now-considered-dying <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo/" target="_blank">Pitchfork rating his 1996’s ‘Live at the Liquid Room, Tokyo’</a> a rare 10 out of 10, and would conclude with the producer, DJ, label-head and dance music legend performing <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20499-jeff-mills-dj-red-arjun-vagale-more-announced-for-far-out-left-mumbai-goa" target="_blank">in India for the first time</a>. “It’s for others more than myself.”</p> <p>The mix, found only as <a href="https://soundcloud.com/theclassicmixcdseries/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo" target="_blank">unofficial uploads</a> on the internet and described in the said review as “the Techno Bible, unequivocally The One”, is arguably the glorious peak of Mills’ early techno legacy. Leading up to it, he had pioneered a minimal form of the genre alongside Detroit-mate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hood" target="_blank">Robert Hood</a>, developed a loyal following through his residency at Berlin’s then-fledgeling <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tresor_(club)" target="_blank">Tresor</a> and redirected the course of techno from his native city of Detroit with the Parliament bassist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Banks_(musician)" target="_blank">‘Mad’ Mike Banks</a> as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Resistance" target="_blank">Underground Resistance</a>, nudging the genre towards grittier realms with the help of militant outfits and political messaging.</p> <p>Prioritising energy over pristineness, including the audience in the process of phasing kicks coming together, the mix blazes through selections – sometimes barely offering more than a glimpse of some. They become more of a connecting component, featured less for their standalone value and more for their role in a greater whole that is the DJ set.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uapn-mknXVU?si=z6XkRrpzv31cRQ4a" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The breakneck mixing style finds its roots in the earliest chapters of Mills’ story when he was known as ‘The Wizard’, championing Detroit's talent, passionately finding the freshest releases from hip-hop to industrial, and informing the local tastes through his radio mixes. As if the deitifying by thousands (maybe millions?) of dance music fans wasn’t enough, Mills' early legacy also figures in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVDzDy1yvo" target="_blank">Eminem’s verses</a> with the lines: “<em>discovered this DJ who was mixing, I say it to this day, if you ain't listened to the Wizard, you ain't have a fucking clue what you was missing”</em></p> <p>As radio slots shortened while championable music remained abundant, Mills started mixing and moving through the selections quickly to develop his fast approach on turntables and mixing desk. It was also at the radio where Jeff Mills the music-maker developed his conceptual style as he opted to edit tapes and stitch together library sounds in his shows to communicate on air instead of speaking. The increasing competitiveness between stations meant Mills had to distinguish his selections, bringing in drum machines and keyboards to layer over records or create bespoke passages earlier on the same day.</p> <p>Visceral rhythms of 909s would underline abstract emotive layers when he finally started releasing his productions. More than a beat to move to, there’d always be a story running underneath whether as the sweeping tones accompanying the incessant distorted kicks of ‘The Hacker’ from the seminal ‘<a href="https://youtu.be/OGQBdEAo9RM?si=T3ZVS7aZ2h-TgPHq&amp;t=1264" target="_blank">Waveform Transmission, Vol. 1</a>’ or the cinematic strings of ‘Utopia’ from ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppJPQ3xsKWI" target="_blank">Cycle 30</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/STpOak4iAJY?si=XAS1qJHIRyZKBhKW" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Decades later, after feats like re-scoring Fritz Lang’s silent film ‘Metropolis’, performing with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra and celebrating 50 years of the moon landing with NASA, Mills’ music continues to either look inward or to a distant future. 2023’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/jeff-mills-the-other-maria/" target="_blank">The Other Maria</a>’ is about the often-restrained and potentially chaotic part of us that deals in hard truths and raw unrestricted emotion, while 2019’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/moon-the-area-of-influence-cd-digital/" target="_blank">Moon: The Area of Influence</a>’ discusses the effects of the moon on our lives and culture. Three decades on, it’s still the same sounds of 909s and analog pads that mark the sonic palette of Mills but the results are even more abstract and less frequently reminiscent of shaking walls in a raving warehouse.</p> <p>“I developed a sense to understand sound in cluster arrangement more than ever. I also understand the barriers due to sectionalizing between genres are becoming less. That musicians could and want to play with each other more,” addresses Mills, talking about how his futurism and sci-fi-influenced work has changed as the technology and idea of the future itself have evolved. “I hear music differently now as a result of the way we communicate. Also, the amount of information we can engage with in such a short amount of time has had an effect.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eU-UsvYbIV0?si=T5bG0meirnNjJoGd" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Techno is not just for dancing, is the philosophy that Mills has been espousing over the years. “If you can dance to it, that's great, that's a bonus, but music should say something. It should be made in a manner with seriousness, and that would enlighten someone simply by listening to it,” he has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/gv34jj/the-man-from-tomorrow-an-interview-with-jeff-mills" target="_blank">told Vice</a> in the past. It is what also guides him as a label-head with his <a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/" target="_blank">Axis Records</a>. Initially a platform for Mills' own work (under his various guises), it has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic to platform talent from the world over including the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/18876-review-arjun-vagale-s-reflective-journey-into-outer-space-on-exit-fragments" target="_blank">debut album by India’s own</a> techno frontrunner <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3379-arjun-vagale" target="_blank">Arjun Vagale</a>. “Having strong visions about the future isn’t privy to any particular country or city so, it was just a matter of coincidence. In this respect, no place on Earth is distant or remote. We’re all quite close to one another as we occupy the small patch of this Planet’s landmass,” he tells me.</p> <p>Behind the decks, the story isn’t much different. Cuts from other techno pioneers like Kevin Saunderson, Robert Hood, Eddie Fowlkes and Phuture intercut with Mills’ original (often extremely fresh) bits and fresher talent with similar substance to their music. The focus continues to remain on overarching energy as much as the selections if not more so as the mixing can go from boldly sudden to so subtle you’d hardly notice.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cCpHiWwA2Rg?si=yGxCmMJkwj1adMlI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“DJ sets are generally for dancing, but also can be widened to be considered as a non-verbal story about ‘The Fantastic’, ‘The Amazing’ or depending [on] how clever the DJ is, even ‘The Unbelievable’”, he says, explaining how a successful set is about giving the audience a sensation that wasn’t there before. That sensation is where the self-expression figures in. “I play based on how I feel at that time and it’s got nothing to do with anyone else. On occasion, not even the audience because my mind is somewhere far away,” he says, echoing the explanation he gave for <a href="https://ra.co/features/3436" target="_blank">Resident Advisor’s The Art of Djing</a>, wherein he recalls sometimes using his set to describe what it might be like to approach a planet.</p> <p>Yet, amidst the abstract tapestry of his sets, there are unmistakable points of recognition, where the selection itself becomes a focal point. While Mills argues, “I tend not to watch others to compare myself so, I can’t really say how I match up. This isn’t how I was taught to play music,” I see Mills able to create moments that only a few DJ-producers who have reached a certain stage of popularity with specific work can create. A moment similar to a rock or pop act “playing their hit”. For Mills’, that hit is ‘The Bells’, the popular and highly effective minimal work most recognisable through its sequence of melodic call and response. “I've tried not playing it, and people were sad! [laughs] So I kinda just gave up,” he says in The Art of DJing, going on to say how the track is a turning point in the set and now signifies that he is completely ready at his stations to kick proceedings into another gear.</p> <p>Nevertheless, relying on hits isn't something easily associated with Mills. While he frequently performs at large-scale events (an easy and sometimes unnecessary prompt for derision from a chunk of the techno audience), much of his recent touring has been dedicated to a collaboration with tabla maestro Prabhu Eduoard and keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, extending the '<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/71W9z9hP84oB6zVmQdRrXW" target="_blank">Tomorrow Comes Harvest</a>' project initiated with afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1352-13-jeffmills-tomorrowcomestheharvest-170923-photographer-thomasecke-109256.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Jean-Phi Dary, Prabhu Eduoard &amp; Jeff Mills in Berlin || Photograph by Thomas Ecke</em></h5> <p>Instead of cashing on his status as a pioneering figure in techno, Mills continues to release a stream of new music that diverges starkly from his '90s output, even while operating within similar styles and using a familiar sonic palette. “I like the thought process of making something from nothing so, I really enjoy starting over again,” he adds.</p> <p>Techno is more than just for dancing remains a recurring theme in his work and a harder thing to sell. “Music is such a suggestive medium that it’s just not possible to measure people’s appreciation level,” he says. “At times in my past, I remember being congratulated but also advised to “give it up - it’s not going to work”, “I’ve lost it and should stop” and many other discouraging things. So, I can’t put much value into what people say or what they appreciate. Instead, I only have to rely on what I feel is right and guide myself from this.”<b> </b></p> <p>That internal guiding compass remains the constant. It’s the same whether it was at Tokyo’s Liquid room, blazing through selections with hard stops and phasing rhythms 3 decades ago; or in Mumbai and Goa for <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/10414-far-out-left" target="_blank">Far Out Left</a> this weekend – drawing from his more abstract cluster arrangements and talent he has sifted through for Axis Records after years of building a legacy that has inspired most in the lineup and an audience that might await ‘The Bells’. “We’re just in different places at different times, but the objective is all the same,” he says. “It’s not about me or them, but rather, it’s always been about “it”. The atmosphere that we all create together.”</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by <a href="http://instagram.com/atemporarymatter.in" target="_blank">Amaan Khan</a></em></p> <p><em>Photo by <a href="http://instagram.com/jacobkhrist" target="_blank">Jacob Khrist</a></em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '4823-jeff-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5147-jeff-mills-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me...'), 'href' => '/features/20552-the-atmosphere-that-we-all-create-together-jeff-mills-on-his-legacy-dj-ing-as-non-verbal-storytelling-more', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20494', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19309', 'createdDate' => '2024-01-03 11:21:10', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:15:29', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #231: Krithi', 'date' => '03/01/2024', 'artists' => 'Krithi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19636-krithi-continues-to-explore-south-asian-sounds-in-contemporary-dance-music-with-uyirudan" target="_blank">Krithi</a> reaches for rhythms and sounds from her native land and the like, they fit into the mould of dance music as if they've always been a natural part of it rather than (as it often is) a forced gimmick of limited yield. Her achievement seems to go further on her upcoming EP 'Coping Mechanism' as she finds the style a vessel of personal narratives, calling the release a "sonic exploration of how she communes with the shadows of depression".</p> <p>Both the released singles from the EP 'Suppress' and 'Medicate' demonstrate that within Krithi's Wild City mix which features a heavy dose of original unreleased work and glimpses of the record that drops on February 15.</p> <p>Introduced through 140BPM techno, the mix quickly shifts to and operates in and around bass and breaks. A peppy start moves into sombre moods as a slightly slowed down 'Heist Track' by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/501-malfnktion" target="_blank">MALFNKTION</a> staggers into Krithi's own work before a jubilant return with the standout moment of Yourboykiran's Bollywood flip 'Yamma Yamma'.</p> <p><strong>"This mix has some of my favourite Bandcamp Friday finds (both new and old) by friends, mentors and producers I love. I recorded it at 140 bpm and with no particular genre in mind—but only with the hope that the listener keeps movin’ from start to finish. It also features some of my unreleased tracks and a couple from my upcoming EP ‘Coping Mechanisms’, which drops on Feb 15th.” – Krithi </strong></p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-231-krithi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-231-krithi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #231: Krithi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Pozibelle - Wait<br /> Mera Bhai - Be This Way (Feat Private Joy) - Provhat Rahman Remix<br /> Jadalareign - Defect<br /> Malfnktion - Heist Track<br /> Krithi - Medicate<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Rodman - Falcata<br /> Despina - Trickle Down Baby<br /> PlayPlay - FYI<br /> Venïson Man - Jewelry (Frost Version)<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - Suppress<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Yourboykiran - Yamma Yamma<br /> Dyslecta - Annihilate<br /> Tony Quattro &amp; Siete Catorce - Qesem Cave</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7067-krithi.jpg', 'picture' => '8500-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer Krithi reaches for rhythms and sounds from her...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20494-wild-city-231-krithi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20488', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19303', 'createdDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun', 'date' => '16/12/2023', 'artists' => 'Kohra', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4465-magnetic-fields-festival" target="_blank">Magnetic Fields Festival</a> taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi producer, DJ and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a> co-founder Madhav Shorey aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/291-kohra" target="_blank">Kohra</a> and Thailand's globe-trotting polymath <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sunjuhargun/" target="_blank">Sunju Hargun</a> are revisiting their B2B set from last year. </p> <p>Performed at the Resident Advisor afterparty, a highlight for the dancefloor-dedicated with its music going from the late hours of the night to the earliest moments of the morning, the accumulated energy of the night and its transformation into the morning audible in the set. Acid's mind-bending textures give way to increasingly guttural techno, pulling heavily from its minimal repertoire. As the night sky begins to lighten, the emotions are guided by the wash of the pads for a more refreshing conclusion. </p> <p><strong>"A combination between records from the past, present, and future. Sonically enhancing the atmosphere with zero limitations to pushing boundaries of tempo and feeling" – Sunju Hargun</strong></p> <p><strong>"A really fulfilling experience taking a restrained and fluid direction for this one, at my favourite stage of the festival." – Kohra</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:<br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun</a> // <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/WildCity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun/" target="_blank">Head here for Mixcloud</a></p> <p><em>Image by Parikshit Deshpande for Magnetic Fields Festival 2022</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5451-mf-2022---ra---image-credit---parikshit-deshpande---3.jpeg', 'picture' => '6442-kohra-sunju.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With the Magnetic Fields Festival taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20488-wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20147', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18982', 'createdDate' => '2023-04-04 16:56:55', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-04-05 11:27:44', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'My First Release: Shantanu Pandit', 'date' => '05/04/2023', 'artists' => 'Shantanu Pandit', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.”</p> <p>It was optimism-inspiring to hear these words from <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18674-shantanu-pandit" target="_blank">Shantanu Pandit</a> on my 27th birthday as I sat cross-legged on the floor among the audience at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art to watch him bring his first tour promoting his album ‘Milk Teeth’ to a conclusion. The New Delhi singer-songwriter had spent the weeks prior travelling by road across the length of India in a bespoke caravan to share his music while pausing at each stop to not just give but take in a sense of the places he performed at.</p> <p>“I had been holed up on the mountains when we put out the album and Dhruv was like ‘Dude, you released an album. You can’t just sleep on it like that. Now you’ve got to come down and let’s take it on tour and celebrate it’”, he continued at the show before launching into chirpy <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/track/do-u-know" target="_blank">comforting melodies</a> that underpin lines like <em>“Put that bullet in my head // Shoot me dead // Put that bullet in my head // Get it over with”.</em></p> <h5><em><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1133-shantanu-pandit-bts-milk-teeth-tour--1.jpeg" /><br /> Shantanu in his bespoke caravan for 'Milk Teeth' tour in 2022 | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>Walking through melancholic reminiscing and processing sorrow over dreamy musicality and nostalgic lightness is what defines the 2021 album. The very dichotomic sophistication is what highlights how far his songwriting has come since his first official release, the EP <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/album/skunk-in-the-cellar" target="_blank">‘Skunk In The Cellar’</a> in 2014 – which, like ‘Milk Teeth’, was also an album born out of seeing a relationship heartbreakingly come to end. However, the natural propensity to just write and share music disconnected from the cycle of talking about it, promoting it and packaging it remains a common thread.</p> <p>“I didn't have that word in my vocabulary,” he says while pondering on the idea of “official release” at the start of his career. “I was very much naive to the whole idea of putting out music in a proper format, putting out a press statement and all that.”</p> <h5><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PHVvVHVQxZg" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2012 for Tehelka TV</em></h5> <p>Before ‘Skunk In The Cellar’, Shantanu had been frequently sharing raw performances on Youtube as soon as he recorded them. Whether it was a host at HIT 95FM giving him CD recordings of his appearance on the radio or the sound engineer at Blue Frog giving him the soundboard recordings from his performance, the then-teenager musician’s first instinct was to just put it on Youtube as soon as he got home. “I didn’t think that hard. For me, I just heard the songs back and immediately thought, ‘I want to share this with my friends. I want to share this with my family.’”</p> <p>That immediacy was shaken up and replaced by process when he was contacted by his soon-to-become long-term manager and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/12653-pagal-haina" target="_blank">Pagal Haina</a> head honcho Dhruv Singh to record the songs which were to become ‘Skunk In The Cellar’. “I was like: ‘Hey, so we've got the songs. Let's just put them out.’ And he said, ‘No. This is just the start. Now we need to plan the whole release.’ And I went, ‘What does that mean?’” The process meant Shantanu had to wait for artwork to be made, distribution to be aligned and press strategies put in place before the music and the artist could represent each other to the world.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/0851-shantanu-pandit-4-by-shiv-ahuja-2014.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2014 | Photograph by Shiv Ahuja</em></h5> <p>Even while he could see the sense in all the auxiliary activities, the waiting time struggled to sit well with a songwriter that developed his material and style with notable intensity. “One thing that has been recurring through my career so far, as a songwriter, is that generally, I move fast. If I'm sitting eight months from now, I would look back at my material and be like, ‘Man! I need to write a bunch of new shit because I don't want to play this old shit.’” Even the debut EP ‘Skunk In The Cellar’ felt like a reinvention for the songwriter who started as a 16-year-old playing largely Bob Dylan covers at open mics before quickly replacing them with fast and loud originals that he dubs as his first wave of songwriting.</p> <p>The instinct to move on quickly translated to Shantanu punctuating his career with jumps from one outlet to the next – most notably the group <a href="https://runitsthekid.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Run It’s The Kid</a> and his moniker Morning Mourning, which was partly formed as a subconscious reaction against the limitations imposed by formal and elaborate creation and release cycles to retreat back into the straightforward sincerity of an artist just exorcising his creative impulses.</p> <p>Even while concluding the first promotional tour around ‘Milk Teeth’ in 2022 at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Shantanu’s set was replete with new material ripe for another album. At the same time, littered with older material too and light-hearted addressal of his relationship with it all. Greater patience has seeped in with the artist who crafted ‘Milk Teeth’ after 4 years of writing.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5129-shantanu-pandit-bts--mt-tour.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu in 2022 for 'Milk Teeth' promotional tour | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>“I have recently been able to enjoy performing live after a long time,” he says after walking me through years that included getting disenchanted with the return from releasing music, riding across the country as an escape, diverging into educational degrees, losing the individual self in a long-term relationship and the hardships finding that self again – themes that he tackled on ‘Milk Teeth’ through reflecting back on memories of growing up.</p> <p>After more than a decade as an artist, the New Delhi artist has traversed a long and winding road till the multiple facets of his career are beginning to be at peace with one another. His declaration of touring ‘Milk Teeth’ as a highlight of life so far is a testament to that – further supported as he recently embarked on another one, this time across North-East India. While <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CqDU1ZGy8lA/" target="_blank">announcing</a> it, he remarks: “I didn’t want the last one to end when it did and I’ve been itching to get back on the road ever since.”</p> <p>Listen to 'Milk Teeth' below and head <a href="https://www.skillboxes.com/events/business/pagal-haina-presents-shantanu-pandit-the-east-india-tour" target="_blank">here</a> for tickets and dates of Shantanu's tour across North-East India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1889828902/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Milk Teeth by Shantanu Pandit</iframe></p> <p><em>Words by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Lead artwork designed by Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5402-mfr-shantanu-08.jpg', 'picture' => '7416-mfr-shantanu-05.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.” It was...'), 'href' => '/features/20147-my-first-release-shantanu-pandit', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20078', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18920', 'createdDate' => '2023-02-15 11:49:31', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-02-15 12:11:15', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '“There Was No choice But To Make Room”: Ruhail Qaisar On Centering The Spectres That Haunt Debut LP 'Fatima'', 'date' => '15/02/2023', 'artists' => 'Ruhail Qaisar', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/fatima" target="_blank">Fatima</a>' predates even its creator.</p> <p>Rooted firmly in geo-personal histories, the noise album which happens to be the artist’s debut full-length offering, showcases the full range of his leftfield explorations that began with an extensive catalogue of singles on his SoundCloud, followed by the '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/ltalam-ep" target="_blank">Ltalam EP</a>' in 2016 and<i> </i>the<i> '</i><a href="https://hkcr.live/shows/the-hounds-of-pamir-the-fires-of-bal-ashram-w-ruhail-qaisar-06-11-2020" target="_blank">Hounds of Pamir</a>'<i> </i>radio residency in 2020.</p> <p>At the heart of Ruhail’s practice, which ranges from sound creation to analog photography and experimental filmmaking, is an unwavering emphasis on identity and history.</p> <p>For the indigenous artist hailing from one of the most controversial and unforgiving terrains of South Asia, Ladakh and its people – particularly the Skyayongs Gogsum community – are often seen in Qaisar’s works as straddling the dichotomies of a traumatic past and uncertain future, suffering from what’s colloquially described as <i>perpetual stasis</i>.</p> <p>The 90s were a time of dramatic change, recalls Ruhail. From growing up in a two-room rented house “with 6 hours of electricity, no traffic, no telephones, to being swept by an accelerated existence with 3G smartphones,[...] an endless slew of terrible smartphone tourists,” the landscapes of his childhood had changed drastically soon after the turn of the century.</p> <p>Yet, nothing could have prepared him for the climate of death, decay, and disease that was to characterise his hometown over the last decade. When he returns this time, after having completed his education in Delhi, Qaisar finds a self-sustaining community now completely destabilised, “battling chronic diseases or had passed away, others moved away, rented their old houses out, some squabbled over land in courts for their newly constructed hotel projects….” It induced in him a state of dysphoria, disconnect, and exile, even when home.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <p>'Fatima', whose very title invokes the memory of a late grandaunt, rises out of this abscess, carrying over the leitmotifs and the “main characters” of Qaisar’s tight-knit Ladakhi community, from an intransitive loss-state towards posthumous life.</p> <p>In Qaisar’s own words, the album is a “hauntological compendium of personal tribute” to these people who occupied those bygone spaces and eras, but also to “the pan-Ladakhi identity”, and the strife and struggle of all “indigenous communities in the Himalayas that are all suffering at the hand of unplanned industrialization and urbanization along with military atrocities”. Incidentally, 'Fatima' hits the airwaves at a time of mass unrest in Leh, over demands for Ladakhi statehood and cultural preservation under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5127-02-fatimas-poplar.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-45c11ae8-7fff-7d0b-9dbf-242538d004b7">Home videos and photographs as relics of an irretrievable past and a close-knit community | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>The idea for the record had fallen into place quite unconsciously upon the artist’s return to Choglamsar, Leh, during the pandemic in 2020, and was born out of a strong desire to rid himself of the muscle memory of traditional compositions - “I dispossessed myself of my own voice and shredded it only to a few whispers.”</p> <p>As soon as the first COVID wave abated, Qaisar (stuck in Delhi during the lockdown) took off, carrying with him (he lists:) a university laptop on which he’d downloaded Moog apps, the cheapest Behringer sound card that he’d painstakingly saved up for, and a basic zoom field recorder he’d borrowed from a filmmaker friend. He documented everything: nightly hikes alongside the Indus, when he would go stargazing in Choglamsar with his younger brother and a neighbour; conversations with his granduncle, a Sino-Indian war veteran; stories of his uncle’s disappearance in 1989; the blitz of Indian military tanks during the recent Galwan valley incursion.</p> <p>These voices and tapes, scaffolded by power electronics, frame ‘Fatima’<i>, </i>creating a somewhat minimal and rather tactile musical performance.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/4817-03-hotel.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-b236a0b9-7fff-a8e7-eb72-44ca729b3032">The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti, Leh, stoic in the face of dereliction | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>A self-taught experimenter, Qaisar’s musical influences are a pastiche of works by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/6937-hemant-sk" target="_blank">Hemant SK</a>, heavier emissions by EXHUMATION, Einsturzende Neubauten and Maurizio Bianchi, South Asian experimenters Senyawa and Raavan Kommand, contemporaries like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3934-jamblu" target="_blank">Jamblu</a> (aka Kartik Pillai) and KMRU, even the early works of AR Rahman. For 'Fatima', he mostly turns inwards, mixing influences of folklore traditions with experimental music and drawing sonic styles and guideposts from Ladakhi processional, funeral and tribal hymns.</p> <p>The album masterfully orchestrates the dramatic highs and lows of sonic expression, borrowing heavily from the surrealist movement, oracle rituals and vernacular theatre tropes. It morphs into stretches of unsettling ambient static, injecting distorted field recordings with drones and silence into some cuts, and crystallising others with DIS FIG, Elvin Brandhi, and Iben KasJer’s “oracular dreamspeech.” Iben’s invocations on 'Fatima’s Poplar' in particular, reciting the vitriolic poetry of political writer Nick Land, not only sets the tone for the sensory experience that follows, but also invites us to reckon with Ladakh’s present “smog-laden loss-state” hollowed out by “the colourful promises of neoliberalism”.</p> <p>Composed of nine microstories,<i> '</i>Fatima' is replete with these spectres that “could no longer be ignored”, and with totems willed into serving as their placeholders. The poplar, for example, is a visual reminder of the titular grandaunt, whose cremation site is guarded by the fabled tree. 'The Fanged Poet' whose story bookends the album is similarly “a dispossessed spectre haunting the derelict sites of what was once home.”</p> <p>On 'Partition', one of the record’s more serene and lingering tracks, Qaisar encrypts yet another dimension to his interactions with history. It is part tribute and part requiem for the powerful legend of another ancestor, this time his great-grandmother, who had undertaken the perilous journey from Glgit to Leh in 1947, with four young children in tow. Just as a refugee’s journey interminably connects their home and their destination, the sonic layers on 'Partition' mutate harmoniously into a hazy mass, so that the sum of its parts is indistinct, indistinguishable, and never truly separate.</p> <p>In our email conversation, Qaisar talks about digitally restoring a series of home videos on VHS tape, describing them as “the last remaining phantasmic spectres that capture…the now long-gone characters and quotidian life of late 20th century Ladakh”. The fourth track, which originates from one of these videos documenting a relative Ramazan’s wedding, is his attempt to illuminate this lost memory with sound. (A visual from the video appears in the accompanying album booklet which holds other snapshots from the family archive and some of Ruhail’s own lens-based works).</p> <h5 style="margin-left: 80px;"><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5980-partition.png" /></h5> <h5 style="margin-left: 40px;"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-ad810fd4-7fff-9591-b68a-6b9c095a271b">Illuminating the generational trauma of partition with sound | Photo of Qaisar’s great-grandmother from accompanying album booklet</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>Recorded between Leh and Delhi, 'Fatima' also reinterprets the lexicon, exploring notions of the temporal, internal, and the inter-generational, that echo Qaisar’s experience growing up in a state that’s rapidly changing but not really improving, ravaged instead by the echoes of “old tragedies” and “present disasters”, wrought by late-capitalism, militarisation, and conservatism.</p> <p>In one of the record’s most foreboding tracks, where the deceitful calmness is quickly corroded by drones and garbling samples, Qaisar positions the abandoned hotels of Zangsti as the totems for “three different waves of tourism in Ladakh”. Qaisar recounts strolling past these structures during the pandemic, “[of] old hotels built between the 70's - 80’s that were once the pride and glory of locality, [were now] totally derelict. New upcoming properties [were] halfway constructed…or devoid of any staff or customers, windows covered in newspapers from 2003, collecting leaves, insects, and dust,” explaining the stasis left by the pandemic, when the tourism industry in Ladakh went anomalously cold-turkey for the first time in nearly fifty years, leaving the sustenance of his community in the lurch.</p> <p>Later in 'Painter Man', we’re placed in more intimate settings, with Ruhail’s attempt to connect listeners to the internal life of an artist, the fear of artistic failure and societal shaming in Ladakh, where creative endeavours are generally discouraged. There is a mention in the liner notes about musicians typically occupying the lowest rung of Ladakh’s social hierarchy, to the extent that the only two avenues to make a living, for Qaisar, were either in the “seasonal tourism industry or as a civil servant.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/7374-04.png" /><br /> <strong><i>“I wouldn’t change anything on the album…I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked” | Snapshot from accompanying album booklet</i></strong></h5> <p> </p> <p>Qaisar’s own politics are not divorced from the themes that emerge from his music. He works outside of binaries, untouched by the commodified logistics of indie music production and the demands of cultural logic, clout, or even the desire to be understood. “I frankly don’t care about that world…had no time to find comfort in its rot,” says Qaisar. “There was no choice but to make room.”</p> <p>Challenging and disorienting at first, Qaisar has sure-footedly carved his niche through a series of self-designed, self-taught steps, which has involved unlearning, transgressing disciplines and mediums of expression, discovering the liminal spaces where leftfield artists can unreservedly thrive. One of these spaces certainly was the HKCR residency where Qaisar put out 60-minute selections of compositions improvised and performed live on a Moog Model-D for the better part of a year. (In fact, earlier drafts of 'Namgang', 'Painter Man', and 'The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti' can be traced back to 'Hounds of Pamir' archives). It catapulted him to the international noise music “scene”, with a tour across Switzerland which allowed him to perform his new compositions before an intuitive audience, and later put him on Danse Noire’s radar.</p> <p>A record label founded by Swiss-Nepalese producer Aisha Devi, Danse Noire is presently on the frontlines of decolonising experimental music (which is still typically viewed through eurocentric lens) and on a mission to support noise’s barebones-DIY economy centred around self-releases and underground blogs, with a space where acts like Ruhail have access to the same resources and infrastructure as mainstream global music. For Qaisar, working with Danse was also rewarding because he never felt he had to compromise his vision for Fatima.</p> <p>Clocking in at about an hour<b>, '</b>Fatima', all said and done, is about an artist’s temerity to document his and his people’s histories, about resisting oblivion by preserving it in whatever form - image, text, sound. It is beyond immersion or abstention, an incredible evocation of space and intimacy in a way not normally considered possible for music to communicate.</p> <p>At the time of this interview, Qaisar was preparing for his debut at Berghain, where he performed shortly after, for the CTM Festival alongside DIS FIG. Unfazed by streaming figures, he reports being thrilled with the initial response to 'Fatima'. When asked about this journey and if he would have done anything differently, Qaisar politely declines, saying, “I see most aberrations as rewards, I welcome them, I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked.”</p> <p>“Only thing I can assure is that everything that was done on this album would not be repeated in the next.”</p> <h5>.</h5> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by Prarthana Mitra</em></p> <p><em>Image by Adnan Zayed</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0831-ruhail-qaisar.jpg', 'picture' => '2748-ruhail-qaisar-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s 'Fatima' predates even...'), 'href' => '/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '19908', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18761', 'createdDate' => '2022-09-28 13:52:52', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2022-10-13 14:38:19', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Spotlight: Akshat Nauriyal (Yesnomaybe, St+Art, Now Delhi, Awaaz)', 'date' => '13/10/2022', 'artists' => 'Teddy Boy Kill, Hoirong', 'business' => 'St+rt India Foundation', 'content' => '<p>Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined up on Mumbai’s nearly-150-years-old <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassoon_Docks" target="_blank">Sassoon dock</a>. They overlooked the hectic rhythms of the fish market below, wafting in concentrated doses of the smell that is part of almost everyone’s experience of the seaside city.</p> <p>In a population more used to having the faces of movie stars plastered across its streets and public spaces, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_tahska/?hl=en" target="_blank">Akshat Nauriyal</a>’s co-created (with Pranav Gohil) array of portraits on Sassoon Dock pushed back on it by giving the limelight to the docks’ primary community and Mumbai’s earliest settlers: the fisherfolk.</p> <p>“To be able to speak to people, learn about their communities, sensitise myself about their dynamics, and then be able to bring that into the project was the most important takeaway for me,” says the New Delhi artist of capturing and exhibiting those portraits in 2017 as a contribution to French artist JR’s global participatory art initiative ‘<a href="https://www.insideoutproject.net/en/explore/group-action/sassoon-dock" target="_blank">Inside Out</a>’. By making the fisherfolks the subject of the portraits, convincing them about the work, capturing their likeness with a pop-up photo studio and then plastering the stylised results across the space that they define, Nauriyal and his colleagues highlighted the predominant trinity of Koli, Hindu Maratha and Banjara communities.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/6396-inside-out.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Inside Out at Sassoon Dock</em></h5> <p>“To bring the voices of people that are usually not heard from, or stories that are left on the wayside by the mainstream – those define the projects that I am always interested in”, explains Nauriyal as the mandate that drove his effort at Sassoon dock and his wider body of work. That body of work includes co-founding St+art, the collective and platform now widely celebrated for galvanising the undercurrents of street art in India by transforming localities like New Delhi’s Lodhi Colony and Shahpur Jat and creating India’s largest as well as tallest murals; documentaries capturing the capital city’s underground sub-cultures; socio-political stance-charged Instagram filters that examined social media platforms as a space for activism; short films tracing music-driven activism in different countries; music acts ranging from Another Vertigo Rush and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3598-teddy-boy-kill" target="_blank">Teddy Boy Kill</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4660-hoirong" target="_blank">Hoirong</a> and <a href="https://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/music/2020/aug/07/akshat-nauriyal-on-his-solo-project-yesnomaybe-his-upcoming-ep-and-augmented-reality-as-a-performat-27115.html" target="_blank">Yesnomaybe</a>; and currently, an ongoing project that keeps <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irom_Chanu_Sharmila" target="_blank">Irom Sharmila</a> (famously known as the ‘Iron Lady Of Manipur’) at its centre while it inquires into the cost borne by the leader of a movement.</p> <p>Whether music, film, augmented reality or paint-based, the New Delhi artist’s efforts carry an easily notable sub-layer of activism, which has founds its necessity rooted as far back as he can remember.</p> <h3><b>Early Beginnings</b></h3> <p>Coming from a military background, Akshat was privy to the slow cogs of government offices which worked its way into disillusionment with the system around the time he developed his initial interests in arts and culture. He recalls sitting stunned listening to tracks by the likes Rage Against The Machine after downloading them off of Napster at the cusp of Indian households getting connected to the Internet and finding his thoughts make cohesion within the activist lyricism of the band and similar angsty associates.</p> <p>The result was a deep-seated formative ethos that leaned towards art that stands for change and of having ready access to it. An ethos which was held back from getting showcased, save for through the array of rock bands that he drummed for during his school and college, while he navigated through the most common education pathway of engineering degrees and college placements prescribed to middle-class Indian kids. Eventually and gradually course-correcting himself with a move towards filmmaking and work for NDTV’s ‘Almost Famous’, Akshat started venturing out on his own around 2007 and 2008.</p> <h3><b>Now Delhi</b></h3> <p>“Because of being involved with the music scene, I was involved with a whole bunch of creative people from across the spectrum. Art galleries and things usually have a specific kind of people coming to them, but I’ve found that music is quite open in terms of the kind of audience it draws,” says Akshat. “Through that experience, I started seeing this other side of Delhi which I hadn’t experienced before I met these performance artists, digital artists and all kinds of artists who were the same age as me and were trying to push the envelope.”</p> <p>Making these artists the focus of his first major venture as an independent filmmaker, Akshat, who often works under the pseudonym Tahska, established ‘Now Delhi’, a film studio now synonymous with a run of short documentaries it generated on the likes of street artists, B-boys, extreme metal groups and rap cyphers in the capital. “At that time, you could still say that there was this underground – an underbelly that Delhi had which nobody was talking about in the mainstream media,” he continues, expanding upon his comparison of a city to a living breathing thing defined by the people that it in turn influences. “‘Now Delhi’ delivered an exploration of that. It was an exploration of all the different kinds of subcultures that exist in the city, and also how the artists are responding to the city itself.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vlCt2ji7IFA" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The films exposed a running motif early on – one of prioritising the question. Akshat carries strong openings and convictions, but they remain held back when he is behind the artistic lens to allow for the audience to do their own thinking. The ‘Now Delhi’ film on Khirkee Extension, a collective effort of street artists to create art around the namesake South Delhi locality, presents the artists reflecting on the economic dichotomy of the neighbourhood and how it inspires their art. They retell how the kids kept engaging with the creation process of the murals before the documentary ends with the local elders frustratingly venting how they don’t get the purpose of this art and its messaging. The film invites the viewer to ponder over the significance of the street artists’ efforts and their relation to the residents of the locality.</p> <p>“It’s something that I’ve tried to carry forward with all my work,” explains Akshat. “It comes from being able to first understand what the people who actually I’m trying to talk about feel, rather than impose my preconceived idea of what they might want to talk about.” For all the films of ‘Now Delhi’, Akshat first became a part of the sub-cultures he was highlighting or a close associate before micing them up. A decade later, with his current subject being a national icon like Irom Sharmila, he is tagging along to observe her usual going-abouts to discover the narrative naturally instead of imposing it. “I’ve always been a fan of gonzo journalism, like Hunter S Thomson and his writing – in terms of just immersing yourself in a situation to truly tell the story.”</p> <h3><b>St+art</b></h3> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6NaQbBiSMsI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Being close to his subjects meant Akshat had become a close associate of the street community of India, having made them the focus of ‘Now Delhi’ multiple times. Sharing a studio with one of its proponents, Hanif Kureshi, he soon found himself teaming up with Arjun Bahl, Giulia Ambrogi and Thanish Thomas to create the five-piece team that would become the founders of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/startindiafoundation/">St+art</a>.</p> <p>“There was an initial conversation about doing a festival, which we did without having any idea that it [St+art] would become this behemoth of an organization,” Akshat recounts the early days of the organization with the festival bringing together the artists to Shahpur Jat and its founders being hands-on with everything from moving the ladders and bringing the paints to Nauriyal documenting the process. “It was a logical progression for ‘Now Delhi’ to transition to St+art India,” quips Akshat, noting how the documentaries took a backseat as the workload got higher and allowed him to honour his formative drives of making art accessible while exploring a city and the many narratives it homes.</p> <p>Within a few years, St+art became a go-to organization for cultural consulates and medium to big brands, creating local landmarks across the country and transforming neighbourhoods, especially in New Delhi and Mumbai. The former’s Lodhi Colony remains defined by the makeover given by the collective during its annual festival. It was the place where St+art was fully able to realize its early motivations of creating art that was available to all and integrated all – specifically, through participatory murals, singing workshops, painting workshops and the like. Yet as the organization became a brand in itself, the ship started to feel too big to steer into radical corners – which Akshat still longed to address.</p> <p>“The initial years of anything are the best. They're the most honest. They're the most genuine. They're the closest to the vision that you start with. As things get bigger, there comes a set of compromises that one has to start making. I think that's the nature of anything that becomes big after a point of time,” he concludes his around half-a-decade-long journey with the prominent street art collective.</p> <h3><b>Yesnomaybe, Augmented/Virtual Reality</b></h3> <p>As St+art began to fade out from his professional life, his other continuing artistic efforts began to appear more prominently in the limelight again. Adding another feather to the musical cap, Akshat debuted his solo moniker Yesnomaybe, an outlet where he brings together all the facets of his work as marries the retrofuturism of synth-rock with the futurism of interactive filters and augmented reality-driven films. The latter also becoming a device for Akshat to continue posing topical questions while creating work that stood for something.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3_dwP09Genk" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>2019 was a particularly politically-charged year for India: BJP, the country’s right-wing majoritarian government, was re-elected to power with a higher parliamentary presence; it used it to abrogate Kashmir’s special status; and introduced the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act which faced nationwide protests that were met with controversial police violence. With augmented reality, Akshat offered tried to offer a response for all of it: a filter fashioned after prime minister Narendra Modi that let out the word “lie” every time you open your mouth, headers stating stances on Kashmir and CAA, and, for the following year’s state elections in Delhi, an interactive quiz where you can nod or shake your head based on who you’re voting for.</p> <p>“I felt social media platforms are almost like the new town halls where people are coming and discussing things. It was an interesting space to explore to try and also see if I could create work that could help on ground movements and also get people involved more than just changing a display picture,” says Akshat. “It was honestly a social experiment.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:16px;"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Akshat Nauriyal (@_tahska)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script> <p>Within days, around a million people saw the multiple of the filters. The mode of activism was talked about by the likes of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/1/29/meet-the-artists-resisting-indias-new-citizenship-law">Al Jazeera</a>, attracting loud pro-government commentators to Akshat’s profile alongside concern for safety by well-wishers. The work definitely rattled a few minds and sparked newer questions in Akshat’s own. “I started a conversation about what use it actually played in society. On my Instagram Stories, I asked people the question, whether they thought that it was just armchair activism or whether it actually led to any kind of change,” he remarks. Alongside equal amounts of opposing viewpoints, the “social (media) experiment” also saw its second phase as the platforms began, in most cases, a silent clampdown on politically-charged use of its platform. The traction for the filters and their related posts began to go down and, as is currently being highlighted in courts, the platforms themselves had to cater to clampdowns by the government. “It was also quite disillusioning, because the same platforms, which are supposed to be platforms for free speech are the ones that ended up censoring you,” reports Akshat.</p> <h3><b>Awaaz</b></h3> <p>With censoring becoming more and more obvious and Instagram itself pivoting from a creator-friendly platform, Akshat moved his exploration into creating meaningful work and examining the modes for it to other outlets: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHAWPwVJC2w/" target="_blank">installations</a>, talks and, coming a full circle, to films again. As part of Goethe-Institut’s ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19288-m-a-p-a-m-p-highlights-performances-stories-of-musicians-with-a-cause-including-ahmer-sheetal-sathe-more" target="_blank">M.A.P // A.M.P</a>’, the filmmaker created a series of documentaries entitled <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19524-awaaz-akshat-nauriyal-creates-documentary-films-on-protest-music-histories-of-india-pakistan-sri-lanka-iran">‘Awaaz’</a>, turning the lens yet again to underrepresented artistic voices. Handpicking with the help of research and local social networks, ‘Awaaz’ highlighted politically outspoken artists from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Iran to look at the history of protests from these countries.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ml2iV7BfkLE" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“Anytime you go on Twitter, somebody is getting boycotted. We’re living in an age of outrage,” says Akshat, noting how any political discourse is getting mudied up online by internet trolls while a work of activist nature doesn’t get platformed enough outside it. Allaying that, ‘Awaaz’ unearthed the nature of dissent specific to each country – whether it was about signalling the erosion of administrative infrastructures and economy in Sri Lanka, which erupted within weeks of the film getting released, or the difficulty in finding a voice that can publicly speak against the powers that be in a country like Iran. “There was a responsibility that I had on my end which was to ensure that I don’t put out content that can eventually lead to trouble for them [the artists],” continues Akshat. “Which is why I did in a way where we were actually chronicling the past protest movements to give context of where the country is right now, rather than attack any of the present figures.”</p> <p>Even with the varying specifics, much like M.A.P // A.M.P’s crowdsourced repository of protest music, ‘Awaaz’ brought out the parallels between artistic activism around the world, signalling a unification of voices and the possibility of shared empathy. According to Akshat: “[The films] platform these movements in a way so that other people in other parts of the world can see that we’re all pretty similar and that there is merit to creating work like this.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/2386-irom-5.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Irom Sharmila with family by Akshat Nauriyal</em></h5> <p>“I feel a cycle has finished and a new cycle is beginning,” he adds as we agree on how the films on national sub-cultures with ‘Awaaz’ feel like coming a full circle in light of how films on Delhi’s sub-cultures with ‘Now Delhi’ kicked things off. Since finishing ‘Awaaz’, two of the countries Akshat turned his lens to have been taken over by protests, which have emerged out of the shadows to engulf the streets, at times, fulfilling predictions touched upon in the films. Meanwhile, Akshat has moved on to creating the new chapter for Yesnomaybe and shadowing Irom Sharmila, not just documenting the cost her struggle for fairer civil rights has demanded but also building a multi-faceted reflection of her poetry and personality. For the New Delhi creative, the parallels and narratives to be unearthed by his personal artistic vision continue to draw him to the margins.</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Word by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Profile image by Akshat Nauriyal</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5133-akshat-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5937-akshat-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined...'), 'href' => '/features/19908-spotlight-akshat-nauriyal-yesnomaybe-st-art-now-delhi-awaaz', 'key' => 'features')), 'repo' => 'https://repo.thewildcity.com/', 'host' => 'https://www.thewildcity.com', 'page' => null, 'bannerhead' => array(), 'bannertop' => array(), 'bannermid' => array(array('label' => 'Mailing List', 'url' => 'https://thewildcity.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=3fbebf9eadf7433315c051d4e&id=e053aa3ae5', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column middle', 'image' => '3413-signup.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'bannerlow' => array(array('label' => 'follow us on instagram', 'url' => 'https://www.instagram.com/thewildcity/', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column bottom', 'image' => '2532-followus.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'app' => object(Application)), array('meta' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_meta'), 'title' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37), 'block_title'), 'banner' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_banner'), 'main' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37), 'block_main'), 'body' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_body'), 'aside' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_aside'), 'asidehigh' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_asidehigh'), 'asidelow' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_asidelow'), 'javascripts' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_javascripts'), 'stylesheets' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_stylesheets'))) in Environment.php(462) : eval()'d code line 41
  5. at __TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10->doDisplay(array('pages' => array(array('id' => '385', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '310', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:36:32', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2020-12-28 13:16:03', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'About', 'content' => '<p>Wild City was established as an online music magazine and community platform in 2011. It has since grown to become an events company (hosting a variety of musical showcases, events and the annual Magnetic Fields Festival), cultural PR agency (City Press launched in 2015), consultants for brands engaging with contemporary music culture in India (partners include Boiler Room, Resident Advisor, Red Bull, Jameson, Bira 91, Puma, Social Offline, Bumble, Ray-Ban, Budweiser, British Council amongst others), and executors of regional cultural programs across South Asia.</p> <p>Dedicated to spotlighting the latest in alternative culture and music from India and South Asia, Wild City’s inception filled a much-needed gap in the Indian music space.<br /> <br /> A year after its establishment, Wild City partnered with Gerriet Schultz (founder of iconic Berlin club VMF) and the Goethe-Institut to create Border Movement, an online platform and series of events, workshops and residencies that promote interaction between grass roots electronic music communities in South Asia and Germany.<br /> <br /> In 2013, Wild City co-founded the first-ever Magnetic Fields, arguably India’s most popular boutique music festival. Taking place in Alsisar Mahal, Rajasthan, Magnetic Fields has been included in the ‘50 Best Music Festivals in the World’ by Time Out Magazine. It has also been lauded by Resident Advisor, New York Times and other notable publications.<br /> <br /> In 2016, Wild City further went on to win an award for 'Best Promoter in India' and co-curated the music stream of The Coalition.<br /> <br /> Wild City is the voice for alternative music in the region. Whether showcasing local or international sounds, the company constantly thrives to challenge and develop the independent cultural space and its audience.<br /> <br /> <strong>Contact Us:</strong><br /> <br /> Promos | Music Submissions: music@thewildcity.com<br /> Listings | News | Features: amaan@thewildcity.com<br /> Press | PR: ruhi@thewildcity.com<br /> Commercial | Ads | Partnerships: munbir@thewildcity.com<br /> Recruitment | Hotdesking: info@thewildcity.com<br /> Inquiries | General: info@thewildcity.com</p> ', 'slug' => 'about', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => '')), array('id' => '386', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '311', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:51:38', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2018-04-19 06:50:04', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Advertising', 'content' => '<p><sub>To advertise with Wild City please contact press@thewildcity.com. For partnerships please speak to munbir@thewildcity.com.</sub></p> ', 'slug' => 'advertising', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => ''))), 'feed' => array(array('id' => '20610', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19421', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-15 12:43:44', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-15 15:50:09', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '2023 In Review', 'date' => '15/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Vinayak^a, Komorebi, Sandunes, Dreamhour, Tarun Balani, Ruhail Qaisar, Rafiki, Ditty, Lush Lata, Mali, Oblique, Bulli Bainbridge, Merak, Dhanji', 'business' => 'Dynamite Disco Club', 'content' => '<p>2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of its predecessor and no change of digit has ever put a break on the continuity of trends, talent or conflict.</p> <p>The exercise of shedding light upon the developments in alternative music in the Indian subcontinent in a particular year and highlighting what we predict will ripple forward doesn’t just help people reflect on what has been and catch up on things they might have missed or overlooked. It also has proven to signal the upcoming prominence of budding artists.</p> <p>For instance, from our <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20037-2022-in-review" target="_blank">2022’s reflection</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chaardiwaari/" target="_blank">Chaar Diwaari</a> has since released on Def Jam India and collaborated with Yo Yo Honey Singh and all 3 of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11700-noni-mouse" target="_blank">Noni-mouse</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7080-kiss-nuka" target="_blank">Kiss Nuka</a> made their Boiler Room debuts with the latter two also doing prominent shows in UK and Berlin respectively.</p> <p>Eitherway, we find it worth pausing to take in what we witnessed in 2023 – a year, that wasn’t the first period out of the pandemic but the one where the visions, growth and ideas developed on an individual level during the pandemic were exercised and showcased to its fullest.</p> <p>See what that looked like by focusing on handpicked artists and their work in the past year below:</p> <h3><b>Vinayak^a</b></h3> <p>A long-standing figure of Indian dancefloors, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/129-vinayak-a" target="_blank">Vinayak^a</a> would have defined 2023 in alternative music space just through the sheer quantity of his releases alone. While things had been sporadic on the release front in the nearly two decades-worth of career for the Chennai-based DJ-producer, 2023 was filled with a drop after another. Out of them, ‘Andar Bandar’, Vinayak^a’s second-ever solo LP looms large. Layers from electronic to sampled organic collide to create rich atmospheric tapestries while Vinayak^a shows how spoken word samples can be used to add to the textures rather than as devices to spoonfeed a message and emotion.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2587720108/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Andar Bandar by vinayak^a</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sandunes</b></h3> <p>Almost every year is filled with some commendable work by this electronica frontrunner but 2023 stands out for Sanaya Ardeshir aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/301-sandunes" target="_blank">Sandunes</a> through her most ambitious release to date: the album ‘The Ground Beneath Her Feat'. The 13-track release combines all the aspects Sandunes has become known for: the meticulously layered synth layers, syncopating grooves and experimentations with guest vocalists. She dials it all up another notch with the sweetness of woodwinds. The result is a work of electronica that’s in parts at par in its reflective emotionality with the best of any year or region. I recommend going in with ‘Tsunami’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3390681302/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Sandunes</iframe></p> <h3><b>Komorebi</b></h3> <p>If we are talking ambition, Tarana Marwah aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/177-komorebi" target="_blank">Komorebi</a>’s album ‘The Fall’ isn’t just one of the most ambitious works of 2023 but of any year so far for India’s indie music. Released with a comic, music videos, tying lore and scores of collaborations within it, the multi-tiered album goes back and forth between being an electropop effort and a progressive structured work suitable for a musical with its dramatic shifts between ideas.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QxmEUt3fVfk?si=1TE4A17yNNsq6Qw3" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Mali</b></h3> <p>In the case of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17335-mali" target="_blank">Mali</a>, it’s been about focusing on the basics. There were no added frills, just an album i.e. ‘Semi Automatic Butane’, music videos to help present it and a busy tour to support it. Within those basics, the Mumbai artist tightened her songwriting to indie-pop perfection and offered it with economically picked ideas. For a listener of the style, the album is destined to achieve that rarer-than-expected feat among independent releases, which is, to be part of people’s playlists beyond its promotional cycle.</p> <p>That itself is enough and yet, the singer-songwriter enjoyed another breakout success with her efforts in Tamil music with the worth checking out ‘<a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=n7_tASChbw4" target="_blank">Anniku Raatri</a>’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=969156237/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Semi Automatic Butane by Mali</iframe></p> <h3><b>Dhanji</b></h3> <p>After a long buildup to it, Gujrat’s rap artist <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20330-dhanji" target="_blank">Dhanji</a> released his <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20328-dhanji-releases-his-earnestly-awaited-debut-album-ruab" target="_blank">debut album ‘Ruab’</a> and the whirring repetitions of the title have been echoing in our brains ever since. The 11-track release brings in elements from funk, rock and even electronica but without compromising on the qualities of hip-hop as meticulously written verses flow through a dramatic progression of ideas. The album, supported via live performances throughout the year, is an instance where the ambitiousness is purely musical and demonstrates the kind of risk-taking that hasn’t been seen in Indian hip-hop for a while.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1663662427&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Dhanji">Dhanji</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic/sets/ruab-1" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="RUAB">RUAB</a></div> <h3><b>Kinari / Finsta</b></h3> <p>Another occasion of something fresh dropping in the space of hip-hop came through the New Delhi artist formerly known as Finsta with their EP ‘QUEERBOPS’. Not just due to the still rare instance of queer narratives finding a space in the genre, but rather for the merit that Finsta deals with both hip-hop and themes around queerness with a distinctly and naturally fitting Indian flavour. Though the artist has since reinvented themself as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kinaripurrs/" target="_blank">Kinari</a> with already an album entitled ‘KATTAR KINNAR’ in the pipeline, the strong statements over the added delight of an experimental edge of the 6-track release still manages to move the body and shake the brain.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2fvC5Y9lS5Y34t6GdPAovG?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Dot.</b></h3> <p>While her involvement in the lead cast of ‘The Archies’, Bollywood’s most-talked-about movie of 2023, looms larger than anything for most, it was a good year for people who know Aditi Saigal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20131-dot" target="_blank">Dot.</a> as a musician first. Alongside inviting the audience to witness her growth as a live performer over the year, the singer-songwriter ended the period with a collection of recordings from her practice room as an album entitled ‘Practice Rooms’, which even kicks off with her most popular raw take of ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’. At the same time, the year saw her at her most polished with the soft pop of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20135-dot-begins-to-find-a-new-voice-with-indigo" target="_blank">Indigo</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u0OG7rjgqxc?si=TfyMy6H5EhmXkcaB" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Long Distances</b></h3> <p>A product of remote collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11187-aarifah-rebello">Aarifah Rebello</a>, Apurv Agrawal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/456-cowboy-and-sailor-man">Cowboy &amp; Sailor Man</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zubinski/">Zubin Pastakia</a>’s combined effort <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20375-long-distances" target="_blank">Long Distances</a> has outlasted the shadows of the pandemic, outliving most other projects born in that period. In 2023, the trio started unfolding singles that would lead up to the EP ‘How the Mighty Will Fall’ and through live performances, solidified their name among the newest generation of indie live groups of India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=3217313286/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Delicate Surrender by Long Distances</iframe></p> <h3><b>Excise Department</b></h3> <p>2023 was also the year New Delhi got to familiarise itself better with their new alternative hip-hop heads <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20177-excise-dept-take-a-dig-at-the-absurdity-in-present-day-religious-figures-on-baaro-maala" target="_blank">Excise Department</a> – which always remains tricky for an act that likes to stay anonymous and operate in English, Bengali and Punjabi. Alongside their debut live show and several others since, the group released 3 defining singles, namely ‘Baaro Maala’, ‘Birhada’ and ‘Billo’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oq_Qql2yu78?si=sc-JTcSKJNmKbyyf" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Yuhina</b></h3> <p>While talking of acts we got to familiarise ourselves with in 2023, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yuhinalachungpa/?hl=en" target="_blank">Yuhina Lachungpa</a> is an easy mention for her debut EP at the tail-end of the year. After years of having just the occasional collaboration and self-released work, the Bangalore-based Sikkim-rooted artist combined Buddhist chants and equally meditative lyricism about self with electropop production on the 5-track EP ‘Mnemonic’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4076191914/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">MNEMONIC by Yuhina</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bengal Chemicals</b></h3> <p>Even with the occasional emerging and new acts, it still felt like the alternative music space of the region had a decline in fresh talent and fresher growth. That story seemed completely different in leftfield genres like noise and ambient. Pritam Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bengal.chemicals/?hl=en" target="_blank">Bengal Chemicals</a> emerged as a good representative of the renaissance that seems to be emerging in Kolkata in these genres. While there is no shortage of recommendable works (shoutout to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20316-harmonium-ambient-torture-form-the-basis-of-nilotpal-das-aka-bios-contrast-s-harmonium-i">Nilotpal Das’ ‘Harmonium I’</a>), Bengal Chemicals’ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20186-bengal-chemicals-channels-deteriorating-cityscapes-on-sophomore-ep-via-biswa-bangla-noise">sophomore EP ‘তা​র​ক’</a> is the best way into unravelling the leftfield undercurrents that hopefully will get their rightful place in the discourse and industry around alternative music.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2291060274/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">তারক by Bengal Chemicals</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ruhail</b></h3> <p>Whether the spotlight is on noise or not, Ladakh's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4979-ruhail-qaisar" target="_blank">Ruhail Qaisar</a>’s album <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima" target="_blank">‘Fatima’ is one of the strongest albums of the year</a>. A most uncompromising and unflinching take on identity and personal history, Ruhail’s debut album, released via Danse Noir, is both about self and the world he comes from – its people, its transformations and tragedies. A layered work that uncovers meanings the more you dig into it and learn about its references and elements, ‘Fatima’ is a testament to the merit of being free from expectations and believing in one’s own artistic impulses – a quality that has also taken the artist to stages <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CttObMvoVIh/" target="_blank">across the EU</a> including Berlin's famed Berghain for the CTM festival.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <h3><b>Philtersoup</b></h3> <p>Sanjay Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/philtersoupmusic/?hl=en" target="_blank">Philtersoup</a> has been present in the undercurrents of India’s alternative music for a while but the Mumbai-based producer-composer found greater agency in 2023. Besides experimental A/V shows in art studios and synth jams, Das performed alongside <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20068-karshni" target="_blank">Karshni Nair</a> and released the collaborative single ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20263-karshni-philtersoup-release-collaborative-single-long-gone" target="_blank">Long Gone</a>’. Parallely, he served as a music supervisor on the OTT-release ‘Rainbow Rishta’, helping cross over more of India’s independent music to the OTT-media audience.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=4239800201/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Long Gone by philterSoup x Karshni</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sourya Sen</b></h3> <p>Operating in close proximity and joining in on the aforementioned synth jams with Philtersoup, Sourya Sen (also known as <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17413-oblique" target="_blank">Oblique</a>) has not only been a longstanding presence as a live visual artist for some leading independent artists but has also been one of the most evocative abstractionists within the modular synth space. The claim is no less potent when paired with his 11-track memoir of the places he has lived entitled ‘In The Cities’. Top that with his input at the earliest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkyBRg9A6EA" target="_blank">A/V show</a> at one of Mumbai’s newest (certainly one of its most heavily discussed in recent memory) spaces i.e. the <a href="https://nmacc.com/" target="_blank">NMACC</a>, and the Mumbai-based artist’s creative footprint is as relevant as it is subtle within the portrait of 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2242427289/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">In the Cities by Sourya Sen</iframe></p> <h3><b>I7HVN</b></h3> <p>It was a year of growth for Safar collective co-founder <a href="https://www.instagram.com/i7hvn/?hl=en" target="_blank">I7HVN</a>, who stepped beyond his IDM and trip-hop experiments for two long-form releases that showcased moments of self-realisation and a comfortable embrace of his styles. After the abstract atmospheres of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a>-released ‘Youthful’, Bangalore producer put out a broken beat techno EP ‘Anodyne’ at the end of the year. His best moments emerge within the restrained ambience of ‘Youthful’s closer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20252-first-look-i7hvn-sanoli-chowdhury-collaborate-on-imaginary-love">‘Imaginary Love’, which features Sanoli Chowdhury</a>, and the opening title track of ‘Anodyne’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=514984918/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Youthful by I7HVN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Merak</b></h3> <p>While the Goan sibling duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20296-merak" target="_blank">Merak</a> isn’t the first to bring jazz into electronica, there is a balanced tastefulness in their work which gets rendered even more potent in the hands of seasoned acts like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a> and in the shared prowess of collaborators like Shreyas Iyenger – both of whom appeared on the duo’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20300-dreampop-electronica-jazz-mix-on-merak-s-manic-mode" target="_blank">EP ‘Manic Mode’</a>. Besides the appreciable release, Merak frequently became part of the festival lineups around the year to leave a lasting imprint on Indian alternative music’s 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=553102807/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 274px;">Manic Mode EP by Merak</iframe></p> <h3><b>Seasonal Affected Beats</b></h3> <p>It’s hard to think of an artist who has seemed harder working in 2023 than New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4958-tarun-balani" target="_blank">Tarun Balani</a>. The multi-instrumentalist, educator and composer kicked off the year by touring his A/V show ‘2°’ with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/16948-spotlight-parizad-d" target="_blank">Parizad D</a> as Seasonal Affected Beats and filled the year treading the line between meticulous and intuitive through the music from his album ‘Where the Ice Meets the Water’. Add to that another tour in support of the album and two singles focusing on his more jazz-centric work with the Dhamma Collective, and it’s been undoubtedly big 12 months for Tarun Balani.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1503216166/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Where the Ice Meets the Water by Seasonal Affected Beats, Tarun Balani</iframe></p> <h3><b>Debo Sanyal / Dokodoko </b></h3> <p>Is it a cliché to call something ‘underrated’ at this point? If it is, then it’s unfitting of me to use a cliché for someone who usually offers anything but that. Siliguri’s Deno Sanyal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4501-dreamhour" target="_blank">Dreamhour</a> has been dropping quality music full of humour, underexplored styles and singular quirk for years now. More recently, it has found a partner with the complimentary irreverence and straightfaced attitude (which translates sonically as well) of Dr. Kritika as the duo releases music as Dokodoko – <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20419-dokodoko-release-grunge-infused-hindi-electropop-with-shor" target="_blank">gracing 2023 with a foray into Hindi electropop</a>. For more puristical Dreamhour synth bops, the album ‘Now That We Are’ is as punchy as it comes alongside proving that there are still grounds to explore and fun to be had with synthwave.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3930647123/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Now That We Are Here by Dreamhour</iframe></p> <h3><b>Warehouse Mix</b></h3> <p><a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Warehouse Mix</a> is the latest (and increasingly rare) case of a bunch of young creatives coming together not for the primary purpose of making a quick profit but rather to create something “cool” or something that they believe in. In this case the belief is around the original ethos of house music and its ability to provide spaces for diverse expression. While the collective has been budding over the years, 2023 saw them break their immediate bubbles to create bigger impacts, hosting their flagship <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Anticlub</a> parties, live percussion dances and vinyl-only sessions at the city outskirts.</p> <h3><b>Dynamite Disco Club</b></h3> <p>Another collective based near house music (and several other adjacent styles) but more defined by its experienced members, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/18599-dynamite-disco-club" target="_blank">Dynamite Disco Club</a> has been one of our year-defining acts in the past – the year it announced that it would function as a label as well. But this year, DDC embodies the idea that 2023 was the period all the visions developed during the COVID-19 pandemic about life after it were fully realised (as much as they will ever likely be). Besides a string of its parties throughout the year and having a space at almost every notable music festival in the country, the label realised releases from not just its well-known members like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/5027-stalvart-john" target="_blank">Stalvart John</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3929-hamza" target="_blank">Hamza Rahimtula</a>, but also newer talents like ISHXN and even bigger list of foreign acts. On top of importing off-shore acts to its label, the collective also took its domestic talent reach out to shores beyond with Stalvart John touring through parts of South and East Asia.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=2610448964/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Disco Disco, Good Good (Original mix) by ISHXN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Lush Lata</b></h3> <p>It was a big year for New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>, who reached a milestone in her ascent as a DJ with a set at dance music mecca Berlin’s The Berghain early in the year as part of CTM Festival. Since then the stripes have kept attaching in the form of live sets for the likes of HÖR, Rinse and Kiosk Radio, and, constantly, the Indian dancefloors.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1464837649&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Rafiki</b></h3> <p>Through his work as a longstanding promoter and DJ, Sohail Arora aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7552-rafiki" target="_blank">Rafiki</a> has maintained his relevance for a while. This year, however, there was heightened emphasis on his musical output in the form of two EPs: first in the form of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20144-rafiki-gives-retro-sounds-a-modern-edge-on-the-source" target="_blank">The Source</a>’ and then ‘New Shifts’. Surrounding it, the Mumbai-based music industry professional delivered notable mixes, joined his curation for Boiler Room, and toured through Europe, Sri Lanka and clubs across India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=141835852/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">New Shifts by Rafiki</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ditty</b></h3> <p>2023 also was the year of the return of Aditi Veena aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/12649-ditty" target="_blank">Ditty</a>. Though the singer-songwriter was hardly gone, having toured in the latter half of 2022 and releasing music as part of the group Faraway Friends before that, this year saw her put out her <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20452-exclusive-first-listen-ditty-offers-a-distinct-approach-to-indie-pop-with-single-hold-me-from-the-ep-skin" target="_blank">first solo release in 4 years</a> – during which she battled a major illness, got married and partly relocated to Berlin. The trickle of releases started with a collaborative track with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8232-jordan-johnson" target="_blank">Jordan Johnson</a> (another artist who put out standout work in 2023) and followed into the rollout of her own EP ‘Skin’ with live dates punctuating the process.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=966494420/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Hold Me by DITTY</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bulli Bainbridge</b></h3> <p>If you’re an avid listener of indie music and yet don’t know who Zain Calcuttawala is, it’s still likely you have unknowingly enjoyed his contributions. Besides his past as a gig programmer, the multi-faceted talent has been hosting podcasts on mental health and more popularly producing for everyone from Bhrighu Sahni and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19113-second-sight" target="_blank">Second Sight</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18207-raghav-meattle" target="_blank">Raghav Meattle</a>. His work with his moniker <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18024-bulli-bainbridge" target="_blank">Bulli Bainbridge</a> has been no less versatile. He kicked off the year with an album entitled ‘Seasons’ that saw contributions from the likes of Ankit Dayal, BobKat, and Bombay Dub Orchestra and followed it with a collaborative hip-hop single ‘One Me’. Since then, the producer, engineer and composer has been reimagining some of the most popular recent indie hits – cue an orchestral version of Bloodywood, a lo-fi cut of Raghav Meattle’s ‘City Life’ and a swing-era take of Dot’s ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5ZULHCsrfC91weo5SUtENC?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words: Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Image Design: Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9199-2022-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '4028-2023-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of...'), 'href' => '/features/20610-2023-in-review', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20609', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19420', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-14 12:37:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-14 12:45:06', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #234: Hammer', 'date' => '14/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>A member of the <a href="http://www.feelmybicep.com/" target="_blank">Feel My Bicep</a> crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go on to form the duo Bicep), Rory Hamilton aka <a href="https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/hammer" target="_blank">Hammer</a> isn't just someone who has a sense for discovering interesting electronica works. After decades of hosting parties in Glasgow and later London, as well as spinning records the world over, the Belfast-born talent knows how to stitch together those records to create moments of passionate revelry.</p> <p>India has bore witness to that skill multiple times at this point as Hamilton returned to the country earlier this year <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/11647-london-based-dj-producer-hammer-announces-show-in-delhi" target="_blank">after half a decade</a>, adding dates in Goa and Kolkata alongside Delhi and Mumbai before jetting off to Sri Lanka for further performances with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for an 8-show tour of India and Sri Lanka. He recorded a mix for Wild City in Sri Lanka at the end of his tour to look back at his time in the region, which also included signing on Kolkata's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7818-8-bit-culprit" target="_blank">8-bit culprit</a> – the second artist from India to work with the label after New Delhi Anhad Khanna aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19691-sublime-sound-releases-club-ready-ep-that-love-affair-through-hammer-s-remmah-records" target="_blank">Sublime Sound</a>.</p> <p>"From the first ever gig I played in Auro in New Delhi, I learnt that the dance floor in India is special in that the sense of excitement is genuinely palpable. Taking risks pays off," says Hamilton. "I’ve also learnt that like every country, each city is different and you need to be ready to fit into it."</p> <p>Consequently, while often operating close to house, disco and some techno, how Hammer uses a particular style can vary. Recorded at The Luna Terrace of Galle's Closenburg Hotel, the HQ of Tropical Wax, the Wild City mix goes from an unreleased remix of Syreeta Wright's chants on 'Shanti', to the disco-inspired Baldo Remix of Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami's 'Sugar Snap'. Testifying Hammer's abilities to create notable moments in his sets, the mix offers several instances – from the melody-led energy of Two Mamarrachos to the respite of the laidback chords of Madvilla's 'Galactic Banana'. The best, however, is the house-meets-pop euphoria that comes almost as a cinematic euphoric climax to the mix with an unreleased track featuring the voice of Lili Chan.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehammerhits/" target="_blank">Hammer</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-234-hammer%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-234-hammer" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #234: Hammer</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Suricata - Algo Para La Fiesta (Alma &amp; Mater Dub)<br /> Syreeta - Shanti (Hammer Remix) [He She They]<br /> Two Mamarrachos - Let's Find Another After [Nein]<br /> Calystarr - Heartdown (Tronik Youth Remix)<br /> MADVILLA - Galactic Banana<br /> Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami - Sugar Snap (Baldo Remix) [Semi Delicious]<br /> HAMMER - Swivel [Skylax]<br /> Aaron Rutherford - Infinite Cycle<br /> Hammer - Highland ft. Lili Chan [He She They]<br /> KIRA BLUSH - What u Want [Remmah]<br /> Dharma - Turbulence [Remmah]<br /> HAMMER - Swerve [Skylax]</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7604-hammer-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '8183-wc-mix-hammer-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'A member of the Feel My Bicep crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20609-wild-city-234-hammer', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20606', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19417', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-12 09:20:09', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-12 12:20:42', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'sudan Strikes A Fine Balance Of Styles With 'omg'', 'date' => '12/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release under its critique is <a href="https://microplastics.substack.com/p/wiping-the-moistness-from-music-criticism?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank">at least 6 out of 10</a>, it's refreshing to come across a piece of music from an artist just starting out that's easy to get behind with robust promise. 22-year-old Pritpal <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">Sudan</a> from Mumbai, who is previously seen backing the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18225-releases-of-the-week-okedo-ditty-the-revisit-project-more" target="_blank">Anoushka Maskey</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20015-lavi-foenix-give-a-blend-of-rock-disco-for-the-internet-generation-on-no-phones-at-the-dinner-table" target="_blank">Lavi &amp; Foenix</a>, launched his solo act named after his last name with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">2021's 'Fire / Snow'</a>. Nearly 3 Years on, the producer and instrumentalist has announced his debut album 'sudan?', to be released on June 21, from which he has just released the single 'omg'.</p> <p>Lo-fi recording of soulful singing over large piano chords transforms into a brimming electropop-meets-neo soul passage a la Sampha or Kamaal Williams. The production keeps growing with moments of satisfying drops and layering styles over another without overpowering the previous or the songwriting – giving a perfect balance of interesting ideas without becoming too eager to impress.</p> <p>Listen to 'omg' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/notsudan/" target="_blank">sudan</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTOBfFzE_o4?si=ASspQLLmXpvX3d0x" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Pranav Marde</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '8267-sudan-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '8725-sudan-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release...'), 'href' => '/news/20606-sudan-strikes-a-fine-balance-of-styles-with-omg', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20603', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19414', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-11 11:47:37', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-11 11:49:47', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'boxout.fm Recordings' 2nd V/A Compilation Sees Lush Lata Handpick Dancefloor Stompers', 'date' => '11/03/2024', 'artists' => 'MadStarBase, Lush Lata', 'business' => 'boxout.fm', 'content' => '<p>After <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19295-kohra-oceantied-zequenx-more-feature-on-first-of-boxout-fm-recordings-compilation-series-v-a-suchi-selects" target="_blank">2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS'</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4724-boxout-fm" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> is back with the second instalment of its artist-curated compilation series with 'LUSH LATA SELECTS' handpicked by New Delhi DJ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>.</p> <p>The 7-track compilation kicks off with 'Cognac Bounce' by duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a>, who continue to prove themselves masters of creating booming dancefloor numbers with a sensual oomph while <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zealotantrik/" target="_blank">Zealotantrik</a> continues that boom but with the colour of some lo-fi artefacts. Following <a href="https://www.instagram.com/insowmya/" target="_blank">Insowmya</a>'s sampled esoteric percussion-heavy 'Shut Up', collaborative numbers by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pav4nco/" target="_blank">PAV4N</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sukhknight/" target="_blank">Sukh Knight</a>, as well as, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/captain.fuse/" target="_blank">Captain Fuse</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/muktmusic/" target="_blank">Mukt</a> highlight the defining quality of the compilation: heavy use of sampling, picking up vocal hooks from a variety of sources but more commonly vintage records and creating bass-led compositions.</p> <p>The latter collaboration by Captain Fuse and Mukt remains the most interesting offering on the compilation as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97-Ch6d2LBE" target="_blank">Geeta Dutt's 'Tumi Je Amaar'</a> transforms into a stuttering concoction of slow-funk and hip-hop.</p> <p>Listen to 'Lush Lata Selects' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/boxoutfmrecordings/" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3602297268/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 373px;">Lush Lata Selects by Various Artists</iframe></p> <p><em>Artwork by Sijya</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0028-lush-lata-selects-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '4170-lush-lata-selects-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'After 2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS', boxout.fm Recordings is back with the second instalment of its...'), 'href' => '/news/20603-boxout-fm-recordings-2nd-v-a-compilation-sees-lush-lata-handpick-dancefloor-stompers', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20591', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19402', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-06 10:40:01', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-06 11:11:00', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Jyoty Singh Tours India As Part Of Ultra Soulflyp's Biggest Shows', 'date' => '06/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Jyoty Singh', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at weekly <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> events to more than half a decade of presenting a leading show at <a href="https://rinse.fm/" target="_blank">Rinse.fm</a> and a viral <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> performance, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/?hl=en" target="_blank">Jyoty Singh</a> has always been privy to the cutting-edge sounds of the dancefloor. Stitching together the revelry of dancehall, afrobeats and funk when DJing live and tying threads between cultures when curating for her radio mixes, her parties '<a href="https://www.instagram.com/areyouhomegrown/" target="_blank">Homegrown</a>' and her magazine 'The Move', the Punjabi-descent Amsterdam-born London-based artist espouses versatility and ear for the fresh.</p> <p>The multi-faceted selector arrives in India for the first time since her breakout Boiler Room set gained popularity during the pandemic, performing at Mumbai's Famous Studio, Bengaluru's Sunburn Union and Gurugram's Imperfecto Patio on March 22, 23 and 24 respectively.</p> <p>The shows take place as part of <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp</a>, the event series by Kingfisher Ultra, Wild City and Gently Altered which kicked off almost a year ago and has taken over spaces across the country with various styles of dance music over the year. With support yet to be announced, the dates with Jyoty are slated to be Ultra Soulflyp's biggest celebrations to date as it promises to amp up its curation, capacity and immersiveness to make live music a multi-sensorial experience.</p> <p>Reserve your spots for the events and find out more about Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp through its <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and follow Jyoty Singh <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/" target="_blank">here</a>. Listen to her Boiler Room set below to get a sense of what to expect.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2VrztYTNYT8?si=zotxj2S3zpV3o6Vh" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Filipa Aurélio</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9992-0-thumb--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'picture' => '4636-0-banner--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at...'), 'href' => '/news/20591-jyoty-singh-tours-india-as-part-of-ultra-soulflyp-s-biggest-shows', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20588', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19399', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-04 13:43:12', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-04 13:50:41', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Slowspin, Sijya, SIDD & More Feature On Ninja Tunes' Remix EP for Nabihah Iqbal's 'DREAMER'', 'date' => '04/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Slowspin, Sijya', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Tune" target="_blank">Ninja Tune</a>, bringing together South Asian acts, namely Pakistan's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/haideruppal/" target="_blank">Haider Uppal</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4495-slowspin" target="_blank">Slowspin</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/young_dervish/" target="_blank">Zak Khan</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/siddbeats_/" target="_blank">SIDD</a> as well as India's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a>, to reimagine tracks off her 2023 EP 'DREAMER'. As a bonus, the release also features Berlin's Innervision's label-owner and one-half of Âme, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/frank__wiedemann/" target="_blank">Frank Wiedemann</a>, who remixes 'Zone 1 to 6000' from Nabihah's 2017 debut album 'Weighing of the Heart'.</p> <p>All the South Asian artists on the package have shared the stage with the London-based Pakistani-descent artist, who DJ-ed alongside Haider Uppal and SIDD on her first-ever gig in Pakistan, invited Slowspin and Zak Khan to support her during her US tour and discovered Sijya at London's Tate Modern, when the New Delhi artist toured the UK in 2023 before being asked to open for Nabihah at Yes Manchester.</p> <p>Both Haider Uppal and Sijya take a textural approach to their remixes with the former suffusing a techno beat with deep pads out of which harmonic melodies and string lines emerge and diffuse. Meanwhile, Sijya offers the grittiest outing with 'Sunflower' as synths fizzle and distort over a visceral thump and Nabihah's near-spoken singing places itself as a transcendent chant.</p> <p>Frank Wiedemann and SIDD, one of Karachi's most prominent DJ-producers, present two flipsides of techno with their remixes. There is a clear edge of experience with Frank's innovative and effective structuring and Berlin-associated spaciousness as acid house synth squelching plays against Nabihah's singing, highlighting its singular qualities, while SIDD offers a more Detroit-influenced take on the genre with atmospheric spoken voice deepening the minimal nature of the production.</p> <p>The remixes play off of Nabihah's unique vocal style, an element that takes centre stage on Slowspin's sparse remix of the title track from 'DREAMER' alongside Zak Khan's gentle piano-playing, recontextualising the song with a simple arrangement to bring notice to the meaning behind the songwriting.</p> <p>Listen to 'DREAMER (Remixes)' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=316911633/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">DREAMER (Remixes) by Nabihah Iqbal</iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Joseph Hayes</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9103-nabihah-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '2452-nabihah-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Nabihah Iqbal has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label Ninja Tune,...'), 'href' => '/news/20588-slowspin-sijya-sidd-more-feature-on-ninja-tunes-remix-ep-for-nabihah-iqbal-s-dreamer', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20584', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19395', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-01 13:42:57', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-01 13:46:45', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi', 'date' => '01/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Talal Qureshi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/14605-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Talal Qureshi</a>. Even as the Pakistan's electropop pioneer has transformed from a Coke Studio mainstay with esoteric productions on the side to someone who brings his worlds together and creates the collaborative woofer-friendly bangers, that characteristic zaniness remains. As evident by his 2023 debut album 'TURBO' and its recent re-release with <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5AqK0sYFr4bVWAtVKTmXcz" target="_blank">a deluxe edition</a>, it has married itself to the sound of South Asian hip-hop with sometimes a satirising presence of Pakistan's hyperlocal elements.</p> <p>It is embodied in the announcement he makes at the start of his Wild City mix before launching into cuts from the 15-track release, unreleased demos, edits of his other work and even someone Skrillex to demonstrate how his work can boom alongside the globally prominent.</p> <p>Contrary to most mixes of nearly all-originals, Talal's quick-moving mix is a product bigger than the sum of its selections. Constant flow through hard cuts between collaborations that feature the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8936-seedhe-maut" target="_blank">Seedhe Maut</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faris_Shafi" target="_blank">Faris Shafi</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_Raheem" target="_blank">Hasan Raheem</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18090-natasha-noorani" target="_blank">Natasha Noorani</a> speaks to the effective structures of Talal's productions. It's a mix worth a listen even if just for the reimagined energy of Talal's take on '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mNaNMmxJ1I" target="_blank">Faltu Pyaar</a>' and '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3pUsXxCfEk" target="_blank">Muaziz Sarif</a>'.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-233-talal-qureshi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-233-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>MAAL(DEMO) - Blal x Talal Qureshi (Unreleased)<br /> Intro - Talal Qureshi<br /> Tarka - Talal Qureshi<br /> NACH LE - Imran Khan (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> ASAL G - SEEDHE MAUT x Talal Qureshi x Faris Shafi<br /> Paisa - Talal Qureshi x Hasan Raheem (TQ Honey Flip) (Unreleased)<br /> No ID - Skrills (unreleased)<br /> Push ID - Skrillex &amp; Hamdi ft. Taichu<br /> Muaziz Sarif - Coke Studio, Faris Shafi, Meesha Shafi (Talal Qureshi Version) (Unreleased)<br /> Peechay Hutt - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Justin Bibi's<br /> LEFT RIGHT - Ali Sethi, Maanu, Shaegill, A.S (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> Raazi - Natasha Noorani, Talal Qureshi (TQ Honey Flip) (unreleased)<br /> Faltu Pyar - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Natasha Noorani (TQ Honey Flip)(unreleased)<br /> Hico - Talal Qureshi, Maanu (TQ Honey FLIP)(unreleased)<br /> JOGI - Maanu x Talal Qureshi<br /> At the AfterParty - Trick Singh ( Talal Qureshi Version) (unreleased)<br /> KYA - Talal Qureshi x Asim Azhar</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '2345-talal-qureshi-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '1548-tq.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's Talal Qureshi. Even as the...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20584-wild-city-233-talal-qureshi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20576', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19387', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-22 10:41:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-22 10:59:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'New Delhi Gets A New Record Store By Digging In India ', 'date' => '22/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Digging In India', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka <a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-mix-187-digging-in-india" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> has just launched his record store in New Delhi's Shahpur Jat.</p> <p>Known for his sense of discovering overlooked Indian heritage in an exceedingly wide variety of styles, Mittal brings a collection he has accrued over 7-8 years to the store. Besides well-known classics from Western shores and Bollywood alike, the store also specializes in eclectic and rare grooves ranging from desi disco, Tamil funk, Bengali baul sangeet, qawwali, ghazal, Hindustani classical, Carnatic, Telugu soundtracks and Marathi koli geet to Japanese city pop, Afro Funk, Middle Eastern pop and more.</p> <p>Besides the musical collection, the store also features uncommon records like spoken word, political speeches, poetry and comic offerings, alongside vintage posters, comics, collectable matchboxes, stamps and other artefacts.</p> <p>The record store also shares the space with Mallika Tandon's designer cake studio <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bobo.cakery/" target="_blank">Bobo Cakery</a>, which will keep cake slices and bakes with a nostalgic twist for dine-in at the store in the coming month to make the vinyl store a space for more than just sales.</p> <p>Mittal explains: “One thing I’ve noticed is that record stores can be quite intimidating to people who are not familiar with the formal and that’s something I want to change. I want to create an easy-going comfortable space where people can come just to hear good music and learn how this thing works.”</p> <p>Head to the store at 141A/2 1st Floor, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi between noon and 7 pm on any day and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/digginginindia/" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> on Instagram for more information. Listen to Digging In India's Wild City mix below to familiarise yourself with Mittal's work.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/763668214&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5972-dii-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '9516-dii-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka Digging In India has just...'), 'href' => '/news/20576-new-delhi-gets-a-new-record-store-by-digging-in-india', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20560', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19371', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-14 13:07:29', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:16:55', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #232: Innerworld', 'date' => '14/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Innerworld', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Akshay Mathker aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20562-innerworld" target="_blank">Innerworld</a>'s Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most subtle forces. Starting with dark ambience, the mix is defined by its hypnotic atmospheric nature even when the languid textures clear to the thump of the techno's proprietary grooves.</p> <p>Like an experienced DJ, the Goa-based artist layers his selections, elevating them from their standalone value. The ebb and flow between lulling ambient numbers and compelling rhythms begin to combine as distorted gritty kicks creep up from behind the aqueous pads and slow breaks of ULV's '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjclQfXjQCI" target="_blank">My Sofa Turns Into A Desert</a>'. The influence of Goa's trance heritage doesn't shy away as deep airy washes remain a near-constant part of the selections – before the mix slowly turns towards more zany and esoteric cuts for a final push for energy.</p> <p><strong>"This mix is an expedition into the realms of intricate polyrhythms and otherworldly frequencies. Abstract, textural, ravey and laced with psychedelia, this journey through space-time is accentuated by moments of atmospheric bliss and fast-paced, yet minimal, irrefutable grooves.” - Innerworld</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-232-innerworld%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-232-innerworld" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #232: Innerworld</a></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0844-innerworld.jpg', 'picture' => '0323-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Akshay Mathker aka Innerworld's Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20560-wild-city-232-innerworld', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20552', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19364', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-10 08:21:19', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-11 06:55:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '"The Atmosphere That We All Create Together": Jeff Mills On His Legacy, DJ-ing As Non-Verbal Storytelling & More', 'date' => '10/02/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => 'Far Out Left', 'content' => '<p>“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me on a week that started with the now-considered-dying <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo/" target="_blank">Pitchfork rating his 1996’s ‘Live at the Liquid Room, Tokyo’</a> a rare 10 out of 10, and would conclude with the producer, DJ, label-head and dance music legend performing <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20499-jeff-mills-dj-red-arjun-vagale-more-announced-for-far-out-left-mumbai-goa" target="_blank">in India for the first time</a>. “It’s for others more than myself.”</p> <p>The mix, found only as <a href="https://soundcloud.com/theclassicmixcdseries/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo" target="_blank">unofficial uploads</a> on the internet and described in the said review as “the Techno Bible, unequivocally The One”, is arguably the glorious peak of Mills’ early techno legacy. Leading up to it, he had pioneered a minimal form of the genre alongside Detroit-mate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hood" target="_blank">Robert Hood</a>, developed a loyal following through his residency at Berlin’s then-fledgeling <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tresor_(club)" target="_blank">Tresor</a> and redirected the course of techno from his native city of Detroit with the Parliament bassist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Banks_(musician)" target="_blank">‘Mad’ Mike Banks</a> as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Resistance" target="_blank">Underground Resistance</a>, nudging the genre towards grittier realms with the help of militant outfits and political messaging.</p> <p>Prioritising energy over pristineness, including the audience in the process of phasing kicks coming together, the mix blazes through selections – sometimes barely offering more than a glimpse of some. They become more of a connecting component, featured less for their standalone value and more for their role in a greater whole that is the DJ set.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uapn-mknXVU?si=z6XkRrpzv31cRQ4a" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The breakneck mixing style finds its roots in the earliest chapters of Mills’ story when he was known as ‘The Wizard’, championing Detroit's talent, passionately finding the freshest releases from hip-hop to industrial, and informing the local tastes through his radio mixes. As if the deitifying by thousands (maybe millions?) of dance music fans wasn’t enough, Mills' early legacy also figures in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVDzDy1yvo" target="_blank">Eminem’s verses</a> with the lines: “<em>discovered this DJ who was mixing, I say it to this day, if you ain't listened to the Wizard, you ain't have a fucking clue what you was missing”</em></p> <p>As radio slots shortened while championable music remained abundant, Mills started mixing and moving through the selections quickly to develop his fast approach on turntables and mixing desk. It was also at the radio where Jeff Mills the music-maker developed his conceptual style as he opted to edit tapes and stitch together library sounds in his shows to communicate on air instead of speaking. The increasing competitiveness between stations meant Mills had to distinguish his selections, bringing in drum machines and keyboards to layer over records or create bespoke passages earlier on the same day.</p> <p>Visceral rhythms of 909s would underline abstract emotive layers when he finally started releasing his productions. More than a beat to move to, there’d always be a story running underneath whether as the sweeping tones accompanying the incessant distorted kicks of ‘The Hacker’ from the seminal ‘<a href="https://youtu.be/OGQBdEAo9RM?si=T3ZVS7aZ2h-TgPHq&amp;t=1264" target="_blank">Waveform Transmission, Vol. 1</a>’ or the cinematic strings of ‘Utopia’ from ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppJPQ3xsKWI" target="_blank">Cycle 30</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/STpOak4iAJY?si=XAS1qJHIRyZKBhKW" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Decades later, after feats like re-scoring Fritz Lang’s silent film ‘Metropolis’, performing with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra and celebrating 50 years of the moon landing with NASA, Mills’ music continues to either look inward or to a distant future. 2023’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/jeff-mills-the-other-maria/" target="_blank">The Other Maria</a>’ is about the often-restrained and potentially chaotic part of us that deals in hard truths and raw unrestricted emotion, while 2019’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/moon-the-area-of-influence-cd-digital/" target="_blank">Moon: The Area of Influence</a>’ discusses the effects of the moon on our lives and culture. Three decades on, it’s still the same sounds of 909s and analog pads that mark the sonic palette of Mills but the results are even more abstract and less frequently reminiscent of shaking walls in a raving warehouse.</p> <p>“I developed a sense to understand sound in cluster arrangement more than ever. I also understand the barriers due to sectionalizing between genres are becoming less. That musicians could and want to play with each other more,” addresses Mills, talking about how his futurism and sci-fi-influenced work has changed as the technology and idea of the future itself have evolved. “I hear music differently now as a result of the way we communicate. Also, the amount of information we can engage with in such a short amount of time has had an effect.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eU-UsvYbIV0?si=T5bG0meirnNjJoGd" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Techno is not just for dancing, is the philosophy that Mills has been espousing over the years. “If you can dance to it, that's great, that's a bonus, but music should say something. It should be made in a manner with seriousness, and that would enlighten someone simply by listening to it,” he has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/gv34jj/the-man-from-tomorrow-an-interview-with-jeff-mills" target="_blank">told Vice</a> in the past. It is what also guides him as a label-head with his <a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/" target="_blank">Axis Records</a>. Initially a platform for Mills' own work (under his various guises), it has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic to platform talent from the world over including the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/18876-review-arjun-vagale-s-reflective-journey-into-outer-space-on-exit-fragments" target="_blank">debut album by India’s own</a> techno frontrunner <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3379-arjun-vagale" target="_blank">Arjun Vagale</a>. “Having strong visions about the future isn’t privy to any particular country or city so, it was just a matter of coincidence. In this respect, no place on Earth is distant or remote. We’re all quite close to one another as we occupy the small patch of this Planet’s landmass,” he tells me.</p> <p>Behind the decks, the story isn’t much different. Cuts from other techno pioneers like Kevin Saunderson, Robert Hood, Eddie Fowlkes and Phuture intercut with Mills’ original (often extremely fresh) bits and fresher talent with similar substance to their music. The focus continues to remain on overarching energy as much as the selections if not more so as the mixing can go from boldly sudden to so subtle you’d hardly notice.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cCpHiWwA2Rg?si=yGxCmMJkwj1adMlI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“DJ sets are generally for dancing, but also can be widened to be considered as a non-verbal story about ‘The Fantastic’, ‘The Amazing’ or depending [on] how clever the DJ is, even ‘The Unbelievable’”, he says, explaining how a successful set is about giving the audience a sensation that wasn’t there before. That sensation is where the self-expression figures in. “I play based on how I feel at that time and it’s got nothing to do with anyone else. On occasion, not even the audience because my mind is somewhere far away,” he says, echoing the explanation he gave for <a href="https://ra.co/features/3436" target="_blank">Resident Advisor’s The Art of Djing</a>, wherein he recalls sometimes using his set to describe what it might be like to approach a planet.</p> <p>Yet, amidst the abstract tapestry of his sets, there are unmistakable points of recognition, where the selection itself becomes a focal point. While Mills argues, “I tend not to watch others to compare myself so, I can’t really say how I match up. This isn’t how I was taught to play music,” I see Mills able to create moments that only a few DJ-producers who have reached a certain stage of popularity with specific work can create. A moment similar to a rock or pop act “playing their hit”. For Mills’, that hit is ‘The Bells’, the popular and highly effective minimal work most recognisable through its sequence of melodic call and response. “I've tried not playing it, and people were sad! [laughs] So I kinda just gave up,” he says in The Art of DJing, going on to say how the track is a turning point in the set and now signifies that he is completely ready at his stations to kick proceedings into another gear.</p> <p>Nevertheless, relying on hits isn't something easily associated with Mills. While he frequently performs at large-scale events (an easy and sometimes unnecessary prompt for derision from a chunk of the techno audience), much of his recent touring has been dedicated to a collaboration with tabla maestro Prabhu Eduoard and keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, extending the '<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/71W9z9hP84oB6zVmQdRrXW" target="_blank">Tomorrow Comes Harvest</a>' project initiated with afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1352-13-jeffmills-tomorrowcomestheharvest-170923-photographer-thomasecke-109256.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Jean-Phi Dary, Prabhu Eduoard &amp; Jeff Mills in Berlin || Photograph by Thomas Ecke</em></h5> <p>Instead of cashing on his status as a pioneering figure in techno, Mills continues to release a stream of new music that diverges starkly from his '90s output, even while operating within similar styles and using a familiar sonic palette. “I like the thought process of making something from nothing so, I really enjoy starting over again,” he adds.</p> <p>Techno is more than just for dancing remains a recurring theme in his work and a harder thing to sell. “Music is such a suggestive medium that it’s just not possible to measure people’s appreciation level,” he says. “At times in my past, I remember being congratulated but also advised to “give it up - it’s not going to work”, “I’ve lost it and should stop” and many other discouraging things. So, I can’t put much value into what people say or what they appreciate. Instead, I only have to rely on what I feel is right and guide myself from this.”<b> </b></p> <p>That internal guiding compass remains the constant. It’s the same whether it was at Tokyo’s Liquid room, blazing through selections with hard stops and phasing rhythms 3 decades ago; or in Mumbai and Goa for <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/10414-far-out-left" target="_blank">Far Out Left</a> this weekend – drawing from his more abstract cluster arrangements and talent he has sifted through for Axis Records after years of building a legacy that has inspired most in the lineup and an audience that might await ‘The Bells’. “We’re just in different places at different times, but the objective is all the same,” he says. “It’s not about me or them, but rather, it’s always been about “it”. The atmosphere that we all create together.”</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by <a href="http://instagram.com/atemporarymatter.in" target="_blank">Amaan Khan</a></em></p> <p><em>Photo by <a href="http://instagram.com/jacobkhrist" target="_blank">Jacob Khrist</a></em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '4823-jeff-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5147-jeff-mills-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me...'), 'href' => '/features/20552-the-atmosphere-that-we-all-create-together-jeff-mills-on-his-legacy-dj-ing-as-non-verbal-storytelling-more', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20494', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19309', 'createdDate' => '2024-01-03 11:21:10', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:15:29', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #231: Krithi', 'date' => '03/01/2024', 'artists' => 'Krithi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19636-krithi-continues-to-explore-south-asian-sounds-in-contemporary-dance-music-with-uyirudan" target="_blank">Krithi</a> reaches for rhythms and sounds from her native land and the like, they fit into the mould of dance music as if they've always been a natural part of it rather than (as it often is) a forced gimmick of limited yield. Her achievement seems to go further on her upcoming EP 'Coping Mechanism' as she finds the style a vessel of personal narratives, calling the release a "sonic exploration of how she communes with the shadows of depression".</p> <p>Both the released singles from the EP 'Suppress' and 'Medicate' demonstrate that within Krithi's Wild City mix which features a heavy dose of original unreleased work and glimpses of the record that drops on February 15.</p> <p>Introduced through 140BPM techno, the mix quickly shifts to and operates in and around bass and breaks. A peppy start moves into sombre moods as a slightly slowed down 'Heist Track' by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/501-malfnktion" target="_blank">MALFNKTION</a> staggers into Krithi's own work before a jubilant return with the standout moment of Yourboykiran's Bollywood flip 'Yamma Yamma'.</p> <p><strong>"This mix has some of my favourite Bandcamp Friday finds (both new and old) by friends, mentors and producers I love. I recorded it at 140 bpm and with no particular genre in mind—but only with the hope that the listener keeps movin’ from start to finish. It also features some of my unreleased tracks and a couple from my upcoming EP ‘Coping Mechanisms’, which drops on Feb 15th.” – Krithi </strong></p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-231-krithi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-231-krithi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #231: Krithi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Pozibelle - Wait<br /> Mera Bhai - Be This Way (Feat Private Joy) - Provhat Rahman Remix<br /> Jadalareign - Defect<br /> Malfnktion - Heist Track<br /> Krithi - Medicate<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Rodman - Falcata<br /> Despina - Trickle Down Baby<br /> PlayPlay - FYI<br /> Venïson Man - Jewelry (Frost Version)<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - Suppress<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Yourboykiran - Yamma Yamma<br /> Dyslecta - Annihilate<br /> Tony Quattro &amp; Siete Catorce - Qesem Cave</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7067-krithi.jpg', 'picture' => '8500-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer Krithi reaches for rhythms and sounds from her...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20494-wild-city-231-krithi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20488', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19303', 'createdDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun', 'date' => '16/12/2023', 'artists' => 'Kohra', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4465-magnetic-fields-festival" target="_blank">Magnetic Fields Festival</a> taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi producer, DJ and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a> co-founder Madhav Shorey aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/291-kohra" target="_blank">Kohra</a> and Thailand's globe-trotting polymath <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sunjuhargun/" target="_blank">Sunju Hargun</a> are revisiting their B2B set from last year. </p> <p>Performed at the Resident Advisor afterparty, a highlight for the dancefloor-dedicated with its music going from the late hours of the night to the earliest moments of the morning, the accumulated energy of the night and its transformation into the morning audible in the set. Acid's mind-bending textures give way to increasingly guttural techno, pulling heavily from its minimal repertoire. As the night sky begins to lighten, the emotions are guided by the wash of the pads for a more refreshing conclusion. </p> <p><strong>"A combination between records from the past, present, and future. Sonically enhancing the atmosphere with zero limitations to pushing boundaries of tempo and feeling" – Sunju Hargun</strong></p> <p><strong>"A really fulfilling experience taking a restrained and fluid direction for this one, at my favourite stage of the festival." – Kohra</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:<br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun</a> // <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/WildCity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun/" target="_blank">Head here for Mixcloud</a></p> <p><em>Image by Parikshit Deshpande for Magnetic Fields Festival 2022</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5451-mf-2022---ra---image-credit---parikshit-deshpande---3.jpeg', 'picture' => '6442-kohra-sunju.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With the Magnetic Fields Festival taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20488-wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20147', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18982', 'createdDate' => '2023-04-04 16:56:55', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-04-05 11:27:44', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'My First Release: Shantanu Pandit', 'date' => '05/04/2023', 'artists' => 'Shantanu Pandit', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.”</p> <p>It was optimism-inspiring to hear these words from <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18674-shantanu-pandit" target="_blank">Shantanu Pandit</a> on my 27th birthday as I sat cross-legged on the floor among the audience at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art to watch him bring his first tour promoting his album ‘Milk Teeth’ to a conclusion. The New Delhi singer-songwriter had spent the weeks prior travelling by road across the length of India in a bespoke caravan to share his music while pausing at each stop to not just give but take in a sense of the places he performed at.</p> <p>“I had been holed up on the mountains when we put out the album and Dhruv was like ‘Dude, you released an album. You can’t just sleep on it like that. Now you’ve got to come down and let’s take it on tour and celebrate it’”, he continued at the show before launching into chirpy <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/track/do-u-know" target="_blank">comforting melodies</a> that underpin lines like <em>“Put that bullet in my head // Shoot me dead // Put that bullet in my head // Get it over with”.</em></p> <h5><em><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1133-shantanu-pandit-bts-milk-teeth-tour--1.jpeg" /><br /> Shantanu in his bespoke caravan for 'Milk Teeth' tour in 2022 | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>Walking through melancholic reminiscing and processing sorrow over dreamy musicality and nostalgic lightness is what defines the 2021 album. The very dichotomic sophistication is what highlights how far his songwriting has come since his first official release, the EP <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/album/skunk-in-the-cellar" target="_blank">‘Skunk In The Cellar’</a> in 2014 – which, like ‘Milk Teeth’, was also an album born out of seeing a relationship heartbreakingly come to end. However, the natural propensity to just write and share music disconnected from the cycle of talking about it, promoting it and packaging it remains a common thread.</p> <p>“I didn't have that word in my vocabulary,” he says while pondering on the idea of “official release” at the start of his career. “I was very much naive to the whole idea of putting out music in a proper format, putting out a press statement and all that.”</p> <h5><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PHVvVHVQxZg" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2012 for Tehelka TV</em></h5> <p>Before ‘Skunk In The Cellar’, Shantanu had been frequently sharing raw performances on Youtube as soon as he recorded them. Whether it was a host at HIT 95FM giving him CD recordings of his appearance on the radio or the sound engineer at Blue Frog giving him the soundboard recordings from his performance, the then-teenager musician’s first instinct was to just put it on Youtube as soon as he got home. “I didn’t think that hard. For me, I just heard the songs back and immediately thought, ‘I want to share this with my friends. I want to share this with my family.’”</p> <p>That immediacy was shaken up and replaced by process when he was contacted by his soon-to-become long-term manager and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/12653-pagal-haina" target="_blank">Pagal Haina</a> head honcho Dhruv Singh to record the songs which were to become ‘Skunk In The Cellar’. “I was like: ‘Hey, so we've got the songs. Let's just put them out.’ And he said, ‘No. This is just the start. Now we need to plan the whole release.’ And I went, ‘What does that mean?’” The process meant Shantanu had to wait for artwork to be made, distribution to be aligned and press strategies put in place before the music and the artist could represent each other to the world.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/0851-shantanu-pandit-4-by-shiv-ahuja-2014.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2014 | Photograph by Shiv Ahuja</em></h5> <p>Even while he could see the sense in all the auxiliary activities, the waiting time struggled to sit well with a songwriter that developed his material and style with notable intensity. “One thing that has been recurring through my career so far, as a songwriter, is that generally, I move fast. If I'm sitting eight months from now, I would look back at my material and be like, ‘Man! I need to write a bunch of new shit because I don't want to play this old shit.’” Even the debut EP ‘Skunk In The Cellar’ felt like a reinvention for the songwriter who started as a 16-year-old playing largely Bob Dylan covers at open mics before quickly replacing them with fast and loud originals that he dubs as his first wave of songwriting.</p> <p>The instinct to move on quickly translated to Shantanu punctuating his career with jumps from one outlet to the next – most notably the group <a href="https://runitsthekid.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Run It’s The Kid</a> and his moniker Morning Mourning, which was partly formed as a subconscious reaction against the limitations imposed by formal and elaborate creation and release cycles to retreat back into the straightforward sincerity of an artist just exorcising his creative impulses.</p> <p>Even while concluding the first promotional tour around ‘Milk Teeth’ in 2022 at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Shantanu’s set was replete with new material ripe for another album. At the same time, littered with older material too and light-hearted addressal of his relationship with it all. Greater patience has seeped in with the artist who crafted ‘Milk Teeth’ after 4 years of writing.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5129-shantanu-pandit-bts--mt-tour.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu in 2022 for 'Milk Teeth' promotional tour | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>“I have recently been able to enjoy performing live after a long time,” he says after walking me through years that included getting disenchanted with the return from releasing music, riding across the country as an escape, diverging into educational degrees, losing the individual self in a long-term relationship and the hardships finding that self again – themes that he tackled on ‘Milk Teeth’ through reflecting back on memories of growing up.</p> <p>After more than a decade as an artist, the New Delhi artist has traversed a long and winding road till the multiple facets of his career are beginning to be at peace with one another. His declaration of touring ‘Milk Teeth’ as a highlight of life so far is a testament to that – further supported as he recently embarked on another one, this time across North-East India. While <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CqDU1ZGy8lA/" target="_blank">announcing</a> it, he remarks: “I didn’t want the last one to end when it did and I’ve been itching to get back on the road ever since.”</p> <p>Listen to 'Milk Teeth' below and head <a href="https://www.skillboxes.com/events/business/pagal-haina-presents-shantanu-pandit-the-east-india-tour" target="_blank">here</a> for tickets and dates of Shantanu's tour across North-East India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1889828902/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Milk Teeth by Shantanu Pandit</iframe></p> <p><em>Words by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Lead artwork designed by Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5402-mfr-shantanu-08.jpg', 'picture' => '7416-mfr-shantanu-05.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.” It was...'), 'href' => '/features/20147-my-first-release-shantanu-pandit', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20078', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18920', 'createdDate' => '2023-02-15 11:49:31', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-02-15 12:11:15', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '“There Was No choice But To Make Room”: Ruhail Qaisar On Centering The Spectres That Haunt Debut LP 'Fatima'', 'date' => '15/02/2023', 'artists' => 'Ruhail Qaisar', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/fatima" target="_blank">Fatima</a>' predates even its creator.</p> <p>Rooted firmly in geo-personal histories, the noise album which happens to be the artist’s debut full-length offering, showcases the full range of his leftfield explorations that began with an extensive catalogue of singles on his SoundCloud, followed by the '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/ltalam-ep" target="_blank">Ltalam EP</a>' in 2016 and<i> </i>the<i> '</i><a href="https://hkcr.live/shows/the-hounds-of-pamir-the-fires-of-bal-ashram-w-ruhail-qaisar-06-11-2020" target="_blank">Hounds of Pamir</a>'<i> </i>radio residency in 2020.</p> <p>At the heart of Ruhail’s practice, which ranges from sound creation to analog photography and experimental filmmaking, is an unwavering emphasis on identity and history.</p> <p>For the indigenous artist hailing from one of the most controversial and unforgiving terrains of South Asia, Ladakh and its people – particularly the Skyayongs Gogsum community – are often seen in Qaisar’s works as straddling the dichotomies of a traumatic past and uncertain future, suffering from what’s colloquially described as <i>perpetual stasis</i>.</p> <p>The 90s were a time of dramatic change, recalls Ruhail. From growing up in a two-room rented house “with 6 hours of electricity, no traffic, no telephones, to being swept by an accelerated existence with 3G smartphones,[...] an endless slew of terrible smartphone tourists,” the landscapes of his childhood had changed drastically soon after the turn of the century.</p> <p>Yet, nothing could have prepared him for the climate of death, decay, and disease that was to characterise his hometown over the last decade. When he returns this time, after having completed his education in Delhi, Qaisar finds a self-sustaining community now completely destabilised, “battling chronic diseases or had passed away, others moved away, rented their old houses out, some squabbled over land in courts for their newly constructed hotel projects….” It induced in him a state of dysphoria, disconnect, and exile, even when home.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <p>'Fatima', whose very title invokes the memory of a late grandaunt, rises out of this abscess, carrying over the leitmotifs and the “main characters” of Qaisar’s tight-knit Ladakhi community, from an intransitive loss-state towards posthumous life.</p> <p>In Qaisar’s own words, the album is a “hauntological compendium of personal tribute” to these people who occupied those bygone spaces and eras, but also to “the pan-Ladakhi identity”, and the strife and struggle of all “indigenous communities in the Himalayas that are all suffering at the hand of unplanned industrialization and urbanization along with military atrocities”. Incidentally, 'Fatima' hits the airwaves at a time of mass unrest in Leh, over demands for Ladakhi statehood and cultural preservation under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5127-02-fatimas-poplar.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-45c11ae8-7fff-7d0b-9dbf-242538d004b7">Home videos and photographs as relics of an irretrievable past and a close-knit community | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>The idea for the record had fallen into place quite unconsciously upon the artist’s return to Choglamsar, Leh, during the pandemic in 2020, and was born out of a strong desire to rid himself of the muscle memory of traditional compositions - “I dispossessed myself of my own voice and shredded it only to a few whispers.”</p> <p>As soon as the first COVID wave abated, Qaisar (stuck in Delhi during the lockdown) took off, carrying with him (he lists:) a university laptop on which he’d downloaded Moog apps, the cheapest Behringer sound card that he’d painstakingly saved up for, and a basic zoom field recorder he’d borrowed from a filmmaker friend. He documented everything: nightly hikes alongside the Indus, when he would go stargazing in Choglamsar with his younger brother and a neighbour; conversations with his granduncle, a Sino-Indian war veteran; stories of his uncle’s disappearance in 1989; the blitz of Indian military tanks during the recent Galwan valley incursion.</p> <p>These voices and tapes, scaffolded by power electronics, frame ‘Fatima’<i>, </i>creating a somewhat minimal and rather tactile musical performance.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/4817-03-hotel.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-b236a0b9-7fff-a8e7-eb72-44ca729b3032">The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti, Leh, stoic in the face of dereliction | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>A self-taught experimenter, Qaisar’s musical influences are a pastiche of works by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/6937-hemant-sk" target="_blank">Hemant SK</a>, heavier emissions by EXHUMATION, Einsturzende Neubauten and Maurizio Bianchi, South Asian experimenters Senyawa and Raavan Kommand, contemporaries like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3934-jamblu" target="_blank">Jamblu</a> (aka Kartik Pillai) and KMRU, even the early works of AR Rahman. For 'Fatima', he mostly turns inwards, mixing influences of folklore traditions with experimental music and drawing sonic styles and guideposts from Ladakhi processional, funeral and tribal hymns.</p> <p>The album masterfully orchestrates the dramatic highs and lows of sonic expression, borrowing heavily from the surrealist movement, oracle rituals and vernacular theatre tropes. It morphs into stretches of unsettling ambient static, injecting distorted field recordings with drones and silence into some cuts, and crystallising others with DIS FIG, Elvin Brandhi, and Iben KasJer’s “oracular dreamspeech.” Iben’s invocations on 'Fatima’s Poplar' in particular, reciting the vitriolic poetry of political writer Nick Land, not only sets the tone for the sensory experience that follows, but also invites us to reckon with Ladakh’s present “smog-laden loss-state” hollowed out by “the colourful promises of neoliberalism”.</p> <p>Composed of nine microstories,<i> '</i>Fatima' is replete with these spectres that “could no longer be ignored”, and with totems willed into serving as their placeholders. The poplar, for example, is a visual reminder of the titular grandaunt, whose cremation site is guarded by the fabled tree. 'The Fanged Poet' whose story bookends the album is similarly “a dispossessed spectre haunting the derelict sites of what was once home.”</p> <p>On 'Partition', one of the record’s more serene and lingering tracks, Qaisar encrypts yet another dimension to his interactions with history. It is part tribute and part requiem for the powerful legend of another ancestor, this time his great-grandmother, who had undertaken the perilous journey from Glgit to Leh in 1947, with four young children in tow. Just as a refugee’s journey interminably connects their home and their destination, the sonic layers on 'Partition' mutate harmoniously into a hazy mass, so that the sum of its parts is indistinct, indistinguishable, and never truly separate.</p> <p>In our email conversation, Qaisar talks about digitally restoring a series of home videos on VHS tape, describing them as “the last remaining phantasmic spectres that capture…the now long-gone characters and quotidian life of late 20th century Ladakh”. The fourth track, which originates from one of these videos documenting a relative Ramazan’s wedding, is his attempt to illuminate this lost memory with sound. (A visual from the video appears in the accompanying album booklet which holds other snapshots from the family archive and some of Ruhail’s own lens-based works).</p> <h5 style="margin-left: 80px;"><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5980-partition.png" /></h5> <h5 style="margin-left: 40px;"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-ad810fd4-7fff-9591-b68a-6b9c095a271b">Illuminating the generational trauma of partition with sound | Photo of Qaisar’s great-grandmother from accompanying album booklet</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>Recorded between Leh and Delhi, 'Fatima' also reinterprets the lexicon, exploring notions of the temporal, internal, and the inter-generational, that echo Qaisar’s experience growing up in a state that’s rapidly changing but not really improving, ravaged instead by the echoes of “old tragedies” and “present disasters”, wrought by late-capitalism, militarisation, and conservatism.</p> <p>In one of the record’s most foreboding tracks, where the deceitful calmness is quickly corroded by drones and garbling samples, Qaisar positions the abandoned hotels of Zangsti as the totems for “three different waves of tourism in Ladakh”. Qaisar recounts strolling past these structures during the pandemic, “[of] old hotels built between the 70's - 80’s that were once the pride and glory of locality, [were now] totally derelict. New upcoming properties [were] halfway constructed…or devoid of any staff or customers, windows covered in newspapers from 2003, collecting leaves, insects, and dust,” explaining the stasis left by the pandemic, when the tourism industry in Ladakh went anomalously cold-turkey for the first time in nearly fifty years, leaving the sustenance of his community in the lurch.</p> <p>Later in 'Painter Man', we’re placed in more intimate settings, with Ruhail’s attempt to connect listeners to the internal life of an artist, the fear of artistic failure and societal shaming in Ladakh, where creative endeavours are generally discouraged. There is a mention in the liner notes about musicians typically occupying the lowest rung of Ladakh’s social hierarchy, to the extent that the only two avenues to make a living, for Qaisar, were either in the “seasonal tourism industry or as a civil servant.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/7374-04.png" /><br /> <strong><i>“I wouldn’t change anything on the album…I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked” | Snapshot from accompanying album booklet</i></strong></h5> <p> </p> <p>Qaisar’s own politics are not divorced from the themes that emerge from his music. He works outside of binaries, untouched by the commodified logistics of indie music production and the demands of cultural logic, clout, or even the desire to be understood. “I frankly don’t care about that world…had no time to find comfort in its rot,” says Qaisar. “There was no choice but to make room.”</p> <p>Challenging and disorienting at first, Qaisar has sure-footedly carved his niche through a series of self-designed, self-taught steps, which has involved unlearning, transgressing disciplines and mediums of expression, discovering the liminal spaces where leftfield artists can unreservedly thrive. One of these spaces certainly was the HKCR residency where Qaisar put out 60-minute selections of compositions improvised and performed live on a Moog Model-D for the better part of a year. (In fact, earlier drafts of 'Namgang', 'Painter Man', and 'The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti' can be traced back to 'Hounds of Pamir' archives). It catapulted him to the international noise music “scene”, with a tour across Switzerland which allowed him to perform his new compositions before an intuitive audience, and later put him on Danse Noire’s radar.</p> <p>A record label founded by Swiss-Nepalese producer Aisha Devi, Danse Noire is presently on the frontlines of decolonising experimental music (which is still typically viewed through eurocentric lens) and on a mission to support noise’s barebones-DIY economy centred around self-releases and underground blogs, with a space where acts like Ruhail have access to the same resources and infrastructure as mainstream global music. For Qaisar, working with Danse was also rewarding because he never felt he had to compromise his vision for Fatima.</p> <p>Clocking in at about an hour<b>, '</b>Fatima', all said and done, is about an artist’s temerity to document his and his people’s histories, about resisting oblivion by preserving it in whatever form - image, text, sound. It is beyond immersion or abstention, an incredible evocation of space and intimacy in a way not normally considered possible for music to communicate.</p> <p>At the time of this interview, Qaisar was preparing for his debut at Berghain, where he performed shortly after, for the CTM Festival alongside DIS FIG. Unfazed by streaming figures, he reports being thrilled with the initial response to 'Fatima'. When asked about this journey and if he would have done anything differently, Qaisar politely declines, saying, “I see most aberrations as rewards, I welcome them, I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked.”</p> <p>“Only thing I can assure is that everything that was done on this album would not be repeated in the next.”</p> <h5>.</h5> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by Prarthana Mitra</em></p> <p><em>Image by Adnan Zayed</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0831-ruhail-qaisar.jpg', 'picture' => '2748-ruhail-qaisar-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s 'Fatima' predates even...'), 'href' => '/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '19908', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18761', 'createdDate' => '2022-09-28 13:52:52', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2022-10-13 14:38:19', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Spotlight: Akshat Nauriyal (Yesnomaybe, St+Art, Now Delhi, Awaaz)', 'date' => '13/10/2022', 'artists' => 'Teddy Boy Kill, Hoirong', 'business' => 'St+rt India Foundation', 'content' => '<p>Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined up on Mumbai’s nearly-150-years-old <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassoon_Docks" target="_blank">Sassoon dock</a>. They overlooked the hectic rhythms of the fish market below, wafting in concentrated doses of the smell that is part of almost everyone’s experience of the seaside city.</p> <p>In a population more used to having the faces of movie stars plastered across its streets and public spaces, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_tahska/?hl=en" target="_blank">Akshat Nauriyal</a>’s co-created (with Pranav Gohil) array of portraits on Sassoon Dock pushed back on it by giving the limelight to the docks’ primary community and Mumbai’s earliest settlers: the fisherfolk.</p> <p>“To be able to speak to people, learn about their communities, sensitise myself about their dynamics, and then be able to bring that into the project was the most important takeaway for me,” says the New Delhi artist of capturing and exhibiting those portraits in 2017 as a contribution to French artist JR’s global participatory art initiative ‘<a href="https://www.insideoutproject.net/en/explore/group-action/sassoon-dock" target="_blank">Inside Out</a>’. By making the fisherfolks the subject of the portraits, convincing them about the work, capturing their likeness with a pop-up photo studio and then plastering the stylised results across the space that they define, Nauriyal and his colleagues highlighted the predominant trinity of Koli, Hindu Maratha and Banjara communities.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/6396-inside-out.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Inside Out at Sassoon Dock</em></h5> <p>“To bring the voices of people that are usually not heard from, or stories that are left on the wayside by the mainstream – those define the projects that I am always interested in”, explains Nauriyal as the mandate that drove his effort at Sassoon dock and his wider body of work. That body of work includes co-founding St+art, the collective and platform now widely celebrated for galvanising the undercurrents of street art in India by transforming localities like New Delhi’s Lodhi Colony and Shahpur Jat and creating India’s largest as well as tallest murals; documentaries capturing the capital city’s underground sub-cultures; socio-political stance-charged Instagram filters that examined social media platforms as a space for activism; short films tracing music-driven activism in different countries; music acts ranging from Another Vertigo Rush and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3598-teddy-boy-kill" target="_blank">Teddy Boy Kill</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4660-hoirong" target="_blank">Hoirong</a> and <a href="https://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/music/2020/aug/07/akshat-nauriyal-on-his-solo-project-yesnomaybe-his-upcoming-ep-and-augmented-reality-as-a-performat-27115.html" target="_blank">Yesnomaybe</a>; and currently, an ongoing project that keeps <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irom_Chanu_Sharmila" target="_blank">Irom Sharmila</a> (famously known as the ‘Iron Lady Of Manipur’) at its centre while it inquires into the cost borne by the leader of a movement.</p> <p>Whether music, film, augmented reality or paint-based, the New Delhi artist’s efforts carry an easily notable sub-layer of activism, which has founds its necessity rooted as far back as he can remember.</p> <h3><b>Early Beginnings</b></h3> <p>Coming from a military background, Akshat was privy to the slow cogs of government offices which worked its way into disillusionment with the system around the time he developed his initial interests in arts and culture. He recalls sitting stunned listening to tracks by the likes Rage Against The Machine after downloading them off of Napster at the cusp of Indian households getting connected to the Internet and finding his thoughts make cohesion within the activist lyricism of the band and similar angsty associates.</p> <p>The result was a deep-seated formative ethos that leaned towards art that stands for change and of having ready access to it. An ethos which was held back from getting showcased, save for through the array of rock bands that he drummed for during his school and college, while he navigated through the most common education pathway of engineering degrees and college placements prescribed to middle-class Indian kids. Eventually and gradually course-correcting himself with a move towards filmmaking and work for NDTV’s ‘Almost Famous’, Akshat started venturing out on his own around 2007 and 2008.</p> <h3><b>Now Delhi</b></h3> <p>“Because of being involved with the music scene, I was involved with a whole bunch of creative people from across the spectrum. Art galleries and things usually have a specific kind of people coming to them, but I’ve found that music is quite open in terms of the kind of audience it draws,” says Akshat. “Through that experience, I started seeing this other side of Delhi which I hadn’t experienced before I met these performance artists, digital artists and all kinds of artists who were the same age as me and were trying to push the envelope.”</p> <p>Making these artists the focus of his first major venture as an independent filmmaker, Akshat, who often works under the pseudonym Tahska, established ‘Now Delhi’, a film studio now synonymous with a run of short documentaries it generated on the likes of street artists, B-boys, extreme metal groups and rap cyphers in the capital. “At that time, you could still say that there was this underground – an underbelly that Delhi had which nobody was talking about in the mainstream media,” he continues, expanding upon his comparison of a city to a living breathing thing defined by the people that it in turn influences. “‘Now Delhi’ delivered an exploration of that. It was an exploration of all the different kinds of subcultures that exist in the city, and also how the artists are responding to the city itself.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vlCt2ji7IFA" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The films exposed a running motif early on – one of prioritising the question. Akshat carries strong openings and convictions, but they remain held back when he is behind the artistic lens to allow for the audience to do their own thinking. The ‘Now Delhi’ film on Khirkee Extension, a collective effort of street artists to create art around the namesake South Delhi locality, presents the artists reflecting on the economic dichotomy of the neighbourhood and how it inspires their art. They retell how the kids kept engaging with the creation process of the murals before the documentary ends with the local elders frustratingly venting how they don’t get the purpose of this art and its messaging. The film invites the viewer to ponder over the significance of the street artists’ efforts and their relation to the residents of the locality.</p> <p>“It’s something that I’ve tried to carry forward with all my work,” explains Akshat. “It comes from being able to first understand what the people who actually I’m trying to talk about feel, rather than impose my preconceived idea of what they might want to talk about.” For all the films of ‘Now Delhi’, Akshat first became a part of the sub-cultures he was highlighting or a close associate before micing them up. A decade later, with his current subject being a national icon like Irom Sharmila, he is tagging along to observe her usual going-abouts to discover the narrative naturally instead of imposing it. “I’ve always been a fan of gonzo journalism, like Hunter S Thomson and his writing – in terms of just immersing yourself in a situation to truly tell the story.”</p> <h3><b>St+art</b></h3> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6NaQbBiSMsI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Being close to his subjects meant Akshat had become a close associate of the street community of India, having made them the focus of ‘Now Delhi’ multiple times. Sharing a studio with one of its proponents, Hanif Kureshi, he soon found himself teaming up with Arjun Bahl, Giulia Ambrogi and Thanish Thomas to create the five-piece team that would become the founders of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/startindiafoundation/">St+art</a>.</p> <p>“There was an initial conversation about doing a festival, which we did without having any idea that it [St+art] would become this behemoth of an organization,” Akshat recounts the early days of the organization with the festival bringing together the artists to Shahpur Jat and its founders being hands-on with everything from moving the ladders and bringing the paints to Nauriyal documenting the process. “It was a logical progression for ‘Now Delhi’ to transition to St+art India,” quips Akshat, noting how the documentaries took a backseat as the workload got higher and allowed him to honour his formative drives of making art accessible while exploring a city and the many narratives it homes.</p> <p>Within a few years, St+art became a go-to organization for cultural consulates and medium to big brands, creating local landmarks across the country and transforming neighbourhoods, especially in New Delhi and Mumbai. The former’s Lodhi Colony remains defined by the makeover given by the collective during its annual festival. It was the place where St+art was fully able to realize its early motivations of creating art that was available to all and integrated all – specifically, through participatory murals, singing workshops, painting workshops and the like. Yet as the organization became a brand in itself, the ship started to feel too big to steer into radical corners – which Akshat still longed to address.</p> <p>“The initial years of anything are the best. They're the most honest. They're the most genuine. They're the closest to the vision that you start with. As things get bigger, there comes a set of compromises that one has to start making. I think that's the nature of anything that becomes big after a point of time,” he concludes his around half-a-decade-long journey with the prominent street art collective.</p> <h3><b>Yesnomaybe, Augmented/Virtual Reality</b></h3> <p>As St+art began to fade out from his professional life, his other continuing artistic efforts began to appear more prominently in the limelight again. Adding another feather to the musical cap, Akshat debuted his solo moniker Yesnomaybe, an outlet where he brings together all the facets of his work as marries the retrofuturism of synth-rock with the futurism of interactive filters and augmented reality-driven films. The latter also becoming a device for Akshat to continue posing topical questions while creating work that stood for something.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3_dwP09Genk" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>2019 was a particularly politically-charged year for India: BJP, the country’s right-wing majoritarian government, was re-elected to power with a higher parliamentary presence; it used it to abrogate Kashmir’s special status; and introduced the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act which faced nationwide protests that were met with controversial police violence. With augmented reality, Akshat offered tried to offer a response for all of it: a filter fashioned after prime minister Narendra Modi that let out the word “lie” every time you open your mouth, headers stating stances on Kashmir and CAA, and, for the following year’s state elections in Delhi, an interactive quiz where you can nod or shake your head based on who you’re voting for.</p> <p>“I felt social media platforms are almost like the new town halls where people are coming and discussing things. It was an interesting space to explore to try and also see if I could create work that could help on ground movements and also get people involved more than just changing a display picture,” says Akshat. “It was honestly a social experiment.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:16px;"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Akshat Nauriyal (@_tahska)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script> <p>Within days, around a million people saw the multiple of the filters. The mode of activism was talked about by the likes of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/1/29/meet-the-artists-resisting-indias-new-citizenship-law">Al Jazeera</a>, attracting loud pro-government commentators to Akshat’s profile alongside concern for safety by well-wishers. The work definitely rattled a few minds and sparked newer questions in Akshat’s own. “I started a conversation about what use it actually played in society. On my Instagram Stories, I asked people the question, whether they thought that it was just armchair activism or whether it actually led to any kind of change,” he remarks. Alongside equal amounts of opposing viewpoints, the “social (media) experiment” also saw its second phase as the platforms began, in most cases, a silent clampdown on politically-charged use of its platform. The traction for the filters and their related posts began to go down and, as is currently being highlighted in courts, the platforms themselves had to cater to clampdowns by the government. “It was also quite disillusioning, because the same platforms, which are supposed to be platforms for free speech are the ones that ended up censoring you,” reports Akshat.</p> <h3><b>Awaaz</b></h3> <p>With censoring becoming more and more obvious and Instagram itself pivoting from a creator-friendly platform, Akshat moved his exploration into creating meaningful work and examining the modes for it to other outlets: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHAWPwVJC2w/" target="_blank">installations</a>, talks and, coming a full circle, to films again. As part of Goethe-Institut’s ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19288-m-a-p-a-m-p-highlights-performances-stories-of-musicians-with-a-cause-including-ahmer-sheetal-sathe-more" target="_blank">M.A.P // A.M.P</a>’, the filmmaker created a series of documentaries entitled <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19524-awaaz-akshat-nauriyal-creates-documentary-films-on-protest-music-histories-of-india-pakistan-sri-lanka-iran">‘Awaaz’</a>, turning the lens yet again to underrepresented artistic voices. Handpicking with the help of research and local social networks, ‘Awaaz’ highlighted politically outspoken artists from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Iran to look at the history of protests from these countries.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ml2iV7BfkLE" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“Anytime you go on Twitter, somebody is getting boycotted. We’re living in an age of outrage,” says Akshat, noting how any political discourse is getting mudied up online by internet trolls while a work of activist nature doesn’t get platformed enough outside it. Allaying that, ‘Awaaz’ unearthed the nature of dissent specific to each country – whether it was about signalling the erosion of administrative infrastructures and economy in Sri Lanka, which erupted within weeks of the film getting released, or the difficulty in finding a voice that can publicly speak against the powers that be in a country like Iran. “There was a responsibility that I had on my end which was to ensure that I don’t put out content that can eventually lead to trouble for them [the artists],” continues Akshat. “Which is why I did in a way where we were actually chronicling the past protest movements to give context of where the country is right now, rather than attack any of the present figures.”</p> <p>Even with the varying specifics, much like M.A.P // A.M.P’s crowdsourced repository of protest music, ‘Awaaz’ brought out the parallels between artistic activism around the world, signalling a unification of voices and the possibility of shared empathy. According to Akshat: “[The films] platform these movements in a way so that other people in other parts of the world can see that we’re all pretty similar and that there is merit to creating work like this.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/2386-irom-5.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Irom Sharmila with family by Akshat Nauriyal</em></h5> <p>“I feel a cycle has finished and a new cycle is beginning,” he adds as we agree on how the films on national sub-cultures with ‘Awaaz’ feel like coming a full circle in light of how films on Delhi’s sub-cultures with ‘Now Delhi’ kicked things off. Since finishing ‘Awaaz’, two of the countries Akshat turned his lens to have been taken over by protests, which have emerged out of the shadows to engulf the streets, at times, fulfilling predictions touched upon in the films. Meanwhile, Akshat has moved on to creating the new chapter for Yesnomaybe and shadowing Irom Sharmila, not just documenting the cost her struggle for fairer civil rights has demanded but also building a multi-faceted reflection of her poetry and personality. For the New Delhi creative, the parallels and narratives to be unearthed by his personal artistic vision continue to draw him to the margins.</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Word by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Profile image by Akshat Nauriyal</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5133-akshat-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5937-akshat-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined...'), 'href' => '/features/19908-spotlight-akshat-nauriyal-yesnomaybe-st-art-now-delhi-awaaz', 'key' => 'features')), 'repo' => 'https://repo.thewildcity.com/', 'host' => 'https://www.thewildcity.com', 'page' => null, 'bannerhead' => array(), 'bannertop' => array(), 'bannermid' => array(array('label' => 'Mailing List', 'url' => 'https://thewildcity.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=3fbebf9eadf7433315c051d4e&id=e053aa3ae5', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column middle', 'image' => '3413-signup.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'bannerlow' => array(array('label' => 'follow us on instagram', 'url' => 'https://www.instagram.com/thewildcity/', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column bottom', 'image' => '2532-followus.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'app' => object(Application)), array('meta' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_meta'), 'title' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37), 'block_title'), 'banner' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_banner'), 'main' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37), 'block_main'), 'body' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_body'), 'aside' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_aside'), 'asidehigh' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_asidehigh'), 'asidelow' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_asidelow'), 'javascripts' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_javascripts'), 'stylesheets' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_stylesheets'))) in Template.php line 432
  6. at Twig_Template->displayWithErrorHandling(array('pages' => array(array('id' => '385', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '310', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:36:32', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2020-12-28 13:16:03', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'About', 'content' => '<p>Wild City was established as an online music magazine and community platform in 2011. It has since grown to become an events company (hosting a variety of musical showcases, events and the annual Magnetic Fields Festival), cultural PR agency (City Press launched in 2015), consultants for brands engaging with contemporary music culture in India (partners include Boiler Room, Resident Advisor, Red Bull, Jameson, Bira 91, Puma, Social Offline, Bumble, Ray-Ban, Budweiser, British Council amongst others), and executors of regional cultural programs across South Asia.</p> <p>Dedicated to spotlighting the latest in alternative culture and music from India and South Asia, Wild City’s inception filled a much-needed gap in the Indian music space.<br /> <br /> A year after its establishment, Wild City partnered with Gerriet Schultz (founder of iconic Berlin club VMF) and the Goethe-Institut to create Border Movement, an online platform and series of events, workshops and residencies that promote interaction between grass roots electronic music communities in South Asia and Germany.<br /> <br /> In 2013, Wild City co-founded the first-ever Magnetic Fields, arguably India’s most popular boutique music festival. Taking place in Alsisar Mahal, Rajasthan, Magnetic Fields has been included in the ‘50 Best Music Festivals in the World’ by Time Out Magazine. It has also been lauded by Resident Advisor, New York Times and other notable publications.<br /> <br /> In 2016, Wild City further went on to win an award for 'Best Promoter in India' and co-curated the music stream of The Coalition.<br /> <br /> Wild City is the voice for alternative music in the region. Whether showcasing local or international sounds, the company constantly thrives to challenge and develop the independent cultural space and its audience.<br /> <br /> <strong>Contact Us:</strong><br /> <br /> Promos | Music Submissions: music@thewildcity.com<br /> Listings | News | Features: amaan@thewildcity.com<br /> Press | PR: ruhi@thewildcity.com<br /> Commercial | Ads | Partnerships: munbir@thewildcity.com<br /> Recruitment | Hotdesking: info@thewildcity.com<br /> Inquiries | General: info@thewildcity.com</p> ', 'slug' => 'about', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => '')), array('id' => '386', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '311', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:51:38', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2018-04-19 06:50:04', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Advertising', 'content' => '<p><sub>To advertise with Wild City please contact press@thewildcity.com. For partnerships please speak to munbir@thewildcity.com.</sub></p> ', 'slug' => 'advertising', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => ''))), 'feed' => array(array('id' => '20610', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19421', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-15 12:43:44', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-15 15:50:09', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '2023 In Review', 'date' => '15/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Vinayak^a, Komorebi, Sandunes, Dreamhour, Tarun Balani, Ruhail Qaisar, Rafiki, Ditty, Lush Lata, Mali, Oblique, Bulli Bainbridge, Merak, Dhanji', 'business' => 'Dynamite Disco Club', 'content' => '<p>2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of its predecessor and no change of digit has ever put a break on the continuity of trends, talent or conflict.</p> <p>The exercise of shedding light upon the developments in alternative music in the Indian subcontinent in a particular year and highlighting what we predict will ripple forward doesn’t just help people reflect on what has been and catch up on things they might have missed or overlooked. It also has proven to signal the upcoming prominence of budding artists.</p> <p>For instance, from our <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20037-2022-in-review" target="_blank">2022’s reflection</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chaardiwaari/" target="_blank">Chaar Diwaari</a> has since released on Def Jam India and collaborated with Yo Yo Honey Singh and all 3 of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11700-noni-mouse" target="_blank">Noni-mouse</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7080-kiss-nuka" target="_blank">Kiss Nuka</a> made their Boiler Room debuts with the latter two also doing prominent shows in UK and Berlin respectively.</p> <p>Eitherway, we find it worth pausing to take in what we witnessed in 2023 – a year, that wasn’t the first period out of the pandemic but the one where the visions, growth and ideas developed on an individual level during the pandemic were exercised and showcased to its fullest.</p> <p>See what that looked like by focusing on handpicked artists and their work in the past year below:</p> <h3><b>Vinayak^a</b></h3> <p>A long-standing figure of Indian dancefloors, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/129-vinayak-a" target="_blank">Vinayak^a</a> would have defined 2023 in alternative music space just through the sheer quantity of his releases alone. While things had been sporadic on the release front in the nearly two decades-worth of career for the Chennai-based DJ-producer, 2023 was filled with a drop after another. Out of them, ‘Andar Bandar’, Vinayak^a’s second-ever solo LP looms large. Layers from electronic to sampled organic collide to create rich atmospheric tapestries while Vinayak^a shows how spoken word samples can be used to add to the textures rather than as devices to spoonfeed a message and emotion.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2587720108/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Andar Bandar by vinayak^a</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sandunes</b></h3> <p>Almost every year is filled with some commendable work by this electronica frontrunner but 2023 stands out for Sanaya Ardeshir aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/301-sandunes" target="_blank">Sandunes</a> through her most ambitious release to date: the album ‘The Ground Beneath Her Feat'. The 13-track release combines all the aspects Sandunes has become known for: the meticulously layered synth layers, syncopating grooves and experimentations with guest vocalists. She dials it all up another notch with the sweetness of woodwinds. The result is a work of electronica that’s in parts at par in its reflective emotionality with the best of any year or region. I recommend going in with ‘Tsunami’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3390681302/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Sandunes</iframe></p> <h3><b>Komorebi</b></h3> <p>If we are talking ambition, Tarana Marwah aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/177-komorebi" target="_blank">Komorebi</a>’s album ‘The Fall’ isn’t just one of the most ambitious works of 2023 but of any year so far for India’s indie music. Released with a comic, music videos, tying lore and scores of collaborations within it, the multi-tiered album goes back and forth between being an electropop effort and a progressive structured work suitable for a musical with its dramatic shifts between ideas.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QxmEUt3fVfk?si=1TE4A17yNNsq6Qw3" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Mali</b></h3> <p>In the case of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17335-mali" target="_blank">Mali</a>, it’s been about focusing on the basics. There were no added frills, just an album i.e. ‘Semi Automatic Butane’, music videos to help present it and a busy tour to support it. Within those basics, the Mumbai artist tightened her songwriting to indie-pop perfection and offered it with economically picked ideas. For a listener of the style, the album is destined to achieve that rarer-than-expected feat among independent releases, which is, to be part of people’s playlists beyond its promotional cycle.</p> <p>That itself is enough and yet, the singer-songwriter enjoyed another breakout success with her efforts in Tamil music with the worth checking out ‘<a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=n7_tASChbw4" target="_blank">Anniku Raatri</a>’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=969156237/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Semi Automatic Butane by Mali</iframe></p> <h3><b>Dhanji</b></h3> <p>After a long buildup to it, Gujrat’s rap artist <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20330-dhanji" target="_blank">Dhanji</a> released his <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20328-dhanji-releases-his-earnestly-awaited-debut-album-ruab" target="_blank">debut album ‘Ruab’</a> and the whirring repetitions of the title have been echoing in our brains ever since. The 11-track release brings in elements from funk, rock and even electronica but without compromising on the qualities of hip-hop as meticulously written verses flow through a dramatic progression of ideas. The album, supported via live performances throughout the year, is an instance where the ambitiousness is purely musical and demonstrates the kind of risk-taking that hasn’t been seen in Indian hip-hop for a while.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1663662427&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Dhanji">Dhanji</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic/sets/ruab-1" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="RUAB">RUAB</a></div> <h3><b>Kinari / Finsta</b></h3> <p>Another occasion of something fresh dropping in the space of hip-hop came through the New Delhi artist formerly known as Finsta with their EP ‘QUEERBOPS’. Not just due to the still rare instance of queer narratives finding a space in the genre, but rather for the merit that Finsta deals with both hip-hop and themes around queerness with a distinctly and naturally fitting Indian flavour. Though the artist has since reinvented themself as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kinaripurrs/" target="_blank">Kinari</a> with already an album entitled ‘KATTAR KINNAR’ in the pipeline, the strong statements over the added delight of an experimental edge of the 6-track release still manages to move the body and shake the brain.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2fvC5Y9lS5Y34t6GdPAovG?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Dot.</b></h3> <p>While her involvement in the lead cast of ‘The Archies’, Bollywood’s most-talked-about movie of 2023, looms larger than anything for most, it was a good year for people who know Aditi Saigal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20131-dot" target="_blank">Dot.</a> as a musician first. Alongside inviting the audience to witness her growth as a live performer over the year, the singer-songwriter ended the period with a collection of recordings from her practice room as an album entitled ‘Practice Rooms’, which even kicks off with her most popular raw take of ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’. At the same time, the year saw her at her most polished with the soft pop of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20135-dot-begins-to-find-a-new-voice-with-indigo" target="_blank">Indigo</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u0OG7rjgqxc?si=TfyMy6H5EhmXkcaB" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Long Distances</b></h3> <p>A product of remote collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11187-aarifah-rebello">Aarifah Rebello</a>, Apurv Agrawal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/456-cowboy-and-sailor-man">Cowboy &amp; Sailor Man</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zubinski/">Zubin Pastakia</a>’s combined effort <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20375-long-distances" target="_blank">Long Distances</a> has outlasted the shadows of the pandemic, outliving most other projects born in that period. In 2023, the trio started unfolding singles that would lead up to the EP ‘How the Mighty Will Fall’ and through live performances, solidified their name among the newest generation of indie live groups of India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=3217313286/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Delicate Surrender by Long Distances</iframe></p> <h3><b>Excise Department</b></h3> <p>2023 was also the year New Delhi got to familiarise itself better with their new alternative hip-hop heads <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20177-excise-dept-take-a-dig-at-the-absurdity-in-present-day-religious-figures-on-baaro-maala" target="_blank">Excise Department</a> – which always remains tricky for an act that likes to stay anonymous and operate in English, Bengali and Punjabi. Alongside their debut live show and several others since, the group released 3 defining singles, namely ‘Baaro Maala’, ‘Birhada’ and ‘Billo’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oq_Qql2yu78?si=sc-JTcSKJNmKbyyf" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Yuhina</b></h3> <p>While talking of acts we got to familiarise ourselves with in 2023, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yuhinalachungpa/?hl=en" target="_blank">Yuhina Lachungpa</a> is an easy mention for her debut EP at the tail-end of the year. After years of having just the occasional collaboration and self-released work, the Bangalore-based Sikkim-rooted artist combined Buddhist chants and equally meditative lyricism about self with electropop production on the 5-track EP ‘Mnemonic’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4076191914/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">MNEMONIC by Yuhina</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bengal Chemicals</b></h3> <p>Even with the occasional emerging and new acts, it still felt like the alternative music space of the region had a decline in fresh talent and fresher growth. That story seemed completely different in leftfield genres like noise and ambient. Pritam Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bengal.chemicals/?hl=en" target="_blank">Bengal Chemicals</a> emerged as a good representative of the renaissance that seems to be emerging in Kolkata in these genres. While there is no shortage of recommendable works (shoutout to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20316-harmonium-ambient-torture-form-the-basis-of-nilotpal-das-aka-bios-contrast-s-harmonium-i">Nilotpal Das’ ‘Harmonium I’</a>), Bengal Chemicals’ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20186-bengal-chemicals-channels-deteriorating-cityscapes-on-sophomore-ep-via-biswa-bangla-noise">sophomore EP ‘তা​র​ক’</a> is the best way into unravelling the leftfield undercurrents that hopefully will get their rightful place in the discourse and industry around alternative music.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2291060274/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">তারক by Bengal Chemicals</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ruhail</b></h3> <p>Whether the spotlight is on noise or not, Ladakh's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4979-ruhail-qaisar" target="_blank">Ruhail Qaisar</a>’s album <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima" target="_blank">‘Fatima’ is one of the strongest albums of the year</a>. A most uncompromising and unflinching take on identity and personal history, Ruhail’s debut album, released via Danse Noir, is both about self and the world he comes from – its people, its transformations and tragedies. A layered work that uncovers meanings the more you dig into it and learn about its references and elements, ‘Fatima’ is a testament to the merit of being free from expectations and believing in one’s own artistic impulses – a quality that has also taken the artist to stages <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CttObMvoVIh/" target="_blank">across the EU</a> including Berlin's famed Berghain for the CTM festival.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <h3><b>Philtersoup</b></h3> <p>Sanjay Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/philtersoupmusic/?hl=en" target="_blank">Philtersoup</a> has been present in the undercurrents of India’s alternative music for a while but the Mumbai-based producer-composer found greater agency in 2023. Besides experimental A/V shows in art studios and synth jams, Das performed alongside <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20068-karshni" target="_blank">Karshni Nair</a> and released the collaborative single ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20263-karshni-philtersoup-release-collaborative-single-long-gone" target="_blank">Long Gone</a>’. Parallely, he served as a music supervisor on the OTT-release ‘Rainbow Rishta’, helping cross over more of India’s independent music to the OTT-media audience.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=4239800201/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Long Gone by philterSoup x Karshni</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sourya Sen</b></h3> <p>Operating in close proximity and joining in on the aforementioned synth jams with Philtersoup, Sourya Sen (also known as <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17413-oblique" target="_blank">Oblique</a>) has not only been a longstanding presence as a live visual artist for some leading independent artists but has also been one of the most evocative abstractionists within the modular synth space. The claim is no less potent when paired with his 11-track memoir of the places he has lived entitled ‘In The Cities’. Top that with his input at the earliest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkyBRg9A6EA" target="_blank">A/V show</a> at one of Mumbai’s newest (certainly one of its most heavily discussed in recent memory) spaces i.e. the <a href="https://nmacc.com/" target="_blank">NMACC</a>, and the Mumbai-based artist’s creative footprint is as relevant as it is subtle within the portrait of 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2242427289/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">In the Cities by Sourya Sen</iframe></p> <h3><b>I7HVN</b></h3> <p>It was a year of growth for Safar collective co-founder <a href="https://www.instagram.com/i7hvn/?hl=en" target="_blank">I7HVN</a>, who stepped beyond his IDM and trip-hop experiments for two long-form releases that showcased moments of self-realisation and a comfortable embrace of his styles. After the abstract atmospheres of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a>-released ‘Youthful’, Bangalore producer put out a broken beat techno EP ‘Anodyne’ at the end of the year. His best moments emerge within the restrained ambience of ‘Youthful’s closer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20252-first-look-i7hvn-sanoli-chowdhury-collaborate-on-imaginary-love">‘Imaginary Love’, which features Sanoli Chowdhury</a>, and the opening title track of ‘Anodyne’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=514984918/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Youthful by I7HVN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Merak</b></h3> <p>While the Goan sibling duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20296-merak" target="_blank">Merak</a> isn’t the first to bring jazz into electronica, there is a balanced tastefulness in their work which gets rendered even more potent in the hands of seasoned acts like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a> and in the shared prowess of collaborators like Shreyas Iyenger – both of whom appeared on the duo’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20300-dreampop-electronica-jazz-mix-on-merak-s-manic-mode" target="_blank">EP ‘Manic Mode’</a>. Besides the appreciable release, Merak frequently became part of the festival lineups around the year to leave a lasting imprint on Indian alternative music’s 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=553102807/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 274px;">Manic Mode EP by Merak</iframe></p> <h3><b>Seasonal Affected Beats</b></h3> <p>It’s hard to think of an artist who has seemed harder working in 2023 than New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4958-tarun-balani" target="_blank">Tarun Balani</a>. The multi-instrumentalist, educator and composer kicked off the year by touring his A/V show ‘2°’ with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/16948-spotlight-parizad-d" target="_blank">Parizad D</a> as Seasonal Affected Beats and filled the year treading the line between meticulous and intuitive through the music from his album ‘Where the Ice Meets the Water’. Add to that another tour in support of the album and two singles focusing on his more jazz-centric work with the Dhamma Collective, and it’s been undoubtedly big 12 months for Tarun Balani.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1503216166/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Where the Ice Meets the Water by Seasonal Affected Beats, Tarun Balani</iframe></p> <h3><b>Debo Sanyal / Dokodoko </b></h3> <p>Is it a cliché to call something ‘underrated’ at this point? If it is, then it’s unfitting of me to use a cliché for someone who usually offers anything but that. Siliguri’s Deno Sanyal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4501-dreamhour" target="_blank">Dreamhour</a> has been dropping quality music full of humour, underexplored styles and singular quirk for years now. More recently, it has found a partner with the complimentary irreverence and straightfaced attitude (which translates sonically as well) of Dr. Kritika as the duo releases music as Dokodoko – <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20419-dokodoko-release-grunge-infused-hindi-electropop-with-shor" target="_blank">gracing 2023 with a foray into Hindi electropop</a>. For more puristical Dreamhour synth bops, the album ‘Now That We Are’ is as punchy as it comes alongside proving that there are still grounds to explore and fun to be had with synthwave.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3930647123/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Now That We Are Here by Dreamhour</iframe></p> <h3><b>Warehouse Mix</b></h3> <p><a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Warehouse Mix</a> is the latest (and increasingly rare) case of a bunch of young creatives coming together not for the primary purpose of making a quick profit but rather to create something “cool” or something that they believe in. In this case the belief is around the original ethos of house music and its ability to provide spaces for diverse expression. While the collective has been budding over the years, 2023 saw them break their immediate bubbles to create bigger impacts, hosting their flagship <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Anticlub</a> parties, live percussion dances and vinyl-only sessions at the city outskirts.</p> <h3><b>Dynamite Disco Club</b></h3> <p>Another collective based near house music (and several other adjacent styles) but more defined by its experienced members, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/18599-dynamite-disco-club" target="_blank">Dynamite Disco Club</a> has been one of our year-defining acts in the past – the year it announced that it would function as a label as well. But this year, DDC embodies the idea that 2023 was the period all the visions developed during the COVID-19 pandemic about life after it were fully realised (as much as they will ever likely be). Besides a string of its parties throughout the year and having a space at almost every notable music festival in the country, the label realised releases from not just its well-known members like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/5027-stalvart-john" target="_blank">Stalvart John</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3929-hamza" target="_blank">Hamza Rahimtula</a>, but also newer talents like ISHXN and even bigger list of foreign acts. On top of importing off-shore acts to its label, the collective also took its domestic talent reach out to shores beyond with Stalvart John touring through parts of South and East Asia.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=2610448964/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Disco Disco, Good Good (Original mix) by ISHXN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Lush Lata</b></h3> <p>It was a big year for New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>, who reached a milestone in her ascent as a DJ with a set at dance music mecca Berlin’s The Berghain early in the year as part of CTM Festival. Since then the stripes have kept attaching in the form of live sets for the likes of HÖR, Rinse and Kiosk Radio, and, constantly, the Indian dancefloors.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1464837649&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Rafiki</b></h3> <p>Through his work as a longstanding promoter and DJ, Sohail Arora aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7552-rafiki" target="_blank">Rafiki</a> has maintained his relevance for a while. This year, however, there was heightened emphasis on his musical output in the form of two EPs: first in the form of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20144-rafiki-gives-retro-sounds-a-modern-edge-on-the-source" target="_blank">The Source</a>’ and then ‘New Shifts’. Surrounding it, the Mumbai-based music industry professional delivered notable mixes, joined his curation for Boiler Room, and toured through Europe, Sri Lanka and clubs across India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=141835852/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">New Shifts by Rafiki</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ditty</b></h3> <p>2023 also was the year of the return of Aditi Veena aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/12649-ditty" target="_blank">Ditty</a>. Though the singer-songwriter was hardly gone, having toured in the latter half of 2022 and releasing music as part of the group Faraway Friends before that, this year saw her put out her <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20452-exclusive-first-listen-ditty-offers-a-distinct-approach-to-indie-pop-with-single-hold-me-from-the-ep-skin" target="_blank">first solo release in 4 years</a> – during which she battled a major illness, got married and partly relocated to Berlin. The trickle of releases started with a collaborative track with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8232-jordan-johnson" target="_blank">Jordan Johnson</a> (another artist who put out standout work in 2023) and followed into the rollout of her own EP ‘Skin’ with live dates punctuating the process.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=966494420/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Hold Me by DITTY</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bulli Bainbridge</b></h3> <p>If you’re an avid listener of indie music and yet don’t know who Zain Calcuttawala is, it’s still likely you have unknowingly enjoyed his contributions. Besides his past as a gig programmer, the multi-faceted talent has been hosting podcasts on mental health and more popularly producing for everyone from Bhrighu Sahni and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19113-second-sight" target="_blank">Second Sight</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18207-raghav-meattle" target="_blank">Raghav Meattle</a>. His work with his moniker <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18024-bulli-bainbridge" target="_blank">Bulli Bainbridge</a> has been no less versatile. He kicked off the year with an album entitled ‘Seasons’ that saw contributions from the likes of Ankit Dayal, BobKat, and Bombay Dub Orchestra and followed it with a collaborative hip-hop single ‘One Me’. Since then, the producer, engineer and composer has been reimagining some of the most popular recent indie hits – cue an orchestral version of Bloodywood, a lo-fi cut of Raghav Meattle’s ‘City Life’ and a swing-era take of Dot’s ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5ZULHCsrfC91weo5SUtENC?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words: Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Image Design: Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9199-2022-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '4028-2023-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of...'), 'href' => '/features/20610-2023-in-review', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20609', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19420', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-14 12:37:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-14 12:45:06', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #234: Hammer', 'date' => '14/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>A member of the <a href="http://www.feelmybicep.com/" target="_blank">Feel My Bicep</a> crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go on to form the duo Bicep), Rory Hamilton aka <a href="https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/hammer" target="_blank">Hammer</a> isn't just someone who has a sense for discovering interesting electronica works. After decades of hosting parties in Glasgow and later London, as well as spinning records the world over, the Belfast-born talent knows how to stitch together those records to create moments of passionate revelry.</p> <p>India has bore witness to that skill multiple times at this point as Hamilton returned to the country earlier this year <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/11647-london-based-dj-producer-hammer-announces-show-in-delhi" target="_blank">after half a decade</a>, adding dates in Goa and Kolkata alongside Delhi and Mumbai before jetting off to Sri Lanka for further performances with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for an 8-show tour of India and Sri Lanka. He recorded a mix for Wild City in Sri Lanka at the end of his tour to look back at his time in the region, which also included signing on Kolkata's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7818-8-bit-culprit" target="_blank">8-bit culprit</a> – the second artist from India to work with the label after New Delhi Anhad Khanna aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19691-sublime-sound-releases-club-ready-ep-that-love-affair-through-hammer-s-remmah-records" target="_blank">Sublime Sound</a>.</p> <p>"From the first ever gig I played in Auro in New Delhi, I learnt that the dance floor in India is special in that the sense of excitement is genuinely palpable. Taking risks pays off," says Hamilton. "I’ve also learnt that like every country, each city is different and you need to be ready to fit into it."</p> <p>Consequently, while often operating close to house, disco and some techno, how Hammer uses a particular style can vary. Recorded at The Luna Terrace of Galle's Closenburg Hotel, the HQ of Tropical Wax, the Wild City mix goes from an unreleased remix of Syreeta Wright's chants on 'Shanti', to the disco-inspired Baldo Remix of Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami's 'Sugar Snap'. Testifying Hammer's abilities to create notable moments in his sets, the mix offers several instances – from the melody-led energy of Two Mamarrachos to the respite of the laidback chords of Madvilla's 'Galactic Banana'. The best, however, is the house-meets-pop euphoria that comes almost as a cinematic euphoric climax to the mix with an unreleased track featuring the voice of Lili Chan.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehammerhits/" target="_blank">Hammer</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-234-hammer%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-234-hammer" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #234: Hammer</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Suricata - Algo Para La Fiesta (Alma &amp; Mater Dub)<br /> Syreeta - Shanti (Hammer Remix) [He She They]<br /> Two Mamarrachos - Let's Find Another After [Nein]<br /> Calystarr - Heartdown (Tronik Youth Remix)<br /> MADVILLA - Galactic Banana<br /> Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami - Sugar Snap (Baldo Remix) [Semi Delicious]<br /> HAMMER - Swivel [Skylax]<br /> Aaron Rutherford - Infinite Cycle<br /> Hammer - Highland ft. Lili Chan [He She They]<br /> KIRA BLUSH - What u Want [Remmah]<br /> Dharma - Turbulence [Remmah]<br /> HAMMER - Swerve [Skylax]</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7604-hammer-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '8183-wc-mix-hammer-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'A member of the Feel My Bicep crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20609-wild-city-234-hammer', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20606', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19417', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-12 09:20:09', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-12 12:20:42', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'sudan Strikes A Fine Balance Of Styles With 'omg'', 'date' => '12/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release under its critique is <a href="https://microplastics.substack.com/p/wiping-the-moistness-from-music-criticism?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank">at least 6 out of 10</a>, it's refreshing to come across a piece of music from an artist just starting out that's easy to get behind with robust promise. 22-year-old Pritpal <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">Sudan</a> from Mumbai, who is previously seen backing the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18225-releases-of-the-week-okedo-ditty-the-revisit-project-more" target="_blank">Anoushka Maskey</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20015-lavi-foenix-give-a-blend-of-rock-disco-for-the-internet-generation-on-no-phones-at-the-dinner-table" target="_blank">Lavi &amp; Foenix</a>, launched his solo act named after his last name with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">2021's 'Fire / Snow'</a>. Nearly 3 Years on, the producer and instrumentalist has announced his debut album 'sudan?', to be released on June 21, from which he has just released the single 'omg'.</p> <p>Lo-fi recording of soulful singing over large piano chords transforms into a brimming electropop-meets-neo soul passage a la Sampha or Kamaal Williams. The production keeps growing with moments of satisfying drops and layering styles over another without overpowering the previous or the songwriting – giving a perfect balance of interesting ideas without becoming too eager to impress.</p> <p>Listen to 'omg' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/notsudan/" target="_blank">sudan</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTOBfFzE_o4?si=ASspQLLmXpvX3d0x" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Pranav Marde</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '8267-sudan-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '8725-sudan-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release...'), 'href' => '/news/20606-sudan-strikes-a-fine-balance-of-styles-with-omg', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20603', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19414', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-11 11:47:37', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-11 11:49:47', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'boxout.fm Recordings' 2nd V/A Compilation Sees Lush Lata Handpick Dancefloor Stompers', 'date' => '11/03/2024', 'artists' => 'MadStarBase, Lush Lata', 'business' => 'boxout.fm', 'content' => '<p>After <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19295-kohra-oceantied-zequenx-more-feature-on-first-of-boxout-fm-recordings-compilation-series-v-a-suchi-selects" target="_blank">2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS'</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4724-boxout-fm" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> is back with the second instalment of its artist-curated compilation series with 'LUSH LATA SELECTS' handpicked by New Delhi DJ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>.</p> <p>The 7-track compilation kicks off with 'Cognac Bounce' by duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a>, who continue to prove themselves masters of creating booming dancefloor numbers with a sensual oomph while <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zealotantrik/" target="_blank">Zealotantrik</a> continues that boom but with the colour of some lo-fi artefacts. Following <a href="https://www.instagram.com/insowmya/" target="_blank">Insowmya</a>'s sampled esoteric percussion-heavy 'Shut Up', collaborative numbers by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pav4nco/" target="_blank">PAV4N</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sukhknight/" target="_blank">Sukh Knight</a>, as well as, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/captain.fuse/" target="_blank">Captain Fuse</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/muktmusic/" target="_blank">Mukt</a> highlight the defining quality of the compilation: heavy use of sampling, picking up vocal hooks from a variety of sources but more commonly vintage records and creating bass-led compositions.</p> <p>The latter collaboration by Captain Fuse and Mukt remains the most interesting offering on the compilation as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97-Ch6d2LBE" target="_blank">Geeta Dutt's 'Tumi Je Amaar'</a> transforms into a stuttering concoction of slow-funk and hip-hop.</p> <p>Listen to 'Lush Lata Selects' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/boxoutfmrecordings/" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3602297268/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 373px;">Lush Lata Selects by Various Artists</iframe></p> <p><em>Artwork by Sijya</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0028-lush-lata-selects-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '4170-lush-lata-selects-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'After 2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS', boxout.fm Recordings is back with the second instalment of its...'), 'href' => '/news/20603-boxout-fm-recordings-2nd-v-a-compilation-sees-lush-lata-handpick-dancefloor-stompers', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20591', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19402', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-06 10:40:01', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-06 11:11:00', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Jyoty Singh Tours India As Part Of Ultra Soulflyp's Biggest Shows', 'date' => '06/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Jyoty Singh', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at weekly <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> events to more than half a decade of presenting a leading show at <a href="https://rinse.fm/" target="_blank">Rinse.fm</a> and a viral <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> performance, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/?hl=en" target="_blank">Jyoty Singh</a> has always been privy to the cutting-edge sounds of the dancefloor. Stitching together the revelry of dancehall, afrobeats and funk when DJing live and tying threads between cultures when curating for her radio mixes, her parties '<a href="https://www.instagram.com/areyouhomegrown/" target="_blank">Homegrown</a>' and her magazine 'The Move', the Punjabi-descent Amsterdam-born London-based artist espouses versatility and ear for the fresh.</p> <p>The multi-faceted selector arrives in India for the first time since her breakout Boiler Room set gained popularity during the pandemic, performing at Mumbai's Famous Studio, Bengaluru's Sunburn Union and Gurugram's Imperfecto Patio on March 22, 23 and 24 respectively.</p> <p>The shows take place as part of <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp</a>, the event series by Kingfisher Ultra, Wild City and Gently Altered which kicked off almost a year ago and has taken over spaces across the country with various styles of dance music over the year. With support yet to be announced, the dates with Jyoty are slated to be Ultra Soulflyp's biggest celebrations to date as it promises to amp up its curation, capacity and immersiveness to make live music a multi-sensorial experience.</p> <p>Reserve your spots for the events and find out more about Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp through its <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and follow Jyoty Singh <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/" target="_blank">here</a>. Listen to her Boiler Room set below to get a sense of what to expect.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2VrztYTNYT8?si=zotxj2S3zpV3o6Vh" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Filipa Aurélio</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9992-0-thumb--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'picture' => '4636-0-banner--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at...'), 'href' => '/news/20591-jyoty-singh-tours-india-as-part-of-ultra-soulflyp-s-biggest-shows', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20588', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19399', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-04 13:43:12', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-04 13:50:41', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Slowspin, Sijya, SIDD & More Feature On Ninja Tunes' Remix EP for Nabihah Iqbal's 'DREAMER'', 'date' => '04/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Slowspin, Sijya', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Tune" target="_blank">Ninja Tune</a>, bringing together South Asian acts, namely Pakistan's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/haideruppal/" target="_blank">Haider Uppal</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4495-slowspin" target="_blank">Slowspin</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/young_dervish/" target="_blank">Zak Khan</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/siddbeats_/" target="_blank">SIDD</a> as well as India's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a>, to reimagine tracks off her 2023 EP 'DREAMER'. As a bonus, the release also features Berlin's Innervision's label-owner and one-half of Âme, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/frank__wiedemann/" target="_blank">Frank Wiedemann</a>, who remixes 'Zone 1 to 6000' from Nabihah's 2017 debut album 'Weighing of the Heart'.</p> <p>All the South Asian artists on the package have shared the stage with the London-based Pakistani-descent artist, who DJ-ed alongside Haider Uppal and SIDD on her first-ever gig in Pakistan, invited Slowspin and Zak Khan to support her during her US tour and discovered Sijya at London's Tate Modern, when the New Delhi artist toured the UK in 2023 before being asked to open for Nabihah at Yes Manchester.</p> <p>Both Haider Uppal and Sijya take a textural approach to their remixes with the former suffusing a techno beat with deep pads out of which harmonic melodies and string lines emerge and diffuse. Meanwhile, Sijya offers the grittiest outing with 'Sunflower' as synths fizzle and distort over a visceral thump and Nabihah's near-spoken singing places itself as a transcendent chant.</p> <p>Frank Wiedemann and SIDD, one of Karachi's most prominent DJ-producers, present two flipsides of techno with their remixes. There is a clear edge of experience with Frank's innovative and effective structuring and Berlin-associated spaciousness as acid house synth squelching plays against Nabihah's singing, highlighting its singular qualities, while SIDD offers a more Detroit-influenced take on the genre with atmospheric spoken voice deepening the minimal nature of the production.</p> <p>The remixes play off of Nabihah's unique vocal style, an element that takes centre stage on Slowspin's sparse remix of the title track from 'DREAMER' alongside Zak Khan's gentle piano-playing, recontextualising the song with a simple arrangement to bring notice to the meaning behind the songwriting.</p> <p>Listen to 'DREAMER (Remixes)' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=316911633/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">DREAMER (Remixes) by Nabihah Iqbal</iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Joseph Hayes</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9103-nabihah-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '2452-nabihah-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Nabihah Iqbal has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label Ninja Tune,...'), 'href' => '/news/20588-slowspin-sijya-sidd-more-feature-on-ninja-tunes-remix-ep-for-nabihah-iqbal-s-dreamer', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20584', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19395', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-01 13:42:57', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-01 13:46:45', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi', 'date' => '01/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Talal Qureshi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/14605-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Talal Qureshi</a>. Even as the Pakistan's electropop pioneer has transformed from a Coke Studio mainstay with esoteric productions on the side to someone who brings his worlds together and creates the collaborative woofer-friendly bangers, that characteristic zaniness remains. As evident by his 2023 debut album 'TURBO' and its recent re-release with <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5AqK0sYFr4bVWAtVKTmXcz" target="_blank">a deluxe edition</a>, it has married itself to the sound of South Asian hip-hop with sometimes a satirising presence of Pakistan's hyperlocal elements.</p> <p>It is embodied in the announcement he makes at the start of his Wild City mix before launching into cuts from the 15-track release, unreleased demos, edits of his other work and even someone Skrillex to demonstrate how his work can boom alongside the globally prominent.</p> <p>Contrary to most mixes of nearly all-originals, Talal's quick-moving mix is a product bigger than the sum of its selections. Constant flow through hard cuts between collaborations that feature the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8936-seedhe-maut" target="_blank">Seedhe Maut</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faris_Shafi" target="_blank">Faris Shafi</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_Raheem" target="_blank">Hasan Raheem</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18090-natasha-noorani" target="_blank">Natasha Noorani</a> speaks to the effective structures of Talal's productions. It's a mix worth a listen even if just for the reimagined energy of Talal's take on '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mNaNMmxJ1I" target="_blank">Faltu Pyaar</a>' and '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3pUsXxCfEk" target="_blank">Muaziz Sarif</a>'.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-233-talal-qureshi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-233-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>MAAL(DEMO) - Blal x Talal Qureshi (Unreleased)<br /> Intro - Talal Qureshi<br /> Tarka - Talal Qureshi<br /> NACH LE - Imran Khan (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> ASAL G - SEEDHE MAUT x Talal Qureshi x Faris Shafi<br /> Paisa - Talal Qureshi x Hasan Raheem (TQ Honey Flip) (Unreleased)<br /> No ID - Skrills (unreleased)<br /> Push ID - Skrillex &amp; Hamdi ft. Taichu<br /> Muaziz Sarif - Coke Studio, Faris Shafi, Meesha Shafi (Talal Qureshi Version) (Unreleased)<br /> Peechay Hutt - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Justin Bibi's<br /> LEFT RIGHT - Ali Sethi, Maanu, Shaegill, A.S (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> Raazi - Natasha Noorani, Talal Qureshi (TQ Honey Flip) (unreleased)<br /> Faltu Pyar - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Natasha Noorani (TQ Honey Flip)(unreleased)<br /> Hico - Talal Qureshi, Maanu (TQ Honey FLIP)(unreleased)<br /> JOGI - Maanu x Talal Qureshi<br /> At the AfterParty - Trick Singh ( Talal Qureshi Version) (unreleased)<br /> KYA - Talal Qureshi x Asim Azhar</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '2345-talal-qureshi-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '1548-tq.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's Talal Qureshi. Even as the...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20584-wild-city-233-talal-qureshi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20576', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19387', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-22 10:41:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-22 10:59:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'New Delhi Gets A New Record Store By Digging In India ', 'date' => '22/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Digging In India', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka <a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-mix-187-digging-in-india" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> has just launched his record store in New Delhi's Shahpur Jat.</p> <p>Known for his sense of discovering overlooked Indian heritage in an exceedingly wide variety of styles, Mittal brings a collection he has accrued over 7-8 years to the store. Besides well-known classics from Western shores and Bollywood alike, the store also specializes in eclectic and rare grooves ranging from desi disco, Tamil funk, Bengali baul sangeet, qawwali, ghazal, Hindustani classical, Carnatic, Telugu soundtracks and Marathi koli geet to Japanese city pop, Afro Funk, Middle Eastern pop and more.</p> <p>Besides the musical collection, the store also features uncommon records like spoken word, political speeches, poetry and comic offerings, alongside vintage posters, comics, collectable matchboxes, stamps and other artefacts.</p> <p>The record store also shares the space with Mallika Tandon's designer cake studio <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bobo.cakery/" target="_blank">Bobo Cakery</a>, which will keep cake slices and bakes with a nostalgic twist for dine-in at the store in the coming month to make the vinyl store a space for more than just sales.</p> <p>Mittal explains: “One thing I’ve noticed is that record stores can be quite intimidating to people who are not familiar with the formal and that’s something I want to change. I want to create an easy-going comfortable space where people can come just to hear good music and learn how this thing works.”</p> <p>Head to the store at 141A/2 1st Floor, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi between noon and 7 pm on any day and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/digginginindia/" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> on Instagram for more information. Listen to Digging In India's Wild City mix below to familiarise yourself with Mittal's work.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/763668214&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5972-dii-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '9516-dii-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka Digging In India has just...'), 'href' => '/news/20576-new-delhi-gets-a-new-record-store-by-digging-in-india', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20560', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19371', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-14 13:07:29', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:16:55', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #232: Innerworld', 'date' => '14/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Innerworld', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Akshay Mathker aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20562-innerworld" target="_blank">Innerworld</a>'s Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most subtle forces. Starting with dark ambience, the mix is defined by its hypnotic atmospheric nature even when the languid textures clear to the thump of the techno's proprietary grooves.</p> <p>Like an experienced DJ, the Goa-based artist layers his selections, elevating them from their standalone value. The ebb and flow between lulling ambient numbers and compelling rhythms begin to combine as distorted gritty kicks creep up from behind the aqueous pads and slow breaks of ULV's '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjclQfXjQCI" target="_blank">My Sofa Turns Into A Desert</a>'. The influence of Goa's trance heritage doesn't shy away as deep airy washes remain a near-constant part of the selections – before the mix slowly turns towards more zany and esoteric cuts for a final push for energy.</p> <p><strong>"This mix is an expedition into the realms of intricate polyrhythms and otherworldly frequencies. Abstract, textural, ravey and laced with psychedelia, this journey through space-time is accentuated by moments of atmospheric bliss and fast-paced, yet minimal, irrefutable grooves.” - Innerworld</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-232-innerworld%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-232-innerworld" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #232: Innerworld</a></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0844-innerworld.jpg', 'picture' => '0323-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Akshay Mathker aka Innerworld's Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20560-wild-city-232-innerworld', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20552', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19364', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-10 08:21:19', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-11 06:55:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '"The Atmosphere That We All Create Together": Jeff Mills On His Legacy, DJ-ing As Non-Verbal Storytelling & More', 'date' => '10/02/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => 'Far Out Left', 'content' => '<p>“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me on a week that started with the now-considered-dying <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo/" target="_blank">Pitchfork rating his 1996’s ‘Live at the Liquid Room, Tokyo’</a> a rare 10 out of 10, and would conclude with the producer, DJ, label-head and dance music legend performing <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20499-jeff-mills-dj-red-arjun-vagale-more-announced-for-far-out-left-mumbai-goa" target="_blank">in India for the first time</a>. “It’s for others more than myself.”</p> <p>The mix, found only as <a href="https://soundcloud.com/theclassicmixcdseries/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo" target="_blank">unofficial uploads</a> on the internet and described in the said review as “the Techno Bible, unequivocally The One”, is arguably the glorious peak of Mills’ early techno legacy. Leading up to it, he had pioneered a minimal form of the genre alongside Detroit-mate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hood" target="_blank">Robert Hood</a>, developed a loyal following through his residency at Berlin’s then-fledgeling <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tresor_(club)" target="_blank">Tresor</a> and redirected the course of techno from his native city of Detroit with the Parliament bassist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Banks_(musician)" target="_blank">‘Mad’ Mike Banks</a> as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Resistance" target="_blank">Underground Resistance</a>, nudging the genre towards grittier realms with the help of militant outfits and political messaging.</p> <p>Prioritising energy over pristineness, including the audience in the process of phasing kicks coming together, the mix blazes through selections – sometimes barely offering more than a glimpse of some. They become more of a connecting component, featured less for their standalone value and more for their role in a greater whole that is the DJ set.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uapn-mknXVU?si=z6XkRrpzv31cRQ4a" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The breakneck mixing style finds its roots in the earliest chapters of Mills’ story when he was known as ‘The Wizard’, championing Detroit's talent, passionately finding the freshest releases from hip-hop to industrial, and informing the local tastes through his radio mixes. As if the deitifying by thousands (maybe millions?) of dance music fans wasn’t enough, Mills' early legacy also figures in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVDzDy1yvo" target="_blank">Eminem’s verses</a> with the lines: “<em>discovered this DJ who was mixing, I say it to this day, if you ain't listened to the Wizard, you ain't have a fucking clue what you was missing”</em></p> <p>As radio slots shortened while championable music remained abundant, Mills started mixing and moving through the selections quickly to develop his fast approach on turntables and mixing desk. It was also at the radio where Jeff Mills the music-maker developed his conceptual style as he opted to edit tapes and stitch together library sounds in his shows to communicate on air instead of speaking. The increasing competitiveness between stations meant Mills had to distinguish his selections, bringing in drum machines and keyboards to layer over records or create bespoke passages earlier on the same day.</p> <p>Visceral rhythms of 909s would underline abstract emotive layers when he finally started releasing his productions. More than a beat to move to, there’d always be a story running underneath whether as the sweeping tones accompanying the incessant distorted kicks of ‘The Hacker’ from the seminal ‘<a href="https://youtu.be/OGQBdEAo9RM?si=T3ZVS7aZ2h-TgPHq&amp;t=1264" target="_blank">Waveform Transmission, Vol. 1</a>’ or the cinematic strings of ‘Utopia’ from ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppJPQ3xsKWI" target="_blank">Cycle 30</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/STpOak4iAJY?si=XAS1qJHIRyZKBhKW" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Decades later, after feats like re-scoring Fritz Lang’s silent film ‘Metropolis’, performing with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra and celebrating 50 years of the moon landing with NASA, Mills’ music continues to either look inward or to a distant future. 2023’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/jeff-mills-the-other-maria/" target="_blank">The Other Maria</a>’ is about the often-restrained and potentially chaotic part of us that deals in hard truths and raw unrestricted emotion, while 2019’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/moon-the-area-of-influence-cd-digital/" target="_blank">Moon: The Area of Influence</a>’ discusses the effects of the moon on our lives and culture. Three decades on, it’s still the same sounds of 909s and analog pads that mark the sonic palette of Mills but the results are even more abstract and less frequently reminiscent of shaking walls in a raving warehouse.</p> <p>“I developed a sense to understand sound in cluster arrangement more than ever. I also understand the barriers due to sectionalizing between genres are becoming less. That musicians could and want to play with each other more,” addresses Mills, talking about how his futurism and sci-fi-influenced work has changed as the technology and idea of the future itself have evolved. “I hear music differently now as a result of the way we communicate. Also, the amount of information we can engage with in such a short amount of time has had an effect.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eU-UsvYbIV0?si=T5bG0meirnNjJoGd" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Techno is not just for dancing, is the philosophy that Mills has been espousing over the years. “If you can dance to it, that's great, that's a bonus, but music should say something. It should be made in a manner with seriousness, and that would enlighten someone simply by listening to it,” he has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/gv34jj/the-man-from-tomorrow-an-interview-with-jeff-mills" target="_blank">told Vice</a> in the past. It is what also guides him as a label-head with his <a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/" target="_blank">Axis Records</a>. Initially a platform for Mills' own work (under his various guises), it has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic to platform talent from the world over including the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/18876-review-arjun-vagale-s-reflective-journey-into-outer-space-on-exit-fragments" target="_blank">debut album by India’s own</a> techno frontrunner <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3379-arjun-vagale" target="_blank">Arjun Vagale</a>. “Having strong visions about the future isn’t privy to any particular country or city so, it was just a matter of coincidence. In this respect, no place on Earth is distant or remote. We’re all quite close to one another as we occupy the small patch of this Planet’s landmass,” he tells me.</p> <p>Behind the decks, the story isn’t much different. Cuts from other techno pioneers like Kevin Saunderson, Robert Hood, Eddie Fowlkes and Phuture intercut with Mills’ original (often extremely fresh) bits and fresher talent with similar substance to their music. The focus continues to remain on overarching energy as much as the selections if not more so as the mixing can go from boldly sudden to so subtle you’d hardly notice.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cCpHiWwA2Rg?si=yGxCmMJkwj1adMlI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“DJ sets are generally for dancing, but also can be widened to be considered as a non-verbal story about ‘The Fantastic’, ‘The Amazing’ or depending [on] how clever the DJ is, even ‘The Unbelievable’”, he says, explaining how a successful set is about giving the audience a sensation that wasn’t there before. That sensation is where the self-expression figures in. “I play based on how I feel at that time and it’s got nothing to do with anyone else. On occasion, not even the audience because my mind is somewhere far away,” he says, echoing the explanation he gave for <a href="https://ra.co/features/3436" target="_blank">Resident Advisor’s The Art of Djing</a>, wherein he recalls sometimes using his set to describe what it might be like to approach a planet.</p> <p>Yet, amidst the abstract tapestry of his sets, there are unmistakable points of recognition, where the selection itself becomes a focal point. While Mills argues, “I tend not to watch others to compare myself so, I can’t really say how I match up. This isn’t how I was taught to play music,” I see Mills able to create moments that only a few DJ-producers who have reached a certain stage of popularity with specific work can create. A moment similar to a rock or pop act “playing their hit”. For Mills’, that hit is ‘The Bells’, the popular and highly effective minimal work most recognisable through its sequence of melodic call and response. “I've tried not playing it, and people were sad! [laughs] So I kinda just gave up,” he says in The Art of DJing, going on to say how the track is a turning point in the set and now signifies that he is completely ready at his stations to kick proceedings into another gear.</p> <p>Nevertheless, relying on hits isn't something easily associated with Mills. While he frequently performs at large-scale events (an easy and sometimes unnecessary prompt for derision from a chunk of the techno audience), much of his recent touring has been dedicated to a collaboration with tabla maestro Prabhu Eduoard and keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, extending the '<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/71W9z9hP84oB6zVmQdRrXW" target="_blank">Tomorrow Comes Harvest</a>' project initiated with afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1352-13-jeffmills-tomorrowcomestheharvest-170923-photographer-thomasecke-109256.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Jean-Phi Dary, Prabhu Eduoard &amp; Jeff Mills in Berlin || Photograph by Thomas Ecke</em></h5> <p>Instead of cashing on his status as a pioneering figure in techno, Mills continues to release a stream of new music that diverges starkly from his '90s output, even while operating within similar styles and using a familiar sonic palette. “I like the thought process of making something from nothing so, I really enjoy starting over again,” he adds.</p> <p>Techno is more than just for dancing remains a recurring theme in his work and a harder thing to sell. “Music is such a suggestive medium that it’s just not possible to measure people’s appreciation level,” he says. “At times in my past, I remember being congratulated but also advised to “give it up - it’s not going to work”, “I’ve lost it and should stop” and many other discouraging things. So, I can’t put much value into what people say or what they appreciate. Instead, I only have to rely on what I feel is right and guide myself from this.”<b> </b></p> <p>That internal guiding compass remains the constant. It’s the same whether it was at Tokyo’s Liquid room, blazing through selections with hard stops and phasing rhythms 3 decades ago; or in Mumbai and Goa for <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/10414-far-out-left" target="_blank">Far Out Left</a> this weekend – drawing from his more abstract cluster arrangements and talent he has sifted through for Axis Records after years of building a legacy that has inspired most in the lineup and an audience that might await ‘The Bells’. “We’re just in different places at different times, but the objective is all the same,” he says. “It’s not about me or them, but rather, it’s always been about “it”. The atmosphere that we all create together.”</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by <a href="http://instagram.com/atemporarymatter.in" target="_blank">Amaan Khan</a></em></p> <p><em>Photo by <a href="http://instagram.com/jacobkhrist" target="_blank">Jacob Khrist</a></em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '4823-jeff-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5147-jeff-mills-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me...'), 'href' => '/features/20552-the-atmosphere-that-we-all-create-together-jeff-mills-on-his-legacy-dj-ing-as-non-verbal-storytelling-more', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20494', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19309', 'createdDate' => '2024-01-03 11:21:10', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:15:29', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #231: Krithi', 'date' => '03/01/2024', 'artists' => 'Krithi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19636-krithi-continues-to-explore-south-asian-sounds-in-contemporary-dance-music-with-uyirudan" target="_blank">Krithi</a> reaches for rhythms and sounds from her native land and the like, they fit into the mould of dance music as if they've always been a natural part of it rather than (as it often is) a forced gimmick of limited yield. Her achievement seems to go further on her upcoming EP 'Coping Mechanism' as she finds the style a vessel of personal narratives, calling the release a "sonic exploration of how she communes with the shadows of depression".</p> <p>Both the released singles from the EP 'Suppress' and 'Medicate' demonstrate that within Krithi's Wild City mix which features a heavy dose of original unreleased work and glimpses of the record that drops on February 15.</p> <p>Introduced through 140BPM techno, the mix quickly shifts to and operates in and around bass and breaks. A peppy start moves into sombre moods as a slightly slowed down 'Heist Track' by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/501-malfnktion" target="_blank">MALFNKTION</a> staggers into Krithi's own work before a jubilant return with the standout moment of Yourboykiran's Bollywood flip 'Yamma Yamma'.</p> <p><strong>"This mix has some of my favourite Bandcamp Friday finds (both new and old) by friends, mentors and producers I love. I recorded it at 140 bpm and with no particular genre in mind—but only with the hope that the listener keeps movin’ from start to finish. It also features some of my unreleased tracks and a couple from my upcoming EP ‘Coping Mechanisms’, which drops on Feb 15th.” – Krithi </strong></p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-231-krithi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-231-krithi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #231: Krithi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Pozibelle - Wait<br /> Mera Bhai - Be This Way (Feat Private Joy) - Provhat Rahman Remix<br /> Jadalareign - Defect<br /> Malfnktion - Heist Track<br /> Krithi - Medicate<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Rodman - Falcata<br /> Despina - Trickle Down Baby<br /> PlayPlay - FYI<br /> Venïson Man - Jewelry (Frost Version)<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - Suppress<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Yourboykiran - Yamma Yamma<br /> Dyslecta - Annihilate<br /> Tony Quattro &amp; Siete Catorce - Qesem Cave</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7067-krithi.jpg', 'picture' => '8500-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer Krithi reaches for rhythms and sounds from her...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20494-wild-city-231-krithi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20488', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19303', 'createdDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun', 'date' => '16/12/2023', 'artists' => 'Kohra', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4465-magnetic-fields-festival" target="_blank">Magnetic Fields Festival</a> taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi producer, DJ and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a> co-founder Madhav Shorey aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/291-kohra" target="_blank">Kohra</a> and Thailand's globe-trotting polymath <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sunjuhargun/" target="_blank">Sunju Hargun</a> are revisiting their B2B set from last year. </p> <p>Performed at the Resident Advisor afterparty, a highlight for the dancefloor-dedicated with its music going from the late hours of the night to the earliest moments of the morning, the accumulated energy of the night and its transformation into the morning audible in the set. Acid's mind-bending textures give way to increasingly guttural techno, pulling heavily from its minimal repertoire. As the night sky begins to lighten, the emotions are guided by the wash of the pads for a more refreshing conclusion. </p> <p><strong>"A combination between records from the past, present, and future. Sonically enhancing the atmosphere with zero limitations to pushing boundaries of tempo and feeling" – Sunju Hargun</strong></p> <p><strong>"A really fulfilling experience taking a restrained and fluid direction for this one, at my favourite stage of the festival." – Kohra</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:<br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun</a> // <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/WildCity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun/" target="_blank">Head here for Mixcloud</a></p> <p><em>Image by Parikshit Deshpande for Magnetic Fields Festival 2022</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5451-mf-2022---ra---image-credit---parikshit-deshpande---3.jpeg', 'picture' => '6442-kohra-sunju.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With the Magnetic Fields Festival taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20488-wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20147', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18982', 'createdDate' => '2023-04-04 16:56:55', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-04-05 11:27:44', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'My First Release: Shantanu Pandit', 'date' => '05/04/2023', 'artists' => 'Shantanu Pandit', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.”</p> <p>It was optimism-inspiring to hear these words from <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18674-shantanu-pandit" target="_blank">Shantanu Pandit</a> on my 27th birthday as I sat cross-legged on the floor among the audience at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art to watch him bring his first tour promoting his album ‘Milk Teeth’ to a conclusion. The New Delhi singer-songwriter had spent the weeks prior travelling by road across the length of India in a bespoke caravan to share his music while pausing at each stop to not just give but take in a sense of the places he performed at.</p> <p>“I had been holed up on the mountains when we put out the album and Dhruv was like ‘Dude, you released an album. You can’t just sleep on it like that. Now you’ve got to come down and let’s take it on tour and celebrate it’”, he continued at the show before launching into chirpy <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/track/do-u-know" target="_blank">comforting melodies</a> that underpin lines like <em>“Put that bullet in my head // Shoot me dead // Put that bullet in my head // Get it over with”.</em></p> <h5><em><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1133-shantanu-pandit-bts-milk-teeth-tour--1.jpeg" /><br /> Shantanu in his bespoke caravan for 'Milk Teeth' tour in 2022 | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>Walking through melancholic reminiscing and processing sorrow over dreamy musicality and nostalgic lightness is what defines the 2021 album. The very dichotomic sophistication is what highlights how far his songwriting has come since his first official release, the EP <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/album/skunk-in-the-cellar" target="_blank">‘Skunk In The Cellar’</a> in 2014 – which, like ‘Milk Teeth’, was also an album born out of seeing a relationship heartbreakingly come to end. However, the natural propensity to just write and share music disconnected from the cycle of talking about it, promoting it and packaging it remains a common thread.</p> <p>“I didn't have that word in my vocabulary,” he says while pondering on the idea of “official release” at the start of his career. “I was very much naive to the whole idea of putting out music in a proper format, putting out a press statement and all that.”</p> <h5><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PHVvVHVQxZg" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2012 for Tehelka TV</em></h5> <p>Before ‘Skunk In The Cellar’, Shantanu had been frequently sharing raw performances on Youtube as soon as he recorded them. Whether it was a host at HIT 95FM giving him CD recordings of his appearance on the radio or the sound engineer at Blue Frog giving him the soundboard recordings from his performance, the then-teenager musician’s first instinct was to just put it on Youtube as soon as he got home. “I didn’t think that hard. For me, I just heard the songs back and immediately thought, ‘I want to share this with my friends. I want to share this with my family.’”</p> <p>That immediacy was shaken up and replaced by process when he was contacted by his soon-to-become long-term manager and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/12653-pagal-haina" target="_blank">Pagal Haina</a> head honcho Dhruv Singh to record the songs which were to become ‘Skunk In The Cellar’. “I was like: ‘Hey, so we've got the songs. Let's just put them out.’ And he said, ‘No. This is just the start. Now we need to plan the whole release.’ And I went, ‘What does that mean?’” The process meant Shantanu had to wait for artwork to be made, distribution to be aligned and press strategies put in place before the music and the artist could represent each other to the world.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/0851-shantanu-pandit-4-by-shiv-ahuja-2014.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2014 | Photograph by Shiv Ahuja</em></h5> <p>Even while he could see the sense in all the auxiliary activities, the waiting time struggled to sit well with a songwriter that developed his material and style with notable intensity. “One thing that has been recurring through my career so far, as a songwriter, is that generally, I move fast. If I'm sitting eight months from now, I would look back at my material and be like, ‘Man! I need to write a bunch of new shit because I don't want to play this old shit.’” Even the debut EP ‘Skunk In The Cellar’ felt like a reinvention for the songwriter who started as a 16-year-old playing largely Bob Dylan covers at open mics before quickly replacing them with fast and loud originals that he dubs as his first wave of songwriting.</p> <p>The instinct to move on quickly translated to Shantanu punctuating his career with jumps from one outlet to the next – most notably the group <a href="https://runitsthekid.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Run It’s The Kid</a> and his moniker Morning Mourning, which was partly formed as a subconscious reaction against the limitations imposed by formal and elaborate creation and release cycles to retreat back into the straightforward sincerity of an artist just exorcising his creative impulses.</p> <p>Even while concluding the first promotional tour around ‘Milk Teeth’ in 2022 at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Shantanu’s set was replete with new material ripe for another album. At the same time, littered with older material too and light-hearted addressal of his relationship with it all. Greater patience has seeped in with the artist who crafted ‘Milk Teeth’ after 4 years of writing.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5129-shantanu-pandit-bts--mt-tour.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu in 2022 for 'Milk Teeth' promotional tour | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>“I have recently been able to enjoy performing live after a long time,” he says after walking me through years that included getting disenchanted with the return from releasing music, riding across the country as an escape, diverging into educational degrees, losing the individual self in a long-term relationship and the hardships finding that self again – themes that he tackled on ‘Milk Teeth’ through reflecting back on memories of growing up.</p> <p>After more than a decade as an artist, the New Delhi artist has traversed a long and winding road till the multiple facets of his career are beginning to be at peace with one another. His declaration of touring ‘Milk Teeth’ as a highlight of life so far is a testament to that – further supported as he recently embarked on another one, this time across North-East India. While <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CqDU1ZGy8lA/" target="_blank">announcing</a> it, he remarks: “I didn’t want the last one to end when it did and I’ve been itching to get back on the road ever since.”</p> <p>Listen to 'Milk Teeth' below and head <a href="https://www.skillboxes.com/events/business/pagal-haina-presents-shantanu-pandit-the-east-india-tour" target="_blank">here</a> for tickets and dates of Shantanu's tour across North-East India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1889828902/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Milk Teeth by Shantanu Pandit</iframe></p> <p><em>Words by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Lead artwork designed by Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5402-mfr-shantanu-08.jpg', 'picture' => '7416-mfr-shantanu-05.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.” It was...'), 'href' => '/features/20147-my-first-release-shantanu-pandit', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20078', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18920', 'createdDate' => '2023-02-15 11:49:31', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-02-15 12:11:15', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '“There Was No choice But To Make Room”: Ruhail Qaisar On Centering The Spectres That Haunt Debut LP 'Fatima'', 'date' => '15/02/2023', 'artists' => 'Ruhail Qaisar', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/fatima" target="_blank">Fatima</a>' predates even its creator.</p> <p>Rooted firmly in geo-personal histories, the noise album which happens to be the artist’s debut full-length offering, showcases the full range of his leftfield explorations that began with an extensive catalogue of singles on his SoundCloud, followed by the '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/ltalam-ep" target="_blank">Ltalam EP</a>' in 2016 and<i> </i>the<i> '</i><a href="https://hkcr.live/shows/the-hounds-of-pamir-the-fires-of-bal-ashram-w-ruhail-qaisar-06-11-2020" target="_blank">Hounds of Pamir</a>'<i> </i>radio residency in 2020.</p> <p>At the heart of Ruhail’s practice, which ranges from sound creation to analog photography and experimental filmmaking, is an unwavering emphasis on identity and history.</p> <p>For the indigenous artist hailing from one of the most controversial and unforgiving terrains of South Asia, Ladakh and its people – particularly the Skyayongs Gogsum community – are often seen in Qaisar’s works as straddling the dichotomies of a traumatic past and uncertain future, suffering from what’s colloquially described as <i>perpetual stasis</i>.</p> <p>The 90s were a time of dramatic change, recalls Ruhail. From growing up in a two-room rented house “with 6 hours of electricity, no traffic, no telephones, to being swept by an accelerated existence with 3G smartphones,[...] an endless slew of terrible smartphone tourists,” the landscapes of his childhood had changed drastically soon after the turn of the century.</p> <p>Yet, nothing could have prepared him for the climate of death, decay, and disease that was to characterise his hometown over the last decade. When he returns this time, after having completed his education in Delhi, Qaisar finds a self-sustaining community now completely destabilised, “battling chronic diseases or had passed away, others moved away, rented their old houses out, some squabbled over land in courts for their newly constructed hotel projects….” It induced in him a state of dysphoria, disconnect, and exile, even when home.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <p>'Fatima', whose very title invokes the memory of a late grandaunt, rises out of this abscess, carrying over the leitmotifs and the “main characters” of Qaisar’s tight-knit Ladakhi community, from an intransitive loss-state towards posthumous life.</p> <p>In Qaisar’s own words, the album is a “hauntological compendium of personal tribute” to these people who occupied those bygone spaces and eras, but also to “the pan-Ladakhi identity”, and the strife and struggle of all “indigenous communities in the Himalayas that are all suffering at the hand of unplanned industrialization and urbanization along with military atrocities”. Incidentally, 'Fatima' hits the airwaves at a time of mass unrest in Leh, over demands for Ladakhi statehood and cultural preservation under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5127-02-fatimas-poplar.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-45c11ae8-7fff-7d0b-9dbf-242538d004b7">Home videos and photographs as relics of an irretrievable past and a close-knit community | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>The idea for the record had fallen into place quite unconsciously upon the artist’s return to Choglamsar, Leh, during the pandemic in 2020, and was born out of a strong desire to rid himself of the muscle memory of traditional compositions - “I dispossessed myself of my own voice and shredded it only to a few whispers.”</p> <p>As soon as the first COVID wave abated, Qaisar (stuck in Delhi during the lockdown) took off, carrying with him (he lists:) a university laptop on which he’d downloaded Moog apps, the cheapest Behringer sound card that he’d painstakingly saved up for, and a basic zoom field recorder he’d borrowed from a filmmaker friend. He documented everything: nightly hikes alongside the Indus, when he would go stargazing in Choglamsar with his younger brother and a neighbour; conversations with his granduncle, a Sino-Indian war veteran; stories of his uncle’s disappearance in 1989; the blitz of Indian military tanks during the recent Galwan valley incursion.</p> <p>These voices and tapes, scaffolded by power electronics, frame ‘Fatima’<i>, </i>creating a somewhat minimal and rather tactile musical performance.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/4817-03-hotel.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-b236a0b9-7fff-a8e7-eb72-44ca729b3032">The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti, Leh, stoic in the face of dereliction | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>A self-taught experimenter, Qaisar’s musical influences are a pastiche of works by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/6937-hemant-sk" target="_blank">Hemant SK</a>, heavier emissions by EXHUMATION, Einsturzende Neubauten and Maurizio Bianchi, South Asian experimenters Senyawa and Raavan Kommand, contemporaries like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3934-jamblu" target="_blank">Jamblu</a> (aka Kartik Pillai) and KMRU, even the early works of AR Rahman. For 'Fatima', he mostly turns inwards, mixing influences of folklore traditions with experimental music and drawing sonic styles and guideposts from Ladakhi processional, funeral and tribal hymns.</p> <p>The album masterfully orchestrates the dramatic highs and lows of sonic expression, borrowing heavily from the surrealist movement, oracle rituals and vernacular theatre tropes. It morphs into stretches of unsettling ambient static, injecting distorted field recordings with drones and silence into some cuts, and crystallising others with DIS FIG, Elvin Brandhi, and Iben KasJer’s “oracular dreamspeech.” Iben’s invocations on 'Fatima’s Poplar' in particular, reciting the vitriolic poetry of political writer Nick Land, not only sets the tone for the sensory experience that follows, but also invites us to reckon with Ladakh’s present “smog-laden loss-state” hollowed out by “the colourful promises of neoliberalism”.</p> <p>Composed of nine microstories,<i> '</i>Fatima' is replete with these spectres that “could no longer be ignored”, and with totems willed into serving as their placeholders. The poplar, for example, is a visual reminder of the titular grandaunt, whose cremation site is guarded by the fabled tree. 'The Fanged Poet' whose story bookends the album is similarly “a dispossessed spectre haunting the derelict sites of what was once home.”</p> <p>On 'Partition', one of the record’s more serene and lingering tracks, Qaisar encrypts yet another dimension to his interactions with history. It is part tribute and part requiem for the powerful legend of another ancestor, this time his great-grandmother, who had undertaken the perilous journey from Glgit to Leh in 1947, with four young children in tow. Just as a refugee’s journey interminably connects their home and their destination, the sonic layers on 'Partition' mutate harmoniously into a hazy mass, so that the sum of its parts is indistinct, indistinguishable, and never truly separate.</p> <p>In our email conversation, Qaisar talks about digitally restoring a series of home videos on VHS tape, describing them as “the last remaining phantasmic spectres that capture…the now long-gone characters and quotidian life of late 20th century Ladakh”. The fourth track, which originates from one of these videos documenting a relative Ramazan’s wedding, is his attempt to illuminate this lost memory with sound. (A visual from the video appears in the accompanying album booklet which holds other snapshots from the family archive and some of Ruhail’s own lens-based works).</p> <h5 style="margin-left: 80px;"><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5980-partition.png" /></h5> <h5 style="margin-left: 40px;"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-ad810fd4-7fff-9591-b68a-6b9c095a271b">Illuminating the generational trauma of partition with sound | Photo of Qaisar’s great-grandmother from accompanying album booklet</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>Recorded between Leh and Delhi, 'Fatima' also reinterprets the lexicon, exploring notions of the temporal, internal, and the inter-generational, that echo Qaisar’s experience growing up in a state that’s rapidly changing but not really improving, ravaged instead by the echoes of “old tragedies” and “present disasters”, wrought by late-capitalism, militarisation, and conservatism.</p> <p>In one of the record’s most foreboding tracks, where the deceitful calmness is quickly corroded by drones and garbling samples, Qaisar positions the abandoned hotels of Zangsti as the totems for “three different waves of tourism in Ladakh”. Qaisar recounts strolling past these structures during the pandemic, “[of] old hotels built between the 70's - 80’s that were once the pride and glory of locality, [were now] totally derelict. New upcoming properties [were] halfway constructed…or devoid of any staff or customers, windows covered in newspapers from 2003, collecting leaves, insects, and dust,” explaining the stasis left by the pandemic, when the tourism industry in Ladakh went anomalously cold-turkey for the first time in nearly fifty years, leaving the sustenance of his community in the lurch.</p> <p>Later in 'Painter Man', we’re placed in more intimate settings, with Ruhail’s attempt to connect listeners to the internal life of an artist, the fear of artistic failure and societal shaming in Ladakh, where creative endeavours are generally discouraged. There is a mention in the liner notes about musicians typically occupying the lowest rung of Ladakh’s social hierarchy, to the extent that the only two avenues to make a living, for Qaisar, were either in the “seasonal tourism industry or as a civil servant.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/7374-04.png" /><br /> <strong><i>“I wouldn’t change anything on the album…I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked” | Snapshot from accompanying album booklet</i></strong></h5> <p> </p> <p>Qaisar’s own politics are not divorced from the themes that emerge from his music. He works outside of binaries, untouched by the commodified logistics of indie music production and the demands of cultural logic, clout, or even the desire to be understood. “I frankly don’t care about that world…had no time to find comfort in its rot,” says Qaisar. “There was no choice but to make room.”</p> <p>Challenging and disorienting at first, Qaisar has sure-footedly carved his niche through a series of self-designed, self-taught steps, which has involved unlearning, transgressing disciplines and mediums of expression, discovering the liminal spaces where leftfield artists can unreservedly thrive. One of these spaces certainly was the HKCR residency where Qaisar put out 60-minute selections of compositions improvised and performed live on a Moog Model-D for the better part of a year. (In fact, earlier drafts of 'Namgang', 'Painter Man', and 'The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti' can be traced back to 'Hounds of Pamir' archives). It catapulted him to the international noise music “scene”, with a tour across Switzerland which allowed him to perform his new compositions before an intuitive audience, and later put him on Danse Noire’s radar.</p> <p>A record label founded by Swiss-Nepalese producer Aisha Devi, Danse Noire is presently on the frontlines of decolonising experimental music (which is still typically viewed through eurocentric lens) and on a mission to support noise’s barebones-DIY economy centred around self-releases and underground blogs, with a space where acts like Ruhail have access to the same resources and infrastructure as mainstream global music. For Qaisar, working with Danse was also rewarding because he never felt he had to compromise his vision for Fatima.</p> <p>Clocking in at about an hour<b>, '</b>Fatima', all said and done, is about an artist’s temerity to document his and his people’s histories, about resisting oblivion by preserving it in whatever form - image, text, sound. It is beyond immersion or abstention, an incredible evocation of space and intimacy in a way not normally considered possible for music to communicate.</p> <p>At the time of this interview, Qaisar was preparing for his debut at Berghain, where he performed shortly after, for the CTM Festival alongside DIS FIG. Unfazed by streaming figures, he reports being thrilled with the initial response to 'Fatima'. When asked about this journey and if he would have done anything differently, Qaisar politely declines, saying, “I see most aberrations as rewards, I welcome them, I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked.”</p> <p>“Only thing I can assure is that everything that was done on this album would not be repeated in the next.”</p> <h5>.</h5> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by Prarthana Mitra</em></p> <p><em>Image by Adnan Zayed</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0831-ruhail-qaisar.jpg', 'picture' => '2748-ruhail-qaisar-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s 'Fatima' predates even...'), 'href' => '/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '19908', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18761', 'createdDate' => '2022-09-28 13:52:52', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2022-10-13 14:38:19', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Spotlight: Akshat Nauriyal (Yesnomaybe, St+Art, Now Delhi, Awaaz)', 'date' => '13/10/2022', 'artists' => 'Teddy Boy Kill, Hoirong', 'business' => 'St+rt India Foundation', 'content' => '<p>Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined up on Mumbai’s nearly-150-years-old <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassoon_Docks" target="_blank">Sassoon dock</a>. They overlooked the hectic rhythms of the fish market below, wafting in concentrated doses of the smell that is part of almost everyone’s experience of the seaside city.</p> <p>In a population more used to having the faces of movie stars plastered across its streets and public spaces, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_tahska/?hl=en" target="_blank">Akshat Nauriyal</a>’s co-created (with Pranav Gohil) array of portraits on Sassoon Dock pushed back on it by giving the limelight to the docks’ primary community and Mumbai’s earliest settlers: the fisherfolk.</p> <p>“To be able to speak to people, learn about their communities, sensitise myself about their dynamics, and then be able to bring that into the project was the most important takeaway for me,” says the New Delhi artist of capturing and exhibiting those portraits in 2017 as a contribution to French artist JR’s global participatory art initiative ‘<a href="https://www.insideoutproject.net/en/explore/group-action/sassoon-dock" target="_blank">Inside Out</a>’. By making the fisherfolks the subject of the portraits, convincing them about the work, capturing their likeness with a pop-up photo studio and then plastering the stylised results across the space that they define, Nauriyal and his colleagues highlighted the predominant trinity of Koli, Hindu Maratha and Banjara communities.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/6396-inside-out.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Inside Out at Sassoon Dock</em></h5> <p>“To bring the voices of people that are usually not heard from, or stories that are left on the wayside by the mainstream – those define the projects that I am always interested in”, explains Nauriyal as the mandate that drove his effort at Sassoon dock and his wider body of work. That body of work includes co-founding St+art, the collective and platform now widely celebrated for galvanising the undercurrents of street art in India by transforming localities like New Delhi’s Lodhi Colony and Shahpur Jat and creating India’s largest as well as tallest murals; documentaries capturing the capital city’s underground sub-cultures; socio-political stance-charged Instagram filters that examined social media platforms as a space for activism; short films tracing music-driven activism in different countries; music acts ranging from Another Vertigo Rush and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3598-teddy-boy-kill" target="_blank">Teddy Boy Kill</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4660-hoirong" target="_blank">Hoirong</a> and <a href="https://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/music/2020/aug/07/akshat-nauriyal-on-his-solo-project-yesnomaybe-his-upcoming-ep-and-augmented-reality-as-a-performat-27115.html" target="_blank">Yesnomaybe</a>; and currently, an ongoing project that keeps <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irom_Chanu_Sharmila" target="_blank">Irom Sharmila</a> (famously known as the ‘Iron Lady Of Manipur’) at its centre while it inquires into the cost borne by the leader of a movement.</p> <p>Whether music, film, augmented reality or paint-based, the New Delhi artist’s efforts carry an easily notable sub-layer of activism, which has founds its necessity rooted as far back as he can remember.</p> <h3><b>Early Beginnings</b></h3> <p>Coming from a military background, Akshat was privy to the slow cogs of government offices which worked its way into disillusionment with the system around the time he developed his initial interests in arts and culture. He recalls sitting stunned listening to tracks by the likes Rage Against The Machine after downloading them off of Napster at the cusp of Indian households getting connected to the Internet and finding his thoughts make cohesion within the activist lyricism of the band and similar angsty associates.</p> <p>The result was a deep-seated formative ethos that leaned towards art that stands for change and of having ready access to it. An ethos which was held back from getting showcased, save for through the array of rock bands that he drummed for during his school and college, while he navigated through the most common education pathway of engineering degrees and college placements prescribed to middle-class Indian kids. Eventually and gradually course-correcting himself with a move towards filmmaking and work for NDTV’s ‘Almost Famous’, Akshat started venturing out on his own around 2007 and 2008.</p> <h3><b>Now Delhi</b></h3> <p>“Because of being involved with the music scene, I was involved with a whole bunch of creative people from across the spectrum. Art galleries and things usually have a specific kind of people coming to them, but I’ve found that music is quite open in terms of the kind of audience it draws,” says Akshat. “Through that experience, I started seeing this other side of Delhi which I hadn’t experienced before I met these performance artists, digital artists and all kinds of artists who were the same age as me and were trying to push the envelope.”</p> <p>Making these artists the focus of his first major venture as an independent filmmaker, Akshat, who often works under the pseudonym Tahska, established ‘Now Delhi’, a film studio now synonymous with a run of short documentaries it generated on the likes of street artists, B-boys, extreme metal groups and rap cyphers in the capital. “At that time, you could still say that there was this underground – an underbelly that Delhi had which nobody was talking about in the mainstream media,” he continues, expanding upon his comparison of a city to a living breathing thing defined by the people that it in turn influences. “‘Now Delhi’ delivered an exploration of that. It was an exploration of all the different kinds of subcultures that exist in the city, and also how the artists are responding to the city itself.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vlCt2ji7IFA" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The films exposed a running motif early on – one of prioritising the question. Akshat carries strong openings and convictions, but they remain held back when he is behind the artistic lens to allow for the audience to do their own thinking. The ‘Now Delhi’ film on Khirkee Extension, a collective effort of street artists to create art around the namesake South Delhi locality, presents the artists reflecting on the economic dichotomy of the neighbourhood and how it inspires their art. They retell how the kids kept engaging with the creation process of the murals before the documentary ends with the local elders frustratingly venting how they don’t get the purpose of this art and its messaging. The film invites the viewer to ponder over the significance of the street artists’ efforts and their relation to the residents of the locality.</p> <p>“It’s something that I’ve tried to carry forward with all my work,” explains Akshat. “It comes from being able to first understand what the people who actually I’m trying to talk about feel, rather than impose my preconceived idea of what they might want to talk about.” For all the films of ‘Now Delhi’, Akshat first became a part of the sub-cultures he was highlighting or a close associate before micing them up. A decade later, with his current subject being a national icon like Irom Sharmila, he is tagging along to observe her usual going-abouts to discover the narrative naturally instead of imposing it. “I’ve always been a fan of gonzo journalism, like Hunter S Thomson and his writing – in terms of just immersing yourself in a situation to truly tell the story.”</p> <h3><b>St+art</b></h3> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6NaQbBiSMsI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Being close to his subjects meant Akshat had become a close associate of the street community of India, having made them the focus of ‘Now Delhi’ multiple times. Sharing a studio with one of its proponents, Hanif Kureshi, he soon found himself teaming up with Arjun Bahl, Giulia Ambrogi and Thanish Thomas to create the five-piece team that would become the founders of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/startindiafoundation/">St+art</a>.</p> <p>“There was an initial conversation about doing a festival, which we did without having any idea that it [St+art] would become this behemoth of an organization,” Akshat recounts the early days of the organization with the festival bringing together the artists to Shahpur Jat and its founders being hands-on with everything from moving the ladders and bringing the paints to Nauriyal documenting the process. “It was a logical progression for ‘Now Delhi’ to transition to St+art India,” quips Akshat, noting how the documentaries took a backseat as the workload got higher and allowed him to honour his formative drives of making art accessible while exploring a city and the many narratives it homes.</p> <p>Within a few years, St+art became a go-to organization for cultural consulates and medium to big brands, creating local landmarks across the country and transforming neighbourhoods, especially in New Delhi and Mumbai. The former’s Lodhi Colony remains defined by the makeover given by the collective during its annual festival. It was the place where St+art was fully able to realize its early motivations of creating art that was available to all and integrated all – specifically, through participatory murals, singing workshops, painting workshops and the like. Yet as the organization became a brand in itself, the ship started to feel too big to steer into radical corners – which Akshat still longed to address.</p> <p>“The initial years of anything are the best. They're the most honest. They're the most genuine. They're the closest to the vision that you start with. As things get bigger, there comes a set of compromises that one has to start making. I think that's the nature of anything that becomes big after a point of time,” he concludes his around half-a-decade-long journey with the prominent street art collective.</p> <h3><b>Yesnomaybe, Augmented/Virtual Reality</b></h3> <p>As St+art began to fade out from his professional life, his other continuing artistic efforts began to appear more prominently in the limelight again. Adding another feather to the musical cap, Akshat debuted his solo moniker Yesnomaybe, an outlet where he brings together all the facets of his work as marries the retrofuturism of synth-rock with the futurism of interactive filters and augmented reality-driven films. The latter also becoming a device for Akshat to continue posing topical questions while creating work that stood for something.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3_dwP09Genk" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>2019 was a particularly politically-charged year for India: BJP, the country’s right-wing majoritarian government, was re-elected to power with a higher parliamentary presence; it used it to abrogate Kashmir’s special status; and introduced the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act which faced nationwide protests that were met with controversial police violence. With augmented reality, Akshat offered tried to offer a response for all of it: a filter fashioned after prime minister Narendra Modi that let out the word “lie” every time you open your mouth, headers stating stances on Kashmir and CAA, and, for the following year’s state elections in Delhi, an interactive quiz where you can nod or shake your head based on who you’re voting for.</p> <p>“I felt social media platforms are almost like the new town halls where people are coming and discussing things. It was an interesting space to explore to try and also see if I could create work that could help on ground movements and also get people involved more than just changing a display picture,” says Akshat. “It was honestly a social experiment.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:16px;"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Akshat Nauriyal (@_tahska)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script> <p>Within days, around a million people saw the multiple of the filters. The mode of activism was talked about by the likes of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/1/29/meet-the-artists-resisting-indias-new-citizenship-law">Al Jazeera</a>, attracting loud pro-government commentators to Akshat’s profile alongside concern for safety by well-wishers. The work definitely rattled a few minds and sparked newer questions in Akshat’s own. “I started a conversation about what use it actually played in society. On my Instagram Stories, I asked people the question, whether they thought that it was just armchair activism or whether it actually led to any kind of change,” he remarks. Alongside equal amounts of opposing viewpoints, the “social (media) experiment” also saw its second phase as the platforms began, in most cases, a silent clampdown on politically-charged use of its platform. The traction for the filters and their related posts began to go down and, as is currently being highlighted in courts, the platforms themselves had to cater to clampdowns by the government. “It was also quite disillusioning, because the same platforms, which are supposed to be platforms for free speech are the ones that ended up censoring you,” reports Akshat.</p> <h3><b>Awaaz</b></h3> <p>With censoring becoming more and more obvious and Instagram itself pivoting from a creator-friendly platform, Akshat moved his exploration into creating meaningful work and examining the modes for it to other outlets: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHAWPwVJC2w/" target="_blank">installations</a>, talks and, coming a full circle, to films again. As part of Goethe-Institut’s ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19288-m-a-p-a-m-p-highlights-performances-stories-of-musicians-with-a-cause-including-ahmer-sheetal-sathe-more" target="_blank">M.A.P // A.M.P</a>’, the filmmaker created a series of documentaries entitled <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19524-awaaz-akshat-nauriyal-creates-documentary-films-on-protest-music-histories-of-india-pakistan-sri-lanka-iran">‘Awaaz’</a>, turning the lens yet again to underrepresented artistic voices. Handpicking with the help of research and local social networks, ‘Awaaz’ highlighted politically outspoken artists from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Iran to look at the history of protests from these countries.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ml2iV7BfkLE" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“Anytime you go on Twitter, somebody is getting boycotted. We’re living in an age of outrage,” says Akshat, noting how any political discourse is getting mudied up online by internet trolls while a work of activist nature doesn’t get platformed enough outside it. Allaying that, ‘Awaaz’ unearthed the nature of dissent specific to each country – whether it was about signalling the erosion of administrative infrastructures and economy in Sri Lanka, which erupted within weeks of the film getting released, or the difficulty in finding a voice that can publicly speak against the powers that be in a country like Iran. “There was a responsibility that I had on my end which was to ensure that I don’t put out content that can eventually lead to trouble for them [the artists],” continues Akshat. “Which is why I did in a way where we were actually chronicling the past protest movements to give context of where the country is right now, rather than attack any of the present figures.”</p> <p>Even with the varying specifics, much like M.A.P // A.M.P’s crowdsourced repository of protest music, ‘Awaaz’ brought out the parallels between artistic activism around the world, signalling a unification of voices and the possibility of shared empathy. According to Akshat: “[The films] platform these movements in a way so that other people in other parts of the world can see that we’re all pretty similar and that there is merit to creating work like this.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/2386-irom-5.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Irom Sharmila with family by Akshat Nauriyal</em></h5> <p>“I feel a cycle has finished and a new cycle is beginning,” he adds as we agree on how the films on national sub-cultures with ‘Awaaz’ feel like coming a full circle in light of how films on Delhi’s sub-cultures with ‘Now Delhi’ kicked things off. Since finishing ‘Awaaz’, two of the countries Akshat turned his lens to have been taken over by protests, which have emerged out of the shadows to engulf the streets, at times, fulfilling predictions touched upon in the films. Meanwhile, Akshat has moved on to creating the new chapter for Yesnomaybe and shadowing Irom Sharmila, not just documenting the cost her struggle for fairer civil rights has demanded but also building a multi-faceted reflection of her poetry and personality. For the New Delhi creative, the parallels and narratives to be unearthed by his personal artistic vision continue to draw him to the margins.</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Word by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Profile image by Akshat Nauriyal</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5133-akshat-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5937-akshat-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined...'), 'href' => '/features/19908-spotlight-akshat-nauriyal-yesnomaybe-st-art-now-delhi-awaaz', 'key' => 'features')), 'repo' => 'https://repo.thewildcity.com/', 'host' => 'https://www.thewildcity.com', 'page' => null, 'bannerhead' => array(), 'bannertop' => array(), 'bannermid' => array(array('label' => 'Mailing List', 'url' => 'https://thewildcity.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=3fbebf9eadf7433315c051d4e&id=e053aa3ae5', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column middle', 'image' => '3413-signup.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'bannerlow' => array(array('label' => 'follow us on instagram', 'url' => 'https://www.instagram.com/thewildcity/', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column bottom', 'image' => '2532-followus.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'app' => object(Application)), array('meta' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_meta'), 'title' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37), 'block_title'), 'banner' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_banner'), 'main' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37), 'block_main'), 'body' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_body'), 'aside' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_aside'), 'asidehigh' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_asidehigh'), 'asidelow' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_asidelow'), 'javascripts' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_javascripts'), 'stylesheets' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_bc25de0682e7ff0af9f69054a88cad9ec3dd32803c537dd332fc73a4f40b0b10), 'block_stylesheets'))) in Template.php line 403
  7. at Twig_Template->display(array('pages' => array(array('id' => '385', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '310', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:36:32', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2020-12-28 13:16:03', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'About', 'content' => '<p>Wild City was established as an online music magazine and community platform in 2011. It has since grown to become an events company (hosting a variety of musical showcases, events and the annual Magnetic Fields Festival), cultural PR agency (City Press launched in 2015), consultants for brands engaging with contemporary music culture in India (partners include Boiler Room, Resident Advisor, Red Bull, Jameson, Bira 91, Puma, Social Offline, Bumble, Ray-Ban, Budweiser, British Council amongst others), and executors of regional cultural programs across South Asia.</p> <p>Dedicated to spotlighting the latest in alternative culture and music from India and South Asia, Wild City’s inception filled a much-needed gap in the Indian music space.<br /> <br /> A year after its establishment, Wild City partnered with Gerriet Schultz (founder of iconic Berlin club VMF) and the Goethe-Institut to create Border Movement, an online platform and series of events, workshops and residencies that promote interaction between grass roots electronic music communities in South Asia and Germany.<br /> <br /> In 2013, Wild City co-founded the first-ever Magnetic Fields, arguably India’s most popular boutique music festival. Taking place in Alsisar Mahal, Rajasthan, Magnetic Fields has been included in the ‘50 Best Music Festivals in the World’ by Time Out Magazine. It has also been lauded by Resident Advisor, New York Times and other notable publications.<br /> <br /> In 2016, Wild City further went on to win an award for 'Best Promoter in India' and co-curated the music stream of The Coalition.<br /> <br /> Wild City is the voice for alternative music in the region. Whether showcasing local or international sounds, the company constantly thrives to challenge and develop the independent cultural space and its audience.<br /> <br /> <strong>Contact Us:</strong><br /> <br /> Promos | Music Submissions: music@thewildcity.com<br /> Listings | News | Features: amaan@thewildcity.com<br /> Press | PR: ruhi@thewildcity.com<br /> Commercial | Ads | Partnerships: munbir@thewildcity.com<br /> Recruitment | Hotdesking: info@thewildcity.com<br /> Inquiries | General: info@thewildcity.com</p> ', 'slug' => 'about', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => '')), array('id' => '386', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '311', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:51:38', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2018-04-19 06:50:04', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Advertising', 'content' => '<p><sub>To advertise with Wild City please contact press@thewildcity.com. For partnerships please speak to munbir@thewildcity.com.</sub></p> ', 'slug' => 'advertising', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => ''))), 'feed' => array(array('id' => '20610', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19421', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-15 12:43:44', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-15 15:50:09', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '2023 In Review', 'date' => '15/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Vinayak^a, Komorebi, Sandunes, Dreamhour, Tarun Balani, Ruhail Qaisar, Rafiki, Ditty, Lush Lata, Mali, Oblique, Bulli Bainbridge, Merak, Dhanji', 'business' => 'Dynamite Disco Club', 'content' => '<p>2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of its predecessor and no change of digit has ever put a break on the continuity of trends, talent or conflict.</p> <p>The exercise of shedding light upon the developments in alternative music in the Indian subcontinent in a particular year and highlighting what we predict will ripple forward doesn’t just help people reflect on what has been and catch up on things they might have missed or overlooked. It also has proven to signal the upcoming prominence of budding artists.</p> <p>For instance, from our <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20037-2022-in-review" target="_blank">2022’s reflection</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chaardiwaari/" target="_blank">Chaar Diwaari</a> has since released on Def Jam India and collaborated with Yo Yo Honey Singh and all 3 of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11700-noni-mouse" target="_blank">Noni-mouse</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7080-kiss-nuka" target="_blank">Kiss Nuka</a> made their Boiler Room debuts with the latter two also doing prominent shows in UK and Berlin respectively.</p> <p>Eitherway, we find it worth pausing to take in what we witnessed in 2023 – a year, that wasn’t the first period out of the pandemic but the one where the visions, growth and ideas developed on an individual level during the pandemic were exercised and showcased to its fullest.</p> <p>See what that looked like by focusing on handpicked artists and their work in the past year below:</p> <h3><b>Vinayak^a</b></h3> <p>A long-standing figure of Indian dancefloors, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/129-vinayak-a" target="_blank">Vinayak^a</a> would have defined 2023 in alternative music space just through the sheer quantity of his releases alone. While things had been sporadic on the release front in the nearly two decades-worth of career for the Chennai-based DJ-producer, 2023 was filled with a drop after another. Out of them, ‘Andar Bandar’, Vinayak^a’s second-ever solo LP looms large. Layers from electronic to sampled organic collide to create rich atmospheric tapestries while Vinayak^a shows how spoken word samples can be used to add to the textures rather than as devices to spoonfeed a message and emotion.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2587720108/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Andar Bandar by vinayak^a</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sandunes</b></h3> <p>Almost every year is filled with some commendable work by this electronica frontrunner but 2023 stands out for Sanaya Ardeshir aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/301-sandunes" target="_blank">Sandunes</a> through her most ambitious release to date: the album ‘The Ground Beneath Her Feat'. The 13-track release combines all the aspects Sandunes has become known for: the meticulously layered synth layers, syncopating grooves and experimentations with guest vocalists. She dials it all up another notch with the sweetness of woodwinds. The result is a work of electronica that’s in parts at par in its reflective emotionality with the best of any year or region. I recommend going in with ‘Tsunami’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3390681302/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Sandunes</iframe></p> <h3><b>Komorebi</b></h3> <p>If we are talking ambition, Tarana Marwah aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/177-komorebi" target="_blank">Komorebi</a>’s album ‘The Fall’ isn’t just one of the most ambitious works of 2023 but of any year so far for India’s indie music. Released with a comic, music videos, tying lore and scores of collaborations within it, the multi-tiered album goes back and forth between being an electropop effort and a progressive structured work suitable for a musical with its dramatic shifts between ideas.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QxmEUt3fVfk?si=1TE4A17yNNsq6Qw3" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Mali</b></h3> <p>In the case of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17335-mali" target="_blank">Mali</a>, it’s been about focusing on the basics. There were no added frills, just an album i.e. ‘Semi Automatic Butane’, music videos to help present it and a busy tour to support it. Within those basics, the Mumbai artist tightened her songwriting to indie-pop perfection and offered it with economically picked ideas. For a listener of the style, the album is destined to achieve that rarer-than-expected feat among independent releases, which is, to be part of people’s playlists beyond its promotional cycle.</p> <p>That itself is enough and yet, the singer-songwriter enjoyed another breakout success with her efforts in Tamil music with the worth checking out ‘<a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=n7_tASChbw4" target="_blank">Anniku Raatri</a>’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=969156237/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Semi Automatic Butane by Mali</iframe></p> <h3><b>Dhanji</b></h3> <p>After a long buildup to it, Gujrat’s rap artist <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20330-dhanji" target="_blank">Dhanji</a> released his <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20328-dhanji-releases-his-earnestly-awaited-debut-album-ruab" target="_blank">debut album ‘Ruab’</a> and the whirring repetitions of the title have been echoing in our brains ever since. The 11-track release brings in elements from funk, rock and even electronica but without compromising on the qualities of hip-hop as meticulously written verses flow through a dramatic progression of ideas. The album, supported via live performances throughout the year, is an instance where the ambitiousness is purely musical and demonstrates the kind of risk-taking that hasn’t been seen in Indian hip-hop for a while.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1663662427&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Dhanji">Dhanji</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic/sets/ruab-1" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="RUAB">RUAB</a></div> <h3><b>Kinari / Finsta</b></h3> <p>Another occasion of something fresh dropping in the space of hip-hop came through the New Delhi artist formerly known as Finsta with their EP ‘QUEERBOPS’. Not just due to the still rare instance of queer narratives finding a space in the genre, but rather for the merit that Finsta deals with both hip-hop and themes around queerness with a distinctly and naturally fitting Indian flavour. Though the artist has since reinvented themself as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kinaripurrs/" target="_blank">Kinari</a> with already an album entitled ‘KATTAR KINNAR’ in the pipeline, the strong statements over the added delight of an experimental edge of the 6-track release still manages to move the body and shake the brain.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2fvC5Y9lS5Y34t6GdPAovG?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Dot.</b></h3> <p>While her involvement in the lead cast of ‘The Archies’, Bollywood’s most-talked-about movie of 2023, looms larger than anything for most, it was a good year for people who know Aditi Saigal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20131-dot" target="_blank">Dot.</a> as a musician first. Alongside inviting the audience to witness her growth as a live performer over the year, the singer-songwriter ended the period with a collection of recordings from her practice room as an album entitled ‘Practice Rooms’, which even kicks off with her most popular raw take of ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’. At the same time, the year saw her at her most polished with the soft pop of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20135-dot-begins-to-find-a-new-voice-with-indigo" target="_blank">Indigo</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u0OG7rjgqxc?si=TfyMy6H5EhmXkcaB" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Long Distances</b></h3> <p>A product of remote collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11187-aarifah-rebello">Aarifah Rebello</a>, Apurv Agrawal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/456-cowboy-and-sailor-man">Cowboy &amp; Sailor Man</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zubinski/">Zubin Pastakia</a>’s combined effort <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20375-long-distances" target="_blank">Long Distances</a> has outlasted the shadows of the pandemic, outliving most other projects born in that period. In 2023, the trio started unfolding singles that would lead up to the EP ‘How the Mighty Will Fall’ and through live performances, solidified their name among the newest generation of indie live groups of India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=3217313286/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Delicate Surrender by Long Distances</iframe></p> <h3><b>Excise Department</b></h3> <p>2023 was also the year New Delhi got to familiarise itself better with their new alternative hip-hop heads <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20177-excise-dept-take-a-dig-at-the-absurdity-in-present-day-religious-figures-on-baaro-maala" target="_blank">Excise Department</a> – which always remains tricky for an act that likes to stay anonymous and operate in English, Bengali and Punjabi. Alongside their debut live show and several others since, the group released 3 defining singles, namely ‘Baaro Maala’, ‘Birhada’ and ‘Billo’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oq_Qql2yu78?si=sc-JTcSKJNmKbyyf" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Yuhina</b></h3> <p>While talking of acts we got to familiarise ourselves with in 2023, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yuhinalachungpa/?hl=en" target="_blank">Yuhina Lachungpa</a> is an easy mention for her debut EP at the tail-end of the year. After years of having just the occasional collaboration and self-released work, the Bangalore-based Sikkim-rooted artist combined Buddhist chants and equally meditative lyricism about self with electropop production on the 5-track EP ‘Mnemonic’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4076191914/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">MNEMONIC by Yuhina</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bengal Chemicals</b></h3> <p>Even with the occasional emerging and new acts, it still felt like the alternative music space of the region had a decline in fresh talent and fresher growth. That story seemed completely different in leftfield genres like noise and ambient. Pritam Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bengal.chemicals/?hl=en" target="_blank">Bengal Chemicals</a> emerged as a good representative of the renaissance that seems to be emerging in Kolkata in these genres. While there is no shortage of recommendable works (shoutout to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20316-harmonium-ambient-torture-form-the-basis-of-nilotpal-das-aka-bios-contrast-s-harmonium-i">Nilotpal Das’ ‘Harmonium I’</a>), Bengal Chemicals’ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20186-bengal-chemicals-channels-deteriorating-cityscapes-on-sophomore-ep-via-biswa-bangla-noise">sophomore EP ‘তা​র​ক’</a> is the best way into unravelling the leftfield undercurrents that hopefully will get their rightful place in the discourse and industry around alternative music.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2291060274/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">তারক by Bengal Chemicals</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ruhail</b></h3> <p>Whether the spotlight is on noise or not, Ladakh's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4979-ruhail-qaisar" target="_blank">Ruhail Qaisar</a>’s album <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima" target="_blank">‘Fatima’ is one of the strongest albums of the year</a>. A most uncompromising and unflinching take on identity and personal history, Ruhail’s debut album, released via Danse Noir, is both about self and the world he comes from – its people, its transformations and tragedies. A layered work that uncovers meanings the more you dig into it and learn about its references and elements, ‘Fatima’ is a testament to the merit of being free from expectations and believing in one’s own artistic impulses – a quality that has also taken the artist to stages <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CttObMvoVIh/" target="_blank">across the EU</a> including Berlin's famed Berghain for the CTM festival.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <h3><b>Philtersoup</b></h3> <p>Sanjay Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/philtersoupmusic/?hl=en" target="_blank">Philtersoup</a> has been present in the undercurrents of India’s alternative music for a while but the Mumbai-based producer-composer found greater agency in 2023. Besides experimental A/V shows in art studios and synth jams, Das performed alongside <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20068-karshni" target="_blank">Karshni Nair</a> and released the collaborative single ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20263-karshni-philtersoup-release-collaborative-single-long-gone" target="_blank">Long Gone</a>’. Parallely, he served as a music supervisor on the OTT-release ‘Rainbow Rishta’, helping cross over more of India’s independent music to the OTT-media audience.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=4239800201/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Long Gone by philterSoup x Karshni</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sourya Sen</b></h3> <p>Operating in close proximity and joining in on the aforementioned synth jams with Philtersoup, Sourya Sen (also known as <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17413-oblique" target="_blank">Oblique</a>) has not only been a longstanding presence as a live visual artist for some leading independent artists but has also been one of the most evocative abstractionists within the modular synth space. The claim is no less potent when paired with his 11-track memoir of the places he has lived entitled ‘In The Cities’. Top that with his input at the earliest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkyBRg9A6EA" target="_blank">A/V show</a> at one of Mumbai’s newest (certainly one of its most heavily discussed in recent memory) spaces i.e. the <a href="https://nmacc.com/" target="_blank">NMACC</a>, and the Mumbai-based artist’s creative footprint is as relevant as it is subtle within the portrait of 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2242427289/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">In the Cities by Sourya Sen</iframe></p> <h3><b>I7HVN</b></h3> <p>It was a year of growth for Safar collective co-founder <a href="https://www.instagram.com/i7hvn/?hl=en" target="_blank">I7HVN</a>, who stepped beyond his IDM and trip-hop experiments for two long-form releases that showcased moments of self-realisation and a comfortable embrace of his styles. After the abstract atmospheres of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a>-released ‘Youthful’, Bangalore producer put out a broken beat techno EP ‘Anodyne’ at the end of the year. His best moments emerge within the restrained ambience of ‘Youthful’s closer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20252-first-look-i7hvn-sanoli-chowdhury-collaborate-on-imaginary-love">‘Imaginary Love’, which features Sanoli Chowdhury</a>, and the opening title track of ‘Anodyne’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=514984918/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Youthful by I7HVN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Merak</b></h3> <p>While the Goan sibling duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20296-merak" target="_blank">Merak</a> isn’t the first to bring jazz into electronica, there is a balanced tastefulness in their work which gets rendered even more potent in the hands of seasoned acts like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a> and in the shared prowess of collaborators like Shreyas Iyenger – both of whom appeared on the duo’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20300-dreampop-electronica-jazz-mix-on-merak-s-manic-mode" target="_blank">EP ‘Manic Mode’</a>. Besides the appreciable release, Merak frequently became part of the festival lineups around the year to leave a lasting imprint on Indian alternative music’s 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=553102807/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 274px;">Manic Mode EP by Merak</iframe></p> <h3><b>Seasonal Affected Beats</b></h3> <p>It’s hard to think of an artist who has seemed harder working in 2023 than New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4958-tarun-balani" target="_blank">Tarun Balani</a>. The multi-instrumentalist, educator and composer kicked off the year by touring his A/V show ‘2°’ with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/16948-spotlight-parizad-d" target="_blank">Parizad D</a> as Seasonal Affected Beats and filled the year treading the line between meticulous and intuitive through the music from his album ‘Where the Ice Meets the Water’. Add to that another tour in support of the album and two singles focusing on his more jazz-centric work with the Dhamma Collective, and it’s been undoubtedly big 12 months for Tarun Balani.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1503216166/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Where the Ice Meets the Water by Seasonal Affected Beats, Tarun Balani</iframe></p> <h3><b>Debo Sanyal / Dokodoko </b></h3> <p>Is it a cliché to call something ‘underrated’ at this point? If it is, then it’s unfitting of me to use a cliché for someone who usually offers anything but that. Siliguri’s Deno Sanyal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4501-dreamhour" target="_blank">Dreamhour</a> has been dropping quality music full of humour, underexplored styles and singular quirk for years now. More recently, it has found a partner with the complimentary irreverence and straightfaced attitude (which translates sonically as well) of Dr. Kritika as the duo releases music as Dokodoko – <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20419-dokodoko-release-grunge-infused-hindi-electropop-with-shor" target="_blank">gracing 2023 with a foray into Hindi electropop</a>. For more puristical Dreamhour synth bops, the album ‘Now That We Are’ is as punchy as it comes alongside proving that there are still grounds to explore and fun to be had with synthwave.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3930647123/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Now That We Are Here by Dreamhour</iframe></p> <h3><b>Warehouse Mix</b></h3> <p><a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Warehouse Mix</a> is the latest (and increasingly rare) case of a bunch of young creatives coming together not for the primary purpose of making a quick profit but rather to create something “cool” or something that they believe in. In this case the belief is around the original ethos of house music and its ability to provide spaces for diverse expression. While the collective has been budding over the years, 2023 saw them break their immediate bubbles to create bigger impacts, hosting their flagship <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Anticlub</a> parties, live percussion dances and vinyl-only sessions at the city outskirts.</p> <h3><b>Dynamite Disco Club</b></h3> <p>Another collective based near house music (and several other adjacent styles) but more defined by its experienced members, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/18599-dynamite-disco-club" target="_blank">Dynamite Disco Club</a> has been one of our year-defining acts in the past – the year it announced that it would function as a label as well. But this year, DDC embodies the idea that 2023 was the period all the visions developed during the COVID-19 pandemic about life after it were fully realised (as much as they will ever likely be). Besides a string of its parties throughout the year and having a space at almost every notable music festival in the country, the label realised releases from not just its well-known members like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/5027-stalvart-john" target="_blank">Stalvart John</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3929-hamza" target="_blank">Hamza Rahimtula</a>, but also newer talents like ISHXN and even bigger list of foreign acts. On top of importing off-shore acts to its label, the collective also took its domestic talent reach out to shores beyond with Stalvart John touring through parts of South and East Asia.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=2610448964/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Disco Disco, Good Good (Original mix) by ISHXN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Lush Lata</b></h3> <p>It was a big year for New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>, who reached a milestone in her ascent as a DJ with a set at dance music mecca Berlin’s The Berghain early in the year as part of CTM Festival. Since then the stripes have kept attaching in the form of live sets for the likes of HÖR, Rinse and Kiosk Radio, and, constantly, the Indian dancefloors.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1464837649&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Rafiki</b></h3> <p>Through his work as a longstanding promoter and DJ, Sohail Arora aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7552-rafiki" target="_blank">Rafiki</a> has maintained his relevance for a while. This year, however, there was heightened emphasis on his musical output in the form of two EPs: first in the form of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20144-rafiki-gives-retro-sounds-a-modern-edge-on-the-source" target="_blank">The Source</a>’ and then ‘New Shifts’. Surrounding it, the Mumbai-based music industry professional delivered notable mixes, joined his curation for Boiler Room, and toured through Europe, Sri Lanka and clubs across India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=141835852/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">New Shifts by Rafiki</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ditty</b></h3> <p>2023 also was the year of the return of Aditi Veena aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/12649-ditty" target="_blank">Ditty</a>. Though the singer-songwriter was hardly gone, having toured in the latter half of 2022 and releasing music as part of the group Faraway Friends before that, this year saw her put out her <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20452-exclusive-first-listen-ditty-offers-a-distinct-approach-to-indie-pop-with-single-hold-me-from-the-ep-skin" target="_blank">first solo release in 4 years</a> – during which she battled a major illness, got married and partly relocated to Berlin. The trickle of releases started with a collaborative track with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8232-jordan-johnson" target="_blank">Jordan Johnson</a> (another artist who put out standout work in 2023) and followed into the rollout of her own EP ‘Skin’ with live dates punctuating the process.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=966494420/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Hold Me by DITTY</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bulli Bainbridge</b></h3> <p>If you’re an avid listener of indie music and yet don’t know who Zain Calcuttawala is, it’s still likely you have unknowingly enjoyed his contributions. Besides his past as a gig programmer, the multi-faceted talent has been hosting podcasts on mental health and more popularly producing for everyone from Bhrighu Sahni and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19113-second-sight" target="_blank">Second Sight</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18207-raghav-meattle" target="_blank">Raghav Meattle</a>. His work with his moniker <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18024-bulli-bainbridge" target="_blank">Bulli Bainbridge</a> has been no less versatile. He kicked off the year with an album entitled ‘Seasons’ that saw contributions from the likes of Ankit Dayal, BobKat, and Bombay Dub Orchestra and followed it with a collaborative hip-hop single ‘One Me’. Since then, the producer, engineer and composer has been reimagining some of the most popular recent indie hits – cue an orchestral version of Bloodywood, a lo-fi cut of Raghav Meattle’s ‘City Life’ and a swing-era take of Dot’s ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5ZULHCsrfC91weo5SUtENC?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words: Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Image Design: Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9199-2022-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '4028-2023-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of...'), 'href' => '/features/20610-2023-in-review', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20609', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19420', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-14 12:37:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-14 12:45:06', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #234: Hammer', 'date' => '14/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>A member of the <a href="http://www.feelmybicep.com/" target="_blank">Feel My Bicep</a> crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go on to form the duo Bicep), Rory Hamilton aka <a href="https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/hammer" target="_blank">Hammer</a> isn't just someone who has a sense for discovering interesting electronica works. After decades of hosting parties in Glasgow and later London, as well as spinning records the world over, the Belfast-born talent knows how to stitch together those records to create moments of passionate revelry.</p> <p>India has bore witness to that skill multiple times at this point as Hamilton returned to the country earlier this year <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/11647-london-based-dj-producer-hammer-announces-show-in-delhi" target="_blank">after half a decade</a>, adding dates in Goa and Kolkata alongside Delhi and Mumbai before jetting off to Sri Lanka for further performances with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for an 8-show tour of India and Sri Lanka. He recorded a mix for Wild City in Sri Lanka at the end of his tour to look back at his time in the region, which also included signing on Kolkata's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7818-8-bit-culprit" target="_blank">8-bit culprit</a> – the second artist from India to work with the label after New Delhi Anhad Khanna aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19691-sublime-sound-releases-club-ready-ep-that-love-affair-through-hammer-s-remmah-records" target="_blank">Sublime Sound</a>.</p> <p>"From the first ever gig I played in Auro in New Delhi, I learnt that the dance floor in India is special in that the sense of excitement is genuinely palpable. Taking risks pays off," says Hamilton. "I’ve also learnt that like every country, each city is different and you need to be ready to fit into it."</p> <p>Consequently, while often operating close to house, disco and some techno, how Hammer uses a particular style can vary. Recorded at The Luna Terrace of Galle's Closenburg Hotel, the HQ of Tropical Wax, the Wild City mix goes from an unreleased remix of Syreeta Wright's chants on 'Shanti', to the disco-inspired Baldo Remix of Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami's 'Sugar Snap'. Testifying Hammer's abilities to create notable moments in his sets, the mix offers several instances – from the melody-led energy of Two Mamarrachos to the respite of the laidback chords of Madvilla's 'Galactic Banana'. The best, however, is the house-meets-pop euphoria that comes almost as a cinematic euphoric climax to the mix with an unreleased track featuring the voice of Lili Chan.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehammerhits/" target="_blank">Hammer</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-234-hammer%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-234-hammer" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #234: Hammer</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Suricata - Algo Para La Fiesta (Alma &amp; Mater Dub)<br /> Syreeta - Shanti (Hammer Remix) [He She They]<br /> Two Mamarrachos - Let's Find Another After [Nein]<br /> Calystarr - Heartdown (Tronik Youth Remix)<br /> MADVILLA - Galactic Banana<br /> Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami - Sugar Snap (Baldo Remix) [Semi Delicious]<br /> HAMMER - Swivel [Skylax]<br /> Aaron Rutherford - Infinite Cycle<br /> Hammer - Highland ft. Lili Chan [He She They]<br /> KIRA BLUSH - What u Want [Remmah]<br /> Dharma - Turbulence [Remmah]<br /> HAMMER - Swerve [Skylax]</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7604-hammer-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '8183-wc-mix-hammer-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'A member of the Feel My Bicep crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20609-wild-city-234-hammer', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20606', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19417', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-12 09:20:09', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-12 12:20:42', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'sudan Strikes A Fine Balance Of Styles With 'omg'', 'date' => '12/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release under its critique is <a href="https://microplastics.substack.com/p/wiping-the-moistness-from-music-criticism?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank">at least 6 out of 10</a>, it's refreshing to come across a piece of music from an artist just starting out that's easy to get behind with robust promise. 22-year-old Pritpal <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">Sudan</a> from Mumbai, who is previously seen backing the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18225-releases-of-the-week-okedo-ditty-the-revisit-project-more" target="_blank">Anoushka Maskey</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20015-lavi-foenix-give-a-blend-of-rock-disco-for-the-internet-generation-on-no-phones-at-the-dinner-table" target="_blank">Lavi &amp; Foenix</a>, launched his solo act named after his last name with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">2021's 'Fire / Snow'</a>. Nearly 3 Years on, the producer and instrumentalist has announced his debut album 'sudan?', to be released on June 21, from which he has just released the single 'omg'.</p> <p>Lo-fi recording of soulful singing over large piano chords transforms into a brimming electropop-meets-neo soul passage a la Sampha or Kamaal Williams. The production keeps growing with moments of satisfying drops and layering styles over another without overpowering the previous or the songwriting – giving a perfect balance of interesting ideas without becoming too eager to impress.</p> <p>Listen to 'omg' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/notsudan/" target="_blank">sudan</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTOBfFzE_o4?si=ASspQLLmXpvX3d0x" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Pranav Marde</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '8267-sudan-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '8725-sudan-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release...'), 'href' => '/news/20606-sudan-strikes-a-fine-balance-of-styles-with-omg', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20603', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19414', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-11 11:47:37', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-11 11:49:47', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'boxout.fm Recordings' 2nd V/A Compilation Sees Lush Lata Handpick Dancefloor Stompers', 'date' => '11/03/2024', 'artists' => 'MadStarBase, Lush Lata', 'business' => 'boxout.fm', 'content' => '<p>After <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19295-kohra-oceantied-zequenx-more-feature-on-first-of-boxout-fm-recordings-compilation-series-v-a-suchi-selects" target="_blank">2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS'</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4724-boxout-fm" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> is back with the second instalment of its artist-curated compilation series with 'LUSH LATA SELECTS' handpicked by New Delhi DJ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>.</p> <p>The 7-track compilation kicks off with 'Cognac Bounce' by duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a>, who continue to prove themselves masters of creating booming dancefloor numbers with a sensual oomph while <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zealotantrik/" target="_blank">Zealotantrik</a> continues that boom but with the colour of some lo-fi artefacts. Following <a href="https://www.instagram.com/insowmya/" target="_blank">Insowmya</a>'s sampled esoteric percussion-heavy 'Shut Up', collaborative numbers by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pav4nco/" target="_blank">PAV4N</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sukhknight/" target="_blank">Sukh Knight</a>, as well as, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/captain.fuse/" target="_blank">Captain Fuse</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/muktmusic/" target="_blank">Mukt</a> highlight the defining quality of the compilation: heavy use of sampling, picking up vocal hooks from a variety of sources but more commonly vintage records and creating bass-led compositions.</p> <p>The latter collaboration by Captain Fuse and Mukt remains the most interesting offering on the compilation as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97-Ch6d2LBE" target="_blank">Geeta Dutt's 'Tumi Je Amaar'</a> transforms into a stuttering concoction of slow-funk and hip-hop.</p> <p>Listen to 'Lush Lata Selects' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/boxoutfmrecordings/" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3602297268/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 373px;">Lush Lata Selects by Various Artists</iframe></p> <p><em>Artwork by Sijya</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0028-lush-lata-selects-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '4170-lush-lata-selects-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'After 2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS', boxout.fm Recordings is back with the second instalment of its...'), 'href' => '/news/20603-boxout-fm-recordings-2nd-v-a-compilation-sees-lush-lata-handpick-dancefloor-stompers', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20591', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19402', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-06 10:40:01', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-06 11:11:00', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Jyoty Singh Tours India As Part Of Ultra Soulflyp's Biggest Shows', 'date' => '06/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Jyoty Singh', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at weekly <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> events to more than half a decade of presenting a leading show at <a href="https://rinse.fm/" target="_blank">Rinse.fm</a> and a viral <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> performance, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/?hl=en" target="_blank">Jyoty Singh</a> has always been privy to the cutting-edge sounds of the dancefloor. Stitching together the revelry of dancehall, afrobeats and funk when DJing live and tying threads between cultures when curating for her radio mixes, her parties '<a href="https://www.instagram.com/areyouhomegrown/" target="_blank">Homegrown</a>' and her magazine 'The Move', the Punjabi-descent Amsterdam-born London-based artist espouses versatility and ear for the fresh.</p> <p>The multi-faceted selector arrives in India for the first time since her breakout Boiler Room set gained popularity during the pandemic, performing at Mumbai's Famous Studio, Bengaluru's Sunburn Union and Gurugram's Imperfecto Patio on March 22, 23 and 24 respectively.</p> <p>The shows take place as part of <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp</a>, the event series by Kingfisher Ultra, Wild City and Gently Altered which kicked off almost a year ago and has taken over spaces across the country with various styles of dance music over the year. With support yet to be announced, the dates with Jyoty are slated to be Ultra Soulflyp's biggest celebrations to date as it promises to amp up its curation, capacity and immersiveness to make live music a multi-sensorial experience.</p> <p>Reserve your spots for the events and find out more about Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp through its <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and follow Jyoty Singh <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/" target="_blank">here</a>. Listen to her Boiler Room set below to get a sense of what to expect.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2VrztYTNYT8?si=zotxj2S3zpV3o6Vh" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Filipa Aurélio</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9992-0-thumb--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'picture' => '4636-0-banner--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at...'), 'href' => '/news/20591-jyoty-singh-tours-india-as-part-of-ultra-soulflyp-s-biggest-shows', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20588', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19399', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-04 13:43:12', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-04 13:50:41', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Slowspin, Sijya, SIDD & More Feature On Ninja Tunes' Remix EP for Nabihah Iqbal's 'DREAMER'', 'date' => '04/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Slowspin, Sijya', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Tune" target="_blank">Ninja Tune</a>, bringing together South Asian acts, namely Pakistan's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/haideruppal/" target="_blank">Haider Uppal</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4495-slowspin" target="_blank">Slowspin</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/young_dervish/" target="_blank">Zak Khan</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/siddbeats_/" target="_blank">SIDD</a> as well as India's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a>, to reimagine tracks off her 2023 EP 'DREAMER'. As a bonus, the release also features Berlin's Innervision's label-owner and one-half of Âme, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/frank__wiedemann/" target="_blank">Frank Wiedemann</a>, who remixes 'Zone 1 to 6000' from Nabihah's 2017 debut album 'Weighing of the Heart'.</p> <p>All the South Asian artists on the package have shared the stage with the London-based Pakistani-descent artist, who DJ-ed alongside Haider Uppal and SIDD on her first-ever gig in Pakistan, invited Slowspin and Zak Khan to support her during her US tour and discovered Sijya at London's Tate Modern, when the New Delhi artist toured the UK in 2023 before being asked to open for Nabihah at Yes Manchester.</p> <p>Both Haider Uppal and Sijya take a textural approach to their remixes with the former suffusing a techno beat with deep pads out of which harmonic melodies and string lines emerge and diffuse. Meanwhile, Sijya offers the grittiest outing with 'Sunflower' as synths fizzle and distort over a visceral thump and Nabihah's near-spoken singing places itself as a transcendent chant.</p> <p>Frank Wiedemann and SIDD, one of Karachi's most prominent DJ-producers, present two flipsides of techno with their remixes. There is a clear edge of experience with Frank's innovative and effective structuring and Berlin-associated spaciousness as acid house synth squelching plays against Nabihah's singing, highlighting its singular qualities, while SIDD offers a more Detroit-influenced take on the genre with atmospheric spoken voice deepening the minimal nature of the production.</p> <p>The remixes play off of Nabihah's unique vocal style, an element that takes centre stage on Slowspin's sparse remix of the title track from 'DREAMER' alongside Zak Khan's gentle piano-playing, recontextualising the song with a simple arrangement to bring notice to the meaning behind the songwriting.</p> <p>Listen to 'DREAMER (Remixes)' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=316911633/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">DREAMER (Remixes) by Nabihah Iqbal</iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Joseph Hayes</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9103-nabihah-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '2452-nabihah-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Nabihah Iqbal has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label Ninja Tune,...'), 'href' => '/news/20588-slowspin-sijya-sidd-more-feature-on-ninja-tunes-remix-ep-for-nabihah-iqbal-s-dreamer', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20584', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19395', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-01 13:42:57', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-01 13:46:45', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi', 'date' => '01/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Talal Qureshi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/14605-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Talal Qureshi</a>. Even as the Pakistan's electropop pioneer has transformed from a Coke Studio mainstay with esoteric productions on the side to someone who brings his worlds together and creates the collaborative woofer-friendly bangers, that characteristic zaniness remains. As evident by his 2023 debut album 'TURBO' and its recent re-release with <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5AqK0sYFr4bVWAtVKTmXcz" target="_blank">a deluxe edition</a>, it has married itself to the sound of South Asian hip-hop with sometimes a satirising presence of Pakistan's hyperlocal elements.</p> <p>It is embodied in the announcement he makes at the start of his Wild City mix before launching into cuts from the 15-track release, unreleased demos, edits of his other work and even someone Skrillex to demonstrate how his work can boom alongside the globally prominent.</p> <p>Contrary to most mixes of nearly all-originals, Talal's quick-moving mix is a product bigger than the sum of its selections. Constant flow through hard cuts between collaborations that feature the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8936-seedhe-maut" target="_blank">Seedhe Maut</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faris_Shafi" target="_blank">Faris Shafi</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_Raheem" target="_blank">Hasan Raheem</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18090-natasha-noorani" target="_blank">Natasha Noorani</a> speaks to the effective structures of Talal's productions. It's a mix worth a listen even if just for the reimagined energy of Talal's take on '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mNaNMmxJ1I" target="_blank">Faltu Pyaar</a>' and '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3pUsXxCfEk" target="_blank">Muaziz Sarif</a>'.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-233-talal-qureshi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-233-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>MAAL(DEMO) - Blal x Talal Qureshi (Unreleased)<br /> Intro - Talal Qureshi<br /> Tarka - Talal Qureshi<br /> NACH LE - Imran Khan (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> ASAL G - SEEDHE MAUT x Talal Qureshi x Faris Shafi<br /> Paisa - Talal Qureshi x Hasan Raheem (TQ Honey Flip) (Unreleased)<br /> No ID - Skrills (unreleased)<br /> Push ID - Skrillex &amp; Hamdi ft. Taichu<br /> Muaziz Sarif - Coke Studio, Faris Shafi, Meesha Shafi (Talal Qureshi Version) (Unreleased)<br /> Peechay Hutt - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Justin Bibi's<br /> LEFT RIGHT - Ali Sethi, Maanu, Shaegill, A.S (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> Raazi - Natasha Noorani, Talal Qureshi (TQ Honey Flip) (unreleased)<br /> Faltu Pyar - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Natasha Noorani (TQ Honey Flip)(unreleased)<br /> Hico - Talal Qureshi, Maanu (TQ Honey FLIP)(unreleased)<br /> JOGI - Maanu x Talal Qureshi<br /> At the AfterParty - Trick Singh ( Talal Qureshi Version) (unreleased)<br /> KYA - Talal Qureshi x Asim Azhar</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '2345-talal-qureshi-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '1548-tq.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's Talal Qureshi. Even as the...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20584-wild-city-233-talal-qureshi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20576', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19387', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-22 10:41:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-22 10:59:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'New Delhi Gets A New Record Store By Digging In India ', 'date' => '22/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Digging In India', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka <a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-mix-187-digging-in-india" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> has just launched his record store in New Delhi's Shahpur Jat.</p> <p>Known for his sense of discovering overlooked Indian heritage in an exceedingly wide variety of styles, Mittal brings a collection he has accrued over 7-8 years to the store. Besides well-known classics from Western shores and Bollywood alike, the store also specializes in eclectic and rare grooves ranging from desi disco, Tamil funk, Bengali baul sangeet, qawwali, ghazal, Hindustani classical, Carnatic, Telugu soundtracks and Marathi koli geet to Japanese city pop, Afro Funk, Middle Eastern pop and more.</p> <p>Besides the musical collection, the store also features uncommon records like spoken word, political speeches, poetry and comic offerings, alongside vintage posters, comics, collectable matchboxes, stamps and other artefacts.</p> <p>The record store also shares the space with Mallika Tandon's designer cake studio <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bobo.cakery/" target="_blank">Bobo Cakery</a>, which will keep cake slices and bakes with a nostalgic twist for dine-in at the store in the coming month to make the vinyl store a space for more than just sales.</p> <p>Mittal explains: “One thing I’ve noticed is that record stores can be quite intimidating to people who are not familiar with the formal and that’s something I want to change. I want to create an easy-going comfortable space where people can come just to hear good music and learn how this thing works.”</p> <p>Head to the store at 141A/2 1st Floor, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi between noon and 7 pm on any day and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/digginginindia/" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> on Instagram for more information. Listen to Digging In India's Wild City mix below to familiarise yourself with Mittal's work.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/763668214&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5972-dii-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '9516-dii-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka Digging In India has just...'), 'href' => '/news/20576-new-delhi-gets-a-new-record-store-by-digging-in-india', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20560', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19371', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-14 13:07:29', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:16:55', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #232: Innerworld', 'date' => '14/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Innerworld', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Akshay Mathker aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20562-innerworld" target="_blank">Innerworld</a>'s Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most subtle forces. Starting with dark ambience, the mix is defined by its hypnotic atmospheric nature even when the languid textures clear to the thump of the techno's proprietary grooves.</p> <p>Like an experienced DJ, the Goa-based artist layers his selections, elevating them from their standalone value. The ebb and flow between lulling ambient numbers and compelling rhythms begin to combine as distorted gritty kicks creep up from behind the aqueous pads and slow breaks of ULV's '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjclQfXjQCI" target="_blank">My Sofa Turns Into A Desert</a>'. The influence of Goa's trance heritage doesn't shy away as deep airy washes remain a near-constant part of the selections – before the mix slowly turns towards more zany and esoteric cuts for a final push for energy.</p> <p><strong>"This mix is an expedition into the realms of intricate polyrhythms and otherworldly frequencies. Abstract, textural, ravey and laced with psychedelia, this journey through space-time is accentuated by moments of atmospheric bliss and fast-paced, yet minimal, irrefutable grooves.” - Innerworld</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-232-innerworld%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-232-innerworld" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #232: Innerworld</a></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0844-innerworld.jpg', 'picture' => '0323-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Akshay Mathker aka Innerworld's Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20560-wild-city-232-innerworld', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20552', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19364', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-10 08:21:19', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-11 06:55:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '"The Atmosphere That We All Create Together": Jeff Mills On His Legacy, DJ-ing As Non-Verbal Storytelling & More', 'date' => '10/02/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => 'Far Out Left', 'content' => '<p>“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me on a week that started with the now-considered-dying <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo/" target="_blank">Pitchfork rating his 1996’s ‘Live at the Liquid Room, Tokyo’</a> a rare 10 out of 10, and would conclude with the producer, DJ, label-head and dance music legend performing <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20499-jeff-mills-dj-red-arjun-vagale-more-announced-for-far-out-left-mumbai-goa" target="_blank">in India for the first time</a>. “It’s for others more than myself.”</p> <p>The mix, found only as <a href="https://soundcloud.com/theclassicmixcdseries/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo" target="_blank">unofficial uploads</a> on the internet and described in the said review as “the Techno Bible, unequivocally The One”, is arguably the glorious peak of Mills’ early techno legacy. Leading up to it, he had pioneered a minimal form of the genre alongside Detroit-mate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hood" target="_blank">Robert Hood</a>, developed a loyal following through his residency at Berlin’s then-fledgeling <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tresor_(club)" target="_blank">Tresor</a> and redirected the course of techno from his native city of Detroit with the Parliament bassist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Banks_(musician)" target="_blank">‘Mad’ Mike Banks</a> as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Resistance" target="_blank">Underground Resistance</a>, nudging the genre towards grittier realms with the help of militant outfits and political messaging.</p> <p>Prioritising energy over pristineness, including the audience in the process of phasing kicks coming together, the mix blazes through selections – sometimes barely offering more than a glimpse of some. They become more of a connecting component, featured less for their standalone value and more for their role in a greater whole that is the DJ set.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uapn-mknXVU?si=z6XkRrpzv31cRQ4a" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The breakneck mixing style finds its roots in the earliest chapters of Mills’ story when he was known as ‘The Wizard’, championing Detroit's talent, passionately finding the freshest releases from hip-hop to industrial, and informing the local tastes through his radio mixes. As if the deitifying by thousands (maybe millions?) of dance music fans wasn’t enough, Mills' early legacy also figures in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVDzDy1yvo" target="_blank">Eminem’s verses</a> with the lines: “<em>discovered this DJ who was mixing, I say it to this day, if you ain't listened to the Wizard, you ain't have a fucking clue what you was missing”</em></p> <p>As radio slots shortened while championable music remained abundant, Mills started mixing and moving through the selections quickly to develop his fast approach on turntables and mixing desk. It was also at the radio where Jeff Mills the music-maker developed his conceptual style as he opted to edit tapes and stitch together library sounds in his shows to communicate on air instead of speaking. The increasing competitiveness between stations meant Mills had to distinguish his selections, bringing in drum machines and keyboards to layer over records or create bespoke passages earlier on the same day.</p> <p>Visceral rhythms of 909s would underline abstract emotive layers when he finally started releasing his productions. More than a beat to move to, there’d always be a story running underneath whether as the sweeping tones accompanying the incessant distorted kicks of ‘The Hacker’ from the seminal ‘<a href="https://youtu.be/OGQBdEAo9RM?si=T3ZVS7aZ2h-TgPHq&amp;t=1264" target="_blank">Waveform Transmission, Vol. 1</a>’ or the cinematic strings of ‘Utopia’ from ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppJPQ3xsKWI" target="_blank">Cycle 30</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/STpOak4iAJY?si=XAS1qJHIRyZKBhKW" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Decades later, after feats like re-scoring Fritz Lang’s silent film ‘Metropolis’, performing with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra and celebrating 50 years of the moon landing with NASA, Mills’ music continues to either look inward or to a distant future. 2023’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/jeff-mills-the-other-maria/" target="_blank">The Other Maria</a>’ is about the often-restrained and potentially chaotic part of us that deals in hard truths and raw unrestricted emotion, while 2019’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/moon-the-area-of-influence-cd-digital/" target="_blank">Moon: The Area of Influence</a>’ discusses the effects of the moon on our lives and culture. Three decades on, it’s still the same sounds of 909s and analog pads that mark the sonic palette of Mills but the results are even more abstract and less frequently reminiscent of shaking walls in a raving warehouse.</p> <p>“I developed a sense to understand sound in cluster arrangement more than ever. I also understand the barriers due to sectionalizing between genres are becoming less. That musicians could and want to play with each other more,” addresses Mills, talking about how his futurism and sci-fi-influenced work has changed as the technology and idea of the future itself have evolved. “I hear music differently now as a result of the way we communicate. Also, the amount of information we can engage with in such a short amount of time has had an effect.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eU-UsvYbIV0?si=T5bG0meirnNjJoGd" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Techno is not just for dancing, is the philosophy that Mills has been espousing over the years. “If you can dance to it, that's great, that's a bonus, but music should say something. It should be made in a manner with seriousness, and that would enlighten someone simply by listening to it,” he has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/gv34jj/the-man-from-tomorrow-an-interview-with-jeff-mills" target="_blank">told Vice</a> in the past. It is what also guides him as a label-head with his <a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/" target="_blank">Axis Records</a>. Initially a platform for Mills' own work (under his various guises), it has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic to platform talent from the world over including the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/18876-review-arjun-vagale-s-reflective-journey-into-outer-space-on-exit-fragments" target="_blank">debut album by India’s own</a> techno frontrunner <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3379-arjun-vagale" target="_blank">Arjun Vagale</a>. “Having strong visions about the future isn’t privy to any particular country or city so, it was just a matter of coincidence. In this respect, no place on Earth is distant or remote. We’re all quite close to one another as we occupy the small patch of this Planet’s landmass,” he tells me.</p> <p>Behind the decks, the story isn’t much different. Cuts from other techno pioneers like Kevin Saunderson, Robert Hood, Eddie Fowlkes and Phuture intercut with Mills’ original (often extremely fresh) bits and fresher talent with similar substance to their music. The focus continues to remain on overarching energy as much as the selections if not more so as the mixing can go from boldly sudden to so subtle you’d hardly notice.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cCpHiWwA2Rg?si=yGxCmMJkwj1adMlI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“DJ sets are generally for dancing, but also can be widened to be considered as a non-verbal story about ‘The Fantastic’, ‘The Amazing’ or depending [on] how clever the DJ is, even ‘The Unbelievable’”, he says, explaining how a successful set is about giving the audience a sensation that wasn’t there before. That sensation is where the self-expression figures in. “I play based on how I feel at that time and it’s got nothing to do with anyone else. On occasion, not even the audience because my mind is somewhere far away,” he says, echoing the explanation he gave for <a href="https://ra.co/features/3436" target="_blank">Resident Advisor’s The Art of Djing</a>, wherein he recalls sometimes using his set to describe what it might be like to approach a planet.</p> <p>Yet, amidst the abstract tapestry of his sets, there are unmistakable points of recognition, where the selection itself becomes a focal point. While Mills argues, “I tend not to watch others to compare myself so, I can’t really say how I match up. This isn’t how I was taught to play music,” I see Mills able to create moments that only a few DJ-producers who have reached a certain stage of popularity with specific work can create. A moment similar to a rock or pop act “playing their hit”. For Mills’, that hit is ‘The Bells’, the popular and highly effective minimal work most recognisable through its sequence of melodic call and response. “I've tried not playing it, and people were sad! [laughs] So I kinda just gave up,” he says in The Art of DJing, going on to say how the track is a turning point in the set and now signifies that he is completely ready at his stations to kick proceedings into another gear.</p> <p>Nevertheless, relying on hits isn't something easily associated with Mills. While he frequently performs at large-scale events (an easy and sometimes unnecessary prompt for derision from a chunk of the techno audience), much of his recent touring has been dedicated to a collaboration with tabla maestro Prabhu Eduoard and keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, extending the '<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/71W9z9hP84oB6zVmQdRrXW" target="_blank">Tomorrow Comes Harvest</a>' project initiated with afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1352-13-jeffmills-tomorrowcomestheharvest-170923-photographer-thomasecke-109256.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Jean-Phi Dary, Prabhu Eduoard &amp; Jeff Mills in Berlin || Photograph by Thomas Ecke</em></h5> <p>Instead of cashing on his status as a pioneering figure in techno, Mills continues to release a stream of new music that diverges starkly from his '90s output, even while operating within similar styles and using a familiar sonic palette. “I like the thought process of making something from nothing so, I really enjoy starting over again,” he adds.</p> <p>Techno is more than just for dancing remains a recurring theme in his work and a harder thing to sell. “Music is such a suggestive medium that it’s just not possible to measure people’s appreciation level,” he says. “At times in my past, I remember being congratulated but also advised to “give it up - it’s not going to work”, “I’ve lost it and should stop” and many other discouraging things. So, I can’t put much value into what people say or what they appreciate. Instead, I only have to rely on what I feel is right and guide myself from this.”<b> </b></p> <p>That internal guiding compass remains the constant. It’s the same whether it was at Tokyo’s Liquid room, blazing through selections with hard stops and phasing rhythms 3 decades ago; or in Mumbai and Goa for <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/10414-far-out-left" target="_blank">Far Out Left</a> this weekend – drawing from his more abstract cluster arrangements and talent he has sifted through for Axis Records after years of building a legacy that has inspired most in the lineup and an audience that might await ‘The Bells’. “We’re just in different places at different times, but the objective is all the same,” he says. “It’s not about me or them, but rather, it’s always been about “it”. The atmosphere that we all create together.”</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by <a href="http://instagram.com/atemporarymatter.in" target="_blank">Amaan Khan</a></em></p> <p><em>Photo by <a href="http://instagram.com/jacobkhrist" target="_blank">Jacob Khrist</a></em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '4823-jeff-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5147-jeff-mills-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me...'), 'href' => '/features/20552-the-atmosphere-that-we-all-create-together-jeff-mills-on-his-legacy-dj-ing-as-non-verbal-storytelling-more', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20494', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19309', 'createdDate' => '2024-01-03 11:21:10', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:15:29', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #231: Krithi', 'date' => '03/01/2024', 'artists' => 'Krithi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19636-krithi-continues-to-explore-south-asian-sounds-in-contemporary-dance-music-with-uyirudan" target="_blank">Krithi</a> reaches for rhythms and sounds from her native land and the like, they fit into the mould of dance music as if they've always been a natural part of it rather than (as it often is) a forced gimmick of limited yield. Her achievement seems to go further on her upcoming EP 'Coping Mechanism' as she finds the style a vessel of personal narratives, calling the release a "sonic exploration of how she communes with the shadows of depression".</p> <p>Both the released singles from the EP 'Suppress' and 'Medicate' demonstrate that within Krithi's Wild City mix which features a heavy dose of original unreleased work and glimpses of the record that drops on February 15.</p> <p>Introduced through 140BPM techno, the mix quickly shifts to and operates in and around bass and breaks. A peppy start moves into sombre moods as a slightly slowed down 'Heist Track' by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/501-malfnktion" target="_blank">MALFNKTION</a> staggers into Krithi's own work before a jubilant return with the standout moment of Yourboykiran's Bollywood flip 'Yamma Yamma'.</p> <p><strong>"This mix has some of my favourite Bandcamp Friday finds (both new and old) by friends, mentors and producers I love. I recorded it at 140 bpm and with no particular genre in mind—but only with the hope that the listener keeps movin’ from start to finish. It also features some of my unreleased tracks and a couple from my upcoming EP ‘Coping Mechanisms’, which drops on Feb 15th.” – Krithi </strong></p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-231-krithi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-231-krithi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #231: Krithi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Pozibelle - Wait<br /> Mera Bhai - Be This Way (Feat Private Joy) - Provhat Rahman Remix<br /> Jadalareign - Defect<br /> Malfnktion - Heist Track<br /> Krithi - Medicate<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Rodman - Falcata<br /> Despina - Trickle Down Baby<br /> PlayPlay - FYI<br /> Venïson Man - Jewelry (Frost Version)<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - Suppress<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Yourboykiran - Yamma Yamma<br /> Dyslecta - Annihilate<br /> Tony Quattro &amp; Siete Catorce - Qesem Cave</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7067-krithi.jpg', 'picture' => '8500-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer Krithi reaches for rhythms and sounds from her...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20494-wild-city-231-krithi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20488', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19303', 'createdDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun', 'date' => '16/12/2023', 'artists' => 'Kohra', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4465-magnetic-fields-festival" target="_blank">Magnetic Fields Festival</a> taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi producer, DJ and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a> co-founder Madhav Shorey aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/291-kohra" target="_blank">Kohra</a> and Thailand's globe-trotting polymath <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sunjuhargun/" target="_blank">Sunju Hargun</a> are revisiting their B2B set from last year. </p> <p>Performed at the Resident Advisor afterparty, a highlight for the dancefloor-dedicated with its music going from the late hours of the night to the earliest moments of the morning, the accumulated energy of the night and its transformation into the morning audible in the set. Acid's mind-bending textures give way to increasingly guttural techno, pulling heavily from its minimal repertoire. As the night sky begins to lighten, the emotions are guided by the wash of the pads for a more refreshing conclusion. </p> <p><strong>"A combination between records from the past, present, and future. Sonically enhancing the atmosphere with zero limitations to pushing boundaries of tempo and feeling" – Sunju Hargun</strong></p> <p><strong>"A really fulfilling experience taking a restrained and fluid direction for this one, at my favourite stage of the festival." – Kohra</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:<br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun</a> // <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/WildCity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun/" target="_blank">Head here for Mixcloud</a></p> <p><em>Image by Parikshit Deshpande for Magnetic Fields Festival 2022</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5451-mf-2022---ra---image-credit---parikshit-deshpande---3.jpeg', 'picture' => '6442-kohra-sunju.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With the Magnetic Fields Festival taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20488-wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20147', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18982', 'createdDate' => '2023-04-04 16:56:55', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-04-05 11:27:44', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'My First Release: Shantanu Pandit', 'date' => '05/04/2023', 'artists' => 'Shantanu Pandit', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.”</p> <p>It was optimism-inspiring to hear these words from <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18674-shantanu-pandit" target="_blank">Shantanu Pandit</a> on my 27th birthday as I sat cross-legged on the floor among the audience at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art to watch him bring his first tour promoting his album ‘Milk Teeth’ to a conclusion. The New Delhi singer-songwriter had spent the weeks prior travelling by road across the length of India in a bespoke caravan to share his music while pausing at each stop to not just give but take in a sense of the places he performed at.</p> <p>“I had been holed up on the mountains when we put out the album and Dhruv was like ‘Dude, you released an album. You can’t just sleep on it like that. Now you’ve got to come down and let’s take it on tour and celebrate it’”, he continued at the show before launching into chirpy <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/track/do-u-know" target="_blank">comforting melodies</a> that underpin lines like <em>“Put that bullet in my head // Shoot me dead // Put that bullet in my head // Get it over with”.</em></p> <h5><em><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1133-shantanu-pandit-bts-milk-teeth-tour--1.jpeg" /><br /> Shantanu in his bespoke caravan for 'Milk Teeth' tour in 2022 | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>Walking through melancholic reminiscing and processing sorrow over dreamy musicality and nostalgic lightness is what defines the 2021 album. The very dichotomic sophistication is what highlights how far his songwriting has come since his first official release, the EP <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/album/skunk-in-the-cellar" target="_blank">‘Skunk In The Cellar’</a> in 2014 – which, like ‘Milk Teeth’, was also an album born out of seeing a relationship heartbreakingly come to end. However, the natural propensity to just write and share music disconnected from the cycle of talking about it, promoting it and packaging it remains a common thread.</p> <p>“I didn't have that word in my vocabulary,” he says while pondering on the idea of “official release” at the start of his career. “I was very much naive to the whole idea of putting out music in a proper format, putting out a press statement and all that.”</p> <h5><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PHVvVHVQxZg" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2012 for Tehelka TV</em></h5> <p>Before ‘Skunk In The Cellar’, Shantanu had been frequently sharing raw performances on Youtube as soon as he recorded them. Whether it was a host at HIT 95FM giving him CD recordings of his appearance on the radio or the sound engineer at Blue Frog giving him the soundboard recordings from his performance, the then-teenager musician’s first instinct was to just put it on Youtube as soon as he got home. “I didn’t think that hard. For me, I just heard the songs back and immediately thought, ‘I want to share this with my friends. I want to share this with my family.’”</p> <p>That immediacy was shaken up and replaced by process when he was contacted by his soon-to-become long-term manager and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/12653-pagal-haina" target="_blank">Pagal Haina</a> head honcho Dhruv Singh to record the songs which were to become ‘Skunk In The Cellar’. “I was like: ‘Hey, so we've got the songs. Let's just put them out.’ And he said, ‘No. This is just the start. Now we need to plan the whole release.’ And I went, ‘What does that mean?’” The process meant Shantanu had to wait for artwork to be made, distribution to be aligned and press strategies put in place before the music and the artist could represent each other to the world.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/0851-shantanu-pandit-4-by-shiv-ahuja-2014.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2014 | Photograph by Shiv Ahuja</em></h5> <p>Even while he could see the sense in all the auxiliary activities, the waiting time struggled to sit well with a songwriter that developed his material and style with notable intensity. “One thing that has been recurring through my career so far, as a songwriter, is that generally, I move fast. If I'm sitting eight months from now, I would look back at my material and be like, ‘Man! I need to write a bunch of new shit because I don't want to play this old shit.’” Even the debut EP ‘Skunk In The Cellar’ felt like a reinvention for the songwriter who started as a 16-year-old playing largely Bob Dylan covers at open mics before quickly replacing them with fast and loud originals that he dubs as his first wave of songwriting.</p> <p>The instinct to move on quickly translated to Shantanu punctuating his career with jumps from one outlet to the next – most notably the group <a href="https://runitsthekid.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Run It’s The Kid</a> and his moniker Morning Mourning, which was partly formed as a subconscious reaction against the limitations imposed by formal and elaborate creation and release cycles to retreat back into the straightforward sincerity of an artist just exorcising his creative impulses.</p> <p>Even while concluding the first promotional tour around ‘Milk Teeth’ in 2022 at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Shantanu’s set was replete with new material ripe for another album. At the same time, littered with older material too and light-hearted addressal of his relationship with it all. Greater patience has seeped in with the artist who crafted ‘Milk Teeth’ after 4 years of writing.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5129-shantanu-pandit-bts--mt-tour.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu in 2022 for 'Milk Teeth' promotional tour | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>“I have recently been able to enjoy performing live after a long time,” he says after walking me through years that included getting disenchanted with the return from releasing music, riding across the country as an escape, diverging into educational degrees, losing the individual self in a long-term relationship and the hardships finding that self again – themes that he tackled on ‘Milk Teeth’ through reflecting back on memories of growing up.</p> <p>After more than a decade as an artist, the New Delhi artist has traversed a long and winding road till the multiple facets of his career are beginning to be at peace with one another. His declaration of touring ‘Milk Teeth’ as a highlight of life so far is a testament to that – further supported as he recently embarked on another one, this time across North-East India. While <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CqDU1ZGy8lA/" target="_blank">announcing</a> it, he remarks: “I didn’t want the last one to end when it did and I’ve been itching to get back on the road ever since.”</p> <p>Listen to 'Milk Teeth' below and head <a href="https://www.skillboxes.com/events/business/pagal-haina-presents-shantanu-pandit-the-east-india-tour" target="_blank">here</a> for tickets and dates of Shantanu's tour across North-East India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1889828902/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Milk Teeth by Shantanu Pandit</iframe></p> <p><em>Words by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Lead artwork designed by Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5402-mfr-shantanu-08.jpg', 'picture' => '7416-mfr-shantanu-05.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.” It was...'), 'href' => '/features/20147-my-first-release-shantanu-pandit', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20078', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18920', 'createdDate' => '2023-02-15 11:49:31', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-02-15 12:11:15', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '“There Was No choice But To Make Room”: Ruhail Qaisar On Centering The Spectres That Haunt Debut LP 'Fatima'', 'date' => '15/02/2023', 'artists' => 'Ruhail Qaisar', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/fatima" target="_blank">Fatima</a>' predates even its creator.</p> <p>Rooted firmly in geo-personal histories, the noise album which happens to be the artist’s debut full-length offering, showcases the full range of his leftfield explorations that began with an extensive catalogue of singles on his SoundCloud, followed by the '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/ltalam-ep" target="_blank">Ltalam EP</a>' in 2016 and<i> </i>the<i> '</i><a href="https://hkcr.live/shows/the-hounds-of-pamir-the-fires-of-bal-ashram-w-ruhail-qaisar-06-11-2020" target="_blank">Hounds of Pamir</a>'<i> </i>radio residency in 2020.</p> <p>At the heart of Ruhail’s practice, which ranges from sound creation to analog photography and experimental filmmaking, is an unwavering emphasis on identity and history.</p> <p>For the indigenous artist hailing from one of the most controversial and unforgiving terrains of South Asia, Ladakh and its people – particularly the Skyayongs Gogsum community – are often seen in Qaisar’s works as straddling the dichotomies of a traumatic past and uncertain future, suffering from what’s colloquially described as <i>perpetual stasis</i>.</p> <p>The 90s were a time of dramatic change, recalls Ruhail. From growing up in a two-room rented house “with 6 hours of electricity, no traffic, no telephones, to being swept by an accelerated existence with 3G smartphones,[...] an endless slew of terrible smartphone tourists,” the landscapes of his childhood had changed drastically soon after the turn of the century.</p> <p>Yet, nothing could have prepared him for the climate of death, decay, and disease that was to characterise his hometown over the last decade. When he returns this time, after having completed his education in Delhi, Qaisar finds a self-sustaining community now completely destabilised, “battling chronic diseases or had passed away, others moved away, rented their old houses out, some squabbled over land in courts for their newly constructed hotel projects….” It induced in him a state of dysphoria, disconnect, and exile, even when home.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <p>'Fatima', whose very title invokes the memory of a late grandaunt, rises out of this abscess, carrying over the leitmotifs and the “main characters” of Qaisar’s tight-knit Ladakhi community, from an intransitive loss-state towards posthumous life.</p> <p>In Qaisar’s own words, the album is a “hauntological compendium of personal tribute” to these people who occupied those bygone spaces and eras, but also to “the pan-Ladakhi identity”, and the strife and struggle of all “indigenous communities in the Himalayas that are all suffering at the hand of unplanned industrialization and urbanization along with military atrocities”. Incidentally, 'Fatima' hits the airwaves at a time of mass unrest in Leh, over demands for Ladakhi statehood and cultural preservation under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5127-02-fatimas-poplar.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-45c11ae8-7fff-7d0b-9dbf-242538d004b7">Home videos and photographs as relics of an irretrievable past and a close-knit community | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>The idea for the record had fallen into place quite unconsciously upon the artist’s return to Choglamsar, Leh, during the pandemic in 2020, and was born out of a strong desire to rid himself of the muscle memory of traditional compositions - “I dispossessed myself of my own voice and shredded it only to a few whispers.”</p> <p>As soon as the first COVID wave abated, Qaisar (stuck in Delhi during the lockdown) took off, carrying with him (he lists:) a university laptop on which he’d downloaded Moog apps, the cheapest Behringer sound card that he’d painstakingly saved up for, and a basic zoom field recorder he’d borrowed from a filmmaker friend. He documented everything: nightly hikes alongside the Indus, when he would go stargazing in Choglamsar with his younger brother and a neighbour; conversations with his granduncle, a Sino-Indian war veteran; stories of his uncle’s disappearance in 1989; the blitz of Indian military tanks during the recent Galwan valley incursion.</p> <p>These voices and tapes, scaffolded by power electronics, frame ‘Fatima’<i>, </i>creating a somewhat minimal and rather tactile musical performance.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/4817-03-hotel.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-b236a0b9-7fff-a8e7-eb72-44ca729b3032">The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti, Leh, stoic in the face of dereliction | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>A self-taught experimenter, Qaisar’s musical influences are a pastiche of works by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/6937-hemant-sk" target="_blank">Hemant SK</a>, heavier emissions by EXHUMATION, Einsturzende Neubauten and Maurizio Bianchi, South Asian experimenters Senyawa and Raavan Kommand, contemporaries like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3934-jamblu" target="_blank">Jamblu</a> (aka Kartik Pillai) and KMRU, even the early works of AR Rahman. For 'Fatima', he mostly turns inwards, mixing influences of folklore traditions with experimental music and drawing sonic styles and guideposts from Ladakhi processional, funeral and tribal hymns.</p> <p>The album masterfully orchestrates the dramatic highs and lows of sonic expression, borrowing heavily from the surrealist movement, oracle rituals and vernacular theatre tropes. It morphs into stretches of unsettling ambient static, injecting distorted field recordings with drones and silence into some cuts, and crystallising others with DIS FIG, Elvin Brandhi, and Iben KasJer’s “oracular dreamspeech.” Iben’s invocations on 'Fatima’s Poplar' in particular, reciting the vitriolic poetry of political writer Nick Land, not only sets the tone for the sensory experience that follows, but also invites us to reckon with Ladakh’s present “smog-laden loss-state” hollowed out by “the colourful promises of neoliberalism”.</p> <p>Composed of nine microstories,<i> '</i>Fatima' is replete with these spectres that “could no longer be ignored”, and with totems willed into serving as their placeholders. The poplar, for example, is a visual reminder of the titular grandaunt, whose cremation site is guarded by the fabled tree. 'The Fanged Poet' whose story bookends the album is similarly “a dispossessed spectre haunting the derelict sites of what was once home.”</p> <p>On 'Partition', one of the record’s more serene and lingering tracks, Qaisar encrypts yet another dimension to his interactions with history. It is part tribute and part requiem for the powerful legend of another ancestor, this time his great-grandmother, who had undertaken the perilous journey from Glgit to Leh in 1947, with four young children in tow. Just as a refugee’s journey interminably connects their home and their destination, the sonic layers on 'Partition' mutate harmoniously into a hazy mass, so that the sum of its parts is indistinct, indistinguishable, and never truly separate.</p> <p>In our email conversation, Qaisar talks about digitally restoring a series of home videos on VHS tape, describing them as “the last remaining phantasmic spectres that capture…the now long-gone characters and quotidian life of late 20th century Ladakh”. The fourth track, which originates from one of these videos documenting a relative Ramazan’s wedding, is his attempt to illuminate this lost memory with sound. (A visual from the video appears in the accompanying album booklet which holds other snapshots from the family archive and some of Ruhail’s own lens-based works).</p> <h5 style="margin-left: 80px;"><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5980-partition.png" /></h5> <h5 style="margin-left: 40px;"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-ad810fd4-7fff-9591-b68a-6b9c095a271b">Illuminating the generational trauma of partition with sound | Photo of Qaisar’s great-grandmother from accompanying album booklet</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>Recorded between Leh and Delhi, 'Fatima' also reinterprets the lexicon, exploring notions of the temporal, internal, and the inter-generational, that echo Qaisar’s experience growing up in a state that’s rapidly changing but not really improving, ravaged instead by the echoes of “old tragedies” and “present disasters”, wrought by late-capitalism, militarisation, and conservatism.</p> <p>In one of the record’s most foreboding tracks, where the deceitful calmness is quickly corroded by drones and garbling samples, Qaisar positions the abandoned hotels of Zangsti as the totems for “three different waves of tourism in Ladakh”. Qaisar recounts strolling past these structures during the pandemic, “[of] old hotels built between the 70's - 80’s that were once the pride and glory of locality, [were now] totally derelict. New upcoming properties [were] halfway constructed…or devoid of any staff or customers, windows covered in newspapers from 2003, collecting leaves, insects, and dust,” explaining the stasis left by the pandemic, when the tourism industry in Ladakh went anomalously cold-turkey for the first time in nearly fifty years, leaving the sustenance of his community in the lurch.</p> <p>Later in 'Painter Man', we’re placed in more intimate settings, with Ruhail’s attempt to connect listeners to the internal life of an artist, the fear of artistic failure and societal shaming in Ladakh, where creative endeavours are generally discouraged. There is a mention in the liner notes about musicians typically occupying the lowest rung of Ladakh’s social hierarchy, to the extent that the only two avenues to make a living, for Qaisar, were either in the “seasonal tourism industry or as a civil servant.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/7374-04.png" /><br /> <strong><i>“I wouldn’t change anything on the album…I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked” | Snapshot from accompanying album booklet</i></strong></h5> <p> </p> <p>Qaisar’s own politics are not divorced from the themes that emerge from his music. He works outside of binaries, untouched by the commodified logistics of indie music production and the demands of cultural logic, clout, or even the desire to be understood. “I frankly don’t care about that world…had no time to find comfort in its rot,” says Qaisar. “There was no choice but to make room.”</p> <p>Challenging and disorienting at first, Qaisar has sure-footedly carved his niche through a series of self-designed, self-taught steps, which has involved unlearning, transgressing disciplines and mediums of expression, discovering the liminal spaces where leftfield artists can unreservedly thrive. One of these spaces certainly was the HKCR residency where Qaisar put out 60-minute selections of compositions improvised and performed live on a Moog Model-D for the better part of a year. (In fact, earlier drafts of 'Namgang', 'Painter Man', and 'The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti' can be traced back to 'Hounds of Pamir' archives). It catapulted him to the international noise music “scene”, with a tour across Switzerland which allowed him to perform his new compositions before an intuitive audience, and later put him on Danse Noire’s radar.</p> <p>A record label founded by Swiss-Nepalese producer Aisha Devi, Danse Noire is presently on the frontlines of decolonising experimental music (which is still typically viewed through eurocentric lens) and on a mission to support noise’s barebones-DIY economy centred around self-releases and underground blogs, with a space where acts like Ruhail have access to the same resources and infrastructure as mainstream global music. For Qaisar, working with Danse was also rewarding because he never felt he had to compromise his vision for Fatima.</p> <p>Clocking in at about an hour<b>, '</b>Fatima', all said and done, is about an artist’s temerity to document his and his people’s histories, about resisting oblivion by preserving it in whatever form - image, text, sound. It is beyond immersion or abstention, an incredible evocation of space and intimacy in a way not normally considered possible for music to communicate.</p> <p>At the time of this interview, Qaisar was preparing for his debut at Berghain, where he performed shortly after, for the CTM Festival alongside DIS FIG. Unfazed by streaming figures, he reports being thrilled with the initial response to 'Fatima'. When asked about this journey and if he would have done anything differently, Qaisar politely declines, saying, “I see most aberrations as rewards, I welcome them, I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked.”</p> <p>“Only thing I can assure is that everything that was done on this album would not be repeated in the next.”</p> <h5>.</h5> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by Prarthana Mitra</em></p> <p><em>Image by Adnan Zayed</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0831-ruhail-qaisar.jpg', 'picture' => '2748-ruhail-qaisar-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s 'Fatima' predates even...'), 'href' => '/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '19908', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18761', 'createdDate' => '2022-09-28 13:52:52', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2022-10-13 14:38:19', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Spotlight: Akshat Nauriyal (Yesnomaybe, St+Art, Now Delhi, Awaaz)', 'date' => '13/10/2022', 'artists' => 'Teddy Boy Kill, Hoirong', 'business' => 'St+rt India Foundation', 'content' => '<p>Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined up on Mumbai’s nearly-150-years-old <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassoon_Docks" target="_blank">Sassoon dock</a>. They overlooked the hectic rhythms of the fish market below, wafting in concentrated doses of the smell that is part of almost everyone’s experience of the seaside city.</p> <p>In a population more used to having the faces of movie stars plastered across its streets and public spaces, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_tahska/?hl=en" target="_blank">Akshat Nauriyal</a>’s co-created (with Pranav Gohil) array of portraits on Sassoon Dock pushed back on it by giving the limelight to the docks’ primary community and Mumbai’s earliest settlers: the fisherfolk.</p> <p>“To be able to speak to people, learn about their communities, sensitise myself about their dynamics, and then be able to bring that into the project was the most important takeaway for me,” says the New Delhi artist of capturing and exhibiting those portraits in 2017 as a contribution to French artist JR’s global participatory art initiative ‘<a href="https://www.insideoutproject.net/en/explore/group-action/sassoon-dock" target="_blank">Inside Out</a>’. By making the fisherfolks the subject of the portraits, convincing them about the work, capturing their likeness with a pop-up photo studio and then plastering the stylised results across the space that they define, Nauriyal and his colleagues highlighted the predominant trinity of Koli, Hindu Maratha and Banjara communities.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/6396-inside-out.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Inside Out at Sassoon Dock</em></h5> <p>“To bring the voices of people that are usually not heard from, or stories that are left on the wayside by the mainstream – those define the projects that I am always interested in”, explains Nauriyal as the mandate that drove his effort at Sassoon dock and his wider body of work. That body of work includes co-founding St+art, the collective and platform now widely celebrated for galvanising the undercurrents of street art in India by transforming localities like New Delhi’s Lodhi Colony and Shahpur Jat and creating India’s largest as well as tallest murals; documentaries capturing the capital city’s underground sub-cultures; socio-political stance-charged Instagram filters that examined social media platforms as a space for activism; short films tracing music-driven activism in different countries; music acts ranging from Another Vertigo Rush and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3598-teddy-boy-kill" target="_blank">Teddy Boy Kill</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4660-hoirong" target="_blank">Hoirong</a> and <a href="https://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/music/2020/aug/07/akshat-nauriyal-on-his-solo-project-yesnomaybe-his-upcoming-ep-and-augmented-reality-as-a-performat-27115.html" target="_blank">Yesnomaybe</a>; and currently, an ongoing project that keeps <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irom_Chanu_Sharmila" target="_blank">Irom Sharmila</a> (famously known as the ‘Iron Lady Of Manipur’) at its centre while it inquires into the cost borne by the leader of a movement.</p> <p>Whether music, film, augmented reality or paint-based, the New Delhi artist’s efforts carry an easily notable sub-layer of activism, which has founds its necessity rooted as far back as he can remember.</p> <h3><b>Early Beginnings</b></h3> <p>Coming from a military background, Akshat was privy to the slow cogs of government offices which worked its way into disillusionment with the system around the time he developed his initial interests in arts and culture. He recalls sitting stunned listening to tracks by the likes Rage Against The Machine after downloading them off of Napster at the cusp of Indian households getting connected to the Internet and finding his thoughts make cohesion within the activist lyricism of the band and similar angsty associates.</p> <p>The result was a deep-seated formative ethos that leaned towards art that stands for change and of having ready access to it. An ethos which was held back from getting showcased, save for through the array of rock bands that he drummed for during his school and college, while he navigated through the most common education pathway of engineering degrees and college placements prescribed to middle-class Indian kids. Eventually and gradually course-correcting himself with a move towards filmmaking and work for NDTV’s ‘Almost Famous’, Akshat started venturing out on his own around 2007 and 2008.</p> <h3><b>Now Delhi</b></h3> <p>“Because of being involved with the music scene, I was involved with a whole bunch of creative people from across the spectrum. Art galleries and things usually have a specific kind of people coming to them, but I’ve found that music is quite open in terms of the kind of audience it draws,” says Akshat. “Through that experience, I started seeing this other side of Delhi which I hadn’t experienced before I met these performance artists, digital artists and all kinds of artists who were the same age as me and were trying to push the envelope.”</p> <p>Making these artists the focus of his first major venture as an independent filmmaker, Akshat, who often works under the pseudonym Tahska, established ‘Now Delhi’, a film studio now synonymous with a run of short documentaries it generated on the likes of street artists, B-boys, extreme metal groups and rap cyphers in the capital. “At that time, you could still say that there was this underground – an underbelly that Delhi had which nobody was talking about in the mainstream media,” he continues, expanding upon his comparison of a city to a living breathing thing defined by the people that it in turn influences. “‘Now Delhi’ delivered an exploration of that. It was an exploration of all the different kinds of subcultures that exist in the city, and also how the artists are responding to the city itself.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vlCt2ji7IFA" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The films exposed a running motif early on – one of prioritising the question. Akshat carries strong openings and convictions, but they remain held back when he is behind the artistic lens to allow for the audience to do their own thinking. The ‘Now Delhi’ film on Khirkee Extension, a collective effort of street artists to create art around the namesake South Delhi locality, presents the artists reflecting on the economic dichotomy of the neighbourhood and how it inspires their art. They retell how the kids kept engaging with the creation process of the murals before the documentary ends with the local elders frustratingly venting how they don’t get the purpose of this art and its messaging. The film invites the viewer to ponder over the significance of the street artists’ efforts and their relation to the residents of the locality.</p> <p>“It’s something that I’ve tried to carry forward with all my work,” explains Akshat. “It comes from being able to first understand what the people who actually I’m trying to talk about feel, rather than impose my preconceived idea of what they might want to talk about.” For all the films of ‘Now Delhi’, Akshat first became a part of the sub-cultures he was highlighting or a close associate before micing them up. A decade later, with his current subject being a national icon like Irom Sharmila, he is tagging along to observe her usual going-abouts to discover the narrative naturally instead of imposing it. “I’ve always been a fan of gonzo journalism, like Hunter S Thomson and his writing – in terms of just immersing yourself in a situation to truly tell the story.”</p> <h3><b>St+art</b></h3> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6NaQbBiSMsI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Being close to his subjects meant Akshat had become a close associate of the street community of India, having made them the focus of ‘Now Delhi’ multiple times. Sharing a studio with one of its proponents, Hanif Kureshi, he soon found himself teaming up with Arjun Bahl, Giulia Ambrogi and Thanish Thomas to create the five-piece team that would become the founders of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/startindiafoundation/">St+art</a>.</p> <p>“There was an initial conversation about doing a festival, which we did without having any idea that it [St+art] would become this behemoth of an organization,” Akshat recounts the early days of the organization with the festival bringing together the artists to Shahpur Jat and its founders being hands-on with everything from moving the ladders and bringing the paints to Nauriyal documenting the process. “It was a logical progression for ‘Now Delhi’ to transition to St+art India,” quips Akshat, noting how the documentaries took a backseat as the workload got higher and allowed him to honour his formative drives of making art accessible while exploring a city and the many narratives it homes.</p> <p>Within a few years, St+art became a go-to organization for cultural consulates and medium to big brands, creating local landmarks across the country and transforming neighbourhoods, especially in New Delhi and Mumbai. The former’s Lodhi Colony remains defined by the makeover given by the collective during its annual festival. It was the place where St+art was fully able to realize its early motivations of creating art that was available to all and integrated all – specifically, through participatory murals, singing workshops, painting workshops and the like. Yet as the organization became a brand in itself, the ship started to feel too big to steer into radical corners – which Akshat still longed to address.</p> <p>“The initial years of anything are the best. They're the most honest. They're the most genuine. They're the closest to the vision that you start with. As things get bigger, there comes a set of compromises that one has to start making. I think that's the nature of anything that becomes big after a point of time,” he concludes his around half-a-decade-long journey with the prominent street art collective.</p> <h3><b>Yesnomaybe, Augmented/Virtual Reality</b></h3> <p>As St+art began to fade out from his professional life, his other continuing artistic efforts began to appear more prominently in the limelight again. Adding another feather to the musical cap, Akshat debuted his solo moniker Yesnomaybe, an outlet where he brings together all the facets of his work as marries the retrofuturism of synth-rock with the futurism of interactive filters and augmented reality-driven films. The latter also becoming a device for Akshat to continue posing topical questions while creating work that stood for something.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3_dwP09Genk" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>2019 was a particularly politically-charged year for India: BJP, the country’s right-wing majoritarian government, was re-elected to power with a higher parliamentary presence; it used it to abrogate Kashmir’s special status; and introduced the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act which faced nationwide protests that were met with controversial police violence. With augmented reality, Akshat offered tried to offer a response for all of it: a filter fashioned after prime minister Narendra Modi that let out the word “lie” every time you open your mouth, headers stating stances on Kashmir and CAA, and, for the following year’s state elections in Delhi, an interactive quiz where you can nod or shake your head based on who you’re voting for.</p> <p>“I felt social media platforms are almost like the new town halls where people are coming and discussing things. It was an interesting space to explore to try and also see if I could create work that could help on ground movements and also get people involved more than just changing a display picture,” says Akshat. “It was honestly a social experiment.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:16px;"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Akshat Nauriyal (@_tahska)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script> <p>Within days, around a million people saw the multiple of the filters. The mode of activism was talked about by the likes of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/1/29/meet-the-artists-resisting-indias-new-citizenship-law">Al Jazeera</a>, attracting loud pro-government commentators to Akshat’s profile alongside concern for safety by well-wishers. The work definitely rattled a few minds and sparked newer questions in Akshat’s own. “I started a conversation about what use it actually played in society. On my Instagram Stories, I asked people the question, whether they thought that it was just armchair activism or whether it actually led to any kind of change,” he remarks. Alongside equal amounts of opposing viewpoints, the “social (media) experiment” also saw its second phase as the platforms began, in most cases, a silent clampdown on politically-charged use of its platform. The traction for the filters and their related posts began to go down and, as is currently being highlighted in courts, the platforms themselves had to cater to clampdowns by the government. “It was also quite disillusioning, because the same platforms, which are supposed to be platforms for free speech are the ones that ended up censoring you,” reports Akshat.</p> <h3><b>Awaaz</b></h3> <p>With censoring becoming more and more obvious and Instagram itself pivoting from a creator-friendly platform, Akshat moved his exploration into creating meaningful work and examining the modes for it to other outlets: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHAWPwVJC2w/" target="_blank">installations</a>, talks and, coming a full circle, to films again. As part of Goethe-Institut’s ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19288-m-a-p-a-m-p-highlights-performances-stories-of-musicians-with-a-cause-including-ahmer-sheetal-sathe-more" target="_blank">M.A.P // A.M.P</a>’, the filmmaker created a series of documentaries entitled <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19524-awaaz-akshat-nauriyal-creates-documentary-films-on-protest-music-histories-of-india-pakistan-sri-lanka-iran">‘Awaaz’</a>, turning the lens yet again to underrepresented artistic voices. Handpicking with the help of research and local social networks, ‘Awaaz’ highlighted politically outspoken artists from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Iran to look at the history of protests from these countries.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ml2iV7BfkLE" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“Anytime you go on Twitter, somebody is getting boycotted. We’re living in an age of outrage,” says Akshat, noting how any political discourse is getting mudied up online by internet trolls while a work of activist nature doesn’t get platformed enough outside it. Allaying that, ‘Awaaz’ unearthed the nature of dissent specific to each country – whether it was about signalling the erosion of administrative infrastructures and economy in Sri Lanka, which erupted within weeks of the film getting released, or the difficulty in finding a voice that can publicly speak against the powers that be in a country like Iran. “There was a responsibility that I had on my end which was to ensure that I don’t put out content that can eventually lead to trouble for them [the artists],” continues Akshat. “Which is why I did in a way where we were actually chronicling the past protest movements to give context of where the country is right now, rather than attack any of the present figures.”</p> <p>Even with the varying specifics, much like M.A.P // A.M.P’s crowdsourced repository of protest music, ‘Awaaz’ brought out the parallels between artistic activism around the world, signalling a unification of voices and the possibility of shared empathy. According to Akshat: “[The films] platform these movements in a way so that other people in other parts of the world can see that we’re all pretty similar and that there is merit to creating work like this.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/2386-irom-5.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Irom Sharmila with family by Akshat Nauriyal</em></h5> <p>“I feel a cycle has finished and a new cycle is beginning,” he adds as we agree on how the films on national sub-cultures with ‘Awaaz’ feel like coming a full circle in light of how films on Delhi’s sub-cultures with ‘Now Delhi’ kicked things off. Since finishing ‘Awaaz’, two of the countries Akshat turned his lens to have been taken over by protests, which have emerged out of the shadows to engulf the streets, at times, fulfilling predictions touched upon in the films. Meanwhile, Akshat has moved on to creating the new chapter for Yesnomaybe and shadowing Irom Sharmila, not just documenting the cost her struggle for fairer civil rights has demanded but also building a multi-faceted reflection of her poetry and personality. For the New Delhi creative, the parallels and narratives to be unearthed by his personal artistic vision continue to draw him to the margins.</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Word by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Profile image by Akshat Nauriyal</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5133-akshat-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5937-akshat-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined...'), 'href' => '/features/19908-spotlight-akshat-nauriyal-yesnomaybe-st-art-now-delhi-awaaz', 'key' => 'features')), 'repo' => 'https://repo.thewildcity.com/', 'host' => 'https://www.thewildcity.com', 'page' => null, 'bannerhead' => array(), 'bannertop' => array(), 'bannermid' => array(array('label' => 'Mailing List', 'url' => 'https://thewildcity.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=3fbebf9eadf7433315c051d4e&id=e053aa3ae5', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column middle', 'image' => '3413-signup.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'bannerlow' => array(array('label' => 'follow us on instagram', 'url' => 'https://www.instagram.com/thewildcity/', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column bottom', 'image' => '2532-followus.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'app' => object(Application)), array('title' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37), 'block_title'), 'main' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37), 'block_main'))) in Environment.php(462) : eval()'d code line 25
  8. at __TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37->doDisplay(array('pages' => array(array('id' => '385', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '310', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:36:32', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2020-12-28 13:16:03', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'About', 'content' => '<p>Wild City was established as an online music magazine and community platform in 2011. It has since grown to become an events company (hosting a variety of musical showcases, events and the annual Magnetic Fields Festival), cultural PR agency (City Press launched in 2015), consultants for brands engaging with contemporary music culture in India (partners include Boiler Room, Resident Advisor, Red Bull, Jameson, Bira 91, Puma, Social Offline, Bumble, Ray-Ban, Budweiser, British Council amongst others), and executors of regional cultural programs across South Asia.</p> <p>Dedicated to spotlighting the latest in alternative culture and music from India and South Asia, Wild City’s inception filled a much-needed gap in the Indian music space.<br /> <br /> A year after its establishment, Wild City partnered with Gerriet Schultz (founder of iconic Berlin club VMF) and the Goethe-Institut to create Border Movement, an online platform and series of events, workshops and residencies that promote interaction between grass roots electronic music communities in South Asia and Germany.<br /> <br /> In 2013, Wild City co-founded the first-ever Magnetic Fields, arguably India’s most popular boutique music festival. Taking place in Alsisar Mahal, Rajasthan, Magnetic Fields has been included in the ‘50 Best Music Festivals in the World’ by Time Out Magazine. It has also been lauded by Resident Advisor, New York Times and other notable publications.<br /> <br /> In 2016, Wild City further went on to win an award for 'Best Promoter in India' and co-curated the music stream of The Coalition.<br /> <br /> Wild City is the voice for alternative music in the region. Whether showcasing local or international sounds, the company constantly thrives to challenge and develop the independent cultural space and its audience.<br /> <br /> <strong>Contact Us:</strong><br /> <br /> Promos | Music Submissions: music@thewildcity.com<br /> Listings | News | Features: amaan@thewildcity.com<br /> Press | PR: ruhi@thewildcity.com<br /> Commercial | Ads | Partnerships: munbir@thewildcity.com<br /> Recruitment | Hotdesking: info@thewildcity.com<br /> Inquiries | General: info@thewildcity.com</p> ', 'slug' => 'about', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => '')), array('id' => '386', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '311', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:51:38', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2018-04-19 06:50:04', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Advertising', 'content' => '<p><sub>To advertise with Wild City please contact press@thewildcity.com. For partnerships please speak to munbir@thewildcity.com.</sub></p> ', 'slug' => 'advertising', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => ''))), 'feed' => array(array('id' => '20610', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19421', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-15 12:43:44', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-15 15:50:09', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '2023 In Review', 'date' => '15/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Vinayak^a, Komorebi, Sandunes, Dreamhour, Tarun Balani, Ruhail Qaisar, Rafiki, Ditty, Lush Lata, Mali, Oblique, Bulli Bainbridge, Merak, Dhanji', 'business' => 'Dynamite Disco Club', 'content' => '<p>2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of its predecessor and no change of digit has ever put a break on the continuity of trends, talent or conflict.</p> <p>The exercise of shedding light upon the developments in alternative music in the Indian subcontinent in a particular year and highlighting what we predict will ripple forward doesn’t just help people reflect on what has been and catch up on things they might have missed or overlooked. It also has proven to signal the upcoming prominence of budding artists.</p> <p>For instance, from our <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20037-2022-in-review" target="_blank">2022’s reflection</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chaardiwaari/" target="_blank">Chaar Diwaari</a> has since released on Def Jam India and collaborated with Yo Yo Honey Singh and all 3 of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11700-noni-mouse" target="_blank">Noni-mouse</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7080-kiss-nuka" target="_blank">Kiss Nuka</a> made their Boiler Room debuts with the latter two also doing prominent shows in UK and Berlin respectively.</p> <p>Eitherway, we find it worth pausing to take in what we witnessed in 2023 – a year, that wasn’t the first period out of the pandemic but the one where the visions, growth and ideas developed on an individual level during the pandemic were exercised and showcased to its fullest.</p> <p>See what that looked like by focusing on handpicked artists and their work in the past year below:</p> <h3><b>Vinayak^a</b></h3> <p>A long-standing figure of Indian dancefloors, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/129-vinayak-a" target="_blank">Vinayak^a</a> would have defined 2023 in alternative music space just through the sheer quantity of his releases alone. While things had been sporadic on the release front in the nearly two decades-worth of career for the Chennai-based DJ-producer, 2023 was filled with a drop after another. Out of them, ‘Andar Bandar’, Vinayak^a’s second-ever solo LP looms large. Layers from electronic to sampled organic collide to create rich atmospheric tapestries while Vinayak^a shows how spoken word samples can be used to add to the textures rather than as devices to spoonfeed a message and emotion.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2587720108/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Andar Bandar by vinayak^a</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sandunes</b></h3> <p>Almost every year is filled with some commendable work by this electronica frontrunner but 2023 stands out for Sanaya Ardeshir aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/301-sandunes" target="_blank">Sandunes</a> through her most ambitious release to date: the album ‘The Ground Beneath Her Feat'. The 13-track release combines all the aspects Sandunes has become known for: the meticulously layered synth layers, syncopating grooves and experimentations with guest vocalists. She dials it all up another notch with the sweetness of woodwinds. The result is a work of electronica that’s in parts at par in its reflective emotionality with the best of any year or region. I recommend going in with ‘Tsunami’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3390681302/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Sandunes</iframe></p> <h3><b>Komorebi</b></h3> <p>If we are talking ambition, Tarana Marwah aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/177-komorebi" target="_blank">Komorebi</a>’s album ‘The Fall’ isn’t just one of the most ambitious works of 2023 but of any year so far for India’s indie music. Released with a comic, music videos, tying lore and scores of collaborations within it, the multi-tiered album goes back and forth between being an electropop effort and a progressive structured work suitable for a musical with its dramatic shifts between ideas.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QxmEUt3fVfk?si=1TE4A17yNNsq6Qw3" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Mali</b></h3> <p>In the case of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17335-mali" target="_blank">Mali</a>, it’s been about focusing on the basics. There were no added frills, just an album i.e. ‘Semi Automatic Butane’, music videos to help present it and a busy tour to support it. Within those basics, the Mumbai artist tightened her songwriting to indie-pop perfection and offered it with economically picked ideas. For a listener of the style, the album is destined to achieve that rarer-than-expected feat among independent releases, which is, to be part of people’s playlists beyond its promotional cycle.</p> <p>That itself is enough and yet, the singer-songwriter enjoyed another breakout success with her efforts in Tamil music with the worth checking out ‘<a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=n7_tASChbw4" target="_blank">Anniku Raatri</a>’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=969156237/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Semi Automatic Butane by Mali</iframe></p> <h3><b>Dhanji</b></h3> <p>After a long buildup to it, Gujrat’s rap artist <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20330-dhanji" target="_blank">Dhanji</a> released his <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20328-dhanji-releases-his-earnestly-awaited-debut-album-ruab" target="_blank">debut album ‘Ruab’</a> and the whirring repetitions of the title have been echoing in our brains ever since. The 11-track release brings in elements from funk, rock and even electronica but without compromising on the qualities of hip-hop as meticulously written verses flow through a dramatic progression of ideas. The album, supported via live performances throughout the year, is an instance where the ambitiousness is purely musical and demonstrates the kind of risk-taking that hasn’t been seen in Indian hip-hop for a while.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1663662427&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Dhanji">Dhanji</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic/sets/ruab-1" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="RUAB">RUAB</a></div> <h3><b>Kinari / Finsta</b></h3> <p>Another occasion of something fresh dropping in the space of hip-hop came through the New Delhi artist formerly known as Finsta with their EP ‘QUEERBOPS’. Not just due to the still rare instance of queer narratives finding a space in the genre, but rather for the merit that Finsta deals with both hip-hop and themes around queerness with a distinctly and naturally fitting Indian flavour. Though the artist has since reinvented themself as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kinaripurrs/" target="_blank">Kinari</a> with already an album entitled ‘KATTAR KINNAR’ in the pipeline, the strong statements over the added delight of an experimental edge of the 6-track release still manages to move the body and shake the brain.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2fvC5Y9lS5Y34t6GdPAovG?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Dot.</b></h3> <p>While her involvement in the lead cast of ‘The Archies’, Bollywood’s most-talked-about movie of 2023, looms larger than anything for most, it was a good year for people who know Aditi Saigal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20131-dot" target="_blank">Dot.</a> as a musician first. Alongside inviting the audience to witness her growth as a live performer over the year, the singer-songwriter ended the period with a collection of recordings from her practice room as an album entitled ‘Practice Rooms’, which even kicks off with her most popular raw take of ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’. At the same time, the year saw her at her most polished with the soft pop of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20135-dot-begins-to-find-a-new-voice-with-indigo" target="_blank">Indigo</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u0OG7rjgqxc?si=TfyMy6H5EhmXkcaB" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Long Distances</b></h3> <p>A product of remote collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11187-aarifah-rebello">Aarifah Rebello</a>, Apurv Agrawal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/456-cowboy-and-sailor-man">Cowboy &amp; Sailor Man</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zubinski/">Zubin Pastakia</a>’s combined effort <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20375-long-distances" target="_blank">Long Distances</a> has outlasted the shadows of the pandemic, outliving most other projects born in that period. In 2023, the trio started unfolding singles that would lead up to the EP ‘How the Mighty Will Fall’ and through live performances, solidified their name among the newest generation of indie live groups of India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=3217313286/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Delicate Surrender by Long Distances</iframe></p> <h3><b>Excise Department</b></h3> <p>2023 was also the year New Delhi got to familiarise itself better with their new alternative hip-hop heads <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20177-excise-dept-take-a-dig-at-the-absurdity-in-present-day-religious-figures-on-baaro-maala" target="_blank">Excise Department</a> – which always remains tricky for an act that likes to stay anonymous and operate in English, Bengali and Punjabi. Alongside their debut live show and several others since, the group released 3 defining singles, namely ‘Baaro Maala’, ‘Birhada’ and ‘Billo’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oq_Qql2yu78?si=sc-JTcSKJNmKbyyf" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Yuhina</b></h3> <p>While talking of acts we got to familiarise ourselves with in 2023, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yuhinalachungpa/?hl=en" target="_blank">Yuhina Lachungpa</a> is an easy mention for her debut EP at the tail-end of the year. After years of having just the occasional collaboration and self-released work, the Bangalore-based Sikkim-rooted artist combined Buddhist chants and equally meditative lyricism about self with electropop production on the 5-track EP ‘Mnemonic’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4076191914/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">MNEMONIC by Yuhina</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bengal Chemicals</b></h3> <p>Even with the occasional emerging and new acts, it still felt like the alternative music space of the region had a decline in fresh talent and fresher growth. That story seemed completely different in leftfield genres like noise and ambient. Pritam Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bengal.chemicals/?hl=en" target="_blank">Bengal Chemicals</a> emerged as a good representative of the renaissance that seems to be emerging in Kolkata in these genres. While there is no shortage of recommendable works (shoutout to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20316-harmonium-ambient-torture-form-the-basis-of-nilotpal-das-aka-bios-contrast-s-harmonium-i">Nilotpal Das’ ‘Harmonium I’</a>), Bengal Chemicals’ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20186-bengal-chemicals-channels-deteriorating-cityscapes-on-sophomore-ep-via-biswa-bangla-noise">sophomore EP ‘তা​র​ক’</a> is the best way into unravelling the leftfield undercurrents that hopefully will get their rightful place in the discourse and industry around alternative music.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2291060274/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">তারক by Bengal Chemicals</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ruhail</b></h3> <p>Whether the spotlight is on noise or not, Ladakh's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4979-ruhail-qaisar" target="_blank">Ruhail Qaisar</a>’s album <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima" target="_blank">‘Fatima’ is one of the strongest albums of the year</a>. A most uncompromising and unflinching take on identity and personal history, Ruhail’s debut album, released via Danse Noir, is both about self and the world he comes from – its people, its transformations and tragedies. A layered work that uncovers meanings the more you dig into it and learn about its references and elements, ‘Fatima’ is a testament to the merit of being free from expectations and believing in one’s own artistic impulses – a quality that has also taken the artist to stages <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CttObMvoVIh/" target="_blank">across the EU</a> including Berlin's famed Berghain for the CTM festival.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <h3><b>Philtersoup</b></h3> <p>Sanjay Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/philtersoupmusic/?hl=en" target="_blank">Philtersoup</a> has been present in the undercurrents of India’s alternative music for a while but the Mumbai-based producer-composer found greater agency in 2023. Besides experimental A/V shows in art studios and synth jams, Das performed alongside <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20068-karshni" target="_blank">Karshni Nair</a> and released the collaborative single ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20263-karshni-philtersoup-release-collaborative-single-long-gone" target="_blank">Long Gone</a>’. Parallely, he served as a music supervisor on the OTT-release ‘Rainbow Rishta’, helping cross over more of India’s independent music to the OTT-media audience.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=4239800201/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Long Gone by philterSoup x Karshni</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sourya Sen</b></h3> <p>Operating in close proximity and joining in on the aforementioned synth jams with Philtersoup, Sourya Sen (also known as <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17413-oblique" target="_blank">Oblique</a>) has not only been a longstanding presence as a live visual artist for some leading independent artists but has also been one of the most evocative abstractionists within the modular synth space. The claim is no less potent when paired with his 11-track memoir of the places he has lived entitled ‘In The Cities’. Top that with his input at the earliest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkyBRg9A6EA" target="_blank">A/V show</a> at one of Mumbai’s newest (certainly one of its most heavily discussed in recent memory) spaces i.e. the <a href="https://nmacc.com/" target="_blank">NMACC</a>, and the Mumbai-based artist’s creative footprint is as relevant as it is subtle within the portrait of 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2242427289/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">In the Cities by Sourya Sen</iframe></p> <h3><b>I7HVN</b></h3> <p>It was a year of growth for Safar collective co-founder <a href="https://www.instagram.com/i7hvn/?hl=en" target="_blank">I7HVN</a>, who stepped beyond his IDM and trip-hop experiments for two long-form releases that showcased moments of self-realisation and a comfortable embrace of his styles. After the abstract atmospheres of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a>-released ‘Youthful’, Bangalore producer put out a broken beat techno EP ‘Anodyne’ at the end of the year. His best moments emerge within the restrained ambience of ‘Youthful’s closer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20252-first-look-i7hvn-sanoli-chowdhury-collaborate-on-imaginary-love">‘Imaginary Love’, which features Sanoli Chowdhury</a>, and the opening title track of ‘Anodyne’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=514984918/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Youthful by I7HVN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Merak</b></h3> <p>While the Goan sibling duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20296-merak" target="_blank">Merak</a> isn’t the first to bring jazz into electronica, there is a balanced tastefulness in their work which gets rendered even more potent in the hands of seasoned acts like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a> and in the shared prowess of collaborators like Shreyas Iyenger – both of whom appeared on the duo’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20300-dreampop-electronica-jazz-mix-on-merak-s-manic-mode" target="_blank">EP ‘Manic Mode’</a>. Besides the appreciable release, Merak frequently became part of the festival lineups around the year to leave a lasting imprint on Indian alternative music’s 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=553102807/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 274px;">Manic Mode EP by Merak</iframe></p> <h3><b>Seasonal Affected Beats</b></h3> <p>It’s hard to think of an artist who has seemed harder working in 2023 than New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4958-tarun-balani" target="_blank">Tarun Balani</a>. The multi-instrumentalist, educator and composer kicked off the year by touring his A/V show ‘2°’ with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/16948-spotlight-parizad-d" target="_blank">Parizad D</a> as Seasonal Affected Beats and filled the year treading the line between meticulous and intuitive through the music from his album ‘Where the Ice Meets the Water’. Add to that another tour in support of the album and two singles focusing on his more jazz-centric work with the Dhamma Collective, and it’s been undoubtedly big 12 months for Tarun Balani.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1503216166/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Where the Ice Meets the Water by Seasonal Affected Beats, Tarun Balani</iframe></p> <h3><b>Debo Sanyal / Dokodoko </b></h3> <p>Is it a cliché to call something ‘underrated’ at this point? If it is, then it’s unfitting of me to use a cliché for someone who usually offers anything but that. Siliguri’s Deno Sanyal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4501-dreamhour" target="_blank">Dreamhour</a> has been dropping quality music full of humour, underexplored styles and singular quirk for years now. More recently, it has found a partner with the complimentary irreverence and straightfaced attitude (which translates sonically as well) of Dr. Kritika as the duo releases music as Dokodoko – <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20419-dokodoko-release-grunge-infused-hindi-electropop-with-shor" target="_blank">gracing 2023 with a foray into Hindi electropop</a>. For more puristical Dreamhour synth bops, the album ‘Now That We Are’ is as punchy as it comes alongside proving that there are still grounds to explore and fun to be had with synthwave.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3930647123/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Now That We Are Here by Dreamhour</iframe></p> <h3><b>Warehouse Mix</b></h3> <p><a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Warehouse Mix</a> is the latest (and increasingly rare) case of a bunch of young creatives coming together not for the primary purpose of making a quick profit but rather to create something “cool” or something that they believe in. In this case the belief is around the original ethos of house music and its ability to provide spaces for diverse expression. While the collective has been budding over the years, 2023 saw them break their immediate bubbles to create bigger impacts, hosting their flagship <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Anticlub</a> parties, live percussion dances and vinyl-only sessions at the city outskirts.</p> <h3><b>Dynamite Disco Club</b></h3> <p>Another collective based near house music (and several other adjacent styles) but more defined by its experienced members, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/18599-dynamite-disco-club" target="_blank">Dynamite Disco Club</a> has been one of our year-defining acts in the past – the year it announced that it would function as a label as well. But this year, DDC embodies the idea that 2023 was the period all the visions developed during the COVID-19 pandemic about life after it were fully realised (as much as they will ever likely be). Besides a string of its parties throughout the year and having a space at almost every notable music festival in the country, the label realised releases from not just its well-known members like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/5027-stalvart-john" target="_blank">Stalvart John</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3929-hamza" target="_blank">Hamza Rahimtula</a>, but also newer talents like ISHXN and even bigger list of foreign acts. On top of importing off-shore acts to its label, the collective also took its domestic talent reach out to shores beyond with Stalvart John touring through parts of South and East Asia.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=2610448964/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Disco Disco, Good Good (Original mix) by ISHXN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Lush Lata</b></h3> <p>It was a big year for New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>, who reached a milestone in her ascent as a DJ with a set at dance music mecca Berlin’s The Berghain early in the year as part of CTM Festival. Since then the stripes have kept attaching in the form of live sets for the likes of HÖR, Rinse and Kiosk Radio, and, constantly, the Indian dancefloors.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1464837649&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Rafiki</b></h3> <p>Through his work as a longstanding promoter and DJ, Sohail Arora aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7552-rafiki" target="_blank">Rafiki</a> has maintained his relevance for a while. This year, however, there was heightened emphasis on his musical output in the form of two EPs: first in the form of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20144-rafiki-gives-retro-sounds-a-modern-edge-on-the-source" target="_blank">The Source</a>’ and then ‘New Shifts’. Surrounding it, the Mumbai-based music industry professional delivered notable mixes, joined his curation for Boiler Room, and toured through Europe, Sri Lanka and clubs across India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=141835852/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">New Shifts by Rafiki</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ditty</b></h3> <p>2023 also was the year of the return of Aditi Veena aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/12649-ditty" target="_blank">Ditty</a>. Though the singer-songwriter was hardly gone, having toured in the latter half of 2022 and releasing music as part of the group Faraway Friends before that, this year saw her put out her <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20452-exclusive-first-listen-ditty-offers-a-distinct-approach-to-indie-pop-with-single-hold-me-from-the-ep-skin" target="_blank">first solo release in 4 years</a> – during which she battled a major illness, got married and partly relocated to Berlin. The trickle of releases started with a collaborative track with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8232-jordan-johnson" target="_blank">Jordan Johnson</a> (another artist who put out standout work in 2023) and followed into the rollout of her own EP ‘Skin’ with live dates punctuating the process.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=966494420/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Hold Me by DITTY</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bulli Bainbridge</b></h3> <p>If you’re an avid listener of indie music and yet don’t know who Zain Calcuttawala is, it’s still likely you have unknowingly enjoyed his contributions. Besides his past as a gig programmer, the multi-faceted talent has been hosting podcasts on mental health and more popularly producing for everyone from Bhrighu Sahni and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19113-second-sight" target="_blank">Second Sight</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18207-raghav-meattle" target="_blank">Raghav Meattle</a>. His work with his moniker <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18024-bulli-bainbridge" target="_blank">Bulli Bainbridge</a> has been no less versatile. He kicked off the year with an album entitled ‘Seasons’ that saw contributions from the likes of Ankit Dayal, BobKat, and Bombay Dub Orchestra and followed it with a collaborative hip-hop single ‘One Me’. Since then, the producer, engineer and composer has been reimagining some of the most popular recent indie hits – cue an orchestral version of Bloodywood, a lo-fi cut of Raghav Meattle’s ‘City Life’ and a swing-era take of Dot’s ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5ZULHCsrfC91weo5SUtENC?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words: Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Image Design: Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9199-2022-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '4028-2023-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of...'), 'href' => '/features/20610-2023-in-review', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20609', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19420', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-14 12:37:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-14 12:45:06', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #234: Hammer', 'date' => '14/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>A member of the <a href="http://www.feelmybicep.com/" target="_blank">Feel My Bicep</a> crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go on to form the duo Bicep), Rory Hamilton aka <a href="https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/hammer" target="_blank">Hammer</a> isn't just someone who has a sense for discovering interesting electronica works. After decades of hosting parties in Glasgow and later London, as well as spinning records the world over, the Belfast-born talent knows how to stitch together those records to create moments of passionate revelry.</p> <p>India has bore witness to that skill multiple times at this point as Hamilton returned to the country earlier this year <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/11647-london-based-dj-producer-hammer-announces-show-in-delhi" target="_blank">after half a decade</a>, adding dates in Goa and Kolkata alongside Delhi and Mumbai before jetting off to Sri Lanka for further performances with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for an 8-show tour of India and Sri Lanka. He recorded a mix for Wild City in Sri Lanka at the end of his tour to look back at his time in the region, which also included signing on Kolkata's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7818-8-bit-culprit" target="_blank">8-bit culprit</a> – the second artist from India to work with the label after New Delhi Anhad Khanna aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19691-sublime-sound-releases-club-ready-ep-that-love-affair-through-hammer-s-remmah-records" target="_blank">Sublime Sound</a>.</p> <p>"From the first ever gig I played in Auro in New Delhi, I learnt that the dance floor in India is special in that the sense of excitement is genuinely palpable. Taking risks pays off," says Hamilton. "I’ve also learnt that like every country, each city is different and you need to be ready to fit into it."</p> <p>Consequently, while often operating close to house, disco and some techno, how Hammer uses a particular style can vary. Recorded at The Luna Terrace of Galle's Closenburg Hotel, the HQ of Tropical Wax, the Wild City mix goes from an unreleased remix of Syreeta Wright's chants on 'Shanti', to the disco-inspired Baldo Remix of Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami's 'Sugar Snap'. Testifying Hammer's abilities to create notable moments in his sets, the mix offers several instances – from the melody-led energy of Two Mamarrachos to the respite of the laidback chords of Madvilla's 'Galactic Banana'. The best, however, is the house-meets-pop euphoria that comes almost as a cinematic euphoric climax to the mix with an unreleased track featuring the voice of Lili Chan.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehammerhits/" target="_blank">Hammer</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-234-hammer%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-234-hammer" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #234: Hammer</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Suricata - Algo Para La Fiesta (Alma &amp; Mater Dub)<br /> Syreeta - Shanti (Hammer Remix) [He She They]<br /> Two Mamarrachos - Let's Find Another After [Nein]<br /> Calystarr - Heartdown (Tronik Youth Remix)<br /> MADVILLA - Galactic Banana<br /> Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami - Sugar Snap (Baldo Remix) [Semi Delicious]<br /> HAMMER - Swivel [Skylax]<br /> Aaron Rutherford - Infinite Cycle<br /> Hammer - Highland ft. Lili Chan [He She They]<br /> KIRA BLUSH - What u Want [Remmah]<br /> Dharma - Turbulence [Remmah]<br /> HAMMER - Swerve [Skylax]</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7604-hammer-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '8183-wc-mix-hammer-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'A member of the Feel My Bicep crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20609-wild-city-234-hammer', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20606', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19417', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-12 09:20:09', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-12 12:20:42', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'sudan Strikes A Fine Balance Of Styles With 'omg'', 'date' => '12/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release under its critique is <a href="https://microplastics.substack.com/p/wiping-the-moistness-from-music-criticism?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank">at least 6 out of 10</a>, it's refreshing to come across a piece of music from an artist just starting out that's easy to get behind with robust promise. 22-year-old Pritpal <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">Sudan</a> from Mumbai, who is previously seen backing the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18225-releases-of-the-week-okedo-ditty-the-revisit-project-more" target="_blank">Anoushka Maskey</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20015-lavi-foenix-give-a-blend-of-rock-disco-for-the-internet-generation-on-no-phones-at-the-dinner-table" target="_blank">Lavi &amp; Foenix</a>, launched his solo act named after his last name with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">2021's 'Fire / Snow'</a>. Nearly 3 Years on, the producer and instrumentalist has announced his debut album 'sudan?', to be released on June 21, from which he has just released the single 'omg'.</p> <p>Lo-fi recording of soulful singing over large piano chords transforms into a brimming electropop-meets-neo soul passage a la Sampha or Kamaal Williams. The production keeps growing with moments of satisfying drops and layering styles over another without overpowering the previous or the songwriting – giving a perfect balance of interesting ideas without becoming too eager to impress.</p> <p>Listen to 'omg' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/notsudan/" target="_blank">sudan</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTOBfFzE_o4?si=ASspQLLmXpvX3d0x" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Pranav Marde</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '8267-sudan-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '8725-sudan-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release...'), 'href' => '/news/20606-sudan-strikes-a-fine-balance-of-styles-with-omg', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20603', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19414', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-11 11:47:37', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-11 11:49:47', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'boxout.fm Recordings' 2nd V/A Compilation Sees Lush Lata Handpick Dancefloor Stompers', 'date' => '11/03/2024', 'artists' => 'MadStarBase, Lush Lata', 'business' => 'boxout.fm', 'content' => '<p>After <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19295-kohra-oceantied-zequenx-more-feature-on-first-of-boxout-fm-recordings-compilation-series-v-a-suchi-selects" target="_blank">2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS'</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4724-boxout-fm" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> is back with the second instalment of its artist-curated compilation series with 'LUSH LATA SELECTS' handpicked by New Delhi DJ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>.</p> <p>The 7-track compilation kicks off with 'Cognac Bounce' by duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a>, who continue to prove themselves masters of creating booming dancefloor numbers with a sensual oomph while <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zealotantrik/" target="_blank">Zealotantrik</a> continues that boom but with the colour of some lo-fi artefacts. Following <a href="https://www.instagram.com/insowmya/" target="_blank">Insowmya</a>'s sampled esoteric percussion-heavy 'Shut Up', collaborative numbers by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pav4nco/" target="_blank">PAV4N</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sukhknight/" target="_blank">Sukh Knight</a>, as well as, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/captain.fuse/" target="_blank">Captain Fuse</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/muktmusic/" target="_blank">Mukt</a> highlight the defining quality of the compilation: heavy use of sampling, picking up vocal hooks from a variety of sources but more commonly vintage records and creating bass-led compositions.</p> <p>The latter collaboration by Captain Fuse and Mukt remains the most interesting offering on the compilation as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97-Ch6d2LBE" target="_blank">Geeta Dutt's 'Tumi Je Amaar'</a> transforms into a stuttering concoction of slow-funk and hip-hop.</p> <p>Listen to 'Lush Lata Selects' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/boxoutfmrecordings/" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3602297268/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 373px;">Lush Lata Selects by Various Artists</iframe></p> <p><em>Artwork by Sijya</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0028-lush-lata-selects-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '4170-lush-lata-selects-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'After 2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS', boxout.fm Recordings is back with the second instalment of its...'), 'href' => '/news/20603-boxout-fm-recordings-2nd-v-a-compilation-sees-lush-lata-handpick-dancefloor-stompers', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20591', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19402', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-06 10:40:01', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-06 11:11:00', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Jyoty Singh Tours India As Part Of Ultra Soulflyp's Biggest Shows', 'date' => '06/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Jyoty Singh', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at weekly <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> events to more than half a decade of presenting a leading show at <a href="https://rinse.fm/" target="_blank">Rinse.fm</a> and a viral <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> performance, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/?hl=en" target="_blank">Jyoty Singh</a> has always been privy to the cutting-edge sounds of the dancefloor. Stitching together the revelry of dancehall, afrobeats and funk when DJing live and tying threads between cultures when curating for her radio mixes, her parties '<a href="https://www.instagram.com/areyouhomegrown/" target="_blank">Homegrown</a>' and her magazine 'The Move', the Punjabi-descent Amsterdam-born London-based artist espouses versatility and ear for the fresh.</p> <p>The multi-faceted selector arrives in India for the first time since her breakout Boiler Room set gained popularity during the pandemic, performing at Mumbai's Famous Studio, Bengaluru's Sunburn Union and Gurugram's Imperfecto Patio on March 22, 23 and 24 respectively.</p> <p>The shows take place as part of <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp</a>, the event series by Kingfisher Ultra, Wild City and Gently Altered which kicked off almost a year ago and has taken over spaces across the country with various styles of dance music over the year. With support yet to be announced, the dates with Jyoty are slated to be Ultra Soulflyp's biggest celebrations to date as it promises to amp up its curation, capacity and immersiveness to make live music a multi-sensorial experience.</p> <p>Reserve your spots for the events and find out more about Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp through its <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and follow Jyoty Singh <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/" target="_blank">here</a>. Listen to her Boiler Room set below to get a sense of what to expect.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2VrztYTNYT8?si=zotxj2S3zpV3o6Vh" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Filipa Aurélio</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9992-0-thumb--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'picture' => '4636-0-banner--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at...'), 'href' => '/news/20591-jyoty-singh-tours-india-as-part-of-ultra-soulflyp-s-biggest-shows', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20588', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19399', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-04 13:43:12', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-04 13:50:41', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Slowspin, Sijya, SIDD & More Feature On Ninja Tunes' Remix EP for Nabihah Iqbal's 'DREAMER'', 'date' => '04/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Slowspin, Sijya', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Tune" target="_blank">Ninja Tune</a>, bringing together South Asian acts, namely Pakistan's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/haideruppal/" target="_blank">Haider Uppal</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4495-slowspin" target="_blank">Slowspin</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/young_dervish/" target="_blank">Zak Khan</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/siddbeats_/" target="_blank">SIDD</a> as well as India's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a>, to reimagine tracks off her 2023 EP 'DREAMER'. As a bonus, the release also features Berlin's Innervision's label-owner and one-half of Âme, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/frank__wiedemann/" target="_blank">Frank Wiedemann</a>, who remixes 'Zone 1 to 6000' from Nabihah's 2017 debut album 'Weighing of the Heart'.</p> <p>All the South Asian artists on the package have shared the stage with the London-based Pakistani-descent artist, who DJ-ed alongside Haider Uppal and SIDD on her first-ever gig in Pakistan, invited Slowspin and Zak Khan to support her during her US tour and discovered Sijya at London's Tate Modern, when the New Delhi artist toured the UK in 2023 before being asked to open for Nabihah at Yes Manchester.</p> <p>Both Haider Uppal and Sijya take a textural approach to their remixes with the former suffusing a techno beat with deep pads out of which harmonic melodies and string lines emerge and diffuse. Meanwhile, Sijya offers the grittiest outing with 'Sunflower' as synths fizzle and distort over a visceral thump and Nabihah's near-spoken singing places itself as a transcendent chant.</p> <p>Frank Wiedemann and SIDD, one of Karachi's most prominent DJ-producers, present two flipsides of techno with their remixes. There is a clear edge of experience with Frank's innovative and effective structuring and Berlin-associated spaciousness as acid house synth squelching plays against Nabihah's singing, highlighting its singular qualities, while SIDD offers a more Detroit-influenced take on the genre with atmospheric spoken voice deepening the minimal nature of the production.</p> <p>The remixes play off of Nabihah's unique vocal style, an element that takes centre stage on Slowspin's sparse remix of the title track from 'DREAMER' alongside Zak Khan's gentle piano-playing, recontextualising the song with a simple arrangement to bring notice to the meaning behind the songwriting.</p> <p>Listen to 'DREAMER (Remixes)' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=316911633/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">DREAMER (Remixes) by Nabihah Iqbal</iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Joseph Hayes</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9103-nabihah-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '2452-nabihah-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Nabihah Iqbal has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label Ninja Tune,...'), 'href' => '/news/20588-slowspin-sijya-sidd-more-feature-on-ninja-tunes-remix-ep-for-nabihah-iqbal-s-dreamer', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20584', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19395', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-01 13:42:57', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-01 13:46:45', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi', 'date' => '01/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Talal Qureshi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/14605-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Talal Qureshi</a>. Even as the Pakistan's electropop pioneer has transformed from a Coke Studio mainstay with esoteric productions on the side to someone who brings his worlds together and creates the collaborative woofer-friendly bangers, that characteristic zaniness remains. As evident by his 2023 debut album 'TURBO' and its recent re-release with <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5AqK0sYFr4bVWAtVKTmXcz" target="_blank">a deluxe edition</a>, it has married itself to the sound of South Asian hip-hop with sometimes a satirising presence of Pakistan's hyperlocal elements.</p> <p>It is embodied in the announcement he makes at the start of his Wild City mix before launching into cuts from the 15-track release, unreleased demos, edits of his other work and even someone Skrillex to demonstrate how his work can boom alongside the globally prominent.</p> <p>Contrary to most mixes of nearly all-originals, Talal's quick-moving mix is a product bigger than the sum of its selections. Constant flow through hard cuts between collaborations that feature the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8936-seedhe-maut" target="_blank">Seedhe Maut</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faris_Shafi" target="_blank">Faris Shafi</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_Raheem" target="_blank">Hasan Raheem</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18090-natasha-noorani" target="_blank">Natasha Noorani</a> speaks to the effective structures of Talal's productions. It's a mix worth a listen even if just for the reimagined energy of Talal's take on '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mNaNMmxJ1I" target="_blank">Faltu Pyaar</a>' and '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3pUsXxCfEk" target="_blank">Muaziz Sarif</a>'.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-233-talal-qureshi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-233-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>MAAL(DEMO) - Blal x Talal Qureshi (Unreleased)<br /> Intro - Talal Qureshi<br /> Tarka - Talal Qureshi<br /> NACH LE - Imran Khan (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> ASAL G - SEEDHE MAUT x Talal Qureshi x Faris Shafi<br /> Paisa - Talal Qureshi x Hasan Raheem (TQ Honey Flip) (Unreleased)<br /> No ID - Skrills (unreleased)<br /> Push ID - Skrillex &amp; Hamdi ft. Taichu<br /> Muaziz Sarif - Coke Studio, Faris Shafi, Meesha Shafi (Talal Qureshi Version) (Unreleased)<br /> Peechay Hutt - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Justin Bibi's<br /> LEFT RIGHT - Ali Sethi, Maanu, Shaegill, A.S (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> Raazi - Natasha Noorani, Talal Qureshi (TQ Honey Flip) (unreleased)<br /> Faltu Pyar - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Natasha Noorani (TQ Honey Flip)(unreleased)<br /> Hico - Talal Qureshi, Maanu (TQ Honey FLIP)(unreleased)<br /> JOGI - Maanu x Talal Qureshi<br /> At the AfterParty - Trick Singh ( Talal Qureshi Version) (unreleased)<br /> KYA - Talal Qureshi x Asim Azhar</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '2345-talal-qureshi-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '1548-tq.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's Talal Qureshi. Even as the...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20584-wild-city-233-talal-qureshi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20576', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19387', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-22 10:41:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-22 10:59:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'New Delhi Gets A New Record Store By Digging In India ', 'date' => '22/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Digging In India', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka <a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-mix-187-digging-in-india" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> has just launched his record store in New Delhi's Shahpur Jat.</p> <p>Known for his sense of discovering overlooked Indian heritage in an exceedingly wide variety of styles, Mittal brings a collection he has accrued over 7-8 years to the store. Besides well-known classics from Western shores and Bollywood alike, the store also specializes in eclectic and rare grooves ranging from desi disco, Tamil funk, Bengali baul sangeet, qawwali, ghazal, Hindustani classical, Carnatic, Telugu soundtracks and Marathi koli geet to Japanese city pop, Afro Funk, Middle Eastern pop and more.</p> <p>Besides the musical collection, the store also features uncommon records like spoken word, political speeches, poetry and comic offerings, alongside vintage posters, comics, collectable matchboxes, stamps and other artefacts.</p> <p>The record store also shares the space with Mallika Tandon's designer cake studio <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bobo.cakery/" target="_blank">Bobo Cakery</a>, which will keep cake slices and bakes with a nostalgic twist for dine-in at the store in the coming month to make the vinyl store a space for more than just sales.</p> <p>Mittal explains: “One thing I’ve noticed is that record stores can be quite intimidating to people who are not familiar with the formal and that’s something I want to change. I want to create an easy-going comfortable space where people can come just to hear good music and learn how this thing works.”</p> <p>Head to the store at 141A/2 1st Floor, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi between noon and 7 pm on any day and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/digginginindia/" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> on Instagram for more information. Listen to Digging In India's Wild City mix below to familiarise yourself with Mittal's work.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/763668214&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5972-dii-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '9516-dii-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka Digging In India has just...'), 'href' => '/news/20576-new-delhi-gets-a-new-record-store-by-digging-in-india', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20560', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19371', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-14 13:07:29', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:16:55', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #232: Innerworld', 'date' => '14/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Innerworld', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Akshay Mathker aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20562-innerworld" target="_blank">Innerworld</a>'s Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most subtle forces. Starting with dark ambience, the mix is defined by its hypnotic atmospheric nature even when the languid textures clear to the thump of the techno's proprietary grooves.</p> <p>Like an experienced DJ, the Goa-based artist layers his selections, elevating them from their standalone value. The ebb and flow between lulling ambient numbers and compelling rhythms begin to combine as distorted gritty kicks creep up from behind the aqueous pads and slow breaks of ULV's '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjclQfXjQCI" target="_blank">My Sofa Turns Into A Desert</a>'. The influence of Goa's trance heritage doesn't shy away as deep airy washes remain a near-constant part of the selections – before the mix slowly turns towards more zany and esoteric cuts for a final push for energy.</p> <p><strong>"This mix is an expedition into the realms of intricate polyrhythms and otherworldly frequencies. Abstract, textural, ravey and laced with psychedelia, this journey through space-time is accentuated by moments of atmospheric bliss and fast-paced, yet minimal, irrefutable grooves.” - Innerworld</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-232-innerworld%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-232-innerworld" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #232: Innerworld</a></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0844-innerworld.jpg', 'picture' => '0323-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Akshay Mathker aka Innerworld's Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20560-wild-city-232-innerworld', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20552', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19364', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-10 08:21:19', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-11 06:55:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '"The Atmosphere That We All Create Together": Jeff Mills On His Legacy, DJ-ing As Non-Verbal Storytelling & More', 'date' => '10/02/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => 'Far Out Left', 'content' => '<p>“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me on a week that started with the now-considered-dying <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo/" target="_blank">Pitchfork rating his 1996’s ‘Live at the Liquid Room, Tokyo’</a> a rare 10 out of 10, and would conclude with the producer, DJ, label-head and dance music legend performing <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20499-jeff-mills-dj-red-arjun-vagale-more-announced-for-far-out-left-mumbai-goa" target="_blank">in India for the first time</a>. “It’s for others more than myself.”</p> <p>The mix, found only as <a href="https://soundcloud.com/theclassicmixcdseries/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo" target="_blank">unofficial uploads</a> on the internet and described in the said review as “the Techno Bible, unequivocally The One”, is arguably the glorious peak of Mills’ early techno legacy. Leading up to it, he had pioneered a minimal form of the genre alongside Detroit-mate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hood" target="_blank">Robert Hood</a>, developed a loyal following through his residency at Berlin’s then-fledgeling <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tresor_(club)" target="_blank">Tresor</a> and redirected the course of techno from his native city of Detroit with the Parliament bassist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Banks_(musician)" target="_blank">‘Mad’ Mike Banks</a> as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Resistance" target="_blank">Underground Resistance</a>, nudging the genre towards grittier realms with the help of militant outfits and political messaging.</p> <p>Prioritising energy over pristineness, including the audience in the process of phasing kicks coming together, the mix blazes through selections – sometimes barely offering more than a glimpse of some. They become more of a connecting component, featured less for their standalone value and more for their role in a greater whole that is the DJ set.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uapn-mknXVU?si=z6XkRrpzv31cRQ4a" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The breakneck mixing style finds its roots in the earliest chapters of Mills’ story when he was known as ‘The Wizard’, championing Detroit's talent, passionately finding the freshest releases from hip-hop to industrial, and informing the local tastes through his radio mixes. As if the deitifying by thousands (maybe millions?) of dance music fans wasn’t enough, Mills' early legacy also figures in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVDzDy1yvo" target="_blank">Eminem’s verses</a> with the lines: “<em>discovered this DJ who was mixing, I say it to this day, if you ain't listened to the Wizard, you ain't have a fucking clue what you was missing”</em></p> <p>As radio slots shortened while championable music remained abundant, Mills started mixing and moving through the selections quickly to develop his fast approach on turntables and mixing desk. It was also at the radio where Jeff Mills the music-maker developed his conceptual style as he opted to edit tapes and stitch together library sounds in his shows to communicate on air instead of speaking. The increasing competitiveness between stations meant Mills had to distinguish his selections, bringing in drum machines and keyboards to layer over records or create bespoke passages earlier on the same day.</p> <p>Visceral rhythms of 909s would underline abstract emotive layers when he finally started releasing his productions. More than a beat to move to, there’d always be a story running underneath whether as the sweeping tones accompanying the incessant distorted kicks of ‘The Hacker’ from the seminal ‘<a href="https://youtu.be/OGQBdEAo9RM?si=T3ZVS7aZ2h-TgPHq&amp;t=1264" target="_blank">Waveform Transmission, Vol. 1</a>’ or the cinematic strings of ‘Utopia’ from ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppJPQ3xsKWI" target="_blank">Cycle 30</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/STpOak4iAJY?si=XAS1qJHIRyZKBhKW" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Decades later, after feats like re-scoring Fritz Lang’s silent film ‘Metropolis’, performing with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra and celebrating 50 years of the moon landing with NASA, Mills’ music continues to either look inward or to a distant future. 2023’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/jeff-mills-the-other-maria/" target="_blank">The Other Maria</a>’ is about the often-restrained and potentially chaotic part of us that deals in hard truths and raw unrestricted emotion, while 2019’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/moon-the-area-of-influence-cd-digital/" target="_blank">Moon: The Area of Influence</a>’ discusses the effects of the moon on our lives and culture. Three decades on, it’s still the same sounds of 909s and analog pads that mark the sonic palette of Mills but the results are even more abstract and less frequently reminiscent of shaking walls in a raving warehouse.</p> <p>“I developed a sense to understand sound in cluster arrangement more than ever. I also understand the barriers due to sectionalizing between genres are becoming less. That musicians could and want to play with each other more,” addresses Mills, talking about how his futurism and sci-fi-influenced work has changed as the technology and idea of the future itself have evolved. “I hear music differently now as a result of the way we communicate. Also, the amount of information we can engage with in such a short amount of time has had an effect.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eU-UsvYbIV0?si=T5bG0meirnNjJoGd" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Techno is not just for dancing, is the philosophy that Mills has been espousing over the years. “If you can dance to it, that's great, that's a bonus, but music should say something. It should be made in a manner with seriousness, and that would enlighten someone simply by listening to it,” he has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/gv34jj/the-man-from-tomorrow-an-interview-with-jeff-mills" target="_blank">told Vice</a> in the past. It is what also guides him as a label-head with his <a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/" target="_blank">Axis Records</a>. Initially a platform for Mills' own work (under his various guises), it has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic to platform talent from the world over including the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/18876-review-arjun-vagale-s-reflective-journey-into-outer-space-on-exit-fragments" target="_blank">debut album by India’s own</a> techno frontrunner <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3379-arjun-vagale" target="_blank">Arjun Vagale</a>. “Having strong visions about the future isn’t privy to any particular country or city so, it was just a matter of coincidence. In this respect, no place on Earth is distant or remote. We’re all quite close to one another as we occupy the small patch of this Planet’s landmass,” he tells me.</p> <p>Behind the decks, the story isn’t much different. Cuts from other techno pioneers like Kevin Saunderson, Robert Hood, Eddie Fowlkes and Phuture intercut with Mills’ original (often extremely fresh) bits and fresher talent with similar substance to their music. The focus continues to remain on overarching energy as much as the selections if not more so as the mixing can go from boldly sudden to so subtle you’d hardly notice.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cCpHiWwA2Rg?si=yGxCmMJkwj1adMlI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“DJ sets are generally for dancing, but also can be widened to be considered as a non-verbal story about ‘The Fantastic’, ‘The Amazing’ or depending [on] how clever the DJ is, even ‘The Unbelievable’”, he says, explaining how a successful set is about giving the audience a sensation that wasn’t there before. That sensation is where the self-expression figures in. “I play based on how I feel at that time and it’s got nothing to do with anyone else. On occasion, not even the audience because my mind is somewhere far away,” he says, echoing the explanation he gave for <a href="https://ra.co/features/3436" target="_blank">Resident Advisor’s The Art of Djing</a>, wherein he recalls sometimes using his set to describe what it might be like to approach a planet.</p> <p>Yet, amidst the abstract tapestry of his sets, there are unmistakable points of recognition, where the selection itself becomes a focal point. While Mills argues, “I tend not to watch others to compare myself so, I can’t really say how I match up. This isn’t how I was taught to play music,” I see Mills able to create moments that only a few DJ-producers who have reached a certain stage of popularity with specific work can create. A moment similar to a rock or pop act “playing their hit”. For Mills’, that hit is ‘The Bells’, the popular and highly effective minimal work most recognisable through its sequence of melodic call and response. “I've tried not playing it, and people were sad! [laughs] So I kinda just gave up,” he says in The Art of DJing, going on to say how the track is a turning point in the set and now signifies that he is completely ready at his stations to kick proceedings into another gear.</p> <p>Nevertheless, relying on hits isn't something easily associated with Mills. While he frequently performs at large-scale events (an easy and sometimes unnecessary prompt for derision from a chunk of the techno audience), much of his recent touring has been dedicated to a collaboration with tabla maestro Prabhu Eduoard and keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, extending the '<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/71W9z9hP84oB6zVmQdRrXW" target="_blank">Tomorrow Comes Harvest</a>' project initiated with afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1352-13-jeffmills-tomorrowcomestheharvest-170923-photographer-thomasecke-109256.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Jean-Phi Dary, Prabhu Eduoard &amp; Jeff Mills in Berlin || Photograph by Thomas Ecke</em></h5> <p>Instead of cashing on his status as a pioneering figure in techno, Mills continues to release a stream of new music that diverges starkly from his '90s output, even while operating within similar styles and using a familiar sonic palette. “I like the thought process of making something from nothing so, I really enjoy starting over again,” he adds.</p> <p>Techno is more than just for dancing remains a recurring theme in his work and a harder thing to sell. “Music is such a suggestive medium that it’s just not possible to measure people’s appreciation level,” he says. “At times in my past, I remember being congratulated but also advised to “give it up - it’s not going to work”, “I’ve lost it and should stop” and many other discouraging things. So, I can’t put much value into what people say or what they appreciate. Instead, I only have to rely on what I feel is right and guide myself from this.”<b> </b></p> <p>That internal guiding compass remains the constant. It’s the same whether it was at Tokyo’s Liquid room, blazing through selections with hard stops and phasing rhythms 3 decades ago; or in Mumbai and Goa for <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/10414-far-out-left" target="_blank">Far Out Left</a> this weekend – drawing from his more abstract cluster arrangements and talent he has sifted through for Axis Records after years of building a legacy that has inspired most in the lineup and an audience that might await ‘The Bells’. “We’re just in different places at different times, but the objective is all the same,” he says. “It’s not about me or them, but rather, it’s always been about “it”. The atmosphere that we all create together.”</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by <a href="http://instagram.com/atemporarymatter.in" target="_blank">Amaan Khan</a></em></p> <p><em>Photo by <a href="http://instagram.com/jacobkhrist" target="_blank">Jacob Khrist</a></em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '4823-jeff-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5147-jeff-mills-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me...'), 'href' => '/features/20552-the-atmosphere-that-we-all-create-together-jeff-mills-on-his-legacy-dj-ing-as-non-verbal-storytelling-more', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20494', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19309', 'createdDate' => '2024-01-03 11:21:10', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:15:29', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #231: Krithi', 'date' => '03/01/2024', 'artists' => 'Krithi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19636-krithi-continues-to-explore-south-asian-sounds-in-contemporary-dance-music-with-uyirudan" target="_blank">Krithi</a> reaches for rhythms and sounds from her native land and the like, they fit into the mould of dance music as if they've always been a natural part of it rather than (as it often is) a forced gimmick of limited yield. Her achievement seems to go further on her upcoming EP 'Coping Mechanism' as she finds the style a vessel of personal narratives, calling the release a "sonic exploration of how she communes with the shadows of depression".</p> <p>Both the released singles from the EP 'Suppress' and 'Medicate' demonstrate that within Krithi's Wild City mix which features a heavy dose of original unreleased work and glimpses of the record that drops on February 15.</p> <p>Introduced through 140BPM techno, the mix quickly shifts to and operates in and around bass and breaks. A peppy start moves into sombre moods as a slightly slowed down 'Heist Track' by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/501-malfnktion" target="_blank">MALFNKTION</a> staggers into Krithi's own work before a jubilant return with the standout moment of Yourboykiran's Bollywood flip 'Yamma Yamma'.</p> <p><strong>"This mix has some of my favourite Bandcamp Friday finds (both new and old) by friends, mentors and producers I love. I recorded it at 140 bpm and with no particular genre in mind—but only with the hope that the listener keeps movin’ from start to finish. It also features some of my unreleased tracks and a couple from my upcoming EP ‘Coping Mechanisms’, which drops on Feb 15th.” – Krithi </strong></p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-231-krithi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-231-krithi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #231: Krithi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Pozibelle - Wait<br /> Mera Bhai - Be This Way (Feat Private Joy) - Provhat Rahman Remix<br /> Jadalareign - Defect<br /> Malfnktion - Heist Track<br /> Krithi - Medicate<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Rodman - Falcata<br /> Despina - Trickle Down Baby<br /> PlayPlay - FYI<br /> Venïson Man - Jewelry (Frost Version)<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - Suppress<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Yourboykiran - Yamma Yamma<br /> Dyslecta - Annihilate<br /> Tony Quattro &amp; Siete Catorce - Qesem Cave</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7067-krithi.jpg', 'picture' => '8500-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer Krithi reaches for rhythms and sounds from her...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20494-wild-city-231-krithi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20488', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19303', 'createdDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun', 'date' => '16/12/2023', 'artists' => 'Kohra', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4465-magnetic-fields-festival" target="_blank">Magnetic Fields Festival</a> taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi producer, DJ and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a> co-founder Madhav Shorey aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/291-kohra" target="_blank">Kohra</a> and Thailand's globe-trotting polymath <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sunjuhargun/" target="_blank">Sunju Hargun</a> are revisiting their B2B set from last year. </p> <p>Performed at the Resident Advisor afterparty, a highlight for the dancefloor-dedicated with its music going from the late hours of the night to the earliest moments of the morning, the accumulated energy of the night and its transformation into the morning audible in the set. Acid's mind-bending textures give way to increasingly guttural techno, pulling heavily from its minimal repertoire. As the night sky begins to lighten, the emotions are guided by the wash of the pads for a more refreshing conclusion. </p> <p><strong>"A combination between records from the past, present, and future. Sonically enhancing the atmosphere with zero limitations to pushing boundaries of tempo and feeling" – Sunju Hargun</strong></p> <p><strong>"A really fulfilling experience taking a restrained and fluid direction for this one, at my favourite stage of the festival." – Kohra</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:<br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun</a> // <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/WildCity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun/" target="_blank">Head here for Mixcloud</a></p> <p><em>Image by Parikshit Deshpande for Magnetic Fields Festival 2022</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5451-mf-2022---ra---image-credit---parikshit-deshpande---3.jpeg', 'picture' => '6442-kohra-sunju.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With the Magnetic Fields Festival taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20488-wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20147', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18982', 'createdDate' => '2023-04-04 16:56:55', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-04-05 11:27:44', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'My First Release: Shantanu Pandit', 'date' => '05/04/2023', 'artists' => 'Shantanu Pandit', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.”</p> <p>It was optimism-inspiring to hear these words from <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18674-shantanu-pandit" target="_blank">Shantanu Pandit</a> on my 27th birthday as I sat cross-legged on the floor among the audience at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art to watch him bring his first tour promoting his album ‘Milk Teeth’ to a conclusion. The New Delhi singer-songwriter had spent the weeks prior travelling by road across the length of India in a bespoke caravan to share his music while pausing at each stop to not just give but take in a sense of the places he performed at.</p> <p>“I had been holed up on the mountains when we put out the album and Dhruv was like ‘Dude, you released an album. You can’t just sleep on it like that. Now you’ve got to come down and let’s take it on tour and celebrate it’”, he continued at the show before launching into chirpy <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/track/do-u-know" target="_blank">comforting melodies</a> that underpin lines like <em>“Put that bullet in my head // Shoot me dead // Put that bullet in my head // Get it over with”.</em></p> <h5><em><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1133-shantanu-pandit-bts-milk-teeth-tour--1.jpeg" /><br /> Shantanu in his bespoke caravan for 'Milk Teeth' tour in 2022 | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>Walking through melancholic reminiscing and processing sorrow over dreamy musicality and nostalgic lightness is what defines the 2021 album. The very dichotomic sophistication is what highlights how far his songwriting has come since his first official release, the EP <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/album/skunk-in-the-cellar" target="_blank">‘Skunk In The Cellar’</a> in 2014 – which, like ‘Milk Teeth’, was also an album born out of seeing a relationship heartbreakingly come to end. However, the natural propensity to just write and share music disconnected from the cycle of talking about it, promoting it and packaging it remains a common thread.</p> <p>“I didn't have that word in my vocabulary,” he says while pondering on the idea of “official release” at the start of his career. “I was very much naive to the whole idea of putting out music in a proper format, putting out a press statement and all that.”</p> <h5><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PHVvVHVQxZg" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2012 for Tehelka TV</em></h5> <p>Before ‘Skunk In The Cellar’, Shantanu had been frequently sharing raw performances on Youtube as soon as he recorded them. Whether it was a host at HIT 95FM giving him CD recordings of his appearance on the radio or the sound engineer at Blue Frog giving him the soundboard recordings from his performance, the then-teenager musician’s first instinct was to just put it on Youtube as soon as he got home. “I didn’t think that hard. For me, I just heard the songs back and immediately thought, ‘I want to share this with my friends. I want to share this with my family.’”</p> <p>That immediacy was shaken up and replaced by process when he was contacted by his soon-to-become long-term manager and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/12653-pagal-haina" target="_blank">Pagal Haina</a> head honcho Dhruv Singh to record the songs which were to become ‘Skunk In The Cellar’. “I was like: ‘Hey, so we've got the songs. Let's just put them out.’ And he said, ‘No. This is just the start. Now we need to plan the whole release.’ And I went, ‘What does that mean?’” The process meant Shantanu had to wait for artwork to be made, distribution to be aligned and press strategies put in place before the music and the artist could represent each other to the world.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/0851-shantanu-pandit-4-by-shiv-ahuja-2014.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2014 | Photograph by Shiv Ahuja</em></h5> <p>Even while he could see the sense in all the auxiliary activities, the waiting time struggled to sit well with a songwriter that developed his material and style with notable intensity. “One thing that has been recurring through my career so far, as a songwriter, is that generally, I move fast. If I'm sitting eight months from now, I would look back at my material and be like, ‘Man! I need to write a bunch of new shit because I don't want to play this old shit.’” Even the debut EP ‘Skunk In The Cellar’ felt like a reinvention for the songwriter who started as a 16-year-old playing largely Bob Dylan covers at open mics before quickly replacing them with fast and loud originals that he dubs as his first wave of songwriting.</p> <p>The instinct to move on quickly translated to Shantanu punctuating his career with jumps from one outlet to the next – most notably the group <a href="https://runitsthekid.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Run It’s The Kid</a> and his moniker Morning Mourning, which was partly formed as a subconscious reaction against the limitations imposed by formal and elaborate creation and release cycles to retreat back into the straightforward sincerity of an artist just exorcising his creative impulses.</p> <p>Even while concluding the first promotional tour around ‘Milk Teeth’ in 2022 at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Shantanu’s set was replete with new material ripe for another album. At the same time, littered with older material too and light-hearted addressal of his relationship with it all. Greater patience has seeped in with the artist who crafted ‘Milk Teeth’ after 4 years of writing.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5129-shantanu-pandit-bts--mt-tour.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu in 2022 for 'Milk Teeth' promotional tour | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>“I have recently been able to enjoy performing live after a long time,” he says after walking me through years that included getting disenchanted with the return from releasing music, riding across the country as an escape, diverging into educational degrees, losing the individual self in a long-term relationship and the hardships finding that self again – themes that he tackled on ‘Milk Teeth’ through reflecting back on memories of growing up.</p> <p>After more than a decade as an artist, the New Delhi artist has traversed a long and winding road till the multiple facets of his career are beginning to be at peace with one another. His declaration of touring ‘Milk Teeth’ as a highlight of life so far is a testament to that – further supported as he recently embarked on another one, this time across North-East India. While <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CqDU1ZGy8lA/" target="_blank">announcing</a> it, he remarks: “I didn’t want the last one to end when it did and I’ve been itching to get back on the road ever since.”</p> <p>Listen to 'Milk Teeth' below and head <a href="https://www.skillboxes.com/events/business/pagal-haina-presents-shantanu-pandit-the-east-india-tour" target="_blank">here</a> for tickets and dates of Shantanu's tour across North-East India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1889828902/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Milk Teeth by Shantanu Pandit</iframe></p> <p><em>Words by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Lead artwork designed by Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5402-mfr-shantanu-08.jpg', 'picture' => '7416-mfr-shantanu-05.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.” It was...'), 'href' => '/features/20147-my-first-release-shantanu-pandit', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20078', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18920', 'createdDate' => '2023-02-15 11:49:31', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-02-15 12:11:15', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '“There Was No choice But To Make Room”: Ruhail Qaisar On Centering The Spectres That Haunt Debut LP 'Fatima'', 'date' => '15/02/2023', 'artists' => 'Ruhail Qaisar', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/fatima" target="_blank">Fatima</a>' predates even its creator.</p> <p>Rooted firmly in geo-personal histories, the noise album which happens to be the artist’s debut full-length offering, showcases the full range of his leftfield explorations that began with an extensive catalogue of singles on his SoundCloud, followed by the '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/ltalam-ep" target="_blank">Ltalam EP</a>' in 2016 and<i> </i>the<i> '</i><a href="https://hkcr.live/shows/the-hounds-of-pamir-the-fires-of-bal-ashram-w-ruhail-qaisar-06-11-2020" target="_blank">Hounds of Pamir</a>'<i> </i>radio residency in 2020.</p> <p>At the heart of Ruhail’s practice, which ranges from sound creation to analog photography and experimental filmmaking, is an unwavering emphasis on identity and history.</p> <p>For the indigenous artist hailing from one of the most controversial and unforgiving terrains of South Asia, Ladakh and its people – particularly the Skyayongs Gogsum community – are often seen in Qaisar’s works as straddling the dichotomies of a traumatic past and uncertain future, suffering from what’s colloquially described as <i>perpetual stasis</i>.</p> <p>The 90s were a time of dramatic change, recalls Ruhail. From growing up in a two-room rented house “with 6 hours of electricity, no traffic, no telephones, to being swept by an accelerated existence with 3G smartphones,[...] an endless slew of terrible smartphone tourists,” the landscapes of his childhood had changed drastically soon after the turn of the century.</p> <p>Yet, nothing could have prepared him for the climate of death, decay, and disease that was to characterise his hometown over the last decade. When he returns this time, after having completed his education in Delhi, Qaisar finds a self-sustaining community now completely destabilised, “battling chronic diseases or had passed away, others moved away, rented their old houses out, some squabbled over land in courts for their newly constructed hotel projects….” It induced in him a state of dysphoria, disconnect, and exile, even when home.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <p>'Fatima', whose very title invokes the memory of a late grandaunt, rises out of this abscess, carrying over the leitmotifs and the “main characters” of Qaisar’s tight-knit Ladakhi community, from an intransitive loss-state towards posthumous life.</p> <p>In Qaisar’s own words, the album is a “hauntological compendium of personal tribute” to these people who occupied those bygone spaces and eras, but also to “the pan-Ladakhi identity”, and the strife and struggle of all “indigenous communities in the Himalayas that are all suffering at the hand of unplanned industrialization and urbanization along with military atrocities”. Incidentally, 'Fatima' hits the airwaves at a time of mass unrest in Leh, over demands for Ladakhi statehood and cultural preservation under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5127-02-fatimas-poplar.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-45c11ae8-7fff-7d0b-9dbf-242538d004b7">Home videos and photographs as relics of an irretrievable past and a close-knit community | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>The idea for the record had fallen into place quite unconsciously upon the artist’s return to Choglamsar, Leh, during the pandemic in 2020, and was born out of a strong desire to rid himself of the muscle memory of traditional compositions - “I dispossessed myself of my own voice and shredded it only to a few whispers.”</p> <p>As soon as the first COVID wave abated, Qaisar (stuck in Delhi during the lockdown) took off, carrying with him (he lists:) a university laptop on which he’d downloaded Moog apps, the cheapest Behringer sound card that he’d painstakingly saved up for, and a basic zoom field recorder he’d borrowed from a filmmaker friend. He documented everything: nightly hikes alongside the Indus, when he would go stargazing in Choglamsar with his younger brother and a neighbour; conversations with his granduncle, a Sino-Indian war veteran; stories of his uncle’s disappearance in 1989; the blitz of Indian military tanks during the recent Galwan valley incursion.</p> <p>These voices and tapes, scaffolded by power electronics, frame ‘Fatima’<i>, </i>creating a somewhat minimal and rather tactile musical performance.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/4817-03-hotel.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-b236a0b9-7fff-a8e7-eb72-44ca729b3032">The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti, Leh, stoic in the face of dereliction | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>A self-taught experimenter, Qaisar’s musical influences are a pastiche of works by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/6937-hemant-sk" target="_blank">Hemant SK</a>, heavier emissions by EXHUMATION, Einsturzende Neubauten and Maurizio Bianchi, South Asian experimenters Senyawa and Raavan Kommand, contemporaries like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3934-jamblu" target="_blank">Jamblu</a> (aka Kartik Pillai) and KMRU, even the early works of AR Rahman. For 'Fatima', he mostly turns inwards, mixing influences of folklore traditions with experimental music and drawing sonic styles and guideposts from Ladakhi processional, funeral and tribal hymns.</p> <p>The album masterfully orchestrates the dramatic highs and lows of sonic expression, borrowing heavily from the surrealist movement, oracle rituals and vernacular theatre tropes. It morphs into stretches of unsettling ambient static, injecting distorted field recordings with drones and silence into some cuts, and crystallising others with DIS FIG, Elvin Brandhi, and Iben KasJer’s “oracular dreamspeech.” Iben’s invocations on 'Fatima’s Poplar' in particular, reciting the vitriolic poetry of political writer Nick Land, not only sets the tone for the sensory experience that follows, but also invites us to reckon with Ladakh’s present “smog-laden loss-state” hollowed out by “the colourful promises of neoliberalism”.</p> <p>Composed of nine microstories,<i> '</i>Fatima' is replete with these spectres that “could no longer be ignored”, and with totems willed into serving as their placeholders. The poplar, for example, is a visual reminder of the titular grandaunt, whose cremation site is guarded by the fabled tree. 'The Fanged Poet' whose story bookends the album is similarly “a dispossessed spectre haunting the derelict sites of what was once home.”</p> <p>On 'Partition', one of the record’s more serene and lingering tracks, Qaisar encrypts yet another dimension to his interactions with history. It is part tribute and part requiem for the powerful legend of another ancestor, this time his great-grandmother, who had undertaken the perilous journey from Glgit to Leh in 1947, with four young children in tow. Just as a refugee’s journey interminably connects their home and their destination, the sonic layers on 'Partition' mutate harmoniously into a hazy mass, so that the sum of its parts is indistinct, indistinguishable, and never truly separate.</p> <p>In our email conversation, Qaisar talks about digitally restoring a series of home videos on VHS tape, describing them as “the last remaining phantasmic spectres that capture…the now long-gone characters and quotidian life of late 20th century Ladakh”. The fourth track, which originates from one of these videos documenting a relative Ramazan’s wedding, is his attempt to illuminate this lost memory with sound. (A visual from the video appears in the accompanying album booklet which holds other snapshots from the family archive and some of Ruhail’s own lens-based works).</p> <h5 style="margin-left: 80px;"><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5980-partition.png" /></h5> <h5 style="margin-left: 40px;"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-ad810fd4-7fff-9591-b68a-6b9c095a271b">Illuminating the generational trauma of partition with sound | Photo of Qaisar’s great-grandmother from accompanying album booklet</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>Recorded between Leh and Delhi, 'Fatima' also reinterprets the lexicon, exploring notions of the temporal, internal, and the inter-generational, that echo Qaisar’s experience growing up in a state that’s rapidly changing but not really improving, ravaged instead by the echoes of “old tragedies” and “present disasters”, wrought by late-capitalism, militarisation, and conservatism.</p> <p>In one of the record’s most foreboding tracks, where the deceitful calmness is quickly corroded by drones and garbling samples, Qaisar positions the abandoned hotels of Zangsti as the totems for “three different waves of tourism in Ladakh”. Qaisar recounts strolling past these structures during the pandemic, “[of] old hotels built between the 70's - 80’s that were once the pride and glory of locality, [were now] totally derelict. New upcoming properties [were] halfway constructed…or devoid of any staff or customers, windows covered in newspapers from 2003, collecting leaves, insects, and dust,” explaining the stasis left by the pandemic, when the tourism industry in Ladakh went anomalously cold-turkey for the first time in nearly fifty years, leaving the sustenance of his community in the lurch.</p> <p>Later in 'Painter Man', we’re placed in more intimate settings, with Ruhail’s attempt to connect listeners to the internal life of an artist, the fear of artistic failure and societal shaming in Ladakh, where creative endeavours are generally discouraged. There is a mention in the liner notes about musicians typically occupying the lowest rung of Ladakh’s social hierarchy, to the extent that the only two avenues to make a living, for Qaisar, were either in the “seasonal tourism industry or as a civil servant.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/7374-04.png" /><br /> <strong><i>“I wouldn’t change anything on the album…I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked” | Snapshot from accompanying album booklet</i></strong></h5> <p> </p> <p>Qaisar’s own politics are not divorced from the themes that emerge from his music. He works outside of binaries, untouched by the commodified logistics of indie music production and the demands of cultural logic, clout, or even the desire to be understood. “I frankly don’t care about that world…had no time to find comfort in its rot,” says Qaisar. “There was no choice but to make room.”</p> <p>Challenging and disorienting at first, Qaisar has sure-footedly carved his niche through a series of self-designed, self-taught steps, which has involved unlearning, transgressing disciplines and mediums of expression, discovering the liminal spaces where leftfield artists can unreservedly thrive. One of these spaces certainly was the HKCR residency where Qaisar put out 60-minute selections of compositions improvised and performed live on a Moog Model-D for the better part of a year. (In fact, earlier drafts of 'Namgang', 'Painter Man', and 'The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti' can be traced back to 'Hounds of Pamir' archives). It catapulted him to the international noise music “scene”, with a tour across Switzerland which allowed him to perform his new compositions before an intuitive audience, and later put him on Danse Noire’s radar.</p> <p>A record label founded by Swiss-Nepalese producer Aisha Devi, Danse Noire is presently on the frontlines of decolonising experimental music (which is still typically viewed through eurocentric lens) and on a mission to support noise’s barebones-DIY economy centred around self-releases and underground blogs, with a space where acts like Ruhail have access to the same resources and infrastructure as mainstream global music. For Qaisar, working with Danse was also rewarding because he never felt he had to compromise his vision for Fatima.</p> <p>Clocking in at about an hour<b>, '</b>Fatima', all said and done, is about an artist’s temerity to document his and his people’s histories, about resisting oblivion by preserving it in whatever form - image, text, sound. It is beyond immersion or abstention, an incredible evocation of space and intimacy in a way not normally considered possible for music to communicate.</p> <p>At the time of this interview, Qaisar was preparing for his debut at Berghain, where he performed shortly after, for the CTM Festival alongside DIS FIG. Unfazed by streaming figures, he reports being thrilled with the initial response to 'Fatima'. When asked about this journey and if he would have done anything differently, Qaisar politely declines, saying, “I see most aberrations as rewards, I welcome them, I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked.”</p> <p>“Only thing I can assure is that everything that was done on this album would not be repeated in the next.”</p> <h5>.</h5> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by Prarthana Mitra</em></p> <p><em>Image by Adnan Zayed</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0831-ruhail-qaisar.jpg', 'picture' => '2748-ruhail-qaisar-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s 'Fatima' predates even...'), 'href' => '/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '19908', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18761', 'createdDate' => '2022-09-28 13:52:52', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2022-10-13 14:38:19', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Spotlight: Akshat Nauriyal (Yesnomaybe, St+Art, Now Delhi, Awaaz)', 'date' => '13/10/2022', 'artists' => 'Teddy Boy Kill, Hoirong', 'business' => 'St+rt India Foundation', 'content' => '<p>Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined up on Mumbai’s nearly-150-years-old <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassoon_Docks" target="_blank">Sassoon dock</a>. They overlooked the hectic rhythms of the fish market below, wafting in concentrated doses of the smell that is part of almost everyone’s experience of the seaside city.</p> <p>In a population more used to having the faces of movie stars plastered across its streets and public spaces, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_tahska/?hl=en" target="_blank">Akshat Nauriyal</a>’s co-created (with Pranav Gohil) array of portraits on Sassoon Dock pushed back on it by giving the limelight to the docks’ primary community and Mumbai’s earliest settlers: the fisherfolk.</p> <p>“To be able to speak to people, learn about their communities, sensitise myself about their dynamics, and then be able to bring that into the project was the most important takeaway for me,” says the New Delhi artist of capturing and exhibiting those portraits in 2017 as a contribution to French artist JR’s global participatory art initiative ‘<a href="https://www.insideoutproject.net/en/explore/group-action/sassoon-dock" target="_blank">Inside Out</a>’. By making the fisherfolks the subject of the portraits, convincing them about the work, capturing their likeness with a pop-up photo studio and then plastering the stylised results across the space that they define, Nauriyal and his colleagues highlighted the predominant trinity of Koli, Hindu Maratha and Banjara communities.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/6396-inside-out.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Inside Out at Sassoon Dock</em></h5> <p>“To bring the voices of people that are usually not heard from, or stories that are left on the wayside by the mainstream – those define the projects that I am always interested in”, explains Nauriyal as the mandate that drove his effort at Sassoon dock and his wider body of work. That body of work includes co-founding St+art, the collective and platform now widely celebrated for galvanising the undercurrents of street art in India by transforming localities like New Delhi’s Lodhi Colony and Shahpur Jat and creating India’s largest as well as tallest murals; documentaries capturing the capital city’s underground sub-cultures; socio-political stance-charged Instagram filters that examined social media platforms as a space for activism; short films tracing music-driven activism in different countries; music acts ranging from Another Vertigo Rush and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3598-teddy-boy-kill" target="_blank">Teddy Boy Kill</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4660-hoirong" target="_blank">Hoirong</a> and <a href="https://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/music/2020/aug/07/akshat-nauriyal-on-his-solo-project-yesnomaybe-his-upcoming-ep-and-augmented-reality-as-a-performat-27115.html" target="_blank">Yesnomaybe</a>; and currently, an ongoing project that keeps <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irom_Chanu_Sharmila" target="_blank">Irom Sharmila</a> (famously known as the ‘Iron Lady Of Manipur’) at its centre while it inquires into the cost borne by the leader of a movement.</p> <p>Whether music, film, augmented reality or paint-based, the New Delhi artist’s efforts carry an easily notable sub-layer of activism, which has founds its necessity rooted as far back as he can remember.</p> <h3><b>Early Beginnings</b></h3> <p>Coming from a military background, Akshat was privy to the slow cogs of government offices which worked its way into disillusionment with the system around the time he developed his initial interests in arts and culture. He recalls sitting stunned listening to tracks by the likes Rage Against The Machine after downloading them off of Napster at the cusp of Indian households getting connected to the Internet and finding his thoughts make cohesion within the activist lyricism of the band and similar angsty associates.</p> <p>The result was a deep-seated formative ethos that leaned towards art that stands for change and of having ready access to it. An ethos which was held back from getting showcased, save for through the array of rock bands that he drummed for during his school and college, while he navigated through the most common education pathway of engineering degrees and college placements prescribed to middle-class Indian kids. Eventually and gradually course-correcting himself with a move towards filmmaking and work for NDTV’s ‘Almost Famous’, Akshat started venturing out on his own around 2007 and 2008.</p> <h3><b>Now Delhi</b></h3> <p>“Because of being involved with the music scene, I was involved with a whole bunch of creative people from across the spectrum. Art galleries and things usually have a specific kind of people coming to them, but I’ve found that music is quite open in terms of the kind of audience it draws,” says Akshat. “Through that experience, I started seeing this other side of Delhi which I hadn’t experienced before I met these performance artists, digital artists and all kinds of artists who were the same age as me and were trying to push the envelope.”</p> <p>Making these artists the focus of his first major venture as an independent filmmaker, Akshat, who often works under the pseudonym Tahska, established ‘Now Delhi’, a film studio now synonymous with a run of short documentaries it generated on the likes of street artists, B-boys, extreme metal groups and rap cyphers in the capital. “At that time, you could still say that there was this underground – an underbelly that Delhi had which nobody was talking about in the mainstream media,” he continues, expanding upon his comparison of a city to a living breathing thing defined by the people that it in turn influences. “‘Now Delhi’ delivered an exploration of that. It was an exploration of all the different kinds of subcultures that exist in the city, and also how the artists are responding to the city itself.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vlCt2ji7IFA" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The films exposed a running motif early on – one of prioritising the question. Akshat carries strong openings and convictions, but they remain held back when he is behind the artistic lens to allow for the audience to do their own thinking. The ‘Now Delhi’ film on Khirkee Extension, a collective effort of street artists to create art around the namesake South Delhi locality, presents the artists reflecting on the economic dichotomy of the neighbourhood and how it inspires their art. They retell how the kids kept engaging with the creation process of the murals before the documentary ends with the local elders frustratingly venting how they don’t get the purpose of this art and its messaging. The film invites the viewer to ponder over the significance of the street artists’ efforts and their relation to the residents of the locality.</p> <p>“It’s something that I’ve tried to carry forward with all my work,” explains Akshat. “It comes from being able to first understand what the people who actually I’m trying to talk about feel, rather than impose my preconceived idea of what they might want to talk about.” For all the films of ‘Now Delhi’, Akshat first became a part of the sub-cultures he was highlighting or a close associate before micing them up. A decade later, with his current subject being a national icon like Irom Sharmila, he is tagging along to observe her usual going-abouts to discover the narrative naturally instead of imposing it. “I’ve always been a fan of gonzo journalism, like Hunter S Thomson and his writing – in terms of just immersing yourself in a situation to truly tell the story.”</p> <h3><b>St+art</b></h3> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6NaQbBiSMsI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Being close to his subjects meant Akshat had become a close associate of the street community of India, having made them the focus of ‘Now Delhi’ multiple times. Sharing a studio with one of its proponents, Hanif Kureshi, he soon found himself teaming up with Arjun Bahl, Giulia Ambrogi and Thanish Thomas to create the five-piece team that would become the founders of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/startindiafoundation/">St+art</a>.</p> <p>“There was an initial conversation about doing a festival, which we did without having any idea that it [St+art] would become this behemoth of an organization,” Akshat recounts the early days of the organization with the festival bringing together the artists to Shahpur Jat and its founders being hands-on with everything from moving the ladders and bringing the paints to Nauriyal documenting the process. “It was a logical progression for ‘Now Delhi’ to transition to St+art India,” quips Akshat, noting how the documentaries took a backseat as the workload got higher and allowed him to honour his formative drives of making art accessible while exploring a city and the many narratives it homes.</p> <p>Within a few years, St+art became a go-to organization for cultural consulates and medium to big brands, creating local landmarks across the country and transforming neighbourhoods, especially in New Delhi and Mumbai. The former’s Lodhi Colony remains defined by the makeover given by the collective during its annual festival. It was the place where St+art was fully able to realize its early motivations of creating art that was available to all and integrated all – specifically, through participatory murals, singing workshops, painting workshops and the like. Yet as the organization became a brand in itself, the ship started to feel too big to steer into radical corners – which Akshat still longed to address.</p> <p>“The initial years of anything are the best. They're the most honest. They're the most genuine. They're the closest to the vision that you start with. As things get bigger, there comes a set of compromises that one has to start making. I think that's the nature of anything that becomes big after a point of time,” he concludes his around half-a-decade-long journey with the prominent street art collective.</p> <h3><b>Yesnomaybe, Augmented/Virtual Reality</b></h3> <p>As St+art began to fade out from his professional life, his other continuing artistic efforts began to appear more prominently in the limelight again. Adding another feather to the musical cap, Akshat debuted his solo moniker Yesnomaybe, an outlet where he brings together all the facets of his work as marries the retrofuturism of synth-rock with the futurism of interactive filters and augmented reality-driven films. The latter also becoming a device for Akshat to continue posing topical questions while creating work that stood for something.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3_dwP09Genk" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>2019 was a particularly politically-charged year for India: BJP, the country’s right-wing majoritarian government, was re-elected to power with a higher parliamentary presence; it used it to abrogate Kashmir’s special status; and introduced the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act which faced nationwide protests that were met with controversial police violence. With augmented reality, Akshat offered tried to offer a response for all of it: a filter fashioned after prime minister Narendra Modi that let out the word “lie” every time you open your mouth, headers stating stances on Kashmir and CAA, and, for the following year’s state elections in Delhi, an interactive quiz where you can nod or shake your head based on who you’re voting for.</p> <p>“I felt social media platforms are almost like the new town halls where people are coming and discussing things. 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Akshat Nauriyal (@_tahska)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script> <p>Within days, around a million people saw the multiple of the filters. The mode of activism was talked about by the likes of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/1/29/meet-the-artists-resisting-indias-new-citizenship-law">Al Jazeera</a>, attracting loud pro-government commentators to Akshat’s profile alongside concern for safety by well-wishers. The work definitely rattled a few minds and sparked newer questions in Akshat’s own. “I started a conversation about what use it actually played in society. On my Instagram Stories, I asked people the question, whether they thought that it was just armchair activism or whether it actually led to any kind of change,” he remarks. Alongside equal amounts of opposing viewpoints, the “social (media) experiment” also saw its second phase as the platforms began, in most cases, a silent clampdown on politically-charged use of its platform. The traction for the filters and their related posts began to go down and, as is currently being highlighted in courts, the platforms themselves had to cater to clampdowns by the government. “It was also quite disillusioning, because the same platforms, which are supposed to be platforms for free speech are the ones that ended up censoring you,” reports Akshat.</p> <h3><b>Awaaz</b></h3> <p>With censoring becoming more and more obvious and Instagram itself pivoting from a creator-friendly platform, Akshat moved his exploration into creating meaningful work and examining the modes for it to other outlets: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHAWPwVJC2w/" target="_blank">installations</a>, talks and, coming a full circle, to films again. As part of Goethe-Institut’s ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19288-m-a-p-a-m-p-highlights-performances-stories-of-musicians-with-a-cause-including-ahmer-sheetal-sathe-more" target="_blank">M.A.P // A.M.P</a>’, the filmmaker created a series of documentaries entitled <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19524-awaaz-akshat-nauriyal-creates-documentary-films-on-protest-music-histories-of-india-pakistan-sri-lanka-iran">‘Awaaz’</a>, turning the lens yet again to underrepresented artistic voices. Handpicking with the help of research and local social networks, ‘Awaaz’ highlighted politically outspoken artists from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Iran to look at the history of protests from these countries.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ml2iV7BfkLE" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“Anytime you go on Twitter, somebody is getting boycotted. We’re living in an age of outrage,” says Akshat, noting how any political discourse is getting mudied up online by internet trolls while a work of activist nature doesn’t get platformed enough outside it. Allaying that, ‘Awaaz’ unearthed the nature of dissent specific to each country – whether it was about signalling the erosion of administrative infrastructures and economy in Sri Lanka, which erupted within weeks of the film getting released, or the difficulty in finding a voice that can publicly speak against the powers that be in a country like Iran. “There was a responsibility that I had on my end which was to ensure that I don’t put out content that can eventually lead to trouble for them [the artists],” continues Akshat. “Which is why I did in a way where we were actually chronicling the past protest movements to give context of where the country is right now, rather than attack any of the present figures.”</p> <p>Even with the varying specifics, much like M.A.P // A.M.P’s crowdsourced repository of protest music, ‘Awaaz’ brought out the parallels between artistic activism around the world, signalling a unification of voices and the possibility of shared empathy. According to Akshat: “[The films] platform these movements in a way so that other people in other parts of the world can see that we’re all pretty similar and that there is merit to creating work like this.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/2386-irom-5.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Irom Sharmila with family by Akshat Nauriyal</em></h5> <p>“I feel a cycle has finished and a new cycle is beginning,” he adds as we agree on how the films on national sub-cultures with ‘Awaaz’ feel like coming a full circle in light of how films on Delhi’s sub-cultures with ‘Now Delhi’ kicked things off. Since finishing ‘Awaaz’, two of the countries Akshat turned his lens to have been taken over by protests, which have emerged out of the shadows to engulf the streets, at times, fulfilling predictions touched upon in the films. Meanwhile, Akshat has moved on to creating the new chapter for Yesnomaybe and shadowing Irom Sharmila, not just documenting the cost her struggle for fairer civil rights has demanded but also building a multi-faceted reflection of her poetry and personality. For the New Delhi creative, the parallels and narratives to be unearthed by his personal artistic vision continue to draw him to the margins.</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Word by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Profile image by Akshat Nauriyal</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5133-akshat-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5937-akshat-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined...'), 'href' => '/features/19908-spotlight-akshat-nauriyal-yesnomaybe-st-art-now-delhi-awaaz', 'key' => 'features')), 'repo' => 'https://repo.thewildcity.com/', 'host' => 'https://www.thewildcity.com', 'page' => null, 'bannerhead' => array(), 'bannertop' => array(), 'bannermid' => array(array('label' => 'Mailing List', 'url' => 'https://thewildcity.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=3fbebf9eadf7433315c051d4e&id=e053aa3ae5', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column middle', 'image' => '3413-signup.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'bannerlow' => array(array('label' => 'follow us on instagram', 'url' => 'https://www.instagram.com/thewildcity/', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column bottom', 'image' => '2532-followus.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'app' => object(Application)), array('title' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37), 'block_title'), 'main' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37), 'block_main'))) in Template.php line 432
  9. at Twig_Template->displayWithErrorHandling(array('pages' => array(array('id' => '385', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '310', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:36:32', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2020-12-28 13:16:03', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'About', 'content' => '<p>Wild City was established as an online music magazine and community platform in 2011. It has since grown to become an events company (hosting a variety of musical showcases, events and the annual Magnetic Fields Festival), cultural PR agency (City Press launched in 2015), consultants for brands engaging with contemporary music culture in India (partners include Boiler Room, Resident Advisor, Red Bull, Jameson, Bira 91, Puma, Social Offline, Bumble, Ray-Ban, Budweiser, British Council amongst others), and executors of regional cultural programs across South Asia.</p> <p>Dedicated to spotlighting the latest in alternative culture and music from India and South Asia, Wild City’s inception filled a much-needed gap in the Indian music space.<br /> <br /> A year after its establishment, Wild City partnered with Gerriet Schultz (founder of iconic Berlin club VMF) and the Goethe-Institut to create Border Movement, an online platform and series of events, workshops and residencies that promote interaction between grass roots electronic music communities in South Asia and Germany.<br /> <br /> In 2013, Wild City co-founded the first-ever Magnetic Fields, arguably India’s most popular boutique music festival. Taking place in Alsisar Mahal, Rajasthan, Magnetic Fields has been included in the ‘50 Best Music Festivals in the World’ by Time Out Magazine. It has also been lauded by Resident Advisor, New York Times and other notable publications.<br /> <br /> In 2016, Wild City further went on to win an award for 'Best Promoter in India' and co-curated the music stream of The Coalition.<br /> <br /> Wild City is the voice for alternative music in the region. Whether showcasing local or international sounds, the company constantly thrives to challenge and develop the independent cultural space and its audience.<br /> <br /> <strong>Contact Us:</strong><br /> <br /> Promos | Music Submissions: music@thewildcity.com<br /> Listings | News | Features: amaan@thewildcity.com<br /> Press | PR: ruhi@thewildcity.com<br /> Commercial | Ads | Partnerships: munbir@thewildcity.com<br /> Recruitment | Hotdesking: info@thewildcity.com<br /> Inquiries | General: info@thewildcity.com</p> ', 'slug' => 'about', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => '')), array('id' => '386', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '311', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:51:38', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2018-04-19 06:50:04', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Advertising', 'content' => '<p><sub>To advertise with Wild City please contact press@thewildcity.com. For partnerships please speak to munbir@thewildcity.com.</sub></p> ', 'slug' => 'advertising', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => ''))), 'feed' => array(array('id' => '20610', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19421', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-15 12:43:44', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-15 15:50:09', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '2023 In Review', 'date' => '15/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Vinayak^a, Komorebi, Sandunes, Dreamhour, Tarun Balani, Ruhail Qaisar, Rafiki, Ditty, Lush Lata, Mali, Oblique, Bulli Bainbridge, Merak, Dhanji', 'business' => 'Dynamite Disco Club', 'content' => '<p>2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of its predecessor and no change of digit has ever put a break on the continuity of trends, talent or conflict.</p> <p>The exercise of shedding light upon the developments in alternative music in the Indian subcontinent in a particular year and highlighting what we predict will ripple forward doesn’t just help people reflect on what has been and catch up on things they might have missed or overlooked. It also has proven to signal the upcoming prominence of budding artists.</p> <p>For instance, from our <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20037-2022-in-review" target="_blank">2022’s reflection</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chaardiwaari/" target="_blank">Chaar Diwaari</a> has since released on Def Jam India and collaborated with Yo Yo Honey Singh and all 3 of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11700-noni-mouse" target="_blank">Noni-mouse</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7080-kiss-nuka" target="_blank">Kiss Nuka</a> made their Boiler Room debuts with the latter two also doing prominent shows in UK and Berlin respectively.</p> <p>Eitherway, we find it worth pausing to take in what we witnessed in 2023 – a year, that wasn’t the first period out of the pandemic but the one where the visions, growth and ideas developed on an individual level during the pandemic were exercised and showcased to its fullest.</p> <p>See what that looked like by focusing on handpicked artists and their work in the past year below:</p> <h3><b>Vinayak^a</b></h3> <p>A long-standing figure of Indian dancefloors, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/129-vinayak-a" target="_blank">Vinayak^a</a> would have defined 2023 in alternative music space just through the sheer quantity of his releases alone. While things had been sporadic on the release front in the nearly two decades-worth of career for the Chennai-based DJ-producer, 2023 was filled with a drop after another. Out of them, ‘Andar Bandar’, Vinayak^a’s second-ever solo LP looms large. Layers from electronic to sampled organic collide to create rich atmospheric tapestries while Vinayak^a shows how spoken word samples can be used to add to the textures rather than as devices to spoonfeed a message and emotion.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2587720108/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Andar Bandar by vinayak^a</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sandunes</b></h3> <p>Almost every year is filled with some commendable work by this electronica frontrunner but 2023 stands out for Sanaya Ardeshir aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/301-sandunes" target="_blank">Sandunes</a> through her most ambitious release to date: the album ‘The Ground Beneath Her Feat'. The 13-track release combines all the aspects Sandunes has become known for: the meticulously layered synth layers, syncopating grooves and experimentations with guest vocalists. She dials it all up another notch with the sweetness of woodwinds. The result is a work of electronica that’s in parts at par in its reflective emotionality with the best of any year or region. I recommend going in with ‘Tsunami’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3390681302/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Sandunes</iframe></p> <h3><b>Komorebi</b></h3> <p>If we are talking ambition, Tarana Marwah aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/177-komorebi" target="_blank">Komorebi</a>’s album ‘The Fall’ isn’t just one of the most ambitious works of 2023 but of any year so far for India’s indie music. Released with a comic, music videos, tying lore and scores of collaborations within it, the multi-tiered album goes back and forth between being an electropop effort and a progressive structured work suitable for a musical with its dramatic shifts between ideas.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QxmEUt3fVfk?si=1TE4A17yNNsq6Qw3" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Mali</b></h3> <p>In the case of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17335-mali" target="_blank">Mali</a>, it’s been about focusing on the basics. There were no added frills, just an album i.e. ‘Semi Automatic Butane’, music videos to help present it and a busy tour to support it. Within those basics, the Mumbai artist tightened her songwriting to indie-pop perfection and offered it with economically picked ideas. For a listener of the style, the album is destined to achieve that rarer-than-expected feat among independent releases, which is, to be part of people’s playlists beyond its promotional cycle.</p> <p>That itself is enough and yet, the singer-songwriter enjoyed another breakout success with her efforts in Tamil music with the worth checking out ‘<a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=n7_tASChbw4" target="_blank">Anniku Raatri</a>’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=969156237/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Semi Automatic Butane by Mali</iframe></p> <h3><b>Dhanji</b></h3> <p>After a long buildup to it, Gujrat’s rap artist <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20330-dhanji" target="_blank">Dhanji</a> released his <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20328-dhanji-releases-his-earnestly-awaited-debut-album-ruab" target="_blank">debut album ‘Ruab’</a> and the whirring repetitions of the title have been echoing in our brains ever since. The 11-track release brings in elements from funk, rock and even electronica but without compromising on the qualities of hip-hop as meticulously written verses flow through a dramatic progression of ideas. The album, supported via live performances throughout the year, is an instance where the ambitiousness is purely musical and demonstrates the kind of risk-taking that hasn’t been seen in Indian hip-hop for a while.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1663662427&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Dhanji">Dhanji</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic/sets/ruab-1" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="RUAB">RUAB</a></div> <h3><b>Kinari / Finsta</b></h3> <p>Another occasion of something fresh dropping in the space of hip-hop came through the New Delhi artist formerly known as Finsta with their EP ‘QUEERBOPS’. Not just due to the still rare instance of queer narratives finding a space in the genre, but rather for the merit that Finsta deals with both hip-hop and themes around queerness with a distinctly and naturally fitting Indian flavour. Though the artist has since reinvented themself as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kinaripurrs/" target="_blank">Kinari</a> with already an album entitled ‘KATTAR KINNAR’ in the pipeline, the strong statements over the added delight of an experimental edge of the 6-track release still manages to move the body and shake the brain.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2fvC5Y9lS5Y34t6GdPAovG?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Dot.</b></h3> <p>While her involvement in the lead cast of ‘The Archies’, Bollywood’s most-talked-about movie of 2023, looms larger than anything for most, it was a good year for people who know Aditi Saigal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20131-dot" target="_blank">Dot.</a> as a musician first. Alongside inviting the audience to witness her growth as a live performer over the year, the singer-songwriter ended the period with a collection of recordings from her practice room as an album entitled ‘Practice Rooms’, which even kicks off with her most popular raw take of ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’. At the same time, the year saw her at her most polished with the soft pop of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20135-dot-begins-to-find-a-new-voice-with-indigo" target="_blank">Indigo</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u0OG7rjgqxc?si=TfyMy6H5EhmXkcaB" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Long Distances</b></h3> <p>A product of remote collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11187-aarifah-rebello">Aarifah Rebello</a>, Apurv Agrawal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/456-cowboy-and-sailor-man">Cowboy &amp; Sailor Man</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zubinski/">Zubin Pastakia</a>’s combined effort <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20375-long-distances" target="_blank">Long Distances</a> has outlasted the shadows of the pandemic, outliving most other projects born in that period. In 2023, the trio started unfolding singles that would lead up to the EP ‘How the Mighty Will Fall’ and through live performances, solidified their name among the newest generation of indie live groups of India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=3217313286/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Delicate Surrender by Long Distances</iframe></p> <h3><b>Excise Department</b></h3> <p>2023 was also the year New Delhi got to familiarise itself better with their new alternative hip-hop heads <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20177-excise-dept-take-a-dig-at-the-absurdity-in-present-day-religious-figures-on-baaro-maala" target="_blank">Excise Department</a> – which always remains tricky for an act that likes to stay anonymous and operate in English, Bengali and Punjabi. Alongside their debut live show and several others since, the group released 3 defining singles, namely ‘Baaro Maala’, ‘Birhada’ and ‘Billo’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oq_Qql2yu78?si=sc-JTcSKJNmKbyyf" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Yuhina</b></h3> <p>While talking of acts we got to familiarise ourselves with in 2023, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yuhinalachungpa/?hl=en" target="_blank">Yuhina Lachungpa</a> is an easy mention for her debut EP at the tail-end of the year. After years of having just the occasional collaboration and self-released work, the Bangalore-based Sikkim-rooted artist combined Buddhist chants and equally meditative lyricism about self with electropop production on the 5-track EP ‘Mnemonic’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4076191914/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">MNEMONIC by Yuhina</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bengal Chemicals</b></h3> <p>Even with the occasional emerging and new acts, it still felt like the alternative music space of the region had a decline in fresh talent and fresher growth. That story seemed completely different in leftfield genres like noise and ambient. Pritam Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bengal.chemicals/?hl=en" target="_blank">Bengal Chemicals</a> emerged as a good representative of the renaissance that seems to be emerging in Kolkata in these genres. While there is no shortage of recommendable works (shoutout to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20316-harmonium-ambient-torture-form-the-basis-of-nilotpal-das-aka-bios-contrast-s-harmonium-i">Nilotpal Das’ ‘Harmonium I’</a>), Bengal Chemicals’ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20186-bengal-chemicals-channels-deteriorating-cityscapes-on-sophomore-ep-via-biswa-bangla-noise">sophomore EP ‘তা​র​ক’</a> is the best way into unravelling the leftfield undercurrents that hopefully will get their rightful place in the discourse and industry around alternative music.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2291060274/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">তারক by Bengal Chemicals</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ruhail</b></h3> <p>Whether the spotlight is on noise or not, Ladakh's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4979-ruhail-qaisar" target="_blank">Ruhail Qaisar</a>’s album <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima" target="_blank">‘Fatima’ is one of the strongest albums of the year</a>. A most uncompromising and unflinching take on identity and personal history, Ruhail’s debut album, released via Danse Noir, is both about self and the world he comes from – its people, its transformations and tragedies. A layered work that uncovers meanings the more you dig into it and learn about its references and elements, ‘Fatima’ is a testament to the merit of being free from expectations and believing in one’s own artistic impulses – a quality that has also taken the artist to stages <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CttObMvoVIh/" target="_blank">across the EU</a> including Berlin's famed Berghain for the CTM festival.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <h3><b>Philtersoup</b></h3> <p>Sanjay Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/philtersoupmusic/?hl=en" target="_blank">Philtersoup</a> has been present in the undercurrents of India’s alternative music for a while but the Mumbai-based producer-composer found greater agency in 2023. Besides experimental A/V shows in art studios and synth jams, Das performed alongside <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20068-karshni" target="_blank">Karshni Nair</a> and released the collaborative single ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20263-karshni-philtersoup-release-collaborative-single-long-gone" target="_blank">Long Gone</a>’. Parallely, he served as a music supervisor on the OTT-release ‘Rainbow Rishta’, helping cross over more of India’s independent music to the OTT-media audience.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=4239800201/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Long Gone by philterSoup x Karshni</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sourya Sen</b></h3> <p>Operating in close proximity and joining in on the aforementioned synth jams with Philtersoup, Sourya Sen (also known as <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17413-oblique" target="_blank">Oblique</a>) has not only been a longstanding presence as a live visual artist for some leading independent artists but has also been one of the most evocative abstractionists within the modular synth space. The claim is no less potent when paired with his 11-track memoir of the places he has lived entitled ‘In The Cities’. Top that with his input at the earliest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkyBRg9A6EA" target="_blank">A/V show</a> at one of Mumbai’s newest (certainly one of its most heavily discussed in recent memory) spaces i.e. the <a href="https://nmacc.com/" target="_blank">NMACC</a>, and the Mumbai-based artist’s creative footprint is as relevant as it is subtle within the portrait of 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2242427289/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">In the Cities by Sourya Sen</iframe></p> <h3><b>I7HVN</b></h3> <p>It was a year of growth for Safar collective co-founder <a href="https://www.instagram.com/i7hvn/?hl=en" target="_blank">I7HVN</a>, who stepped beyond his IDM and trip-hop experiments for two long-form releases that showcased moments of self-realisation and a comfortable embrace of his styles. After the abstract atmospheres of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a>-released ‘Youthful’, Bangalore producer put out a broken beat techno EP ‘Anodyne’ at the end of the year. His best moments emerge within the restrained ambience of ‘Youthful’s closer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20252-first-look-i7hvn-sanoli-chowdhury-collaborate-on-imaginary-love">‘Imaginary Love’, which features Sanoli Chowdhury</a>, and the opening title track of ‘Anodyne’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=514984918/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Youthful by I7HVN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Merak</b></h3> <p>While the Goan sibling duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20296-merak" target="_blank">Merak</a> isn’t the first to bring jazz into electronica, there is a balanced tastefulness in their work which gets rendered even more potent in the hands of seasoned acts like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a> and in the shared prowess of collaborators like Shreyas Iyenger – both of whom appeared on the duo’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20300-dreampop-electronica-jazz-mix-on-merak-s-manic-mode" target="_blank">EP ‘Manic Mode’</a>. Besides the appreciable release, Merak frequently became part of the festival lineups around the year to leave a lasting imprint on Indian alternative music’s 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=553102807/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 274px;">Manic Mode EP by Merak</iframe></p> <h3><b>Seasonal Affected Beats</b></h3> <p>It’s hard to think of an artist who has seemed harder working in 2023 than New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4958-tarun-balani" target="_blank">Tarun Balani</a>. The multi-instrumentalist, educator and composer kicked off the year by touring his A/V show ‘2°’ with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/16948-spotlight-parizad-d" target="_blank">Parizad D</a> as Seasonal Affected Beats and filled the year treading the line between meticulous and intuitive through the music from his album ‘Where the Ice Meets the Water’. Add to that another tour in support of the album and two singles focusing on his more jazz-centric work with the Dhamma Collective, and it’s been undoubtedly big 12 months for Tarun Balani.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1503216166/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Where the Ice Meets the Water by Seasonal Affected Beats, Tarun Balani</iframe></p> <h3><b>Debo Sanyal / Dokodoko </b></h3> <p>Is it a cliché to call something ‘underrated’ at this point? If it is, then it’s unfitting of me to use a cliché for someone who usually offers anything but that. Siliguri’s Deno Sanyal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4501-dreamhour" target="_blank">Dreamhour</a> has been dropping quality music full of humour, underexplored styles and singular quirk for years now. More recently, it has found a partner with the complimentary irreverence and straightfaced attitude (which translates sonically as well) of Dr. Kritika as the duo releases music as Dokodoko – <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20419-dokodoko-release-grunge-infused-hindi-electropop-with-shor" target="_blank">gracing 2023 with a foray into Hindi electropop</a>. For more puristical Dreamhour synth bops, the album ‘Now That We Are’ is as punchy as it comes alongside proving that there are still grounds to explore and fun to be had with synthwave.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3930647123/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Now That We Are Here by Dreamhour</iframe></p> <h3><b>Warehouse Mix</b></h3> <p><a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Warehouse Mix</a> is the latest (and increasingly rare) case of a bunch of young creatives coming together not for the primary purpose of making a quick profit but rather to create something “cool” or something that they believe in. In this case the belief is around the original ethos of house music and its ability to provide spaces for diverse expression. While the collective has been budding over the years, 2023 saw them break their immediate bubbles to create bigger impacts, hosting their flagship <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Anticlub</a> parties, live percussion dances and vinyl-only sessions at the city outskirts.</p> <h3><b>Dynamite Disco Club</b></h3> <p>Another collective based near house music (and several other adjacent styles) but more defined by its experienced members, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/18599-dynamite-disco-club" target="_blank">Dynamite Disco Club</a> has been one of our year-defining acts in the past – the year it announced that it would function as a label as well. But this year, DDC embodies the idea that 2023 was the period all the visions developed during the COVID-19 pandemic about life after it were fully realised (as much as they will ever likely be). Besides a string of its parties throughout the year and having a space at almost every notable music festival in the country, the label realised releases from not just its well-known members like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/5027-stalvart-john" target="_blank">Stalvart John</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3929-hamza" target="_blank">Hamza Rahimtula</a>, but also newer talents like ISHXN and even bigger list of foreign acts. On top of importing off-shore acts to its label, the collective also took its domestic talent reach out to shores beyond with Stalvart John touring through parts of South and East Asia.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=2610448964/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Disco Disco, Good Good (Original mix) by ISHXN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Lush Lata</b></h3> <p>It was a big year for New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>, who reached a milestone in her ascent as a DJ with a set at dance music mecca Berlin’s The Berghain early in the year as part of CTM Festival. Since then the stripes have kept attaching in the form of live sets for the likes of HÖR, Rinse and Kiosk Radio, and, constantly, the Indian dancefloors.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1464837649&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Rafiki</b></h3> <p>Through his work as a longstanding promoter and DJ, Sohail Arora aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7552-rafiki" target="_blank">Rafiki</a> has maintained his relevance for a while. This year, however, there was heightened emphasis on his musical output in the form of two EPs: first in the form of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20144-rafiki-gives-retro-sounds-a-modern-edge-on-the-source" target="_blank">The Source</a>’ and then ‘New Shifts’. Surrounding it, the Mumbai-based music industry professional delivered notable mixes, joined his curation for Boiler Room, and toured through Europe, Sri Lanka and clubs across India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=141835852/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">New Shifts by Rafiki</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ditty</b></h3> <p>2023 also was the year of the return of Aditi Veena aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/12649-ditty" target="_blank">Ditty</a>. Though the singer-songwriter was hardly gone, having toured in the latter half of 2022 and releasing music as part of the group Faraway Friends before that, this year saw her put out her <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20452-exclusive-first-listen-ditty-offers-a-distinct-approach-to-indie-pop-with-single-hold-me-from-the-ep-skin" target="_blank">first solo release in 4 years</a> – during which she battled a major illness, got married and partly relocated to Berlin. The trickle of releases started with a collaborative track with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8232-jordan-johnson" target="_blank">Jordan Johnson</a> (another artist who put out standout work in 2023) and followed into the rollout of her own EP ‘Skin’ with live dates punctuating the process.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=966494420/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Hold Me by DITTY</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bulli Bainbridge</b></h3> <p>If you’re an avid listener of indie music and yet don’t know who Zain Calcuttawala is, it’s still likely you have unknowingly enjoyed his contributions. Besides his past as a gig programmer, the multi-faceted talent has been hosting podcasts on mental health and more popularly producing for everyone from Bhrighu Sahni and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19113-second-sight" target="_blank">Second Sight</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18207-raghav-meattle" target="_blank">Raghav Meattle</a>. His work with his moniker <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18024-bulli-bainbridge" target="_blank">Bulli Bainbridge</a> has been no less versatile. He kicked off the year with an album entitled ‘Seasons’ that saw contributions from the likes of Ankit Dayal, BobKat, and Bombay Dub Orchestra and followed it with a collaborative hip-hop single ‘One Me’. Since then, the producer, engineer and composer has been reimagining some of the most popular recent indie hits – cue an orchestral version of Bloodywood, a lo-fi cut of Raghav Meattle’s ‘City Life’ and a swing-era take of Dot’s ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5ZULHCsrfC91weo5SUtENC?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words: Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Image Design: Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9199-2022-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '4028-2023-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of...'), 'href' => '/features/20610-2023-in-review', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20609', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19420', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-14 12:37:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-14 12:45:06', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #234: Hammer', 'date' => '14/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>A member of the <a href="http://www.feelmybicep.com/" target="_blank">Feel My Bicep</a> crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go on to form the duo Bicep), Rory Hamilton aka <a href="https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/hammer" target="_blank">Hammer</a> isn't just someone who has a sense for discovering interesting electronica works. After decades of hosting parties in Glasgow and later London, as well as spinning records the world over, the Belfast-born talent knows how to stitch together those records to create moments of passionate revelry.</p> <p>India has bore witness to that skill multiple times at this point as Hamilton returned to the country earlier this year <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/11647-london-based-dj-producer-hammer-announces-show-in-delhi" target="_blank">after half a decade</a>, adding dates in Goa and Kolkata alongside Delhi and Mumbai before jetting off to Sri Lanka for further performances with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for an 8-show tour of India and Sri Lanka. He recorded a mix for Wild City in Sri Lanka at the end of his tour to look back at his time in the region, which also included signing on Kolkata's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7818-8-bit-culprit" target="_blank">8-bit culprit</a> – the second artist from India to work with the label after New Delhi Anhad Khanna aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19691-sublime-sound-releases-club-ready-ep-that-love-affair-through-hammer-s-remmah-records" target="_blank">Sublime Sound</a>.</p> <p>"From the first ever gig I played in Auro in New Delhi, I learnt that the dance floor in India is special in that the sense of excitement is genuinely palpable. Taking risks pays off," says Hamilton. "I’ve also learnt that like every country, each city is different and you need to be ready to fit into it."</p> <p>Consequently, while often operating close to house, disco and some techno, how Hammer uses a particular style can vary. Recorded at The Luna Terrace of Galle's Closenburg Hotel, the HQ of Tropical Wax, the Wild City mix goes from an unreleased remix of Syreeta Wright's chants on 'Shanti', to the disco-inspired Baldo Remix of Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami's 'Sugar Snap'. Testifying Hammer's abilities to create notable moments in his sets, the mix offers several instances – from the melody-led energy of Two Mamarrachos to the respite of the laidback chords of Madvilla's 'Galactic Banana'. The best, however, is the house-meets-pop euphoria that comes almost as a cinematic euphoric climax to the mix with an unreleased track featuring the voice of Lili Chan.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehammerhits/" target="_blank">Hammer</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-234-hammer%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-234-hammer" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #234: Hammer</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Suricata - Algo Para La Fiesta (Alma &amp; Mater Dub)<br /> Syreeta - Shanti (Hammer Remix) [He She They]<br /> Two Mamarrachos - Let's Find Another After [Nein]<br /> Calystarr - Heartdown (Tronik Youth Remix)<br /> MADVILLA - Galactic Banana<br /> Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami - Sugar Snap (Baldo Remix) [Semi Delicious]<br /> HAMMER - Swivel [Skylax]<br /> Aaron Rutherford - Infinite Cycle<br /> Hammer - Highland ft. Lili Chan [He She They]<br /> KIRA BLUSH - What u Want [Remmah]<br /> Dharma - Turbulence [Remmah]<br /> HAMMER - Swerve [Skylax]</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7604-hammer-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '8183-wc-mix-hammer-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'A member of the Feel My Bicep crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20609-wild-city-234-hammer', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20606', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19417', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-12 09:20:09', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-12 12:20:42', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'sudan Strikes A Fine Balance Of Styles With 'omg'', 'date' => '12/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release under its critique is <a href="https://microplastics.substack.com/p/wiping-the-moistness-from-music-criticism?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank">at least 6 out of 10</a>, it's refreshing to come across a piece of music from an artist just starting out that's easy to get behind with robust promise. 22-year-old Pritpal <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">Sudan</a> from Mumbai, who is previously seen backing the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18225-releases-of-the-week-okedo-ditty-the-revisit-project-more" target="_blank">Anoushka Maskey</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20015-lavi-foenix-give-a-blend-of-rock-disco-for-the-internet-generation-on-no-phones-at-the-dinner-table" target="_blank">Lavi &amp; Foenix</a>, launched his solo act named after his last name with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">2021's 'Fire / Snow'</a>. Nearly 3 Years on, the producer and instrumentalist has announced his debut album 'sudan?', to be released on June 21, from which he has just released the single 'omg'.</p> <p>Lo-fi recording of soulful singing over large piano chords transforms into a brimming electropop-meets-neo soul passage a la Sampha or Kamaal Williams. The production keeps growing with moments of satisfying drops and layering styles over another without overpowering the previous or the songwriting – giving a perfect balance of interesting ideas without becoming too eager to impress.</p> <p>Listen to 'omg' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/notsudan/" target="_blank">sudan</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTOBfFzE_o4?si=ASspQLLmXpvX3d0x" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Pranav Marde</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '8267-sudan-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '8725-sudan-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release...'), 'href' => '/news/20606-sudan-strikes-a-fine-balance-of-styles-with-omg', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20603', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19414', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-11 11:47:37', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-11 11:49:47', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'boxout.fm Recordings' 2nd V/A Compilation Sees Lush Lata Handpick Dancefloor Stompers', 'date' => '11/03/2024', 'artists' => 'MadStarBase, Lush Lata', 'business' => 'boxout.fm', 'content' => '<p>After <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19295-kohra-oceantied-zequenx-more-feature-on-first-of-boxout-fm-recordings-compilation-series-v-a-suchi-selects" target="_blank">2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS'</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4724-boxout-fm" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> is back with the second instalment of its artist-curated compilation series with 'LUSH LATA SELECTS' handpicked by New Delhi DJ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>.</p> <p>The 7-track compilation kicks off with 'Cognac Bounce' by duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a>, who continue to prove themselves masters of creating booming dancefloor numbers with a sensual oomph while <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zealotantrik/" target="_blank">Zealotantrik</a> continues that boom but with the colour of some lo-fi artefacts. Following <a href="https://www.instagram.com/insowmya/" target="_blank">Insowmya</a>'s sampled esoteric percussion-heavy 'Shut Up', collaborative numbers by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pav4nco/" target="_blank">PAV4N</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sukhknight/" target="_blank">Sukh Knight</a>, as well as, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/captain.fuse/" target="_blank">Captain Fuse</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/muktmusic/" target="_blank">Mukt</a> highlight the defining quality of the compilation: heavy use of sampling, picking up vocal hooks from a variety of sources but more commonly vintage records and creating bass-led compositions.</p> <p>The latter collaboration by Captain Fuse and Mukt remains the most interesting offering on the compilation as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97-Ch6d2LBE" target="_blank">Geeta Dutt's 'Tumi Je Amaar'</a> transforms into a stuttering concoction of slow-funk and hip-hop.</p> <p>Listen to 'Lush Lata Selects' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/boxoutfmrecordings/" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3602297268/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 373px;">Lush Lata Selects by Various Artists</iframe></p> <p><em>Artwork by Sijya</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0028-lush-lata-selects-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '4170-lush-lata-selects-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'After 2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS', boxout.fm Recordings is back with the second instalment of its...'), 'href' => '/news/20603-boxout-fm-recordings-2nd-v-a-compilation-sees-lush-lata-handpick-dancefloor-stompers', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20591', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19402', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-06 10:40:01', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-06 11:11:00', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Jyoty Singh Tours India As Part Of Ultra Soulflyp's Biggest Shows', 'date' => '06/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Jyoty Singh', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at weekly <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> events to more than half a decade of presenting a leading show at <a href="https://rinse.fm/" target="_blank">Rinse.fm</a> and a viral <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> performance, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/?hl=en" target="_blank">Jyoty Singh</a> has always been privy to the cutting-edge sounds of the dancefloor. Stitching together the revelry of dancehall, afrobeats and funk when DJing live and tying threads between cultures when curating for her radio mixes, her parties '<a href="https://www.instagram.com/areyouhomegrown/" target="_blank">Homegrown</a>' and her magazine 'The Move', the Punjabi-descent Amsterdam-born London-based artist espouses versatility and ear for the fresh.</p> <p>The multi-faceted selector arrives in India for the first time since her breakout Boiler Room set gained popularity during the pandemic, performing at Mumbai's Famous Studio, Bengaluru's Sunburn Union and Gurugram's Imperfecto Patio on March 22, 23 and 24 respectively.</p> <p>The shows take place as part of <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp</a>, the event series by Kingfisher Ultra, Wild City and Gently Altered which kicked off almost a year ago and has taken over spaces across the country with various styles of dance music over the year. With support yet to be announced, the dates with Jyoty are slated to be Ultra Soulflyp's biggest celebrations to date as it promises to amp up its curation, capacity and immersiveness to make live music a multi-sensorial experience.</p> <p>Reserve your spots for the events and find out more about Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp through its <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and follow Jyoty Singh <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/" target="_blank">here</a>. Listen to her Boiler Room set below to get a sense of what to expect.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2VrztYTNYT8?si=zotxj2S3zpV3o6Vh" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Filipa Aurélio</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9992-0-thumb--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'picture' => '4636-0-banner--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at...'), 'href' => '/news/20591-jyoty-singh-tours-india-as-part-of-ultra-soulflyp-s-biggest-shows', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20588', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19399', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-04 13:43:12', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-04 13:50:41', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Slowspin, Sijya, SIDD & More Feature On Ninja Tunes' Remix EP for Nabihah Iqbal's 'DREAMER'', 'date' => '04/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Slowspin, Sijya', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Tune" target="_blank">Ninja Tune</a>, bringing together South Asian acts, namely Pakistan's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/haideruppal/" target="_blank">Haider Uppal</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4495-slowspin" target="_blank">Slowspin</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/young_dervish/" target="_blank">Zak Khan</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/siddbeats_/" target="_blank">SIDD</a> as well as India's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a>, to reimagine tracks off her 2023 EP 'DREAMER'. As a bonus, the release also features Berlin's Innervision's label-owner and one-half of Âme, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/frank__wiedemann/" target="_blank">Frank Wiedemann</a>, who remixes 'Zone 1 to 6000' from Nabihah's 2017 debut album 'Weighing of the Heart'.</p> <p>All the South Asian artists on the package have shared the stage with the London-based Pakistani-descent artist, who DJ-ed alongside Haider Uppal and SIDD on her first-ever gig in Pakistan, invited Slowspin and Zak Khan to support her during her US tour and discovered Sijya at London's Tate Modern, when the New Delhi artist toured the UK in 2023 before being asked to open for Nabihah at Yes Manchester.</p> <p>Both Haider Uppal and Sijya take a textural approach to their remixes with the former suffusing a techno beat with deep pads out of which harmonic melodies and string lines emerge and diffuse. Meanwhile, Sijya offers the grittiest outing with 'Sunflower' as synths fizzle and distort over a visceral thump and Nabihah's near-spoken singing places itself as a transcendent chant.</p> <p>Frank Wiedemann and SIDD, one of Karachi's most prominent DJ-producers, present two flipsides of techno with their remixes. There is a clear edge of experience with Frank's innovative and effective structuring and Berlin-associated spaciousness as acid house synth squelching plays against Nabihah's singing, highlighting its singular qualities, while SIDD offers a more Detroit-influenced take on the genre with atmospheric spoken voice deepening the minimal nature of the production.</p> <p>The remixes play off of Nabihah's unique vocal style, an element that takes centre stage on Slowspin's sparse remix of the title track from 'DREAMER' alongside Zak Khan's gentle piano-playing, recontextualising the song with a simple arrangement to bring notice to the meaning behind the songwriting.</p> <p>Listen to 'DREAMER (Remixes)' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=316911633/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">DREAMER (Remixes) by Nabihah Iqbal</iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Joseph Hayes</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9103-nabihah-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '2452-nabihah-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Nabihah Iqbal has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label Ninja Tune,...'), 'href' => '/news/20588-slowspin-sijya-sidd-more-feature-on-ninja-tunes-remix-ep-for-nabihah-iqbal-s-dreamer', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20584', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19395', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-01 13:42:57', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-01 13:46:45', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi', 'date' => '01/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Talal Qureshi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/14605-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Talal Qureshi</a>. Even as the Pakistan's electropop pioneer has transformed from a Coke Studio mainstay with esoteric productions on the side to someone who brings his worlds together and creates the collaborative woofer-friendly bangers, that characteristic zaniness remains. As evident by his 2023 debut album 'TURBO' and its recent re-release with <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5AqK0sYFr4bVWAtVKTmXcz" target="_blank">a deluxe edition</a>, it has married itself to the sound of South Asian hip-hop with sometimes a satirising presence of Pakistan's hyperlocal elements.</p> <p>It is embodied in the announcement he makes at the start of his Wild City mix before launching into cuts from the 15-track release, unreleased demos, edits of his other work and even someone Skrillex to demonstrate how his work can boom alongside the globally prominent.</p> <p>Contrary to most mixes of nearly all-originals, Talal's quick-moving mix is a product bigger than the sum of its selections. Constant flow through hard cuts between collaborations that feature the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8936-seedhe-maut" target="_blank">Seedhe Maut</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faris_Shafi" target="_blank">Faris Shafi</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_Raheem" target="_blank">Hasan Raheem</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18090-natasha-noorani" target="_blank">Natasha Noorani</a> speaks to the effective structures of Talal's productions. It's a mix worth a listen even if just for the reimagined energy of Talal's take on '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mNaNMmxJ1I" target="_blank">Faltu Pyaar</a>' and '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3pUsXxCfEk" target="_blank">Muaziz Sarif</a>'.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-233-talal-qureshi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-233-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>MAAL(DEMO) - Blal x Talal Qureshi (Unreleased)<br /> Intro - Talal Qureshi<br /> Tarka - Talal Qureshi<br /> NACH LE - Imran Khan (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> ASAL G - SEEDHE MAUT x Talal Qureshi x Faris Shafi<br /> Paisa - Talal Qureshi x Hasan Raheem (TQ Honey Flip) (Unreleased)<br /> No ID - Skrills (unreleased)<br /> Push ID - Skrillex &amp; Hamdi ft. Taichu<br /> Muaziz Sarif - Coke Studio, Faris Shafi, Meesha Shafi (Talal Qureshi Version) (Unreleased)<br /> Peechay Hutt - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Justin Bibi's<br /> LEFT RIGHT - Ali Sethi, Maanu, Shaegill, A.S (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> Raazi - Natasha Noorani, Talal Qureshi (TQ Honey Flip) (unreleased)<br /> Faltu Pyar - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Natasha Noorani (TQ Honey Flip)(unreleased)<br /> Hico - Talal Qureshi, Maanu (TQ Honey FLIP)(unreleased)<br /> JOGI - Maanu x Talal Qureshi<br /> At the AfterParty - Trick Singh ( Talal Qureshi Version) (unreleased)<br /> KYA - Talal Qureshi x Asim Azhar</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '2345-talal-qureshi-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '1548-tq.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's Talal Qureshi. Even as the...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20584-wild-city-233-talal-qureshi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20576', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19387', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-22 10:41:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-22 10:59:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'New Delhi Gets A New Record Store By Digging In India ', 'date' => '22/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Digging In India', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka <a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-mix-187-digging-in-india" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> has just launched his record store in New Delhi's Shahpur Jat.</p> <p>Known for his sense of discovering overlooked Indian heritage in an exceedingly wide variety of styles, Mittal brings a collection he has accrued over 7-8 years to the store. Besides well-known classics from Western shores and Bollywood alike, the store also specializes in eclectic and rare grooves ranging from desi disco, Tamil funk, Bengali baul sangeet, qawwali, ghazal, Hindustani classical, Carnatic, Telugu soundtracks and Marathi koli geet to Japanese city pop, Afro Funk, Middle Eastern pop and more.</p> <p>Besides the musical collection, the store also features uncommon records like spoken word, political speeches, poetry and comic offerings, alongside vintage posters, comics, collectable matchboxes, stamps and other artefacts.</p> <p>The record store also shares the space with Mallika Tandon's designer cake studio <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bobo.cakery/" target="_blank">Bobo Cakery</a>, which will keep cake slices and bakes with a nostalgic twist for dine-in at the store in the coming month to make the vinyl store a space for more than just sales.</p> <p>Mittal explains: “One thing I’ve noticed is that record stores can be quite intimidating to people who are not familiar with the formal and that’s something I want to change. I want to create an easy-going comfortable space where people can come just to hear good music and learn how this thing works.”</p> <p>Head to the store at 141A/2 1st Floor, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi between noon and 7 pm on any day and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/digginginindia/" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> on Instagram for more information. Listen to Digging In India's Wild City mix below to familiarise yourself with Mittal's work.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/763668214&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5972-dii-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '9516-dii-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka Digging In India has just...'), 'href' => '/news/20576-new-delhi-gets-a-new-record-store-by-digging-in-india', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20560', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19371', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-14 13:07:29', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:16:55', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #232: Innerworld', 'date' => '14/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Innerworld', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Akshay Mathker aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20562-innerworld" target="_blank">Innerworld</a>'s Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most subtle forces. Starting with dark ambience, the mix is defined by its hypnotic atmospheric nature even when the languid textures clear to the thump of the techno's proprietary grooves.</p> <p>Like an experienced DJ, the Goa-based artist layers his selections, elevating them from their standalone value. The ebb and flow between lulling ambient numbers and compelling rhythms begin to combine as distorted gritty kicks creep up from behind the aqueous pads and slow breaks of ULV's '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjclQfXjQCI" target="_blank">My Sofa Turns Into A Desert</a>'. The influence of Goa's trance heritage doesn't shy away as deep airy washes remain a near-constant part of the selections – before the mix slowly turns towards more zany and esoteric cuts for a final push for energy.</p> <p><strong>"This mix is an expedition into the realms of intricate polyrhythms and otherworldly frequencies. Abstract, textural, ravey and laced with psychedelia, this journey through space-time is accentuated by moments of atmospheric bliss and fast-paced, yet minimal, irrefutable grooves.” - Innerworld</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-232-innerworld%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-232-innerworld" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #232: Innerworld</a></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0844-innerworld.jpg', 'picture' => '0323-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Akshay Mathker aka Innerworld's Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20560-wild-city-232-innerworld', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20552', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19364', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-10 08:21:19', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-11 06:55:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '"The Atmosphere That We All Create Together": Jeff Mills On His Legacy, DJ-ing As Non-Verbal Storytelling & More', 'date' => '10/02/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => 'Far Out Left', 'content' => '<p>“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me on a week that started with the now-considered-dying <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo/" target="_blank">Pitchfork rating his 1996’s ‘Live at the Liquid Room, Tokyo’</a> a rare 10 out of 10, and would conclude with the producer, DJ, label-head and dance music legend performing <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20499-jeff-mills-dj-red-arjun-vagale-more-announced-for-far-out-left-mumbai-goa" target="_blank">in India for the first time</a>. “It’s for others more than myself.”</p> <p>The mix, found only as <a href="https://soundcloud.com/theclassicmixcdseries/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo" target="_blank">unofficial uploads</a> on the internet and described in the said review as “the Techno Bible, unequivocally The One”, is arguably the glorious peak of Mills’ early techno legacy. Leading up to it, he had pioneered a minimal form of the genre alongside Detroit-mate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hood" target="_blank">Robert Hood</a>, developed a loyal following through his residency at Berlin’s then-fledgeling <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tresor_(club)" target="_blank">Tresor</a> and redirected the course of techno from his native city of Detroit with the Parliament bassist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Banks_(musician)" target="_blank">‘Mad’ Mike Banks</a> as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Resistance" target="_blank">Underground Resistance</a>, nudging the genre towards grittier realms with the help of militant outfits and political messaging.</p> <p>Prioritising energy over pristineness, including the audience in the process of phasing kicks coming together, the mix blazes through selections – sometimes barely offering more than a glimpse of some. They become more of a connecting component, featured less for their standalone value and more for their role in a greater whole that is the DJ set.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uapn-mknXVU?si=z6XkRrpzv31cRQ4a" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The breakneck mixing style finds its roots in the earliest chapters of Mills’ story when he was known as ‘The Wizard’, championing Detroit's talent, passionately finding the freshest releases from hip-hop to industrial, and informing the local tastes through his radio mixes. As if the deitifying by thousands (maybe millions?) of dance music fans wasn’t enough, Mills' early legacy also figures in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVDzDy1yvo" target="_blank">Eminem’s verses</a> with the lines: “<em>discovered this DJ who was mixing, I say it to this day, if you ain't listened to the Wizard, you ain't have a fucking clue what you was missing”</em></p> <p>As radio slots shortened while championable music remained abundant, Mills started mixing and moving through the selections quickly to develop his fast approach on turntables and mixing desk. It was also at the radio where Jeff Mills the music-maker developed his conceptual style as he opted to edit tapes and stitch together library sounds in his shows to communicate on air instead of speaking. The increasing competitiveness between stations meant Mills had to distinguish his selections, bringing in drum machines and keyboards to layer over records or create bespoke passages earlier on the same day.</p> <p>Visceral rhythms of 909s would underline abstract emotive layers when he finally started releasing his productions. More than a beat to move to, there’d always be a story running underneath whether as the sweeping tones accompanying the incessant distorted kicks of ‘The Hacker’ from the seminal ‘<a href="https://youtu.be/OGQBdEAo9RM?si=T3ZVS7aZ2h-TgPHq&amp;t=1264" target="_blank">Waveform Transmission, Vol. 1</a>’ or the cinematic strings of ‘Utopia’ from ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppJPQ3xsKWI" target="_blank">Cycle 30</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/STpOak4iAJY?si=XAS1qJHIRyZKBhKW" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Decades later, after feats like re-scoring Fritz Lang’s silent film ‘Metropolis’, performing with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra and celebrating 50 years of the moon landing with NASA, Mills’ music continues to either look inward or to a distant future. 2023’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/jeff-mills-the-other-maria/" target="_blank">The Other Maria</a>’ is about the often-restrained and potentially chaotic part of us that deals in hard truths and raw unrestricted emotion, while 2019’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/moon-the-area-of-influence-cd-digital/" target="_blank">Moon: The Area of Influence</a>’ discusses the effects of the moon on our lives and culture. Three decades on, it’s still the same sounds of 909s and analog pads that mark the sonic palette of Mills but the results are even more abstract and less frequently reminiscent of shaking walls in a raving warehouse.</p> <p>“I developed a sense to understand sound in cluster arrangement more than ever. I also understand the barriers due to sectionalizing between genres are becoming less. That musicians could and want to play with each other more,” addresses Mills, talking about how his futurism and sci-fi-influenced work has changed as the technology and idea of the future itself have evolved. “I hear music differently now as a result of the way we communicate. Also, the amount of information we can engage with in such a short amount of time has had an effect.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eU-UsvYbIV0?si=T5bG0meirnNjJoGd" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Techno is not just for dancing, is the philosophy that Mills has been espousing over the years. “If you can dance to it, that's great, that's a bonus, but music should say something. It should be made in a manner with seriousness, and that would enlighten someone simply by listening to it,” he has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/gv34jj/the-man-from-tomorrow-an-interview-with-jeff-mills" target="_blank">told Vice</a> in the past. It is what also guides him as a label-head with his <a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/" target="_blank">Axis Records</a>. Initially a platform for Mills' own work (under his various guises), it has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic to platform talent from the world over including the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/18876-review-arjun-vagale-s-reflective-journey-into-outer-space-on-exit-fragments" target="_blank">debut album by India’s own</a> techno frontrunner <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3379-arjun-vagale" target="_blank">Arjun Vagale</a>. “Having strong visions about the future isn’t privy to any particular country or city so, it was just a matter of coincidence. In this respect, no place on Earth is distant or remote. We’re all quite close to one another as we occupy the small patch of this Planet’s landmass,” he tells me.</p> <p>Behind the decks, the story isn’t much different. Cuts from other techno pioneers like Kevin Saunderson, Robert Hood, Eddie Fowlkes and Phuture intercut with Mills’ original (often extremely fresh) bits and fresher talent with similar substance to their music. The focus continues to remain on overarching energy as much as the selections if not more so as the mixing can go from boldly sudden to so subtle you’d hardly notice.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cCpHiWwA2Rg?si=yGxCmMJkwj1adMlI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“DJ sets are generally for dancing, but also can be widened to be considered as a non-verbal story about ‘The Fantastic’, ‘The Amazing’ or depending [on] how clever the DJ is, even ‘The Unbelievable’”, he says, explaining how a successful set is about giving the audience a sensation that wasn’t there before. That sensation is where the self-expression figures in. “I play based on how I feel at that time and it’s got nothing to do with anyone else. On occasion, not even the audience because my mind is somewhere far away,” he says, echoing the explanation he gave for <a href="https://ra.co/features/3436" target="_blank">Resident Advisor’s The Art of Djing</a>, wherein he recalls sometimes using his set to describe what it might be like to approach a planet.</p> <p>Yet, amidst the abstract tapestry of his sets, there are unmistakable points of recognition, where the selection itself becomes a focal point. While Mills argues, “I tend not to watch others to compare myself so, I can’t really say how I match up. This isn’t how I was taught to play music,” I see Mills able to create moments that only a few DJ-producers who have reached a certain stage of popularity with specific work can create. A moment similar to a rock or pop act “playing their hit”. For Mills’, that hit is ‘The Bells’, the popular and highly effective minimal work most recognisable through its sequence of melodic call and response. “I've tried not playing it, and people were sad! [laughs] So I kinda just gave up,” he says in The Art of DJing, going on to say how the track is a turning point in the set and now signifies that he is completely ready at his stations to kick proceedings into another gear.</p> <p>Nevertheless, relying on hits isn't something easily associated with Mills. While he frequently performs at large-scale events (an easy and sometimes unnecessary prompt for derision from a chunk of the techno audience), much of his recent touring has been dedicated to a collaboration with tabla maestro Prabhu Eduoard and keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, extending the '<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/71W9z9hP84oB6zVmQdRrXW" target="_blank">Tomorrow Comes Harvest</a>' project initiated with afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1352-13-jeffmills-tomorrowcomestheharvest-170923-photographer-thomasecke-109256.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Jean-Phi Dary, Prabhu Eduoard &amp; Jeff Mills in Berlin || Photograph by Thomas Ecke</em></h5> <p>Instead of cashing on his status as a pioneering figure in techno, Mills continues to release a stream of new music that diverges starkly from his '90s output, even while operating within similar styles and using a familiar sonic palette. “I like the thought process of making something from nothing so, I really enjoy starting over again,” he adds.</p> <p>Techno is more than just for dancing remains a recurring theme in his work and a harder thing to sell. “Music is such a suggestive medium that it’s just not possible to measure people’s appreciation level,” he says. “At times in my past, I remember being congratulated but also advised to “give it up - it’s not going to work”, “I’ve lost it and should stop” and many other discouraging things. So, I can’t put much value into what people say or what they appreciate. Instead, I only have to rely on what I feel is right and guide myself from this.”<b> </b></p> <p>That internal guiding compass remains the constant. It’s the same whether it was at Tokyo’s Liquid room, blazing through selections with hard stops and phasing rhythms 3 decades ago; or in Mumbai and Goa for <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/10414-far-out-left" target="_blank">Far Out Left</a> this weekend – drawing from his more abstract cluster arrangements and talent he has sifted through for Axis Records after years of building a legacy that has inspired most in the lineup and an audience that might await ‘The Bells’. “We’re just in different places at different times, but the objective is all the same,” he says. “It’s not about me or them, but rather, it’s always been about “it”. The atmosphere that we all create together.”</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by <a href="http://instagram.com/atemporarymatter.in" target="_blank">Amaan Khan</a></em></p> <p><em>Photo by <a href="http://instagram.com/jacobkhrist" target="_blank">Jacob Khrist</a></em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '4823-jeff-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5147-jeff-mills-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me...'), 'href' => '/features/20552-the-atmosphere-that-we-all-create-together-jeff-mills-on-his-legacy-dj-ing-as-non-verbal-storytelling-more', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20494', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19309', 'createdDate' => '2024-01-03 11:21:10', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:15:29', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #231: Krithi', 'date' => '03/01/2024', 'artists' => 'Krithi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19636-krithi-continues-to-explore-south-asian-sounds-in-contemporary-dance-music-with-uyirudan" target="_blank">Krithi</a> reaches for rhythms and sounds from her native land and the like, they fit into the mould of dance music as if they've always been a natural part of it rather than (as it often is) a forced gimmick of limited yield. Her achievement seems to go further on her upcoming EP 'Coping Mechanism' as she finds the style a vessel of personal narratives, calling the release a "sonic exploration of how she communes with the shadows of depression".</p> <p>Both the released singles from the EP 'Suppress' and 'Medicate' demonstrate that within Krithi's Wild City mix which features a heavy dose of original unreleased work and glimpses of the record that drops on February 15.</p> <p>Introduced through 140BPM techno, the mix quickly shifts to and operates in and around bass and breaks. A peppy start moves into sombre moods as a slightly slowed down 'Heist Track' by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/501-malfnktion" target="_blank">MALFNKTION</a> staggers into Krithi's own work before a jubilant return with the standout moment of Yourboykiran's Bollywood flip 'Yamma Yamma'.</p> <p><strong>"This mix has some of my favourite Bandcamp Friday finds (both new and old) by friends, mentors and producers I love. I recorded it at 140 bpm and with no particular genre in mind—but only with the hope that the listener keeps movin’ from start to finish. It also features some of my unreleased tracks and a couple from my upcoming EP ‘Coping Mechanisms’, which drops on Feb 15th.” – Krithi </strong></p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-231-krithi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-231-krithi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #231: Krithi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Pozibelle - Wait<br /> Mera Bhai - Be This Way (Feat Private Joy) - Provhat Rahman Remix<br /> Jadalareign - Defect<br /> Malfnktion - Heist Track<br /> Krithi - Medicate<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Rodman - Falcata<br /> Despina - Trickle Down Baby<br /> PlayPlay - FYI<br /> Venïson Man - Jewelry (Frost Version)<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - Suppress<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Yourboykiran - Yamma Yamma<br /> Dyslecta - Annihilate<br /> Tony Quattro &amp; Siete Catorce - Qesem Cave</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7067-krithi.jpg', 'picture' => '8500-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer Krithi reaches for rhythms and sounds from her...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20494-wild-city-231-krithi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20488', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19303', 'createdDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun', 'date' => '16/12/2023', 'artists' => 'Kohra', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4465-magnetic-fields-festival" target="_blank">Magnetic Fields Festival</a> taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi producer, DJ and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a> co-founder Madhav Shorey aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/291-kohra" target="_blank">Kohra</a> and Thailand's globe-trotting polymath <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sunjuhargun/" target="_blank">Sunju Hargun</a> are revisiting their B2B set from last year. </p> <p>Performed at the Resident Advisor afterparty, a highlight for the dancefloor-dedicated with its music going from the late hours of the night to the earliest moments of the morning, the accumulated energy of the night and its transformation into the morning audible in the set. Acid's mind-bending textures give way to increasingly guttural techno, pulling heavily from its minimal repertoire. As the night sky begins to lighten, the emotions are guided by the wash of the pads for a more refreshing conclusion. </p> <p><strong>"A combination between records from the past, present, and future. Sonically enhancing the atmosphere with zero limitations to pushing boundaries of tempo and feeling" – Sunju Hargun</strong></p> <p><strong>"A really fulfilling experience taking a restrained and fluid direction for this one, at my favourite stage of the festival." – Kohra</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:<br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun</a> // <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/WildCity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun/" target="_blank">Head here for Mixcloud</a></p> <p><em>Image by Parikshit Deshpande for Magnetic Fields Festival 2022</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5451-mf-2022---ra---image-credit---parikshit-deshpande---3.jpeg', 'picture' => '6442-kohra-sunju.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With the Magnetic Fields Festival taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20488-wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20147', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18982', 'createdDate' => '2023-04-04 16:56:55', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-04-05 11:27:44', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'My First Release: Shantanu Pandit', 'date' => '05/04/2023', 'artists' => 'Shantanu Pandit', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.”</p> <p>It was optimism-inspiring to hear these words from <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18674-shantanu-pandit" target="_blank">Shantanu Pandit</a> on my 27th birthday as I sat cross-legged on the floor among the audience at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art to watch him bring his first tour promoting his album ‘Milk Teeth’ to a conclusion. The New Delhi singer-songwriter had spent the weeks prior travelling by road across the length of India in a bespoke caravan to share his music while pausing at each stop to not just give but take in a sense of the places he performed at.</p> <p>“I had been holed up on the mountains when we put out the album and Dhruv was like ‘Dude, you released an album. You can’t just sleep on it like that. Now you’ve got to come down and let’s take it on tour and celebrate it’”, he continued at the show before launching into chirpy <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/track/do-u-know" target="_blank">comforting melodies</a> that underpin lines like <em>“Put that bullet in my head // Shoot me dead // Put that bullet in my head // Get it over with”.</em></p> <h5><em><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1133-shantanu-pandit-bts-milk-teeth-tour--1.jpeg" /><br /> Shantanu in his bespoke caravan for 'Milk Teeth' tour in 2022 | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>Walking through melancholic reminiscing and processing sorrow over dreamy musicality and nostalgic lightness is what defines the 2021 album. The very dichotomic sophistication is what highlights how far his songwriting has come since his first official release, the EP <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/album/skunk-in-the-cellar" target="_blank">‘Skunk In The Cellar’</a> in 2014 – which, like ‘Milk Teeth’, was also an album born out of seeing a relationship heartbreakingly come to end. However, the natural propensity to just write and share music disconnected from the cycle of talking about it, promoting it and packaging it remains a common thread.</p> <p>“I didn't have that word in my vocabulary,” he says while pondering on the idea of “official release” at the start of his career. “I was very much naive to the whole idea of putting out music in a proper format, putting out a press statement and all that.”</p> <h5><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PHVvVHVQxZg" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2012 for Tehelka TV</em></h5> <p>Before ‘Skunk In The Cellar’, Shantanu had been frequently sharing raw performances on Youtube as soon as he recorded them. Whether it was a host at HIT 95FM giving him CD recordings of his appearance on the radio or the sound engineer at Blue Frog giving him the soundboard recordings from his performance, the then-teenager musician’s first instinct was to just put it on Youtube as soon as he got home. “I didn’t think that hard. For me, I just heard the songs back and immediately thought, ‘I want to share this with my friends. I want to share this with my family.’”</p> <p>That immediacy was shaken up and replaced by process when he was contacted by his soon-to-become long-term manager and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/12653-pagal-haina" target="_blank">Pagal Haina</a> head honcho Dhruv Singh to record the songs which were to become ‘Skunk In The Cellar’. “I was like: ‘Hey, so we've got the songs. Let's just put them out.’ And he said, ‘No. This is just the start. Now we need to plan the whole release.’ And I went, ‘What does that mean?’” The process meant Shantanu had to wait for artwork to be made, distribution to be aligned and press strategies put in place before the music and the artist could represent each other to the world.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/0851-shantanu-pandit-4-by-shiv-ahuja-2014.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2014 | Photograph by Shiv Ahuja</em></h5> <p>Even while he could see the sense in all the auxiliary activities, the waiting time struggled to sit well with a songwriter that developed his material and style with notable intensity. “One thing that has been recurring through my career so far, as a songwriter, is that generally, I move fast. If I'm sitting eight months from now, I would look back at my material and be like, ‘Man! I need to write a bunch of new shit because I don't want to play this old shit.’” Even the debut EP ‘Skunk In The Cellar’ felt like a reinvention for the songwriter who started as a 16-year-old playing largely Bob Dylan covers at open mics before quickly replacing them with fast and loud originals that he dubs as his first wave of songwriting.</p> <p>The instinct to move on quickly translated to Shantanu punctuating his career with jumps from one outlet to the next – most notably the group <a href="https://runitsthekid.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Run It’s The Kid</a> and his moniker Morning Mourning, which was partly formed as a subconscious reaction against the limitations imposed by formal and elaborate creation and release cycles to retreat back into the straightforward sincerity of an artist just exorcising his creative impulses.</p> <p>Even while concluding the first promotional tour around ‘Milk Teeth’ in 2022 at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Shantanu’s set was replete with new material ripe for another album. At the same time, littered with older material too and light-hearted addressal of his relationship with it all. Greater patience has seeped in with the artist who crafted ‘Milk Teeth’ after 4 years of writing.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5129-shantanu-pandit-bts--mt-tour.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu in 2022 for 'Milk Teeth' promotional tour | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>“I have recently been able to enjoy performing live after a long time,” he says after walking me through years that included getting disenchanted with the return from releasing music, riding across the country as an escape, diverging into educational degrees, losing the individual self in a long-term relationship and the hardships finding that self again – themes that he tackled on ‘Milk Teeth’ through reflecting back on memories of growing up.</p> <p>After more than a decade as an artist, the New Delhi artist has traversed a long and winding road till the multiple facets of his career are beginning to be at peace with one another. His declaration of touring ‘Milk Teeth’ as a highlight of life so far is a testament to that – further supported as he recently embarked on another one, this time across North-East India. While <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CqDU1ZGy8lA/" target="_blank">announcing</a> it, he remarks: “I didn’t want the last one to end when it did and I’ve been itching to get back on the road ever since.”</p> <p>Listen to 'Milk Teeth' below and head <a href="https://www.skillboxes.com/events/business/pagal-haina-presents-shantanu-pandit-the-east-india-tour" target="_blank">here</a> for tickets and dates of Shantanu's tour across North-East India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1889828902/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Milk Teeth by Shantanu Pandit</iframe></p> <p><em>Words by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Lead artwork designed by Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5402-mfr-shantanu-08.jpg', 'picture' => '7416-mfr-shantanu-05.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.” It was...'), 'href' => '/features/20147-my-first-release-shantanu-pandit', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20078', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18920', 'createdDate' => '2023-02-15 11:49:31', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-02-15 12:11:15', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '“There Was No choice But To Make Room”: Ruhail Qaisar On Centering The Spectres That Haunt Debut LP 'Fatima'', 'date' => '15/02/2023', 'artists' => 'Ruhail Qaisar', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/fatima" target="_blank">Fatima</a>' predates even its creator.</p> <p>Rooted firmly in geo-personal histories, the noise album which happens to be the artist’s debut full-length offering, showcases the full range of his leftfield explorations that began with an extensive catalogue of singles on his SoundCloud, followed by the '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/ltalam-ep" target="_blank">Ltalam EP</a>' in 2016 and<i> </i>the<i> '</i><a href="https://hkcr.live/shows/the-hounds-of-pamir-the-fires-of-bal-ashram-w-ruhail-qaisar-06-11-2020" target="_blank">Hounds of Pamir</a>'<i> </i>radio residency in 2020.</p> <p>At the heart of Ruhail’s practice, which ranges from sound creation to analog photography and experimental filmmaking, is an unwavering emphasis on identity and history.</p> <p>For the indigenous artist hailing from one of the most controversial and unforgiving terrains of South Asia, Ladakh and its people – particularly the Skyayongs Gogsum community – are often seen in Qaisar’s works as straddling the dichotomies of a traumatic past and uncertain future, suffering from what’s colloquially described as <i>perpetual stasis</i>.</p> <p>The 90s were a time of dramatic change, recalls Ruhail. From growing up in a two-room rented house “with 6 hours of electricity, no traffic, no telephones, to being swept by an accelerated existence with 3G smartphones,[...] an endless slew of terrible smartphone tourists,” the landscapes of his childhood had changed drastically soon after the turn of the century.</p> <p>Yet, nothing could have prepared him for the climate of death, decay, and disease that was to characterise his hometown over the last decade. When he returns this time, after having completed his education in Delhi, Qaisar finds a self-sustaining community now completely destabilised, “battling chronic diseases or had passed away, others moved away, rented their old houses out, some squabbled over land in courts for their newly constructed hotel projects….” It induced in him a state of dysphoria, disconnect, and exile, even when home.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <p>'Fatima', whose very title invokes the memory of a late grandaunt, rises out of this abscess, carrying over the leitmotifs and the “main characters” of Qaisar’s tight-knit Ladakhi community, from an intransitive loss-state towards posthumous life.</p> <p>In Qaisar’s own words, the album is a “hauntological compendium of personal tribute” to these people who occupied those bygone spaces and eras, but also to “the pan-Ladakhi identity”, and the strife and struggle of all “indigenous communities in the Himalayas that are all suffering at the hand of unplanned industrialization and urbanization along with military atrocities”. Incidentally, 'Fatima' hits the airwaves at a time of mass unrest in Leh, over demands for Ladakhi statehood and cultural preservation under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5127-02-fatimas-poplar.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-45c11ae8-7fff-7d0b-9dbf-242538d004b7">Home videos and photographs as relics of an irretrievable past and a close-knit community | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>The idea for the record had fallen into place quite unconsciously upon the artist’s return to Choglamsar, Leh, during the pandemic in 2020, and was born out of a strong desire to rid himself of the muscle memory of traditional compositions - “I dispossessed myself of my own voice and shredded it only to a few whispers.”</p> <p>As soon as the first COVID wave abated, Qaisar (stuck in Delhi during the lockdown) took off, carrying with him (he lists:) a university laptop on which he’d downloaded Moog apps, the cheapest Behringer sound card that he’d painstakingly saved up for, and a basic zoom field recorder he’d borrowed from a filmmaker friend. He documented everything: nightly hikes alongside the Indus, when he would go stargazing in Choglamsar with his younger brother and a neighbour; conversations with his granduncle, a Sino-Indian war veteran; stories of his uncle’s disappearance in 1989; the blitz of Indian military tanks during the recent Galwan valley incursion.</p> <p>These voices and tapes, scaffolded by power electronics, frame ‘Fatima’<i>, </i>creating a somewhat minimal and rather tactile musical performance.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/4817-03-hotel.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-b236a0b9-7fff-a8e7-eb72-44ca729b3032">The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti, Leh, stoic in the face of dereliction | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>A self-taught experimenter, Qaisar’s musical influences are a pastiche of works by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/6937-hemant-sk" target="_blank">Hemant SK</a>, heavier emissions by EXHUMATION, Einsturzende Neubauten and Maurizio Bianchi, South Asian experimenters Senyawa and Raavan Kommand, contemporaries like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3934-jamblu" target="_blank">Jamblu</a> (aka Kartik Pillai) and KMRU, even the early works of AR Rahman. For 'Fatima', he mostly turns inwards, mixing influences of folklore traditions with experimental music and drawing sonic styles and guideposts from Ladakhi processional, funeral and tribal hymns.</p> <p>The album masterfully orchestrates the dramatic highs and lows of sonic expression, borrowing heavily from the surrealist movement, oracle rituals and vernacular theatre tropes. It morphs into stretches of unsettling ambient static, injecting distorted field recordings with drones and silence into some cuts, and crystallising others with DIS FIG, Elvin Brandhi, and Iben KasJer’s “oracular dreamspeech.” Iben’s invocations on 'Fatima’s Poplar' in particular, reciting the vitriolic poetry of political writer Nick Land, not only sets the tone for the sensory experience that follows, but also invites us to reckon with Ladakh’s present “smog-laden loss-state” hollowed out by “the colourful promises of neoliberalism”.</p> <p>Composed of nine microstories,<i> '</i>Fatima' is replete with these spectres that “could no longer be ignored”, and with totems willed into serving as their placeholders. The poplar, for example, is a visual reminder of the titular grandaunt, whose cremation site is guarded by the fabled tree. 'The Fanged Poet' whose story bookends the album is similarly “a dispossessed spectre haunting the derelict sites of what was once home.”</p> <p>On 'Partition', one of the record’s more serene and lingering tracks, Qaisar encrypts yet another dimension to his interactions with history. It is part tribute and part requiem for the powerful legend of another ancestor, this time his great-grandmother, who had undertaken the perilous journey from Glgit to Leh in 1947, with four young children in tow. Just as a refugee’s journey interminably connects their home and their destination, the sonic layers on 'Partition' mutate harmoniously into a hazy mass, so that the sum of its parts is indistinct, indistinguishable, and never truly separate.</p> <p>In our email conversation, Qaisar talks about digitally restoring a series of home videos on VHS tape, describing them as “the last remaining phantasmic spectres that capture…the now long-gone characters and quotidian life of late 20th century Ladakh”. The fourth track, which originates from one of these videos documenting a relative Ramazan’s wedding, is his attempt to illuminate this lost memory with sound. (A visual from the video appears in the accompanying album booklet which holds other snapshots from the family archive and some of Ruhail’s own lens-based works).</p> <h5 style="margin-left: 80px;"><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5980-partition.png" /></h5> <h5 style="margin-left: 40px;"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-ad810fd4-7fff-9591-b68a-6b9c095a271b">Illuminating the generational trauma of partition with sound | Photo of Qaisar’s great-grandmother from accompanying album booklet</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>Recorded between Leh and Delhi, 'Fatima' also reinterprets the lexicon, exploring notions of the temporal, internal, and the inter-generational, that echo Qaisar’s experience growing up in a state that’s rapidly changing but not really improving, ravaged instead by the echoes of “old tragedies” and “present disasters”, wrought by late-capitalism, militarisation, and conservatism.</p> <p>In one of the record’s most foreboding tracks, where the deceitful calmness is quickly corroded by drones and garbling samples, Qaisar positions the abandoned hotels of Zangsti as the totems for “three different waves of tourism in Ladakh”. Qaisar recounts strolling past these structures during the pandemic, “[of] old hotels built between the 70's - 80’s that were once the pride and glory of locality, [were now] totally derelict. New upcoming properties [were] halfway constructed…or devoid of any staff or customers, windows covered in newspapers from 2003, collecting leaves, insects, and dust,” explaining the stasis left by the pandemic, when the tourism industry in Ladakh went anomalously cold-turkey for the first time in nearly fifty years, leaving the sustenance of his community in the lurch.</p> <p>Later in 'Painter Man', we’re placed in more intimate settings, with Ruhail’s attempt to connect listeners to the internal life of an artist, the fear of artistic failure and societal shaming in Ladakh, where creative endeavours are generally discouraged. There is a mention in the liner notes about musicians typically occupying the lowest rung of Ladakh’s social hierarchy, to the extent that the only two avenues to make a living, for Qaisar, were either in the “seasonal tourism industry or as a civil servant.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/7374-04.png" /><br /> <strong><i>“I wouldn’t change anything on the album…I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked” | Snapshot from accompanying album booklet</i></strong></h5> <p> </p> <p>Qaisar’s own politics are not divorced from the themes that emerge from his music. He works outside of binaries, untouched by the commodified logistics of indie music production and the demands of cultural logic, clout, or even the desire to be understood. “I frankly don’t care about that world…had no time to find comfort in its rot,” says Qaisar. “There was no choice but to make room.”</p> <p>Challenging and disorienting at first, Qaisar has sure-footedly carved his niche through a series of self-designed, self-taught steps, which has involved unlearning, transgressing disciplines and mediums of expression, discovering the liminal spaces where leftfield artists can unreservedly thrive. One of these spaces certainly was the HKCR residency where Qaisar put out 60-minute selections of compositions improvised and performed live on a Moog Model-D for the better part of a year. (In fact, earlier drafts of 'Namgang', 'Painter Man', and 'The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti' can be traced back to 'Hounds of Pamir' archives). It catapulted him to the international noise music “scene”, with a tour across Switzerland which allowed him to perform his new compositions before an intuitive audience, and later put him on Danse Noire’s radar.</p> <p>A record label founded by Swiss-Nepalese producer Aisha Devi, Danse Noire is presently on the frontlines of decolonising experimental music (which is still typically viewed through eurocentric lens) and on a mission to support noise’s barebones-DIY economy centred around self-releases and underground blogs, with a space where acts like Ruhail have access to the same resources and infrastructure as mainstream global music. For Qaisar, working with Danse was also rewarding because he never felt he had to compromise his vision for Fatima.</p> <p>Clocking in at about an hour<b>, '</b>Fatima', all said and done, is about an artist’s temerity to document his and his people’s histories, about resisting oblivion by preserving it in whatever form - image, text, sound. It is beyond immersion or abstention, an incredible evocation of space and intimacy in a way not normally considered possible for music to communicate.</p> <p>At the time of this interview, Qaisar was preparing for his debut at Berghain, where he performed shortly after, for the CTM Festival alongside DIS FIG. Unfazed by streaming figures, he reports being thrilled with the initial response to 'Fatima'. When asked about this journey and if he would have done anything differently, Qaisar politely declines, saying, “I see most aberrations as rewards, I welcome them, I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked.”</p> <p>“Only thing I can assure is that everything that was done on this album would not be repeated in the next.”</p> <h5>.</h5> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by Prarthana Mitra</em></p> <p><em>Image by Adnan Zayed</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0831-ruhail-qaisar.jpg', 'picture' => '2748-ruhail-qaisar-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s 'Fatima' predates even...'), 'href' => '/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '19908', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18761', 'createdDate' => '2022-09-28 13:52:52', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2022-10-13 14:38:19', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Spotlight: Akshat Nauriyal (Yesnomaybe, St+Art, Now Delhi, Awaaz)', 'date' => '13/10/2022', 'artists' => 'Teddy Boy Kill, Hoirong', 'business' => 'St+rt India Foundation', 'content' => '<p>Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined up on Mumbai’s nearly-150-years-old <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassoon_Docks" target="_blank">Sassoon dock</a>. They overlooked the hectic rhythms of the fish market below, wafting in concentrated doses of the smell that is part of almost everyone’s experience of the seaside city.</p> <p>In a population more used to having the faces of movie stars plastered across its streets and public spaces, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_tahska/?hl=en" target="_blank">Akshat Nauriyal</a>’s co-created (with Pranav Gohil) array of portraits on Sassoon Dock pushed back on it by giving the limelight to the docks’ primary community and Mumbai’s earliest settlers: the fisherfolk.</p> <p>“To be able to speak to people, learn about their communities, sensitise myself about their dynamics, and then be able to bring that into the project was the most important takeaway for me,” says the New Delhi artist of capturing and exhibiting those portraits in 2017 as a contribution to French artist JR’s global participatory art initiative ‘<a href="https://www.insideoutproject.net/en/explore/group-action/sassoon-dock" target="_blank">Inside Out</a>’. By making the fisherfolks the subject of the portraits, convincing them about the work, capturing their likeness with a pop-up photo studio and then plastering the stylised results across the space that they define, Nauriyal and his colleagues highlighted the predominant trinity of Koli, Hindu Maratha and Banjara communities.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/6396-inside-out.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Inside Out at Sassoon Dock</em></h5> <p>“To bring the voices of people that are usually not heard from, or stories that are left on the wayside by the mainstream – those define the projects that I am always interested in”, explains Nauriyal as the mandate that drove his effort at Sassoon dock and his wider body of work. That body of work includes co-founding St+art, the collective and platform now widely celebrated for galvanising the undercurrents of street art in India by transforming localities like New Delhi’s Lodhi Colony and Shahpur Jat and creating India’s largest as well as tallest murals; documentaries capturing the capital city’s underground sub-cultures; socio-political stance-charged Instagram filters that examined social media platforms as a space for activism; short films tracing music-driven activism in different countries; music acts ranging from Another Vertigo Rush and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3598-teddy-boy-kill" target="_blank">Teddy Boy Kill</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4660-hoirong" target="_blank">Hoirong</a> and <a href="https://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/music/2020/aug/07/akshat-nauriyal-on-his-solo-project-yesnomaybe-his-upcoming-ep-and-augmented-reality-as-a-performat-27115.html" target="_blank">Yesnomaybe</a>; and currently, an ongoing project that keeps <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irom_Chanu_Sharmila" target="_blank">Irom Sharmila</a> (famously known as the ‘Iron Lady Of Manipur’) at its centre while it inquires into the cost borne by the leader of a movement.</p> <p>Whether music, film, augmented reality or paint-based, the New Delhi artist’s efforts carry an easily notable sub-layer of activism, which has founds its necessity rooted as far back as he can remember.</p> <h3><b>Early Beginnings</b></h3> <p>Coming from a military background, Akshat was privy to the slow cogs of government offices which worked its way into disillusionment with the system around the time he developed his initial interests in arts and culture. He recalls sitting stunned listening to tracks by the likes Rage Against The Machine after downloading them off of Napster at the cusp of Indian households getting connected to the Internet and finding his thoughts make cohesion within the activist lyricism of the band and similar angsty associates.</p> <p>The result was a deep-seated formative ethos that leaned towards art that stands for change and of having ready access to it. An ethos which was held back from getting showcased, save for through the array of rock bands that he drummed for during his school and college, while he navigated through the most common education pathway of engineering degrees and college placements prescribed to middle-class Indian kids. Eventually and gradually course-correcting himself with a move towards filmmaking and work for NDTV’s ‘Almost Famous’, Akshat started venturing out on his own around 2007 and 2008.</p> <h3><b>Now Delhi</b></h3> <p>“Because of being involved with the music scene, I was involved with a whole bunch of creative people from across the spectrum. Art galleries and things usually have a specific kind of people coming to them, but I’ve found that music is quite open in terms of the kind of audience it draws,” says Akshat. “Through that experience, I started seeing this other side of Delhi which I hadn’t experienced before I met these performance artists, digital artists and all kinds of artists who were the same age as me and were trying to push the envelope.”</p> <p>Making these artists the focus of his first major venture as an independent filmmaker, Akshat, who often works under the pseudonym Tahska, established ‘Now Delhi’, a film studio now synonymous with a run of short documentaries it generated on the likes of street artists, B-boys, extreme metal groups and rap cyphers in the capital. “At that time, you could still say that there was this underground – an underbelly that Delhi had which nobody was talking about in the mainstream media,” he continues, expanding upon his comparison of a city to a living breathing thing defined by the people that it in turn influences. “‘Now Delhi’ delivered an exploration of that. It was an exploration of all the different kinds of subcultures that exist in the city, and also how the artists are responding to the city itself.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vlCt2ji7IFA" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The films exposed a running motif early on – one of prioritising the question. Akshat carries strong openings and convictions, but they remain held back when he is behind the artistic lens to allow for the audience to do their own thinking. The ‘Now Delhi’ film on Khirkee Extension, a collective effort of street artists to create art around the namesake South Delhi locality, presents the artists reflecting on the economic dichotomy of the neighbourhood and how it inspires their art. They retell how the kids kept engaging with the creation process of the murals before the documentary ends with the local elders frustratingly venting how they don’t get the purpose of this art and its messaging. The film invites the viewer to ponder over the significance of the street artists’ efforts and their relation to the residents of the locality.</p> <p>“It’s something that I’ve tried to carry forward with all my work,” explains Akshat. “It comes from being able to first understand what the people who actually I’m trying to talk about feel, rather than impose my preconceived idea of what they might want to talk about.” For all the films of ‘Now Delhi’, Akshat first became a part of the sub-cultures he was highlighting or a close associate before micing them up. A decade later, with his current subject being a national icon like Irom Sharmila, he is tagging along to observe her usual going-abouts to discover the narrative naturally instead of imposing it. “I’ve always been a fan of gonzo journalism, like Hunter S Thomson and his writing – in terms of just immersing yourself in a situation to truly tell the story.”</p> <h3><b>St+art</b></h3> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6NaQbBiSMsI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Being close to his subjects meant Akshat had become a close associate of the street community of India, having made them the focus of ‘Now Delhi’ multiple times. Sharing a studio with one of its proponents, Hanif Kureshi, he soon found himself teaming up with Arjun Bahl, Giulia Ambrogi and Thanish Thomas to create the five-piece team that would become the founders of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/startindiafoundation/">St+art</a>.</p> <p>“There was an initial conversation about doing a festival, which we did without having any idea that it [St+art] would become this behemoth of an organization,” Akshat recounts the early days of the organization with the festival bringing together the artists to Shahpur Jat and its founders being hands-on with everything from moving the ladders and bringing the paints to Nauriyal documenting the process. “It was a logical progression for ‘Now Delhi’ to transition to St+art India,” quips Akshat, noting how the documentaries took a backseat as the workload got higher and allowed him to honour his formative drives of making art accessible while exploring a city and the many narratives it homes.</p> <p>Within a few years, St+art became a go-to organization for cultural consulates and medium to big brands, creating local landmarks across the country and transforming neighbourhoods, especially in New Delhi and Mumbai. The former’s Lodhi Colony remains defined by the makeover given by the collective during its annual festival. It was the place where St+art was fully able to realize its early motivations of creating art that was available to all and integrated all – specifically, through participatory murals, singing workshops, painting workshops and the like. Yet as the organization became a brand in itself, the ship started to feel too big to steer into radical corners – which Akshat still longed to address.</p> <p>“The initial years of anything are the best. They're the most honest. They're the most genuine. They're the closest to the vision that you start with. As things get bigger, there comes a set of compromises that one has to start making. I think that's the nature of anything that becomes big after a point of time,” he concludes his around half-a-decade-long journey with the prominent street art collective.</p> <h3><b>Yesnomaybe, Augmented/Virtual Reality</b></h3> <p>As St+art began to fade out from his professional life, his other continuing artistic efforts began to appear more prominently in the limelight again. Adding another feather to the musical cap, Akshat debuted his solo moniker Yesnomaybe, an outlet where he brings together all the facets of his work as marries the retrofuturism of synth-rock with the futurism of interactive filters and augmented reality-driven films. The latter also becoming a device for Akshat to continue posing topical questions while creating work that stood for something.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3_dwP09Genk" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>2019 was a particularly politically-charged year for India: BJP, the country’s right-wing majoritarian government, was re-elected to power with a higher parliamentary presence; it used it to abrogate Kashmir’s special status; and introduced the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act which faced nationwide protests that were met with controversial police violence. With augmented reality, Akshat offered tried to offer a response for all of it: a filter fashioned after prime minister Narendra Modi that let out the word “lie” every time you open your mouth, headers stating stances on Kashmir and CAA, and, for the following year’s state elections in Delhi, an interactive quiz where you can nod or shake your head based on who you’re voting for.</p> <p>“I felt social media platforms are almost like the new town halls where people are coming and discussing things. It was an interesting space to explore to try and also see if I could create work that could help on ground movements and also get people involved more than just changing a display picture,” says Akshat. “It was honestly a social experiment.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:16px;"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Akshat Nauriyal (@_tahska)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script> <p>Within days, around a million people saw the multiple of the filters. The mode of activism was talked about by the likes of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/1/29/meet-the-artists-resisting-indias-new-citizenship-law">Al Jazeera</a>, attracting loud pro-government commentators to Akshat’s profile alongside concern for safety by well-wishers. The work definitely rattled a few minds and sparked newer questions in Akshat’s own. “I started a conversation about what use it actually played in society. On my Instagram Stories, I asked people the question, whether they thought that it was just armchair activism or whether it actually led to any kind of change,” he remarks. Alongside equal amounts of opposing viewpoints, the “social (media) experiment” also saw its second phase as the platforms began, in most cases, a silent clampdown on politically-charged use of its platform. The traction for the filters and their related posts began to go down and, as is currently being highlighted in courts, the platforms themselves had to cater to clampdowns by the government. “It was also quite disillusioning, because the same platforms, which are supposed to be platforms for free speech are the ones that ended up censoring you,” reports Akshat.</p> <h3><b>Awaaz</b></h3> <p>With censoring becoming more and more obvious and Instagram itself pivoting from a creator-friendly platform, Akshat moved his exploration into creating meaningful work and examining the modes for it to other outlets: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHAWPwVJC2w/" target="_blank">installations</a>, talks and, coming a full circle, to films again. As part of Goethe-Institut’s ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19288-m-a-p-a-m-p-highlights-performances-stories-of-musicians-with-a-cause-including-ahmer-sheetal-sathe-more" target="_blank">M.A.P // A.M.P</a>’, the filmmaker created a series of documentaries entitled <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19524-awaaz-akshat-nauriyal-creates-documentary-films-on-protest-music-histories-of-india-pakistan-sri-lanka-iran">‘Awaaz’</a>, turning the lens yet again to underrepresented artistic voices. Handpicking with the help of research and local social networks, ‘Awaaz’ highlighted politically outspoken artists from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Iran to look at the history of protests from these countries.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ml2iV7BfkLE" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“Anytime you go on Twitter, somebody is getting boycotted. We’re living in an age of outrage,” says Akshat, noting how any political discourse is getting mudied up online by internet trolls while a work of activist nature doesn’t get platformed enough outside it. Allaying that, ‘Awaaz’ unearthed the nature of dissent specific to each country – whether it was about signalling the erosion of administrative infrastructures and economy in Sri Lanka, which erupted within weeks of the film getting released, or the difficulty in finding a voice that can publicly speak against the powers that be in a country like Iran. “There was a responsibility that I had on my end which was to ensure that I don’t put out content that can eventually lead to trouble for them [the artists],” continues Akshat. “Which is why I did in a way where we were actually chronicling the past protest movements to give context of where the country is right now, rather than attack any of the present figures.”</p> <p>Even with the varying specifics, much like M.A.P // A.M.P’s crowdsourced repository of protest music, ‘Awaaz’ brought out the parallels between artistic activism around the world, signalling a unification of voices and the possibility of shared empathy. According to Akshat: “[The films] platform these movements in a way so that other people in other parts of the world can see that we’re all pretty similar and that there is merit to creating work like this.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/2386-irom-5.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Irom Sharmila with family by Akshat Nauriyal</em></h5> <p>“I feel a cycle has finished and a new cycle is beginning,” he adds as we agree on how the films on national sub-cultures with ‘Awaaz’ feel like coming a full circle in light of how films on Delhi’s sub-cultures with ‘Now Delhi’ kicked things off. Since finishing ‘Awaaz’, two of the countries Akshat turned his lens to have been taken over by protests, which have emerged out of the shadows to engulf the streets, at times, fulfilling predictions touched upon in the films. Meanwhile, Akshat has moved on to creating the new chapter for Yesnomaybe and shadowing Irom Sharmila, not just documenting the cost her struggle for fairer civil rights has demanded but also building a multi-faceted reflection of her poetry and personality. For the New Delhi creative, the parallels and narratives to be unearthed by his personal artistic vision continue to draw him to the margins.</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Word by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Profile image by Akshat Nauriyal</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5133-akshat-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5937-akshat-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined...'), 'href' => '/features/19908-spotlight-akshat-nauriyal-yesnomaybe-st-art-now-delhi-awaaz', 'key' => 'features')), 'repo' => 'https://repo.thewildcity.com/', 'host' => 'https://www.thewildcity.com', 'page' => null, 'bannerhead' => array(), 'bannertop' => array(), 'bannermid' => array(array('label' => 'Mailing List', 'url' => 'https://thewildcity.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=3fbebf9eadf7433315c051d4e&id=e053aa3ae5', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column middle', 'image' => '3413-signup.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'bannerlow' => array(array('label' => 'follow us on instagram', 'url' => 'https://www.instagram.com/thewildcity/', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column bottom', 'image' => '2532-followus.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'app' => object(Application)), array('title' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37), 'block_title'), 'main' => array(object(__TwigTemplate_27c457f64e5801914346fd675133a1b4f6acfae7f40075a021fe385f0b3bac37), 'block_main'))) in Template.php line 403
  10. at Twig_Template->display(array('pages' => array(array('id' => '385', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '310', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:36:32', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2020-12-28 13:16:03', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'About', 'content' => '<p>Wild City was established as an online music magazine and community platform in 2011. It has since grown to become an events company (hosting a variety of musical showcases, events and the annual Magnetic Fields Festival), cultural PR agency (City Press launched in 2015), consultants for brands engaging with contemporary music culture in India (partners include Boiler Room, Resident Advisor, Red Bull, Jameson, Bira 91, Puma, Social Offline, Bumble, Ray-Ban, Budweiser, British Council amongst others), and executors of regional cultural programs across South Asia.</p> <p>Dedicated to spotlighting the latest in alternative culture and music from India and South Asia, Wild City’s inception filled a much-needed gap in the Indian music space.<br /> <br /> A year after its establishment, Wild City partnered with Gerriet Schultz (founder of iconic Berlin club VMF) and the Goethe-Institut to create Border Movement, an online platform and series of events, workshops and residencies that promote interaction between grass roots electronic music communities in South Asia and Germany.<br /> <br /> In 2013, Wild City co-founded the first-ever Magnetic Fields, arguably India’s most popular boutique music festival. Taking place in Alsisar Mahal, Rajasthan, Magnetic Fields has been included in the ‘50 Best Music Festivals in the World’ by Time Out Magazine. It has also been lauded by Resident Advisor, New York Times and other notable publications.<br /> <br /> In 2016, Wild City further went on to win an award for 'Best Promoter in India' and co-curated the music stream of The Coalition.<br /> <br /> Wild City is the voice for alternative music in the region. Whether showcasing local or international sounds, the company constantly thrives to challenge and develop the independent cultural space and its audience.<br /> <br /> <strong>Contact Us:</strong><br /> <br /> Promos | Music Submissions: music@thewildcity.com<br /> Listings | News | Features: amaan@thewildcity.com<br /> Press | PR: ruhi@thewildcity.com<br /> Commercial | Ads | Partnerships: munbir@thewildcity.com<br /> Recruitment | Hotdesking: info@thewildcity.com<br /> Inquiries | General: info@thewildcity.com</p> ', 'slug' => 'about', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => '')), array('id' => '386', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '311', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:51:38', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2018-04-19 06:50:04', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Advertising', 'content' => '<p><sub>To advertise with Wild City please contact press@thewildcity.com. For partnerships please speak to munbir@thewildcity.com.</sub></p> ', 'slug' => 'advertising', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => ''))), 'feed' => array(array('id' => '20610', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19421', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-15 12:43:44', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-15 15:50:09', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '2023 In Review', 'date' => '15/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Vinayak^a, Komorebi, Sandunes, Dreamhour, Tarun Balani, Ruhail Qaisar, Rafiki, Ditty, Lush Lata, Mali, Oblique, Bulli Bainbridge, Merak, Dhanji', 'business' => 'Dynamite Disco Club', 'content' => '<p>2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of its predecessor and no change of digit has ever put a break on the continuity of trends, talent or conflict.</p> <p>The exercise of shedding light upon the developments in alternative music in the Indian subcontinent in a particular year and highlighting what we predict will ripple forward doesn’t just help people reflect on what has been and catch up on things they might have missed or overlooked. It also has proven to signal the upcoming prominence of budding artists.</p> <p>For instance, from our <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20037-2022-in-review" target="_blank">2022’s reflection</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chaardiwaari/" target="_blank">Chaar Diwaari</a> has since released on Def Jam India and collaborated with Yo Yo Honey Singh and all 3 of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11700-noni-mouse" target="_blank">Noni-mouse</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7080-kiss-nuka" target="_blank">Kiss Nuka</a> made their Boiler Room debuts with the latter two also doing prominent shows in UK and Berlin respectively.</p> <p>Eitherway, we find it worth pausing to take in what we witnessed in 2023 – a year, that wasn’t the first period out of the pandemic but the one where the visions, growth and ideas developed on an individual level during the pandemic were exercised and showcased to its fullest.</p> <p>See what that looked like by focusing on handpicked artists and their work in the past year below:</p> <h3><b>Vinayak^a</b></h3> <p>A long-standing figure of Indian dancefloors, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/129-vinayak-a" target="_blank">Vinayak^a</a> would have defined 2023 in alternative music space just through the sheer quantity of his releases alone. While things had been sporadic on the release front in the nearly two decades-worth of career for the Chennai-based DJ-producer, 2023 was filled with a drop after another. Out of them, ‘Andar Bandar’, Vinayak^a’s second-ever solo LP looms large. Layers from electronic to sampled organic collide to create rich atmospheric tapestries while Vinayak^a shows how spoken word samples can be used to add to the textures rather than as devices to spoonfeed a message and emotion.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2587720108/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Andar Bandar by vinayak^a</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sandunes</b></h3> <p>Almost every year is filled with some commendable work by this electronica frontrunner but 2023 stands out for Sanaya Ardeshir aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/301-sandunes" target="_blank">Sandunes</a> through her most ambitious release to date: the album ‘The Ground Beneath Her Feat'. The 13-track release combines all the aspects Sandunes has become known for: the meticulously layered synth layers, syncopating grooves and experimentations with guest vocalists. She dials it all up another notch with the sweetness of woodwinds. The result is a work of electronica that’s in parts at par in its reflective emotionality with the best of any year or region. I recommend going in with ‘Tsunami’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3390681302/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Sandunes</iframe></p> <h3><b>Komorebi</b></h3> <p>If we are talking ambition, Tarana Marwah aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/177-komorebi" target="_blank">Komorebi</a>’s album ‘The Fall’ isn’t just one of the most ambitious works of 2023 but of any year so far for India’s indie music. Released with a comic, music videos, tying lore and scores of collaborations within it, the multi-tiered album goes back and forth between being an electropop effort and a progressive structured work suitable for a musical with its dramatic shifts between ideas.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QxmEUt3fVfk?si=1TE4A17yNNsq6Qw3" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Mali</b></h3> <p>In the case of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17335-mali" target="_blank">Mali</a>, it’s been about focusing on the basics. There were no added frills, just an album i.e. ‘Semi Automatic Butane’, music videos to help present it and a busy tour to support it. Within those basics, the Mumbai artist tightened her songwriting to indie-pop perfection and offered it with economically picked ideas. For a listener of the style, the album is destined to achieve that rarer-than-expected feat among independent releases, which is, to be part of people’s playlists beyond its promotional cycle.</p> <p>That itself is enough and yet, the singer-songwriter enjoyed another breakout success with her efforts in Tamil music with the worth checking out ‘<a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=n7_tASChbw4" target="_blank">Anniku Raatri</a>’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=969156237/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Semi Automatic Butane by Mali</iframe></p> <h3><b>Dhanji</b></h3> <p>After a long buildup to it, Gujrat’s rap artist <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20330-dhanji" target="_blank">Dhanji</a> released his <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20328-dhanji-releases-his-earnestly-awaited-debut-album-ruab" target="_blank">debut album ‘Ruab’</a> and the whirring repetitions of the title have been echoing in our brains ever since. The 11-track release brings in elements from funk, rock and even electronica but without compromising on the qualities of hip-hop as meticulously written verses flow through a dramatic progression of ideas. The album, supported via live performances throughout the year, is an instance where the ambitiousness is purely musical and demonstrates the kind of risk-taking that hasn’t been seen in Indian hip-hop for a while.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1663662427&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Dhanji">Dhanji</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic/sets/ruab-1" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="RUAB">RUAB</a></div> <h3><b>Kinari / Finsta</b></h3> <p>Another occasion of something fresh dropping in the space of hip-hop came through the New Delhi artist formerly known as Finsta with their EP ‘QUEERBOPS’. Not just due to the still rare instance of queer narratives finding a space in the genre, but rather for the merit that Finsta deals with both hip-hop and themes around queerness with a distinctly and naturally fitting Indian flavour. Though the artist has since reinvented themself as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kinaripurrs/" target="_blank">Kinari</a> with already an album entitled ‘KATTAR KINNAR’ in the pipeline, the strong statements over the added delight of an experimental edge of the 6-track release still manages to move the body and shake the brain.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2fvC5Y9lS5Y34t6GdPAovG?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Dot.</b></h3> <p>While her involvement in the lead cast of ‘The Archies’, Bollywood’s most-talked-about movie of 2023, looms larger than anything for most, it was a good year for people who know Aditi Saigal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20131-dot" target="_blank">Dot.</a> as a musician first. Alongside inviting the audience to witness her growth as a live performer over the year, the singer-songwriter ended the period with a collection of recordings from her practice room as an album entitled ‘Practice Rooms’, which even kicks off with her most popular raw take of ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’. At the same time, the year saw her at her most polished with the soft pop of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20135-dot-begins-to-find-a-new-voice-with-indigo" target="_blank">Indigo</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u0OG7rjgqxc?si=TfyMy6H5EhmXkcaB" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Long Distances</b></h3> <p>A product of remote collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11187-aarifah-rebello">Aarifah Rebello</a>, Apurv Agrawal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/456-cowboy-and-sailor-man">Cowboy &amp; Sailor Man</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zubinski/">Zubin Pastakia</a>’s combined effort <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20375-long-distances" target="_blank">Long Distances</a> has outlasted the shadows of the pandemic, outliving most other projects born in that period. In 2023, the trio started unfolding singles that would lead up to the EP ‘How the Mighty Will Fall’ and through live performances, solidified their name among the newest generation of indie live groups of India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=3217313286/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Delicate Surrender by Long Distances</iframe></p> <h3><b>Excise Department</b></h3> <p>2023 was also the year New Delhi got to familiarise itself better with their new alternative hip-hop heads <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20177-excise-dept-take-a-dig-at-the-absurdity-in-present-day-religious-figures-on-baaro-maala" target="_blank">Excise Department</a> – which always remains tricky for an act that likes to stay anonymous and operate in English, Bengali and Punjabi. Alongside their debut live show and several others since, the group released 3 defining singles, namely ‘Baaro Maala’, ‘Birhada’ and ‘Billo’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oq_Qql2yu78?si=sc-JTcSKJNmKbyyf" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Yuhina</b></h3> <p>While talking of acts we got to familiarise ourselves with in 2023, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yuhinalachungpa/?hl=en" target="_blank">Yuhina Lachungpa</a> is an easy mention for her debut EP at the tail-end of the year. After years of having just the occasional collaboration and self-released work, the Bangalore-based Sikkim-rooted artist combined Buddhist chants and equally meditative lyricism about self with electropop production on the 5-track EP ‘Mnemonic’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4076191914/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">MNEMONIC by Yuhina</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bengal Chemicals</b></h3> <p>Even with the occasional emerging and new acts, it still felt like the alternative music space of the region had a decline in fresh talent and fresher growth. That story seemed completely different in leftfield genres like noise and ambient. Pritam Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bengal.chemicals/?hl=en" target="_blank">Bengal Chemicals</a> emerged as a good representative of the renaissance that seems to be emerging in Kolkata in these genres. While there is no shortage of recommendable works (shoutout to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20316-harmonium-ambient-torture-form-the-basis-of-nilotpal-das-aka-bios-contrast-s-harmonium-i">Nilotpal Das’ ‘Harmonium I’</a>), Bengal Chemicals’ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20186-bengal-chemicals-channels-deteriorating-cityscapes-on-sophomore-ep-via-biswa-bangla-noise">sophomore EP ‘তা​র​ক’</a> is the best way into unravelling the leftfield undercurrents that hopefully will get their rightful place in the discourse and industry around alternative music.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2291060274/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">তারক by Bengal Chemicals</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ruhail</b></h3> <p>Whether the spotlight is on noise or not, Ladakh's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4979-ruhail-qaisar" target="_blank">Ruhail Qaisar</a>’s album <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima" target="_blank">‘Fatima’ is one of the strongest albums of the year</a>. A most uncompromising and unflinching take on identity and personal history, Ruhail’s debut album, released via Danse Noir, is both about self and the world he comes from – its people, its transformations and tragedies. A layered work that uncovers meanings the more you dig into it and learn about its references and elements, ‘Fatima’ is a testament to the merit of being free from expectations and believing in one’s own artistic impulses – a quality that has also taken the artist to stages <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CttObMvoVIh/" target="_blank">across the EU</a> including Berlin's famed Berghain for the CTM festival.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <h3><b>Philtersoup</b></h3> <p>Sanjay Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/philtersoupmusic/?hl=en" target="_blank">Philtersoup</a> has been present in the undercurrents of India’s alternative music for a while but the Mumbai-based producer-composer found greater agency in 2023. Besides experimental A/V shows in art studios and synth jams, Das performed alongside <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20068-karshni" target="_blank">Karshni Nair</a> and released the collaborative single ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20263-karshni-philtersoup-release-collaborative-single-long-gone" target="_blank">Long Gone</a>’. Parallely, he served as a music supervisor on the OTT-release ‘Rainbow Rishta’, helping cross over more of India’s independent music to the OTT-media audience.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=4239800201/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Long Gone by philterSoup x Karshni</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sourya Sen</b></h3> <p>Operating in close proximity and joining in on the aforementioned synth jams with Philtersoup, Sourya Sen (also known as <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17413-oblique" target="_blank">Oblique</a>) has not only been a longstanding presence as a live visual artist for some leading independent artists but has also been one of the most evocative abstractionists within the modular synth space. The claim is no less potent when paired with his 11-track memoir of the places he has lived entitled ‘In The Cities’. Top that with his input at the earliest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkyBRg9A6EA" target="_blank">A/V show</a> at one of Mumbai’s newest (certainly one of its most heavily discussed in recent memory) spaces i.e. the <a href="https://nmacc.com/" target="_blank">NMACC</a>, and the Mumbai-based artist’s creative footprint is as relevant as it is subtle within the portrait of 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2242427289/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">In the Cities by Sourya Sen</iframe></p> <h3><b>I7HVN</b></h3> <p>It was a year of growth for Safar collective co-founder <a href="https://www.instagram.com/i7hvn/?hl=en" target="_blank">I7HVN</a>, who stepped beyond his IDM and trip-hop experiments for two long-form releases that showcased moments of self-realisation and a comfortable embrace of his styles. After the abstract atmospheres of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a>-released ‘Youthful’, Bangalore producer put out a broken beat techno EP ‘Anodyne’ at the end of the year. His best moments emerge within the restrained ambience of ‘Youthful’s closer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20252-first-look-i7hvn-sanoli-chowdhury-collaborate-on-imaginary-love">‘Imaginary Love’, which features Sanoli Chowdhury</a>, and the opening title track of ‘Anodyne’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=514984918/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Youthful by I7HVN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Merak</b></h3> <p>While the Goan sibling duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20296-merak" target="_blank">Merak</a> isn’t the first to bring jazz into electronica, there is a balanced tastefulness in their work which gets rendered even more potent in the hands of seasoned acts like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a> and in the shared prowess of collaborators like Shreyas Iyenger – both of whom appeared on the duo’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20300-dreampop-electronica-jazz-mix-on-merak-s-manic-mode" target="_blank">EP ‘Manic Mode’</a>. Besides the appreciable release, Merak frequently became part of the festival lineups around the year to leave a lasting imprint on Indian alternative music’s 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=553102807/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 274px;">Manic Mode EP by Merak</iframe></p> <h3><b>Seasonal Affected Beats</b></h3> <p>It’s hard to think of an artist who has seemed harder working in 2023 than New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4958-tarun-balani" target="_blank">Tarun Balani</a>. The multi-instrumentalist, educator and composer kicked off the year by touring his A/V show ‘2°’ with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/16948-spotlight-parizad-d" target="_blank">Parizad D</a> as Seasonal Affected Beats and filled the year treading the line between meticulous and intuitive through the music from his album ‘Where the Ice Meets the Water’. Add to that another tour in support of the album and two singles focusing on his more jazz-centric work with the Dhamma Collective, and it’s been undoubtedly big 12 months for Tarun Balani.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1503216166/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Where the Ice Meets the Water by Seasonal Affected Beats, Tarun Balani</iframe></p> <h3><b>Debo Sanyal / Dokodoko </b></h3> <p>Is it a cliché to call something ‘underrated’ at this point? If it is, then it’s unfitting of me to use a cliché for someone who usually offers anything but that. Siliguri’s Deno Sanyal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4501-dreamhour" target="_blank">Dreamhour</a> has been dropping quality music full of humour, underexplored styles and singular quirk for years now. More recently, it has found a partner with the complimentary irreverence and straightfaced attitude (which translates sonically as well) of Dr. Kritika as the duo releases music as Dokodoko – <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20419-dokodoko-release-grunge-infused-hindi-electropop-with-shor" target="_blank">gracing 2023 with a foray into Hindi electropop</a>. For more puristical Dreamhour synth bops, the album ‘Now That We Are’ is as punchy as it comes alongside proving that there are still grounds to explore and fun to be had with synthwave.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3930647123/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Now That We Are Here by Dreamhour</iframe></p> <h3><b>Warehouse Mix</b></h3> <p><a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Warehouse Mix</a> is the latest (and increasingly rare) case of a bunch of young creatives coming together not for the primary purpose of making a quick profit but rather to create something “cool” or something that they believe in. In this case the belief is around the original ethos of house music and its ability to provide spaces for diverse expression. While the collective has been budding over the years, 2023 saw them break their immediate bubbles to create bigger impacts, hosting their flagship <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Anticlub</a> parties, live percussion dances and vinyl-only sessions at the city outskirts.</p> <h3><b>Dynamite Disco Club</b></h3> <p>Another collective based near house music (and several other adjacent styles) but more defined by its experienced members, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/18599-dynamite-disco-club" target="_blank">Dynamite Disco Club</a> has been one of our year-defining acts in the past – the year it announced that it would function as a label as well. But this year, DDC embodies the idea that 2023 was the period all the visions developed during the COVID-19 pandemic about life after it were fully realised (as much as they will ever likely be). Besides a string of its parties throughout the year and having a space at almost every notable music festival in the country, the label realised releases from not just its well-known members like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/5027-stalvart-john" target="_blank">Stalvart John</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3929-hamza" target="_blank">Hamza Rahimtula</a>, but also newer talents like ISHXN and even bigger list of foreign acts. On top of importing off-shore acts to its label, the collective also took its domestic talent reach out to shores beyond with Stalvart John touring through parts of South and East Asia.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=2610448964/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Disco Disco, Good Good (Original mix) by ISHXN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Lush Lata</b></h3> <p>It was a big year for New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>, who reached a milestone in her ascent as a DJ with a set at dance music mecca Berlin’s The Berghain early in the year as part of CTM Festival. Since then the stripes have kept attaching in the form of live sets for the likes of HÖR, Rinse and Kiosk Radio, and, constantly, the Indian dancefloors.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1464837649&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Rafiki</b></h3> <p>Through his work as a longstanding promoter and DJ, Sohail Arora aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7552-rafiki" target="_blank">Rafiki</a> has maintained his relevance for a while. This year, however, there was heightened emphasis on his musical output in the form of two EPs: first in the form of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20144-rafiki-gives-retro-sounds-a-modern-edge-on-the-source" target="_blank">The Source</a>’ and then ‘New Shifts’. Surrounding it, the Mumbai-based music industry professional delivered notable mixes, joined his curation for Boiler Room, and toured through Europe, Sri Lanka and clubs across India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=141835852/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">New Shifts by Rafiki</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ditty</b></h3> <p>2023 also was the year of the return of Aditi Veena aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/12649-ditty" target="_blank">Ditty</a>. Though the singer-songwriter was hardly gone, having toured in the latter half of 2022 and releasing music as part of the group Faraway Friends before that, this year saw her put out her <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20452-exclusive-first-listen-ditty-offers-a-distinct-approach-to-indie-pop-with-single-hold-me-from-the-ep-skin" target="_blank">first solo release in 4 years</a> – during which she battled a major illness, got married and partly relocated to Berlin. The trickle of releases started with a collaborative track with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8232-jordan-johnson" target="_blank">Jordan Johnson</a> (another artist who put out standout work in 2023) and followed into the rollout of her own EP ‘Skin’ with live dates punctuating the process.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=966494420/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Hold Me by DITTY</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bulli Bainbridge</b></h3> <p>If you’re an avid listener of indie music and yet don’t know who Zain Calcuttawala is, it’s still likely you have unknowingly enjoyed his contributions. Besides his past as a gig programmer, the multi-faceted talent has been hosting podcasts on mental health and more popularly producing for everyone from Bhrighu Sahni and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19113-second-sight" target="_blank">Second Sight</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18207-raghav-meattle" target="_blank">Raghav Meattle</a>. His work with his moniker <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18024-bulli-bainbridge" target="_blank">Bulli Bainbridge</a> has been no less versatile. He kicked off the year with an album entitled ‘Seasons’ that saw contributions from the likes of Ankit Dayal, BobKat, and Bombay Dub Orchestra and followed it with a collaborative hip-hop single ‘One Me’. Since then, the producer, engineer and composer has been reimagining some of the most popular recent indie hits – cue an orchestral version of Bloodywood, a lo-fi cut of Raghav Meattle’s ‘City Life’ and a swing-era take of Dot’s ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5ZULHCsrfC91weo5SUtENC?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words: Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Image Design: Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9199-2022-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '4028-2023-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of...'), 'href' => '/features/20610-2023-in-review', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20609', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19420', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-14 12:37:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-14 12:45:06', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #234: Hammer', 'date' => '14/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>A member of the <a href="http://www.feelmybicep.com/" target="_blank">Feel My Bicep</a> crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go on to form the duo Bicep), Rory Hamilton aka <a href="https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/hammer" target="_blank">Hammer</a> isn't just someone who has a sense for discovering interesting electronica works. After decades of hosting parties in Glasgow and later London, as well as spinning records the world over, the Belfast-born talent knows how to stitch together those records to create moments of passionate revelry.</p> <p>India has bore witness to that skill multiple times at this point as Hamilton returned to the country earlier this year <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/11647-london-based-dj-producer-hammer-announces-show-in-delhi" target="_blank">after half a decade</a>, adding dates in Goa and Kolkata alongside Delhi and Mumbai before jetting off to Sri Lanka for further performances with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for an 8-show tour of India and Sri Lanka. He recorded a mix for Wild City in Sri Lanka at the end of his tour to look back at his time in the region, which also included signing on Kolkata's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7818-8-bit-culprit" target="_blank">8-bit culprit</a> – the second artist from India to work with the label after New Delhi Anhad Khanna aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19691-sublime-sound-releases-club-ready-ep-that-love-affair-through-hammer-s-remmah-records" target="_blank">Sublime Sound</a>.</p> <p>"From the first ever gig I played in Auro in New Delhi, I learnt that the dance floor in India is special in that the sense of excitement is genuinely palpable. Taking risks pays off," says Hamilton. "I’ve also learnt that like every country, each city is different and you need to be ready to fit into it."</p> <p>Consequently, while often operating close to house, disco and some techno, how Hammer uses a particular style can vary. Recorded at The Luna Terrace of Galle's Closenburg Hotel, the HQ of Tropical Wax, the Wild City mix goes from an unreleased remix of Syreeta Wright's chants on 'Shanti', to the disco-inspired Baldo Remix of Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami's 'Sugar Snap'. Testifying Hammer's abilities to create notable moments in his sets, the mix offers several instances – from the melody-led energy of Two Mamarrachos to the respite of the laidback chords of Madvilla's 'Galactic Banana'. The best, however, is the house-meets-pop euphoria that comes almost as a cinematic euphoric climax to the mix with an unreleased track featuring the voice of Lili Chan.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehammerhits/" target="_blank">Hammer</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-234-hammer%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-234-hammer" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #234: Hammer</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Suricata - Algo Para La Fiesta (Alma &amp; Mater Dub)<br /> Syreeta - Shanti (Hammer Remix) [He She They]<br /> Two Mamarrachos - Let's Find Another After [Nein]<br /> Calystarr - Heartdown (Tronik Youth Remix)<br /> MADVILLA - Galactic Banana<br /> Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami - Sugar Snap (Baldo Remix) [Semi Delicious]<br /> HAMMER - Swivel [Skylax]<br /> Aaron Rutherford - Infinite Cycle<br /> Hammer - Highland ft. Lili Chan [He She They]<br /> KIRA BLUSH - What u Want [Remmah]<br /> Dharma - Turbulence [Remmah]<br /> HAMMER - Swerve [Skylax]</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7604-hammer-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '8183-wc-mix-hammer-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'A member of the Feel My Bicep crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20609-wild-city-234-hammer', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20606', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19417', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-12 09:20:09', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-12 12:20:42', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'sudan Strikes A Fine Balance Of Styles With 'omg'', 'date' => '12/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release under its critique is <a href="https://microplastics.substack.com/p/wiping-the-moistness-from-music-criticism?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank">at least 6 out of 10</a>, it's refreshing to come across a piece of music from an artist just starting out that's easy to get behind with robust promise. 22-year-old Pritpal <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">Sudan</a> from Mumbai, who is previously seen backing the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18225-releases-of-the-week-okedo-ditty-the-revisit-project-more" target="_blank">Anoushka Maskey</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20015-lavi-foenix-give-a-blend-of-rock-disco-for-the-internet-generation-on-no-phones-at-the-dinner-table" target="_blank">Lavi &amp; Foenix</a>, launched his solo act named after his last name with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">2021's 'Fire / Snow'</a>. Nearly 3 Years on, the producer and instrumentalist has announced his debut album 'sudan?', to be released on June 21, from which he has just released the single 'omg'.</p> <p>Lo-fi recording of soulful singing over large piano chords transforms into a brimming electropop-meets-neo soul passage a la Sampha or Kamaal Williams. The production keeps growing with moments of satisfying drops and layering styles over another without overpowering the previous or the songwriting – giving a perfect balance of interesting ideas without becoming too eager to impress.</p> <p>Listen to 'omg' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/notsudan/" target="_blank">sudan</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTOBfFzE_o4?si=ASspQLLmXpvX3d0x" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Pranav Marde</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '8267-sudan-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '8725-sudan-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release...'), 'href' => '/news/20606-sudan-strikes-a-fine-balance-of-styles-with-omg', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20603', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19414', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-11 11:47:37', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-11 11:49:47', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'boxout.fm Recordings' 2nd V/A Compilation Sees Lush Lata Handpick Dancefloor Stompers', 'date' => '11/03/2024', 'artists' => 'MadStarBase, Lush Lata', 'business' => 'boxout.fm', 'content' => '<p>After <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19295-kohra-oceantied-zequenx-more-feature-on-first-of-boxout-fm-recordings-compilation-series-v-a-suchi-selects" target="_blank">2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS'</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4724-boxout-fm" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> is back with the second instalment of its artist-curated compilation series with 'LUSH LATA SELECTS' handpicked by New Delhi DJ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>.</p> <p>The 7-track compilation kicks off with 'Cognac Bounce' by duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a>, who continue to prove themselves masters of creating booming dancefloor numbers with a sensual oomph while <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zealotantrik/" target="_blank">Zealotantrik</a> continues that boom but with the colour of some lo-fi artefacts. Following <a href="https://www.instagram.com/insowmya/" target="_blank">Insowmya</a>'s sampled esoteric percussion-heavy 'Shut Up', collaborative numbers by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pav4nco/" target="_blank">PAV4N</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sukhknight/" target="_blank">Sukh Knight</a>, as well as, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/captain.fuse/" target="_blank">Captain Fuse</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/muktmusic/" target="_blank">Mukt</a> highlight the defining quality of the compilation: heavy use of sampling, picking up vocal hooks from a variety of sources but more commonly vintage records and creating bass-led compositions.</p> <p>The latter collaboration by Captain Fuse and Mukt remains the most interesting offering on the compilation as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97-Ch6d2LBE" target="_blank">Geeta Dutt's 'Tumi Je Amaar'</a> transforms into a stuttering concoction of slow-funk and hip-hop.</p> <p>Listen to 'Lush Lata Selects' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/boxoutfmrecordings/" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3602297268/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 373px;">Lush Lata Selects by Various Artists</iframe></p> <p><em>Artwork by Sijya</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0028-lush-lata-selects-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '4170-lush-lata-selects-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'After 2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS', boxout.fm Recordings is back with the second instalment of its...'), 'href' => '/news/20603-boxout-fm-recordings-2nd-v-a-compilation-sees-lush-lata-handpick-dancefloor-stompers', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20591', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19402', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-06 10:40:01', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-06 11:11:00', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Jyoty Singh Tours India As Part Of Ultra Soulflyp's Biggest Shows', 'date' => '06/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Jyoty Singh', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at weekly <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> events to more than half a decade of presenting a leading show at <a href="https://rinse.fm/" target="_blank">Rinse.fm</a> and a viral <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> performance, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/?hl=en" target="_blank">Jyoty Singh</a> has always been privy to the cutting-edge sounds of the dancefloor. Stitching together the revelry of dancehall, afrobeats and funk when DJing live and tying threads between cultures when curating for her radio mixes, her parties '<a href="https://www.instagram.com/areyouhomegrown/" target="_blank">Homegrown</a>' and her magazine 'The Move', the Punjabi-descent Amsterdam-born London-based artist espouses versatility and ear for the fresh.</p> <p>The multi-faceted selector arrives in India for the first time since her breakout Boiler Room set gained popularity during the pandemic, performing at Mumbai's Famous Studio, Bengaluru's Sunburn Union and Gurugram's Imperfecto Patio on March 22, 23 and 24 respectively.</p> <p>The shows take place as part of <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp</a>, the event series by Kingfisher Ultra, Wild City and Gently Altered which kicked off almost a year ago and has taken over spaces across the country with various styles of dance music over the year. With support yet to be announced, the dates with Jyoty are slated to be Ultra Soulflyp's biggest celebrations to date as it promises to amp up its curation, capacity and immersiveness to make live music a multi-sensorial experience.</p> <p>Reserve your spots for the events and find out more about Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp through its <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and follow Jyoty Singh <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/" target="_blank">here</a>. Listen to her Boiler Room set below to get a sense of what to expect.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2VrztYTNYT8?si=zotxj2S3zpV3o6Vh" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Filipa Aurélio</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9992-0-thumb--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'picture' => '4636-0-banner--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at...'), 'href' => '/news/20591-jyoty-singh-tours-india-as-part-of-ultra-soulflyp-s-biggest-shows', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20588', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19399', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-04 13:43:12', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-04 13:50:41', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Slowspin, Sijya, SIDD & More Feature On Ninja Tunes' Remix EP for Nabihah Iqbal's 'DREAMER'', 'date' => '04/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Slowspin, Sijya', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Tune" target="_blank">Ninja Tune</a>, bringing together South Asian acts, namely Pakistan's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/haideruppal/" target="_blank">Haider Uppal</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4495-slowspin" target="_blank">Slowspin</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/young_dervish/" target="_blank">Zak Khan</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/siddbeats_/" target="_blank">SIDD</a> as well as India's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a>, to reimagine tracks off her 2023 EP 'DREAMER'. As a bonus, the release also features Berlin's Innervision's label-owner and one-half of Âme, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/frank__wiedemann/" target="_blank">Frank Wiedemann</a>, who remixes 'Zone 1 to 6000' from Nabihah's 2017 debut album 'Weighing of the Heart'.</p> <p>All the South Asian artists on the package have shared the stage with the London-based Pakistani-descent artist, who DJ-ed alongside Haider Uppal and SIDD on her first-ever gig in Pakistan, invited Slowspin and Zak Khan to support her during her US tour and discovered Sijya at London's Tate Modern, when the New Delhi artist toured the UK in 2023 before being asked to open for Nabihah at Yes Manchester.</p> <p>Both Haider Uppal and Sijya take a textural approach to their remixes with the former suffusing a techno beat with deep pads out of which harmonic melodies and string lines emerge and diffuse. Meanwhile, Sijya offers the grittiest outing with 'Sunflower' as synths fizzle and distort over a visceral thump and Nabihah's near-spoken singing places itself as a transcendent chant.</p> <p>Frank Wiedemann and SIDD, one of Karachi's most prominent DJ-producers, present two flipsides of techno with their remixes. There is a clear edge of experience with Frank's innovative and effective structuring and Berlin-associated spaciousness as acid house synth squelching plays against Nabihah's singing, highlighting its singular qualities, while SIDD offers a more Detroit-influenced take on the genre with atmospheric spoken voice deepening the minimal nature of the production.</p> <p>The remixes play off of Nabihah's unique vocal style, an element that takes centre stage on Slowspin's sparse remix of the title track from 'DREAMER' alongside Zak Khan's gentle piano-playing, recontextualising the song with a simple arrangement to bring notice to the meaning behind the songwriting.</p> <p>Listen to 'DREAMER (Remixes)' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=316911633/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">DREAMER (Remixes) by Nabihah Iqbal</iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Joseph Hayes</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9103-nabihah-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '2452-nabihah-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Nabihah Iqbal has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label Ninja Tune,...'), 'href' => '/news/20588-slowspin-sijya-sidd-more-feature-on-ninja-tunes-remix-ep-for-nabihah-iqbal-s-dreamer', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20584', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19395', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-01 13:42:57', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-01 13:46:45', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi', 'date' => '01/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Talal Qureshi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/14605-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Talal Qureshi</a>. Even as the Pakistan's electropop pioneer has transformed from a Coke Studio mainstay with esoteric productions on the side to someone who brings his worlds together and creates the collaborative woofer-friendly bangers, that characteristic zaniness remains. As evident by his 2023 debut album 'TURBO' and its recent re-release with <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5AqK0sYFr4bVWAtVKTmXcz" target="_blank">a deluxe edition</a>, it has married itself to the sound of South Asian hip-hop with sometimes a satirising presence of Pakistan's hyperlocal elements.</p> <p>It is embodied in the announcement he makes at the start of his Wild City mix before launching into cuts from the 15-track release, unreleased demos, edits of his other work and even someone Skrillex to demonstrate how his work can boom alongside the globally prominent.</p> <p>Contrary to most mixes of nearly all-originals, Talal's quick-moving mix is a product bigger than the sum of its selections. Constant flow through hard cuts between collaborations that feature the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8936-seedhe-maut" target="_blank">Seedhe Maut</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faris_Shafi" target="_blank">Faris Shafi</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_Raheem" target="_blank">Hasan Raheem</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18090-natasha-noorani" target="_blank">Natasha Noorani</a> speaks to the effective structures of Talal's productions. It's a mix worth a listen even if just for the reimagined energy of Talal's take on '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mNaNMmxJ1I" target="_blank">Faltu Pyaar</a>' and '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3pUsXxCfEk" target="_blank">Muaziz Sarif</a>'.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-233-talal-qureshi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-233-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>MAAL(DEMO) - Blal x Talal Qureshi (Unreleased)<br /> Intro - Talal Qureshi<br /> Tarka - Talal Qureshi<br /> NACH LE - Imran Khan (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> ASAL G - SEEDHE MAUT x Talal Qureshi x Faris Shafi<br /> Paisa - Talal Qureshi x Hasan Raheem (TQ Honey Flip) (Unreleased)<br /> No ID - Skrills (unreleased)<br /> Push ID - Skrillex &amp; Hamdi ft. Taichu<br /> Muaziz Sarif - Coke Studio, Faris Shafi, Meesha Shafi (Talal Qureshi Version) (Unreleased)<br /> Peechay Hutt - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Justin Bibi's<br /> LEFT RIGHT - Ali Sethi, Maanu, Shaegill, A.S (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> Raazi - Natasha Noorani, Talal Qureshi (TQ Honey Flip) (unreleased)<br /> Faltu Pyar - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Natasha Noorani (TQ Honey Flip)(unreleased)<br /> Hico - Talal Qureshi, Maanu (TQ Honey FLIP)(unreleased)<br /> JOGI - Maanu x Talal Qureshi<br /> At the AfterParty - Trick Singh ( Talal Qureshi Version) (unreleased)<br /> KYA - Talal Qureshi x Asim Azhar</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '2345-talal-qureshi-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '1548-tq.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's Talal Qureshi. Even as the...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20584-wild-city-233-talal-qureshi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20576', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19387', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-22 10:41:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-22 10:59:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'New Delhi Gets A New Record Store By Digging In India ', 'date' => '22/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Digging In India', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka <a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-mix-187-digging-in-india" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> has just launched his record store in New Delhi's Shahpur Jat.</p> <p>Known for his sense of discovering overlooked Indian heritage in an exceedingly wide variety of styles, Mittal brings a collection he has accrued over 7-8 years to the store. Besides well-known classics from Western shores and Bollywood alike, the store also specializes in eclectic and rare grooves ranging from desi disco, Tamil funk, Bengali baul sangeet, qawwali, ghazal, Hindustani classical, Carnatic, Telugu soundtracks and Marathi koli geet to Japanese city pop, Afro Funk, Middle Eastern pop and more.</p> <p>Besides the musical collection, the store also features uncommon records like spoken word, political speeches, poetry and comic offerings, alongside vintage posters, comics, collectable matchboxes, stamps and other artefacts.</p> <p>The record store also shares the space with Mallika Tandon's designer cake studio <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bobo.cakery/" target="_blank">Bobo Cakery</a>, which will keep cake slices and bakes with a nostalgic twist for dine-in at the store in the coming month to make the vinyl store a space for more than just sales.</p> <p>Mittal explains: “One thing I’ve noticed is that record stores can be quite intimidating to people who are not familiar with the formal and that’s something I want to change. I want to create an easy-going comfortable space where people can come just to hear good music and learn how this thing works.”</p> <p>Head to the store at 141A/2 1st Floor, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi between noon and 7 pm on any day and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/digginginindia/" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> on Instagram for more information. Listen to Digging In India's Wild City mix below to familiarise yourself with Mittal's work.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/763668214&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5972-dii-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '9516-dii-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka Digging In India has just...'), 'href' => '/news/20576-new-delhi-gets-a-new-record-store-by-digging-in-india', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20560', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19371', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-14 13:07:29', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:16:55', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #232: Innerworld', 'date' => '14/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Innerworld', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Akshay Mathker aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20562-innerworld" target="_blank">Innerworld</a>'s Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most subtle forces. Starting with dark ambience, the mix is defined by its hypnotic atmospheric nature even when the languid textures clear to the thump of the techno's proprietary grooves.</p> <p>Like an experienced DJ, the Goa-based artist layers his selections, elevating them from their standalone value. The ebb and flow between lulling ambient numbers and compelling rhythms begin to combine as distorted gritty kicks creep up from behind the aqueous pads and slow breaks of ULV's '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjclQfXjQCI" target="_blank">My Sofa Turns Into A Desert</a>'. The influence of Goa's trance heritage doesn't shy away as deep airy washes remain a near-constant part of the selections – before the mix slowly turns towards more zany and esoteric cuts for a final push for energy.</p> <p><strong>"This mix is an expedition into the realms of intricate polyrhythms and otherworldly frequencies. Abstract, textural, ravey and laced with psychedelia, this journey through space-time is accentuated by moments of atmospheric bliss and fast-paced, yet minimal, irrefutable grooves.” - Innerworld</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-232-innerworld%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-232-innerworld" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #232: Innerworld</a></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0844-innerworld.jpg', 'picture' => '0323-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Akshay Mathker aka Innerworld's Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20560-wild-city-232-innerworld', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20552', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19364', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-10 08:21:19', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-11 06:55:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '"The Atmosphere That We All Create Together": Jeff Mills On His Legacy, DJ-ing As Non-Verbal Storytelling & More', 'date' => '10/02/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => 'Far Out Left', 'content' => '<p>“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me on a week that started with the now-considered-dying <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo/" target="_blank">Pitchfork rating his 1996’s ‘Live at the Liquid Room, Tokyo’</a> a rare 10 out of 10, and would conclude with the producer, DJ, label-head and dance music legend performing <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20499-jeff-mills-dj-red-arjun-vagale-more-announced-for-far-out-left-mumbai-goa" target="_blank">in India for the first time</a>. “It’s for others more than myself.”</p> <p>The mix, found only as <a href="https://soundcloud.com/theclassicmixcdseries/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo" target="_blank">unofficial uploads</a> on the internet and described in the said review as “the Techno Bible, unequivocally The One”, is arguably the glorious peak of Mills’ early techno legacy. Leading up to it, he had pioneered a minimal form of the genre alongside Detroit-mate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hood" target="_blank">Robert Hood</a>, developed a loyal following through his residency at Berlin’s then-fledgeling <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tresor_(club)" target="_blank">Tresor</a> and redirected the course of techno from his native city of Detroit with the Parliament bassist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Banks_(musician)" target="_blank">‘Mad’ Mike Banks</a> as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Resistance" target="_blank">Underground Resistance</a>, nudging the genre towards grittier realms with the help of militant outfits and political messaging.</p> <p>Prioritising energy over pristineness, including the audience in the process of phasing kicks coming together, the mix blazes through selections – sometimes barely offering more than a glimpse of some. They become more of a connecting component, featured less for their standalone value and more for their role in a greater whole that is the DJ set.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uapn-mknXVU?si=z6XkRrpzv31cRQ4a" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The breakneck mixing style finds its roots in the earliest chapters of Mills’ story when he was known as ‘The Wizard’, championing Detroit's talent, passionately finding the freshest releases from hip-hop to industrial, and informing the local tastes through his radio mixes. As if the deitifying by thousands (maybe millions?) of dance music fans wasn’t enough, Mills' early legacy also figures in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVDzDy1yvo" target="_blank">Eminem’s verses</a> with the lines: “<em>discovered this DJ who was mixing, I say it to this day, if you ain't listened to the Wizard, you ain't have a fucking clue what you was missing”</em></p> <p>As radio slots shortened while championable music remained abundant, Mills started mixing and moving through the selections quickly to develop his fast approach on turntables and mixing desk. It was also at the radio where Jeff Mills the music-maker developed his conceptual style as he opted to edit tapes and stitch together library sounds in his shows to communicate on air instead of speaking. The increasing competitiveness between stations meant Mills had to distinguish his selections, bringing in drum machines and keyboards to layer over records or create bespoke passages earlier on the same day.</p> <p>Visceral rhythms of 909s would underline abstract emotive layers when he finally started releasing his productions. More than a beat to move to, there’d always be a story running underneath whether as the sweeping tones accompanying the incessant distorted kicks of ‘The Hacker’ from the seminal ‘<a href="https://youtu.be/OGQBdEAo9RM?si=T3ZVS7aZ2h-TgPHq&amp;t=1264" target="_blank">Waveform Transmission, Vol. 1</a>’ or the cinematic strings of ‘Utopia’ from ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppJPQ3xsKWI" target="_blank">Cycle 30</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/STpOak4iAJY?si=XAS1qJHIRyZKBhKW" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Decades later, after feats like re-scoring Fritz Lang’s silent film ‘Metropolis’, performing with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra and celebrating 50 years of the moon landing with NASA, Mills’ music continues to either look inward or to a distant future. 2023’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/jeff-mills-the-other-maria/" target="_blank">The Other Maria</a>’ is about the often-restrained and potentially chaotic part of us that deals in hard truths and raw unrestricted emotion, while 2019’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/moon-the-area-of-influence-cd-digital/" target="_blank">Moon: The Area of Influence</a>’ discusses the effects of the moon on our lives and culture. Three decades on, it’s still the same sounds of 909s and analog pads that mark the sonic palette of Mills but the results are even more abstract and less frequently reminiscent of shaking walls in a raving warehouse.</p> <p>“I developed a sense to understand sound in cluster arrangement more than ever. I also understand the barriers due to sectionalizing between genres are becoming less. That musicians could and want to play with each other more,” addresses Mills, talking about how his futurism and sci-fi-influenced work has changed as the technology and idea of the future itself have evolved. “I hear music differently now as a result of the way we communicate. Also, the amount of information we can engage with in such a short amount of time has had an effect.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eU-UsvYbIV0?si=T5bG0meirnNjJoGd" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Techno is not just for dancing, is the philosophy that Mills has been espousing over the years. “If you can dance to it, that's great, that's a bonus, but music should say something. It should be made in a manner with seriousness, and that would enlighten someone simply by listening to it,” he has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/gv34jj/the-man-from-tomorrow-an-interview-with-jeff-mills" target="_blank">told Vice</a> in the past. It is what also guides him as a label-head with his <a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/" target="_blank">Axis Records</a>. Initially a platform for Mills' own work (under his various guises), it has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic to platform talent from the world over including the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/18876-review-arjun-vagale-s-reflective-journey-into-outer-space-on-exit-fragments" target="_blank">debut album by India’s own</a> techno frontrunner <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3379-arjun-vagale" target="_blank">Arjun Vagale</a>. “Having strong visions about the future isn’t privy to any particular country or city so, it was just a matter of coincidence. In this respect, no place on Earth is distant or remote. We’re all quite close to one another as we occupy the small patch of this Planet’s landmass,” he tells me.</p> <p>Behind the decks, the story isn’t much different. Cuts from other techno pioneers like Kevin Saunderson, Robert Hood, Eddie Fowlkes and Phuture intercut with Mills’ original (often extremely fresh) bits and fresher talent with similar substance to their music. The focus continues to remain on overarching energy as much as the selections if not more so as the mixing can go from boldly sudden to so subtle you’d hardly notice.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cCpHiWwA2Rg?si=yGxCmMJkwj1adMlI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“DJ sets are generally for dancing, but also can be widened to be considered as a non-verbal story about ‘The Fantastic’, ‘The Amazing’ or depending [on] how clever the DJ is, even ‘The Unbelievable’”, he says, explaining how a successful set is about giving the audience a sensation that wasn’t there before. That sensation is where the self-expression figures in. “I play based on how I feel at that time and it’s got nothing to do with anyone else. On occasion, not even the audience because my mind is somewhere far away,” he says, echoing the explanation he gave for <a href="https://ra.co/features/3436" target="_blank">Resident Advisor’s The Art of Djing</a>, wherein he recalls sometimes using his set to describe what it might be like to approach a planet.</p> <p>Yet, amidst the abstract tapestry of his sets, there are unmistakable points of recognition, where the selection itself becomes a focal point. While Mills argues, “I tend not to watch others to compare myself so, I can’t really say how I match up. This isn’t how I was taught to play music,” I see Mills able to create moments that only a few DJ-producers who have reached a certain stage of popularity with specific work can create. A moment similar to a rock or pop act “playing their hit”. For Mills’, that hit is ‘The Bells’, the popular and highly effective minimal work most recognisable through its sequence of melodic call and response. “I've tried not playing it, and people were sad! [laughs] So I kinda just gave up,” he says in The Art of DJing, going on to say how the track is a turning point in the set and now signifies that he is completely ready at his stations to kick proceedings into another gear.</p> <p>Nevertheless, relying on hits isn't something easily associated with Mills. While he frequently performs at large-scale events (an easy and sometimes unnecessary prompt for derision from a chunk of the techno audience), much of his recent touring has been dedicated to a collaboration with tabla maestro Prabhu Eduoard and keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, extending the '<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/71W9z9hP84oB6zVmQdRrXW" target="_blank">Tomorrow Comes Harvest</a>' project initiated with afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1352-13-jeffmills-tomorrowcomestheharvest-170923-photographer-thomasecke-109256.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Jean-Phi Dary, Prabhu Eduoard &amp; Jeff Mills in Berlin || Photograph by Thomas Ecke</em></h5> <p>Instead of cashing on his status as a pioneering figure in techno, Mills continues to release a stream of new music that diverges starkly from his '90s output, even while operating within similar styles and using a familiar sonic palette. “I like the thought process of making something from nothing so, I really enjoy starting over again,” he adds.</p> <p>Techno is more than just for dancing remains a recurring theme in his work and a harder thing to sell. “Music is such a suggestive medium that it’s just not possible to measure people’s appreciation level,” he says. “At times in my past, I remember being congratulated but also advised to “give it up - it’s not going to work”, “I’ve lost it and should stop” and many other discouraging things. So, I can’t put much value into what people say or what they appreciate. Instead, I only have to rely on what I feel is right and guide myself from this.”<b> </b></p> <p>That internal guiding compass remains the constant. It’s the same whether it was at Tokyo’s Liquid room, blazing through selections with hard stops and phasing rhythms 3 decades ago; or in Mumbai and Goa for <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/10414-far-out-left" target="_blank">Far Out Left</a> this weekend – drawing from his more abstract cluster arrangements and talent he has sifted through for Axis Records after years of building a legacy that has inspired most in the lineup and an audience that might await ‘The Bells’. “We’re just in different places at different times, but the objective is all the same,” he says. “It’s not about me or them, but rather, it’s always been about “it”. The atmosphere that we all create together.”</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by <a href="http://instagram.com/atemporarymatter.in" target="_blank">Amaan Khan</a></em></p> <p><em>Photo by <a href="http://instagram.com/jacobkhrist" target="_blank">Jacob Khrist</a></em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '4823-jeff-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5147-jeff-mills-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me...'), 'href' => '/features/20552-the-atmosphere-that-we-all-create-together-jeff-mills-on-his-legacy-dj-ing-as-non-verbal-storytelling-more', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20494', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19309', 'createdDate' => '2024-01-03 11:21:10', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:15:29', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #231: Krithi', 'date' => '03/01/2024', 'artists' => 'Krithi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19636-krithi-continues-to-explore-south-asian-sounds-in-contemporary-dance-music-with-uyirudan" target="_blank">Krithi</a> reaches for rhythms and sounds from her native land and the like, they fit into the mould of dance music as if they've always been a natural part of it rather than (as it often is) a forced gimmick of limited yield. Her achievement seems to go further on her upcoming EP 'Coping Mechanism' as she finds the style a vessel of personal narratives, calling the release a "sonic exploration of how she communes with the shadows of depression".</p> <p>Both the released singles from the EP 'Suppress' and 'Medicate' demonstrate that within Krithi's Wild City mix which features a heavy dose of original unreleased work and glimpses of the record that drops on February 15.</p> <p>Introduced through 140BPM techno, the mix quickly shifts to and operates in and around bass and breaks. A peppy start moves into sombre moods as a slightly slowed down 'Heist Track' by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/501-malfnktion" target="_blank">MALFNKTION</a> staggers into Krithi's own work before a jubilant return with the standout moment of Yourboykiran's Bollywood flip 'Yamma Yamma'.</p> <p><strong>"This mix has some of my favourite Bandcamp Friday finds (both new and old) by friends, mentors and producers I love. I recorded it at 140 bpm and with no particular genre in mind—but only with the hope that the listener keeps movin’ from start to finish. It also features some of my unreleased tracks and a couple from my upcoming EP ‘Coping Mechanisms’, which drops on Feb 15th.” – Krithi </strong></p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-231-krithi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-231-krithi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #231: Krithi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Pozibelle - Wait<br /> Mera Bhai - Be This Way (Feat Private Joy) - Provhat Rahman Remix<br /> Jadalareign - Defect<br /> Malfnktion - Heist Track<br /> Krithi - Medicate<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Rodman - Falcata<br /> Despina - Trickle Down Baby<br /> PlayPlay - FYI<br /> Venïson Man - Jewelry (Frost Version)<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - Suppress<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Yourboykiran - Yamma Yamma<br /> Dyslecta - Annihilate<br /> Tony Quattro &amp; Siete Catorce - Qesem Cave</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7067-krithi.jpg', 'picture' => '8500-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer Krithi reaches for rhythms and sounds from her...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20494-wild-city-231-krithi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20488', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19303', 'createdDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun', 'date' => '16/12/2023', 'artists' => 'Kohra', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4465-magnetic-fields-festival" target="_blank">Magnetic Fields Festival</a> taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi producer, DJ and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a> co-founder Madhav Shorey aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/291-kohra" target="_blank">Kohra</a> and Thailand's globe-trotting polymath <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sunjuhargun/" target="_blank">Sunju Hargun</a> are revisiting their B2B set from last year. </p> <p>Performed at the Resident Advisor afterparty, a highlight for the dancefloor-dedicated with its music going from the late hours of the night to the earliest moments of the morning, the accumulated energy of the night and its transformation into the morning audible in the set. Acid's mind-bending textures give way to increasingly guttural techno, pulling heavily from its minimal repertoire. As the night sky begins to lighten, the emotions are guided by the wash of the pads for a more refreshing conclusion. </p> <p><strong>"A combination between records from the past, present, and future. Sonically enhancing the atmosphere with zero limitations to pushing boundaries of tempo and feeling" – Sunju Hargun</strong></p> <p><strong>"A really fulfilling experience taking a restrained and fluid direction for this one, at my favourite stage of the festival." – Kohra</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:<br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun</a> // <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/WildCity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun/" target="_blank">Head here for Mixcloud</a></p> <p><em>Image by Parikshit Deshpande for Magnetic Fields Festival 2022</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5451-mf-2022---ra---image-credit---parikshit-deshpande---3.jpeg', 'picture' => '6442-kohra-sunju.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With the Magnetic Fields Festival taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20488-wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20147', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18982', 'createdDate' => '2023-04-04 16:56:55', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-04-05 11:27:44', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'My First Release: Shantanu Pandit', 'date' => '05/04/2023', 'artists' => 'Shantanu Pandit', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.”</p> <p>It was optimism-inspiring to hear these words from <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18674-shantanu-pandit" target="_blank">Shantanu Pandit</a> on my 27th birthday as I sat cross-legged on the floor among the audience at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art to watch him bring his first tour promoting his album ‘Milk Teeth’ to a conclusion. The New Delhi singer-songwriter had spent the weeks prior travelling by road across the length of India in a bespoke caravan to share his music while pausing at each stop to not just give but take in a sense of the places he performed at.</p> <p>“I had been holed up on the mountains when we put out the album and Dhruv was like ‘Dude, you released an album. You can’t just sleep on it like that. Now you’ve got to come down and let’s take it on tour and celebrate it’”, he continued at the show before launching into chirpy <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/track/do-u-know" target="_blank">comforting melodies</a> that underpin lines like <em>“Put that bullet in my head // Shoot me dead // Put that bullet in my head // Get it over with”.</em></p> <h5><em><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1133-shantanu-pandit-bts-milk-teeth-tour--1.jpeg" /><br /> Shantanu in his bespoke caravan for 'Milk Teeth' tour in 2022 | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>Walking through melancholic reminiscing and processing sorrow over dreamy musicality and nostalgic lightness is what defines the 2021 album. The very dichotomic sophistication is what highlights how far his songwriting has come since his first official release, the EP <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/album/skunk-in-the-cellar" target="_blank">‘Skunk In The Cellar’</a> in 2014 – which, like ‘Milk Teeth’, was also an album born out of seeing a relationship heartbreakingly come to end. However, the natural propensity to just write and share music disconnected from the cycle of talking about it, promoting it and packaging it remains a common thread.</p> <p>“I didn't have that word in my vocabulary,” he says while pondering on the idea of “official release” at the start of his career. “I was very much naive to the whole idea of putting out music in a proper format, putting out a press statement and all that.”</p> <h5><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PHVvVHVQxZg" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2012 for Tehelka TV</em></h5> <p>Before ‘Skunk In The Cellar’, Shantanu had been frequently sharing raw performances on Youtube as soon as he recorded them. Whether it was a host at HIT 95FM giving him CD recordings of his appearance on the radio or the sound engineer at Blue Frog giving him the soundboard recordings from his performance, the then-teenager musician’s first instinct was to just put it on Youtube as soon as he got home. “I didn’t think that hard. For me, I just heard the songs back and immediately thought, ‘I want to share this with my friends. I want to share this with my family.’”</p> <p>That immediacy was shaken up and replaced by process when he was contacted by his soon-to-become long-term manager and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/12653-pagal-haina" target="_blank">Pagal Haina</a> head honcho Dhruv Singh to record the songs which were to become ‘Skunk In The Cellar’. “I was like: ‘Hey, so we've got the songs. Let's just put them out.’ And he said, ‘No. This is just the start. Now we need to plan the whole release.’ And I went, ‘What does that mean?’” The process meant Shantanu had to wait for artwork to be made, distribution to be aligned and press strategies put in place before the music and the artist could represent each other to the world.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/0851-shantanu-pandit-4-by-shiv-ahuja-2014.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2014 | Photograph by Shiv Ahuja</em></h5> <p>Even while he could see the sense in all the auxiliary activities, the waiting time struggled to sit well with a songwriter that developed his material and style with notable intensity. “One thing that has been recurring through my career so far, as a songwriter, is that generally, I move fast. If I'm sitting eight months from now, I would look back at my material and be like, ‘Man! I need to write a bunch of new shit because I don't want to play this old shit.’” Even the debut EP ‘Skunk In The Cellar’ felt like a reinvention for the songwriter who started as a 16-year-old playing largely Bob Dylan covers at open mics before quickly replacing them with fast and loud originals that he dubs as his first wave of songwriting.</p> <p>The instinct to move on quickly translated to Shantanu punctuating his career with jumps from one outlet to the next – most notably the group <a href="https://runitsthekid.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Run It’s The Kid</a> and his moniker Morning Mourning, which was partly formed as a subconscious reaction against the limitations imposed by formal and elaborate creation and release cycles to retreat back into the straightforward sincerity of an artist just exorcising his creative impulses.</p> <p>Even while concluding the first promotional tour around ‘Milk Teeth’ in 2022 at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Shantanu’s set was replete with new material ripe for another album. At the same time, littered with older material too and light-hearted addressal of his relationship with it all. Greater patience has seeped in with the artist who crafted ‘Milk Teeth’ after 4 years of writing.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5129-shantanu-pandit-bts--mt-tour.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu in 2022 for 'Milk Teeth' promotional tour | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>“I have recently been able to enjoy performing live after a long time,” he says after walking me through years that included getting disenchanted with the return from releasing music, riding across the country as an escape, diverging into educational degrees, losing the individual self in a long-term relationship and the hardships finding that self again – themes that he tackled on ‘Milk Teeth’ through reflecting back on memories of growing up.</p> <p>After more than a decade as an artist, the New Delhi artist has traversed a long and winding road till the multiple facets of his career are beginning to be at peace with one another. His declaration of touring ‘Milk Teeth’ as a highlight of life so far is a testament to that – further supported as he recently embarked on another one, this time across North-East India. While <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CqDU1ZGy8lA/" target="_blank">announcing</a> it, he remarks: “I didn’t want the last one to end when it did and I’ve been itching to get back on the road ever since.”</p> <p>Listen to 'Milk Teeth' below and head <a href="https://www.skillboxes.com/events/business/pagal-haina-presents-shantanu-pandit-the-east-india-tour" target="_blank">here</a> for tickets and dates of Shantanu's tour across North-East India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1889828902/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Milk Teeth by Shantanu Pandit</iframe></p> <p><em>Words by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Lead artwork designed by Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5402-mfr-shantanu-08.jpg', 'picture' => '7416-mfr-shantanu-05.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.” It was...'), 'href' => '/features/20147-my-first-release-shantanu-pandit', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20078', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18920', 'createdDate' => '2023-02-15 11:49:31', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-02-15 12:11:15', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '“There Was No choice But To Make Room”: Ruhail Qaisar On Centering The Spectres That Haunt Debut LP 'Fatima'', 'date' => '15/02/2023', 'artists' => 'Ruhail Qaisar', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/fatima" target="_blank">Fatima</a>' predates even its creator.</p> <p>Rooted firmly in geo-personal histories, the noise album which happens to be the artist’s debut full-length offering, showcases the full range of his leftfield explorations that began with an extensive catalogue of singles on his SoundCloud, followed by the '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/ltalam-ep" target="_blank">Ltalam EP</a>' in 2016 and<i> </i>the<i> '</i><a href="https://hkcr.live/shows/the-hounds-of-pamir-the-fires-of-bal-ashram-w-ruhail-qaisar-06-11-2020" target="_blank">Hounds of Pamir</a>'<i> </i>radio residency in 2020.</p> <p>At the heart of Ruhail’s practice, which ranges from sound creation to analog photography and experimental filmmaking, is an unwavering emphasis on identity and history.</p> <p>For the indigenous artist hailing from one of the most controversial and unforgiving terrains of South Asia, Ladakh and its people – particularly the Skyayongs Gogsum community – are often seen in Qaisar’s works as straddling the dichotomies of a traumatic past and uncertain future, suffering from what’s colloquially described as <i>perpetual stasis</i>.</p> <p>The 90s were a time of dramatic change, recalls Ruhail. From growing up in a two-room rented house “with 6 hours of electricity, no traffic, no telephones, to being swept by an accelerated existence with 3G smartphones,[...] an endless slew of terrible smartphone tourists,” the landscapes of his childhood had changed drastically soon after the turn of the century.</p> <p>Yet, nothing could have prepared him for the climate of death, decay, and disease that was to characterise his hometown over the last decade. When he returns this time, after having completed his education in Delhi, Qaisar finds a self-sustaining community now completely destabilised, “battling chronic diseases or had passed away, others moved away, rented their old houses out, some squabbled over land in courts for their newly constructed hotel projects….” It induced in him a state of dysphoria, disconnect, and exile, even when home.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <p>'Fatima', whose very title invokes the memory of a late grandaunt, rises out of this abscess, carrying over the leitmotifs and the “main characters” of Qaisar’s tight-knit Ladakhi community, from an intransitive loss-state towards posthumous life.</p> <p>In Qaisar’s own words, the album is a “hauntological compendium of personal tribute” to these people who occupied those bygone spaces and eras, but also to “the pan-Ladakhi identity”, and the strife and struggle of all “indigenous communities in the Himalayas that are all suffering at the hand of unplanned industrialization and urbanization along with military atrocities”. Incidentally, 'Fatima' hits the airwaves at a time of mass unrest in Leh, over demands for Ladakhi statehood and cultural preservation under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5127-02-fatimas-poplar.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-45c11ae8-7fff-7d0b-9dbf-242538d004b7">Home videos and photographs as relics of an irretrievable past and a close-knit community | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>The idea for the record had fallen into place quite unconsciously upon the artist’s return to Choglamsar, Leh, during the pandemic in 2020, and was born out of a strong desire to rid himself of the muscle memory of traditional compositions - “I dispossessed myself of my own voice and shredded it only to a few whispers.”</p> <p>As soon as the first COVID wave abated, Qaisar (stuck in Delhi during the lockdown) took off, carrying with him (he lists:) a university laptop on which he’d downloaded Moog apps, the cheapest Behringer sound card that he’d painstakingly saved up for, and a basic zoom field recorder he’d borrowed from a filmmaker friend. He documented everything: nightly hikes alongside the Indus, when he would go stargazing in Choglamsar with his younger brother and a neighbour; conversations with his granduncle, a Sino-Indian war veteran; stories of his uncle’s disappearance in 1989; the blitz of Indian military tanks during the recent Galwan valley incursion.</p> <p>These voices and tapes, scaffolded by power electronics, frame ‘Fatima’<i>, </i>creating a somewhat minimal and rather tactile musical performance.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/4817-03-hotel.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-b236a0b9-7fff-a8e7-eb72-44ca729b3032">The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti, Leh, stoic in the face of dereliction | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>A self-taught experimenter, Qaisar’s musical influences are a pastiche of works by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/6937-hemant-sk" target="_blank">Hemant SK</a>, heavier emissions by EXHUMATION, Einsturzende Neubauten and Maurizio Bianchi, South Asian experimenters Senyawa and Raavan Kommand, contemporaries like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3934-jamblu" target="_blank">Jamblu</a> (aka Kartik Pillai) and KMRU, even the early works of AR Rahman. For 'Fatima', he mostly turns inwards, mixing influences of folklore traditions with experimental music and drawing sonic styles and guideposts from Ladakhi processional, funeral and tribal hymns.</p> <p>The album masterfully orchestrates the dramatic highs and lows of sonic expression, borrowing heavily from the surrealist movement, oracle rituals and vernacular theatre tropes. It morphs into stretches of unsettling ambient static, injecting distorted field recordings with drones and silence into some cuts, and crystallising others with DIS FIG, Elvin Brandhi, and Iben KasJer’s “oracular dreamspeech.” Iben’s invocations on 'Fatima’s Poplar' in particular, reciting the vitriolic poetry of political writer Nick Land, not only sets the tone for the sensory experience that follows, but also invites us to reckon with Ladakh’s present “smog-laden loss-state” hollowed out by “the colourful promises of neoliberalism”.</p> <p>Composed of nine microstories,<i> '</i>Fatima' is replete with these spectres that “could no longer be ignored”, and with totems willed into serving as their placeholders. The poplar, for example, is a visual reminder of the titular grandaunt, whose cremation site is guarded by the fabled tree. 'The Fanged Poet' whose story bookends the album is similarly “a dispossessed spectre haunting the derelict sites of what was once home.”</p> <p>On 'Partition', one of the record’s more serene and lingering tracks, Qaisar encrypts yet another dimension to his interactions with history. It is part tribute and part requiem for the powerful legend of another ancestor, this time his great-grandmother, who had undertaken the perilous journey from Glgit to Leh in 1947, with four young children in tow. Just as a refugee’s journey interminably connects their home and their destination, the sonic layers on 'Partition' mutate harmoniously into a hazy mass, so that the sum of its parts is indistinct, indistinguishable, and never truly separate.</p> <p>In our email conversation, Qaisar talks about digitally restoring a series of home videos on VHS tape, describing them as “the last remaining phantasmic spectres that capture…the now long-gone characters and quotidian life of late 20th century Ladakh”. The fourth track, which originates from one of these videos documenting a relative Ramazan’s wedding, is his attempt to illuminate this lost memory with sound. (A visual from the video appears in the accompanying album booklet which holds other snapshots from the family archive and some of Ruhail’s own lens-based works).</p> <h5 style="margin-left: 80px;"><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5980-partition.png" /></h5> <h5 style="margin-left: 40px;"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-ad810fd4-7fff-9591-b68a-6b9c095a271b">Illuminating the generational trauma of partition with sound | Photo of Qaisar’s great-grandmother from accompanying album booklet</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>Recorded between Leh and Delhi, 'Fatima' also reinterprets the lexicon, exploring notions of the temporal, internal, and the inter-generational, that echo Qaisar’s experience growing up in a state that’s rapidly changing but not really improving, ravaged instead by the echoes of “old tragedies” and “present disasters”, wrought by late-capitalism, militarisation, and conservatism.</p> <p>In one of the record’s most foreboding tracks, where the deceitful calmness is quickly corroded by drones and garbling samples, Qaisar positions the abandoned hotels of Zangsti as the totems for “three different waves of tourism in Ladakh”. Qaisar recounts strolling past these structures during the pandemic, “[of] old hotels built between the 70's - 80’s that were once the pride and glory of locality, [were now] totally derelict. New upcoming properties [were] halfway constructed…or devoid of any staff or customers, windows covered in newspapers from 2003, collecting leaves, insects, and dust,” explaining the stasis left by the pandemic, when the tourism industry in Ladakh went anomalously cold-turkey for the first time in nearly fifty years, leaving the sustenance of his community in the lurch.</p> <p>Later in 'Painter Man', we’re placed in more intimate settings, with Ruhail’s attempt to connect listeners to the internal life of an artist, the fear of artistic failure and societal shaming in Ladakh, where creative endeavours are generally discouraged. There is a mention in the liner notes about musicians typically occupying the lowest rung of Ladakh’s social hierarchy, to the extent that the only two avenues to make a living, for Qaisar, were either in the “seasonal tourism industry or as a civil servant.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/7374-04.png" /><br /> <strong><i>“I wouldn’t change anything on the album…I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked” | Snapshot from accompanying album booklet</i></strong></h5> <p> </p> <p>Qaisar’s own politics are not divorced from the themes that emerge from his music. He works outside of binaries, untouched by the commodified logistics of indie music production and the demands of cultural logic, clout, or even the desire to be understood. “I frankly don’t care about that world…had no time to find comfort in its rot,” says Qaisar. “There was no choice but to make room.”</p> <p>Challenging and disorienting at first, Qaisar has sure-footedly carved his niche through a series of self-designed, self-taught steps, which has involved unlearning, transgressing disciplines and mediums of expression, discovering the liminal spaces where leftfield artists can unreservedly thrive. One of these spaces certainly was the HKCR residency where Qaisar put out 60-minute selections of compositions improvised and performed live on a Moog Model-D for the better part of a year. (In fact, earlier drafts of 'Namgang', 'Painter Man', and 'The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti' can be traced back to 'Hounds of Pamir' archives). It catapulted him to the international noise music “scene”, with a tour across Switzerland which allowed him to perform his new compositions before an intuitive audience, and later put him on Danse Noire’s radar.</p> <p>A record label founded by Swiss-Nepalese producer Aisha Devi, Danse Noire is presently on the frontlines of decolonising experimental music (which is still typically viewed through eurocentric lens) and on a mission to support noise’s barebones-DIY economy centred around self-releases and underground blogs, with a space where acts like Ruhail have access to the same resources and infrastructure as mainstream global music. For Qaisar, working with Danse was also rewarding because he never felt he had to compromise his vision for Fatima.</p> <p>Clocking in at about an hour<b>, '</b>Fatima', all said and done, is about an artist’s temerity to document his and his people’s histories, about resisting oblivion by preserving it in whatever form - image, text, sound. It is beyond immersion or abstention, an incredible evocation of space and intimacy in a way not normally considered possible for music to communicate.</p> <p>At the time of this interview, Qaisar was preparing for his debut at Berghain, where he performed shortly after, for the CTM Festival alongside DIS FIG. Unfazed by streaming figures, he reports being thrilled with the initial response to 'Fatima'. When asked about this journey and if he would have done anything differently, Qaisar politely declines, saying, “I see most aberrations as rewards, I welcome them, I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked.”</p> <p>“Only thing I can assure is that everything that was done on this album would not be repeated in the next.”</p> <h5>.</h5> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by Prarthana Mitra</em></p> <p><em>Image by Adnan Zayed</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0831-ruhail-qaisar.jpg', 'picture' => '2748-ruhail-qaisar-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s 'Fatima' predates even...'), 'href' => '/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '19908', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18761', 'createdDate' => '2022-09-28 13:52:52', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2022-10-13 14:38:19', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Spotlight: Akshat Nauriyal (Yesnomaybe, St+Art, Now Delhi, Awaaz)', 'date' => '13/10/2022', 'artists' => 'Teddy Boy Kill, Hoirong', 'business' => 'St+rt India Foundation', 'content' => '<p>Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined up on Mumbai’s nearly-150-years-old <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassoon_Docks" target="_blank">Sassoon dock</a>. They overlooked the hectic rhythms of the fish market below, wafting in concentrated doses of the smell that is part of almost everyone’s experience of the seaside city.</p> <p>In a population more used to having the faces of movie stars plastered across its streets and public spaces, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_tahska/?hl=en" target="_blank">Akshat Nauriyal</a>’s co-created (with Pranav Gohil) array of portraits on Sassoon Dock pushed back on it by giving the limelight to the docks’ primary community and Mumbai’s earliest settlers: the fisherfolk.</p> <p>“To be able to speak to people, learn about their communities, sensitise myself about their dynamics, and then be able to bring that into the project was the most important takeaway for me,” says the New Delhi artist of capturing and exhibiting those portraits in 2017 as a contribution to French artist JR’s global participatory art initiative ‘<a href="https://www.insideoutproject.net/en/explore/group-action/sassoon-dock" target="_blank">Inside Out</a>’. By making the fisherfolks the subject of the portraits, convincing them about the work, capturing their likeness with a pop-up photo studio and then plastering the stylised results across the space that they define, Nauriyal and his colleagues highlighted the predominant trinity of Koli, Hindu Maratha and Banjara communities.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/6396-inside-out.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Inside Out at Sassoon Dock</em></h5> <p>“To bring the voices of people that are usually not heard from, or stories that are left on the wayside by the mainstream – those define the projects that I am always interested in”, explains Nauriyal as the mandate that drove his effort at Sassoon dock and his wider body of work. That body of work includes co-founding St+art, the collective and platform now widely celebrated for galvanising the undercurrents of street art in India by transforming localities like New Delhi’s Lodhi Colony and Shahpur Jat and creating India’s largest as well as tallest murals; documentaries capturing the capital city’s underground sub-cultures; socio-political stance-charged Instagram filters that examined social media platforms as a space for activism; short films tracing music-driven activism in different countries; music acts ranging from Another Vertigo Rush and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3598-teddy-boy-kill" target="_blank">Teddy Boy Kill</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4660-hoirong" target="_blank">Hoirong</a> and <a href="https://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/music/2020/aug/07/akshat-nauriyal-on-his-solo-project-yesnomaybe-his-upcoming-ep-and-augmented-reality-as-a-performat-27115.html" target="_blank">Yesnomaybe</a>; and currently, an ongoing project that keeps <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irom_Chanu_Sharmila" target="_blank">Irom Sharmila</a> (famously known as the ‘Iron Lady Of Manipur’) at its centre while it inquires into the cost borne by the leader of a movement.</p> <p>Whether music, film, augmented reality or paint-based, the New Delhi artist’s efforts carry an easily notable sub-layer of activism, which has founds its necessity rooted as far back as he can remember.</p> <h3><b>Early Beginnings</b></h3> <p>Coming from a military background, Akshat was privy to the slow cogs of government offices which worked its way into disillusionment with the system around the time he developed his initial interests in arts and culture. He recalls sitting stunned listening to tracks by the likes Rage Against The Machine after downloading them off of Napster at the cusp of Indian households getting connected to the Internet and finding his thoughts make cohesion within the activist lyricism of the band and similar angsty associates.</p> <p>The result was a deep-seated formative ethos that leaned towards art that stands for change and of having ready access to it. An ethos which was held back from getting showcased, save for through the array of rock bands that he drummed for during his school and college, while he navigated through the most common education pathway of engineering degrees and college placements prescribed to middle-class Indian kids. Eventually and gradually course-correcting himself with a move towards filmmaking and work for NDTV’s ‘Almost Famous’, Akshat started venturing out on his own around 2007 and 2008.</p> <h3><b>Now Delhi</b></h3> <p>“Because of being involved with the music scene, I was involved with a whole bunch of creative people from across the spectrum. Art galleries and things usually have a specific kind of people coming to them, but I’ve found that music is quite open in terms of the kind of audience it draws,” says Akshat. “Through that experience, I started seeing this other side of Delhi which I hadn’t experienced before I met these performance artists, digital artists and all kinds of artists who were the same age as me and were trying to push the envelope.”</p> <p>Making these artists the focus of his first major venture as an independent filmmaker, Akshat, who often works under the pseudonym Tahska, established ‘Now Delhi’, a film studio now synonymous with a run of short documentaries it generated on the likes of street artists, B-boys, extreme metal groups and rap cyphers in the capital. “At that time, you could still say that there was this underground – an underbelly that Delhi had which nobody was talking about in the mainstream media,” he continues, expanding upon his comparison of a city to a living breathing thing defined by the people that it in turn influences. “‘Now Delhi’ delivered an exploration of that. It was an exploration of all the different kinds of subcultures that exist in the city, and also how the artists are responding to the city itself.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vlCt2ji7IFA" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The films exposed a running motif early on – one of prioritising the question. Akshat carries strong openings and convictions, but they remain held back when he is behind the artistic lens to allow for the audience to do their own thinking. The ‘Now Delhi’ film on Khirkee Extension, a collective effort of street artists to create art around the namesake South Delhi locality, presents the artists reflecting on the economic dichotomy of the neighbourhood and how it inspires their art. They retell how the kids kept engaging with the creation process of the murals before the documentary ends with the local elders frustratingly venting how they don’t get the purpose of this art and its messaging. The film invites the viewer to ponder over the significance of the street artists’ efforts and their relation to the residents of the locality.</p> <p>“It’s something that I’ve tried to carry forward with all my work,” explains Akshat. “It comes from being able to first understand what the people who actually I’m trying to talk about feel, rather than impose my preconceived idea of what they might want to talk about.” For all the films of ‘Now Delhi’, Akshat first became a part of the sub-cultures he was highlighting or a close associate before micing them up. A decade later, with his current subject being a national icon like Irom Sharmila, he is tagging along to observe her usual going-abouts to discover the narrative naturally instead of imposing it. “I’ve always been a fan of gonzo journalism, like Hunter S Thomson and his writing – in terms of just immersing yourself in a situation to truly tell the story.”</p> <h3><b>St+art</b></h3> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6NaQbBiSMsI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Being close to his subjects meant Akshat had become a close associate of the street community of India, having made them the focus of ‘Now Delhi’ multiple times. Sharing a studio with one of its proponents, Hanif Kureshi, he soon found himself teaming up with Arjun Bahl, Giulia Ambrogi and Thanish Thomas to create the five-piece team that would become the founders of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/startindiafoundation/">St+art</a>.</p> <p>“There was an initial conversation about doing a festival, which we did without having any idea that it [St+art] would become this behemoth of an organization,” Akshat recounts the early days of the organization with the festival bringing together the artists to Shahpur Jat and its founders being hands-on with everything from moving the ladders and bringing the paints to Nauriyal documenting the process. “It was a logical progression for ‘Now Delhi’ to transition to St+art India,” quips Akshat, noting how the documentaries took a backseat as the workload got higher and allowed him to honour his formative drives of making art accessible while exploring a city and the many narratives it homes.</p> <p>Within a few years, St+art became a go-to organization for cultural consulates and medium to big brands, creating local landmarks across the country and transforming neighbourhoods, especially in New Delhi and Mumbai. The former’s Lodhi Colony remains defined by the makeover given by the collective during its annual festival. It was the place where St+art was fully able to realize its early motivations of creating art that was available to all and integrated all – specifically, through participatory murals, singing workshops, painting workshops and the like. Yet as the organization became a brand in itself, the ship started to feel too big to steer into radical corners – which Akshat still longed to address.</p> <p>“The initial years of anything are the best. They're the most honest. They're the most genuine. They're the closest to the vision that you start with. As things get bigger, there comes a set of compromises that one has to start making. I think that's the nature of anything that becomes big after a point of time,” he concludes his around half-a-decade-long journey with the prominent street art collective.</p> <h3><b>Yesnomaybe, Augmented/Virtual Reality</b></h3> <p>As St+art began to fade out from his professional life, his other continuing artistic efforts began to appear more prominently in the limelight again. Adding another feather to the musical cap, Akshat debuted his solo moniker Yesnomaybe, an outlet where he brings together all the facets of his work as marries the retrofuturism of synth-rock with the futurism of interactive filters and augmented reality-driven films. The latter also becoming a device for Akshat to continue posing topical questions while creating work that stood for something.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3_dwP09Genk" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>2019 was a particularly politically-charged year for India: BJP, the country’s right-wing majoritarian government, was re-elected to power with a higher parliamentary presence; it used it to abrogate Kashmir’s special status; and introduced the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act which faced nationwide protests that were met with controversial police violence. With augmented reality, Akshat offered tried to offer a response for all of it: a filter fashioned after prime minister Narendra Modi that let out the word “lie” every time you open your mouth, headers stating stances on Kashmir and CAA, and, for the following year’s state elections in Delhi, an interactive quiz where you can nod or shake your head based on who you’re voting for.</p> <p>“I felt social media platforms are almost like the new town halls where people are coming and discussing things. It was an interesting space to explore to try and also see if I could create work that could help on ground movements and also get people involved more than just changing a display picture,” says Akshat. “It was honestly a social experiment.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:16px;"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Akshat Nauriyal (@_tahska)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script> <p>Within days, around a million people saw the multiple of the filters. The mode of activism was talked about by the likes of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/1/29/meet-the-artists-resisting-indias-new-citizenship-law">Al Jazeera</a>, attracting loud pro-government commentators to Akshat’s profile alongside concern for safety by well-wishers. The work definitely rattled a few minds and sparked newer questions in Akshat’s own. “I started a conversation about what use it actually played in society. On my Instagram Stories, I asked people the question, whether they thought that it was just armchair activism or whether it actually led to any kind of change,” he remarks. Alongside equal amounts of opposing viewpoints, the “social (media) experiment” also saw its second phase as the platforms began, in most cases, a silent clampdown on politically-charged use of its platform. The traction for the filters and their related posts began to go down and, as is currently being highlighted in courts, the platforms themselves had to cater to clampdowns by the government. “It was also quite disillusioning, because the same platforms, which are supposed to be platforms for free speech are the ones that ended up censoring you,” reports Akshat.</p> <h3><b>Awaaz</b></h3> <p>With censoring becoming more and more obvious and Instagram itself pivoting from a creator-friendly platform, Akshat moved his exploration into creating meaningful work and examining the modes for it to other outlets: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHAWPwVJC2w/" target="_blank">installations</a>, talks and, coming a full circle, to films again. As part of Goethe-Institut’s ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19288-m-a-p-a-m-p-highlights-performances-stories-of-musicians-with-a-cause-including-ahmer-sheetal-sathe-more" target="_blank">M.A.P // A.M.P</a>’, the filmmaker created a series of documentaries entitled <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19524-awaaz-akshat-nauriyal-creates-documentary-films-on-protest-music-histories-of-india-pakistan-sri-lanka-iran">‘Awaaz’</a>, turning the lens yet again to underrepresented artistic voices. Handpicking with the help of research and local social networks, ‘Awaaz’ highlighted politically outspoken artists from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Iran to look at the history of protests from these countries.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ml2iV7BfkLE" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“Anytime you go on Twitter, somebody is getting boycotted. We’re living in an age of outrage,” says Akshat, noting how any political discourse is getting mudied up online by internet trolls while a work of activist nature doesn’t get platformed enough outside it. Allaying that, ‘Awaaz’ unearthed the nature of dissent specific to each country – whether it was about signalling the erosion of administrative infrastructures and economy in Sri Lanka, which erupted within weeks of the film getting released, or the difficulty in finding a voice that can publicly speak against the powers that be in a country like Iran. “There was a responsibility that I had on my end which was to ensure that I don’t put out content that can eventually lead to trouble for them [the artists],” continues Akshat. “Which is why I did in a way where we were actually chronicling the past protest movements to give context of where the country is right now, rather than attack any of the present figures.”</p> <p>Even with the varying specifics, much like M.A.P // A.M.P’s crowdsourced repository of protest music, ‘Awaaz’ brought out the parallels between artistic activism around the world, signalling a unification of voices and the possibility of shared empathy. According to Akshat: “[The films] platform these movements in a way so that other people in other parts of the world can see that we’re all pretty similar and that there is merit to creating work like this.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/2386-irom-5.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Irom Sharmila with family by Akshat Nauriyal</em></h5> <p>“I feel a cycle has finished and a new cycle is beginning,” he adds as we agree on how the films on national sub-cultures with ‘Awaaz’ feel like coming a full circle in light of how films on Delhi’s sub-cultures with ‘Now Delhi’ kicked things off. Since finishing ‘Awaaz’, two of the countries Akshat turned his lens to have been taken over by protests, which have emerged out of the shadows to engulf the streets, at times, fulfilling predictions touched upon in the films. Meanwhile, Akshat has moved on to creating the new chapter for Yesnomaybe and shadowing Irom Sharmila, not just documenting the cost her struggle for fairer civil rights has demanded but also building a multi-faceted reflection of her poetry and personality. For the New Delhi creative, the parallels and narratives to be unearthed by his personal artistic vision continue to draw him to the margins.</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Word by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Profile image by Akshat Nauriyal</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5133-akshat-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5937-akshat-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined...'), 'href' => '/features/19908-spotlight-akshat-nauriyal-yesnomaybe-st-art-now-delhi-awaaz', 'key' => 'features')), 'repo' => 'https://repo.thewildcity.com/', 'host' => 'https://www.thewildcity.com', 'page' => null, 'bannerhead' => array(), 'bannertop' => array(), 'bannermid' => array(array('label' => 'Mailing List', 'url' => 'https://thewildcity.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=3fbebf9eadf7433315c051d4e&id=e053aa3ae5', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column middle', 'image' => '3413-signup.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'bannerlow' => array(array('label' => 'follow us on instagram', 'url' => 'https://www.instagram.com/thewildcity/', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column bottom', 'image' => '2532-followus.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')))) in Template.php line 411
  11. at Twig_Template->render(array('pages' => array(array('id' => '385', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '310', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:36:32', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2020-12-28 13:16:03', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'About', 'content' => '<p>Wild City was established as an online music magazine and community platform in 2011. It has since grown to become an events company (hosting a variety of musical showcases, events and the annual Magnetic Fields Festival), cultural PR agency (City Press launched in 2015), consultants for brands engaging with contemporary music culture in India (partners include Boiler Room, Resident Advisor, Red Bull, Jameson, Bira 91, Puma, Social Offline, Bumble, Ray-Ban, Budweiser, British Council amongst others), and executors of regional cultural programs across South Asia.</p> <p>Dedicated to spotlighting the latest in alternative culture and music from India and South Asia, Wild City’s inception filled a much-needed gap in the Indian music space.<br /> <br /> A year after its establishment, Wild City partnered with Gerriet Schultz (founder of iconic Berlin club VMF) and the Goethe-Institut to create Border Movement, an online platform and series of events, workshops and residencies that promote interaction between grass roots electronic music communities in South Asia and Germany.<br /> <br /> In 2013, Wild City co-founded the first-ever Magnetic Fields, arguably India’s most popular boutique music festival. Taking place in Alsisar Mahal, Rajasthan, Magnetic Fields has been included in the ‘50 Best Music Festivals in the World’ by Time Out Magazine. It has also been lauded by Resident Advisor, New York Times and other notable publications.<br /> <br /> In 2016, Wild City further went on to win an award for 'Best Promoter in India' and co-curated the music stream of The Coalition.<br /> <br /> Wild City is the voice for alternative music in the region. Whether showcasing local or international sounds, the company constantly thrives to challenge and develop the independent cultural space and its audience.<br /> <br /> <strong>Contact Us:</strong><br /> <br /> Promos | Music Submissions: music@thewildcity.com<br /> Listings | News | Features: amaan@thewildcity.com<br /> Press | PR: ruhi@thewildcity.com<br /> Commercial | Ads | Partnerships: munbir@thewildcity.com<br /> Recruitment | Hotdesking: info@thewildcity.com<br /> Inquiries | General: info@thewildcity.com</p> ', 'slug' => 'about', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => '')), array('id' => '386', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '311', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:51:38', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2018-04-19 06:50:04', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Advertising', 'content' => '<p><sub>To advertise with Wild City please contact press@thewildcity.com. For partnerships please speak to munbir@thewildcity.com.</sub></p> ', 'slug' => 'advertising', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => ''))), 'feed' => array(array('id' => '20610', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19421', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-15 12:43:44', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-15 15:50:09', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '2023 In Review', 'date' => '15/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Vinayak^a, Komorebi, Sandunes, Dreamhour, Tarun Balani, Ruhail Qaisar, Rafiki, Ditty, Lush Lata, Mali, Oblique, Bulli Bainbridge, Merak, Dhanji', 'business' => 'Dynamite Disco Club', 'content' => '<p>2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of its predecessor and no change of digit has ever put a break on the continuity of trends, talent or conflict.</p> <p>The exercise of shedding light upon the developments in alternative music in the Indian subcontinent in a particular year and highlighting what we predict will ripple forward doesn’t just help people reflect on what has been and catch up on things they might have missed or overlooked. It also has proven to signal the upcoming prominence of budding artists.</p> <p>For instance, from our <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20037-2022-in-review" target="_blank">2022’s reflection</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chaardiwaari/" target="_blank">Chaar Diwaari</a> has since released on Def Jam India and collaborated with Yo Yo Honey Singh and all 3 of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11700-noni-mouse" target="_blank">Noni-mouse</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7080-kiss-nuka" target="_blank">Kiss Nuka</a> made their Boiler Room debuts with the latter two also doing prominent shows in UK and Berlin respectively.</p> <p>Eitherway, we find it worth pausing to take in what we witnessed in 2023 – a year, that wasn’t the first period out of the pandemic but the one where the visions, growth and ideas developed on an individual level during the pandemic were exercised and showcased to its fullest.</p> <p>See what that looked like by focusing on handpicked artists and their work in the past year below:</p> <h3><b>Vinayak^a</b></h3> <p>A long-standing figure of Indian dancefloors, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/129-vinayak-a" target="_blank">Vinayak^a</a> would have defined 2023 in alternative music space just through the sheer quantity of his releases alone. While things had been sporadic on the release front in the nearly two decades-worth of career for the Chennai-based DJ-producer, 2023 was filled with a drop after another. Out of them, ‘Andar Bandar’, Vinayak^a’s second-ever solo LP looms large. Layers from electronic to sampled organic collide to create rich atmospheric tapestries while Vinayak^a shows how spoken word samples can be used to add to the textures rather than as devices to spoonfeed a message and emotion.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2587720108/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Andar Bandar by vinayak^a</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sandunes</b></h3> <p>Almost every year is filled with some commendable work by this electronica frontrunner but 2023 stands out for Sanaya Ardeshir aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/301-sandunes" target="_blank">Sandunes</a> through her most ambitious release to date: the album ‘The Ground Beneath Her Feat'. The 13-track release combines all the aspects Sandunes has become known for: the meticulously layered synth layers, syncopating grooves and experimentations with guest vocalists. She dials it all up another notch with the sweetness of woodwinds. The result is a work of electronica that’s in parts at par in its reflective emotionality with the best of any year or region. I recommend going in with ‘Tsunami’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3390681302/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Sandunes</iframe></p> <h3><b>Komorebi</b></h3> <p>If we are talking ambition, Tarana Marwah aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/177-komorebi" target="_blank">Komorebi</a>’s album ‘The Fall’ isn’t just one of the most ambitious works of 2023 but of any year so far for India’s indie music. Released with a comic, music videos, tying lore and scores of collaborations within it, the multi-tiered album goes back and forth between being an electropop effort and a progressive structured work suitable for a musical with its dramatic shifts between ideas.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QxmEUt3fVfk?si=1TE4A17yNNsq6Qw3" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Mali</b></h3> <p>In the case of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17335-mali" target="_blank">Mali</a>, it’s been about focusing on the basics. There were no added frills, just an album i.e. ‘Semi Automatic Butane’, music videos to help present it and a busy tour to support it. Within those basics, the Mumbai artist tightened her songwriting to indie-pop perfection and offered it with economically picked ideas. For a listener of the style, the album is destined to achieve that rarer-than-expected feat among independent releases, which is, to be part of people’s playlists beyond its promotional cycle.</p> <p>That itself is enough and yet, the singer-songwriter enjoyed another breakout success with her efforts in Tamil music with the worth checking out ‘<a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=n7_tASChbw4" target="_blank">Anniku Raatri</a>’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=969156237/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Semi Automatic Butane by Mali</iframe></p> <h3><b>Dhanji</b></h3> <p>After a long buildup to it, Gujrat’s rap artist <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20330-dhanji" target="_blank">Dhanji</a> released his <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20328-dhanji-releases-his-earnestly-awaited-debut-album-ruab" target="_blank">debut album ‘Ruab’</a> and the whirring repetitions of the title have been echoing in our brains ever since. The 11-track release brings in elements from funk, rock and even electronica but without compromising on the qualities of hip-hop as meticulously written verses flow through a dramatic progression of ideas. The album, supported via live performances throughout the year, is an instance where the ambitiousness is purely musical and demonstrates the kind of risk-taking that hasn’t been seen in Indian hip-hop for a while.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1663662427&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Dhanji">Dhanji</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic/sets/ruab-1" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="RUAB">RUAB</a></div> <h3><b>Kinari / Finsta</b></h3> <p>Another occasion of something fresh dropping in the space of hip-hop came through the New Delhi artist formerly known as Finsta with their EP ‘QUEERBOPS’. Not just due to the still rare instance of queer narratives finding a space in the genre, but rather for the merit that Finsta deals with both hip-hop and themes around queerness with a distinctly and naturally fitting Indian flavour. Though the artist has since reinvented themself as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kinaripurrs/" target="_blank">Kinari</a> with already an album entitled ‘KATTAR KINNAR’ in the pipeline, the strong statements over the added delight of an experimental edge of the 6-track release still manages to move the body and shake the brain.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2fvC5Y9lS5Y34t6GdPAovG?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Dot.</b></h3> <p>While her involvement in the lead cast of ‘The Archies’, Bollywood’s most-talked-about movie of 2023, looms larger than anything for most, it was a good year for people who know Aditi Saigal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20131-dot" target="_blank">Dot.</a> as a musician first. Alongside inviting the audience to witness her growth as a live performer over the year, the singer-songwriter ended the period with a collection of recordings from her practice room as an album entitled ‘Practice Rooms’, which even kicks off with her most popular raw take of ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’. At the same time, the year saw her at her most polished with the soft pop of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20135-dot-begins-to-find-a-new-voice-with-indigo" target="_blank">Indigo</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u0OG7rjgqxc?si=TfyMy6H5EhmXkcaB" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Long Distances</b></h3> <p>A product of remote collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11187-aarifah-rebello">Aarifah Rebello</a>, Apurv Agrawal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/456-cowboy-and-sailor-man">Cowboy &amp; Sailor Man</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zubinski/">Zubin Pastakia</a>’s combined effort <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20375-long-distances" target="_blank">Long Distances</a> has outlasted the shadows of the pandemic, outliving most other projects born in that period. In 2023, the trio started unfolding singles that would lead up to the EP ‘How the Mighty Will Fall’ and through live performances, solidified their name among the newest generation of indie live groups of India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=3217313286/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Delicate Surrender by Long Distances</iframe></p> <h3><b>Excise Department</b></h3> <p>2023 was also the year New Delhi got to familiarise itself better with their new alternative hip-hop heads <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20177-excise-dept-take-a-dig-at-the-absurdity-in-present-day-religious-figures-on-baaro-maala" target="_blank">Excise Department</a> – which always remains tricky for an act that likes to stay anonymous and operate in English, Bengali and Punjabi. Alongside their debut live show and several others since, the group released 3 defining singles, namely ‘Baaro Maala’, ‘Birhada’ and ‘Billo’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oq_Qql2yu78?si=sc-JTcSKJNmKbyyf" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Yuhina</b></h3> <p>While talking of acts we got to familiarise ourselves with in 2023, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yuhinalachungpa/?hl=en" target="_blank">Yuhina Lachungpa</a> is an easy mention for her debut EP at the tail-end of the year. After years of having just the occasional collaboration and self-released work, the Bangalore-based Sikkim-rooted artist combined Buddhist chants and equally meditative lyricism about self with electropop production on the 5-track EP ‘Mnemonic’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4076191914/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">MNEMONIC by Yuhina</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bengal Chemicals</b></h3> <p>Even with the occasional emerging and new acts, it still felt like the alternative music space of the region had a decline in fresh talent and fresher growth. That story seemed completely different in leftfield genres like noise and ambient. Pritam Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bengal.chemicals/?hl=en" target="_blank">Bengal Chemicals</a> emerged as a good representative of the renaissance that seems to be emerging in Kolkata in these genres. While there is no shortage of recommendable works (shoutout to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20316-harmonium-ambient-torture-form-the-basis-of-nilotpal-das-aka-bios-contrast-s-harmonium-i">Nilotpal Das’ ‘Harmonium I’</a>), Bengal Chemicals’ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20186-bengal-chemicals-channels-deteriorating-cityscapes-on-sophomore-ep-via-biswa-bangla-noise">sophomore EP ‘তা​র​ক’</a> is the best way into unravelling the leftfield undercurrents that hopefully will get their rightful place in the discourse and industry around alternative music.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2291060274/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">তারক by Bengal Chemicals</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ruhail</b></h3> <p>Whether the spotlight is on noise or not, Ladakh's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4979-ruhail-qaisar" target="_blank">Ruhail Qaisar</a>’s album <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima" target="_blank">‘Fatima’ is one of the strongest albums of the year</a>. A most uncompromising and unflinching take on identity and personal history, Ruhail’s debut album, released via Danse Noir, is both about self and the world he comes from – its people, its transformations and tragedies. A layered work that uncovers meanings the more you dig into it and learn about its references and elements, ‘Fatima’ is a testament to the merit of being free from expectations and believing in one’s own artistic impulses – a quality that has also taken the artist to stages <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CttObMvoVIh/" target="_blank">across the EU</a> including Berlin's famed Berghain for the CTM festival.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <h3><b>Philtersoup</b></h3> <p>Sanjay Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/philtersoupmusic/?hl=en" target="_blank">Philtersoup</a> has been present in the undercurrents of India’s alternative music for a while but the Mumbai-based producer-composer found greater agency in 2023. Besides experimental A/V shows in art studios and synth jams, Das performed alongside <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20068-karshni" target="_blank">Karshni Nair</a> and released the collaborative single ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20263-karshni-philtersoup-release-collaborative-single-long-gone" target="_blank">Long Gone</a>’. Parallely, he served as a music supervisor on the OTT-release ‘Rainbow Rishta’, helping cross over more of India’s independent music to the OTT-media audience.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=4239800201/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Long Gone by philterSoup x Karshni</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sourya Sen</b></h3> <p>Operating in close proximity and joining in on the aforementioned synth jams with Philtersoup, Sourya Sen (also known as <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17413-oblique" target="_blank">Oblique</a>) has not only been a longstanding presence as a live visual artist for some leading independent artists but has also been one of the most evocative abstractionists within the modular synth space. The claim is no less potent when paired with his 11-track memoir of the places he has lived entitled ‘In The Cities’. Top that with his input at the earliest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkyBRg9A6EA" target="_blank">A/V show</a> at one of Mumbai’s newest (certainly one of its most heavily discussed in recent memory) spaces i.e. the <a href="https://nmacc.com/" target="_blank">NMACC</a>, and the Mumbai-based artist’s creative footprint is as relevant as it is subtle within the portrait of 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2242427289/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">In the Cities by Sourya Sen</iframe></p> <h3><b>I7HVN</b></h3> <p>It was a year of growth for Safar collective co-founder <a href="https://www.instagram.com/i7hvn/?hl=en" target="_blank">I7HVN</a>, who stepped beyond his IDM and trip-hop experiments for two long-form releases that showcased moments of self-realisation and a comfortable embrace of his styles. After the abstract atmospheres of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a>-released ‘Youthful’, Bangalore producer put out a broken beat techno EP ‘Anodyne’ at the end of the year. His best moments emerge within the restrained ambience of ‘Youthful’s closer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20252-first-look-i7hvn-sanoli-chowdhury-collaborate-on-imaginary-love">‘Imaginary Love’, which features Sanoli Chowdhury</a>, and the opening title track of ‘Anodyne’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=514984918/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Youthful by I7HVN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Merak</b></h3> <p>While the Goan sibling duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20296-merak" target="_blank">Merak</a> isn’t the first to bring jazz into electronica, there is a balanced tastefulness in their work which gets rendered even more potent in the hands of seasoned acts like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a> and in the shared prowess of collaborators like Shreyas Iyenger – both of whom appeared on the duo’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20300-dreampop-electronica-jazz-mix-on-merak-s-manic-mode" target="_blank">EP ‘Manic Mode’</a>. Besides the appreciable release, Merak frequently became part of the festival lineups around the year to leave a lasting imprint on Indian alternative music’s 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=553102807/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 274px;">Manic Mode EP by Merak</iframe></p> <h3><b>Seasonal Affected Beats</b></h3> <p>It’s hard to think of an artist who has seemed harder working in 2023 than New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4958-tarun-balani" target="_blank">Tarun Balani</a>. The multi-instrumentalist, educator and composer kicked off the year by touring his A/V show ‘2°’ with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/16948-spotlight-parizad-d" target="_blank">Parizad D</a> as Seasonal Affected Beats and filled the year treading the line between meticulous and intuitive through the music from his album ‘Where the Ice Meets the Water’. Add to that another tour in support of the album and two singles focusing on his more jazz-centric work with the Dhamma Collective, and it’s been undoubtedly big 12 months for Tarun Balani.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1503216166/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Where the Ice Meets the Water by Seasonal Affected Beats, Tarun Balani</iframe></p> <h3><b>Debo Sanyal / Dokodoko </b></h3> <p>Is it a cliché to call something ‘underrated’ at this point? If it is, then it’s unfitting of me to use a cliché for someone who usually offers anything but that. Siliguri’s Deno Sanyal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4501-dreamhour" target="_blank">Dreamhour</a> has been dropping quality music full of humour, underexplored styles and singular quirk for years now. More recently, it has found a partner with the complimentary irreverence and straightfaced attitude (which translates sonically as well) of Dr. Kritika as the duo releases music as Dokodoko – <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20419-dokodoko-release-grunge-infused-hindi-electropop-with-shor" target="_blank">gracing 2023 with a foray into Hindi electropop</a>. For more puristical Dreamhour synth bops, the album ‘Now That We Are’ is as punchy as it comes alongside proving that there are still grounds to explore and fun to be had with synthwave.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3930647123/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Now That We Are Here by Dreamhour</iframe></p> <h3><b>Warehouse Mix</b></h3> <p><a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Warehouse Mix</a> is the latest (and increasingly rare) case of a bunch of young creatives coming together not for the primary purpose of making a quick profit but rather to create something “cool” or something that they believe in. In this case the belief is around the original ethos of house music and its ability to provide spaces for diverse expression. While the collective has been budding over the years, 2023 saw them break their immediate bubbles to create bigger impacts, hosting their flagship <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Anticlub</a> parties, live percussion dances and vinyl-only sessions at the city outskirts.</p> <h3><b>Dynamite Disco Club</b></h3> <p>Another collective based near house music (and several other adjacent styles) but more defined by its experienced members, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/18599-dynamite-disco-club" target="_blank">Dynamite Disco Club</a> has been one of our year-defining acts in the past – the year it announced that it would function as a label as well. But this year, DDC embodies the idea that 2023 was the period all the visions developed during the COVID-19 pandemic about life after it were fully realised (as much as they will ever likely be). Besides a string of its parties throughout the year and having a space at almost every notable music festival in the country, the label realised releases from not just its well-known members like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/5027-stalvart-john" target="_blank">Stalvart John</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3929-hamza" target="_blank">Hamza Rahimtula</a>, but also newer talents like ISHXN and even bigger list of foreign acts. On top of importing off-shore acts to its label, the collective also took its domestic talent reach out to shores beyond with Stalvart John touring through parts of South and East Asia.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=2610448964/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Disco Disco, Good Good (Original mix) by ISHXN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Lush Lata</b></h3> <p>It was a big year for New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>, who reached a milestone in her ascent as a DJ with a set at dance music mecca Berlin’s The Berghain early in the year as part of CTM Festival. Since then the stripes have kept attaching in the form of live sets for the likes of HÖR, Rinse and Kiosk Radio, and, constantly, the Indian dancefloors.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1464837649&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Rafiki</b></h3> <p>Through his work as a longstanding promoter and DJ, Sohail Arora aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7552-rafiki" target="_blank">Rafiki</a> has maintained his relevance for a while. This year, however, there was heightened emphasis on his musical output in the form of two EPs: first in the form of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20144-rafiki-gives-retro-sounds-a-modern-edge-on-the-source" target="_blank">The Source</a>’ and then ‘New Shifts’. Surrounding it, the Mumbai-based music industry professional delivered notable mixes, joined his curation for Boiler Room, and toured through Europe, Sri Lanka and clubs across India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=141835852/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">New Shifts by Rafiki</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ditty</b></h3> <p>2023 also was the year of the return of Aditi Veena aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/12649-ditty" target="_blank">Ditty</a>. Though the singer-songwriter was hardly gone, having toured in the latter half of 2022 and releasing music as part of the group Faraway Friends before that, this year saw her put out her <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20452-exclusive-first-listen-ditty-offers-a-distinct-approach-to-indie-pop-with-single-hold-me-from-the-ep-skin" target="_blank">first solo release in 4 years</a> – during which she battled a major illness, got married and partly relocated to Berlin. The trickle of releases started with a collaborative track with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8232-jordan-johnson" target="_blank">Jordan Johnson</a> (another artist who put out standout work in 2023) and followed into the rollout of her own EP ‘Skin’ with live dates punctuating the process.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=966494420/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Hold Me by DITTY</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bulli Bainbridge</b></h3> <p>If you’re an avid listener of indie music and yet don’t know who Zain Calcuttawala is, it’s still likely you have unknowingly enjoyed his contributions. Besides his past as a gig programmer, the multi-faceted talent has been hosting podcasts on mental health and more popularly producing for everyone from Bhrighu Sahni and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19113-second-sight" target="_blank">Second Sight</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18207-raghav-meattle" target="_blank">Raghav Meattle</a>. His work with his moniker <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18024-bulli-bainbridge" target="_blank">Bulli Bainbridge</a> has been no less versatile. He kicked off the year with an album entitled ‘Seasons’ that saw contributions from the likes of Ankit Dayal, BobKat, and Bombay Dub Orchestra and followed it with a collaborative hip-hop single ‘One Me’. Since then, the producer, engineer and composer has been reimagining some of the most popular recent indie hits – cue an orchestral version of Bloodywood, a lo-fi cut of Raghav Meattle’s ‘City Life’ and a swing-era take of Dot’s ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5ZULHCsrfC91weo5SUtENC?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words: Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Image Design: Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9199-2022-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '4028-2023-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of...'), 'href' => '/features/20610-2023-in-review', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20609', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19420', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-14 12:37:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-14 12:45:06', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #234: Hammer', 'date' => '14/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>A member of the <a href="http://www.feelmybicep.com/" target="_blank">Feel My Bicep</a> crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go on to form the duo Bicep), Rory Hamilton aka <a href="https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/hammer" target="_blank">Hammer</a> isn't just someone who has a sense for discovering interesting electronica works. After decades of hosting parties in Glasgow and later London, as well as spinning records the world over, the Belfast-born talent knows how to stitch together those records to create moments of passionate revelry.</p> <p>India has bore witness to that skill multiple times at this point as Hamilton returned to the country earlier this year <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/11647-london-based-dj-producer-hammer-announces-show-in-delhi" target="_blank">after half a decade</a>, adding dates in Goa and Kolkata alongside Delhi and Mumbai before jetting off to Sri Lanka for further performances with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for an 8-show tour of India and Sri Lanka. He recorded a mix for Wild City in Sri Lanka at the end of his tour to look back at his time in the region, which also included signing on Kolkata's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7818-8-bit-culprit" target="_blank">8-bit culprit</a> – the second artist from India to work with the label after New Delhi Anhad Khanna aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19691-sublime-sound-releases-club-ready-ep-that-love-affair-through-hammer-s-remmah-records" target="_blank">Sublime Sound</a>.</p> <p>"From the first ever gig I played in Auro in New Delhi, I learnt that the dance floor in India is special in that the sense of excitement is genuinely palpable. Taking risks pays off," says Hamilton. "I’ve also learnt that like every country, each city is different and you need to be ready to fit into it."</p> <p>Consequently, while often operating close to house, disco and some techno, how Hammer uses a particular style can vary. Recorded at The Luna Terrace of Galle's Closenburg Hotel, the HQ of Tropical Wax, the Wild City mix goes from an unreleased remix of Syreeta Wright's chants on 'Shanti', to the disco-inspired Baldo Remix of Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami's 'Sugar Snap'. Testifying Hammer's abilities to create notable moments in his sets, the mix offers several instances – from the melody-led energy of Two Mamarrachos to the respite of the laidback chords of Madvilla's 'Galactic Banana'. The best, however, is the house-meets-pop euphoria that comes almost as a cinematic euphoric climax to the mix with an unreleased track featuring the voice of Lili Chan.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehammerhits/" target="_blank">Hammer</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-234-hammer%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-234-hammer" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #234: Hammer</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Suricata - Algo Para La Fiesta (Alma &amp; Mater Dub)<br /> Syreeta - Shanti (Hammer Remix) [He She They]<br /> Two Mamarrachos - Let's Find Another After [Nein]<br /> Calystarr - Heartdown (Tronik Youth Remix)<br /> MADVILLA - Galactic Banana<br /> Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami - Sugar Snap (Baldo Remix) [Semi Delicious]<br /> HAMMER - Swivel [Skylax]<br /> Aaron Rutherford - Infinite Cycle<br /> Hammer - Highland ft. Lili Chan [He She They]<br /> KIRA BLUSH - What u Want [Remmah]<br /> Dharma - Turbulence [Remmah]<br /> HAMMER - Swerve [Skylax]</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7604-hammer-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '8183-wc-mix-hammer-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'A member of the Feel My Bicep crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20609-wild-city-234-hammer', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20606', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19417', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-12 09:20:09', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-12 12:20:42', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'sudan Strikes A Fine Balance Of Styles With 'omg'', 'date' => '12/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release under its critique is <a href="https://microplastics.substack.com/p/wiping-the-moistness-from-music-criticism?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank">at least 6 out of 10</a>, it's refreshing to come across a piece of music from an artist just starting out that's easy to get behind with robust promise. 22-year-old Pritpal <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">Sudan</a> from Mumbai, who is previously seen backing the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18225-releases-of-the-week-okedo-ditty-the-revisit-project-more" target="_blank">Anoushka Maskey</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20015-lavi-foenix-give-a-blend-of-rock-disco-for-the-internet-generation-on-no-phones-at-the-dinner-table" target="_blank">Lavi &amp; Foenix</a>, launched his solo act named after his last name with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">2021's 'Fire / Snow'</a>. Nearly 3 Years on, the producer and instrumentalist has announced his debut album 'sudan?', to be released on June 21, from which he has just released the single 'omg'.</p> <p>Lo-fi recording of soulful singing over large piano chords transforms into a brimming electropop-meets-neo soul passage a la Sampha or Kamaal Williams. The production keeps growing with moments of satisfying drops and layering styles over another without overpowering the previous or the songwriting – giving a perfect balance of interesting ideas without becoming too eager to impress.</p> <p>Listen to 'omg' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/notsudan/" target="_blank">sudan</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTOBfFzE_o4?si=ASspQLLmXpvX3d0x" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Pranav Marde</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '8267-sudan-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '8725-sudan-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release...'), 'href' => '/news/20606-sudan-strikes-a-fine-balance-of-styles-with-omg', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20603', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19414', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-11 11:47:37', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-11 11:49:47', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'boxout.fm Recordings' 2nd V/A Compilation Sees Lush Lata Handpick Dancefloor Stompers', 'date' => '11/03/2024', 'artists' => 'MadStarBase, Lush Lata', 'business' => 'boxout.fm', 'content' => '<p>After <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19295-kohra-oceantied-zequenx-more-feature-on-first-of-boxout-fm-recordings-compilation-series-v-a-suchi-selects" target="_blank">2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS'</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4724-boxout-fm" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> is back with the second instalment of its artist-curated compilation series with 'LUSH LATA SELECTS' handpicked by New Delhi DJ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>.</p> <p>The 7-track compilation kicks off with 'Cognac Bounce' by duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a>, who continue to prove themselves masters of creating booming dancefloor numbers with a sensual oomph while <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zealotantrik/" target="_blank">Zealotantrik</a> continues that boom but with the colour of some lo-fi artefacts. Following <a href="https://www.instagram.com/insowmya/" target="_blank">Insowmya</a>'s sampled esoteric percussion-heavy 'Shut Up', collaborative numbers by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pav4nco/" target="_blank">PAV4N</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sukhknight/" target="_blank">Sukh Knight</a>, as well as, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/captain.fuse/" target="_blank">Captain Fuse</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/muktmusic/" target="_blank">Mukt</a> highlight the defining quality of the compilation: heavy use of sampling, picking up vocal hooks from a variety of sources but more commonly vintage records and creating bass-led compositions.</p> <p>The latter collaboration by Captain Fuse and Mukt remains the most interesting offering on the compilation as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97-Ch6d2LBE" target="_blank">Geeta Dutt's 'Tumi Je Amaar'</a> transforms into a stuttering concoction of slow-funk and hip-hop.</p> <p>Listen to 'Lush Lata Selects' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/boxoutfmrecordings/" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3602297268/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 373px;">Lush Lata Selects by Various Artists</iframe></p> <p><em>Artwork by Sijya</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0028-lush-lata-selects-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '4170-lush-lata-selects-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'After 2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS', boxout.fm Recordings is back with the second instalment of its...'), 'href' => '/news/20603-boxout-fm-recordings-2nd-v-a-compilation-sees-lush-lata-handpick-dancefloor-stompers', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20591', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19402', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-06 10:40:01', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-06 11:11:00', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Jyoty Singh Tours India As Part Of Ultra Soulflyp's Biggest Shows', 'date' => '06/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Jyoty Singh', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at weekly <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> events to more than half a decade of presenting a leading show at <a href="https://rinse.fm/" target="_blank">Rinse.fm</a> and a viral <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> performance, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/?hl=en" target="_blank">Jyoty Singh</a> has always been privy to the cutting-edge sounds of the dancefloor. Stitching together the revelry of dancehall, afrobeats and funk when DJing live and tying threads between cultures when curating for her radio mixes, her parties '<a href="https://www.instagram.com/areyouhomegrown/" target="_blank">Homegrown</a>' and her magazine 'The Move', the Punjabi-descent Amsterdam-born London-based artist espouses versatility and ear for the fresh.</p> <p>The multi-faceted selector arrives in India for the first time since her breakout Boiler Room set gained popularity during the pandemic, performing at Mumbai's Famous Studio, Bengaluru's Sunburn Union and Gurugram's Imperfecto Patio on March 22, 23 and 24 respectively.</p> <p>The shows take place as part of <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp</a>, the event series by Kingfisher Ultra, Wild City and Gently Altered which kicked off almost a year ago and has taken over spaces across the country with various styles of dance music over the year. With support yet to be announced, the dates with Jyoty are slated to be Ultra Soulflyp's biggest celebrations to date as it promises to amp up its curation, capacity and immersiveness to make live music a multi-sensorial experience.</p> <p>Reserve your spots for the events and find out more about Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp through its <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and follow Jyoty Singh <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/" target="_blank">here</a>. Listen to her Boiler Room set below to get a sense of what to expect.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2VrztYTNYT8?si=zotxj2S3zpV3o6Vh" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Filipa Aurélio</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9992-0-thumb--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'picture' => '4636-0-banner--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at...'), 'href' => '/news/20591-jyoty-singh-tours-india-as-part-of-ultra-soulflyp-s-biggest-shows', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20588', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19399', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-04 13:43:12', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-04 13:50:41', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Slowspin, Sijya, SIDD & More Feature On Ninja Tunes' Remix EP for Nabihah Iqbal's 'DREAMER'', 'date' => '04/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Slowspin, Sijya', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Tune" target="_blank">Ninja Tune</a>, bringing together South Asian acts, namely Pakistan's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/haideruppal/" target="_blank">Haider Uppal</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4495-slowspin" target="_blank">Slowspin</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/young_dervish/" target="_blank">Zak Khan</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/siddbeats_/" target="_blank">SIDD</a> as well as India's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a>, to reimagine tracks off her 2023 EP 'DREAMER'. As a bonus, the release also features Berlin's Innervision's label-owner and one-half of Âme, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/frank__wiedemann/" target="_blank">Frank Wiedemann</a>, who remixes 'Zone 1 to 6000' from Nabihah's 2017 debut album 'Weighing of the Heart'.</p> <p>All the South Asian artists on the package have shared the stage with the London-based Pakistani-descent artist, who DJ-ed alongside Haider Uppal and SIDD on her first-ever gig in Pakistan, invited Slowspin and Zak Khan to support her during her US tour and discovered Sijya at London's Tate Modern, when the New Delhi artist toured the UK in 2023 before being asked to open for Nabihah at Yes Manchester.</p> <p>Both Haider Uppal and Sijya take a textural approach to their remixes with the former suffusing a techno beat with deep pads out of which harmonic melodies and string lines emerge and diffuse. Meanwhile, Sijya offers the grittiest outing with 'Sunflower' as synths fizzle and distort over a visceral thump and Nabihah's near-spoken singing places itself as a transcendent chant.</p> <p>Frank Wiedemann and SIDD, one of Karachi's most prominent DJ-producers, present two flipsides of techno with their remixes. There is a clear edge of experience with Frank's innovative and effective structuring and Berlin-associated spaciousness as acid house synth squelching plays against Nabihah's singing, highlighting its singular qualities, while SIDD offers a more Detroit-influenced take on the genre with atmospheric spoken voice deepening the minimal nature of the production.</p> <p>The remixes play off of Nabihah's unique vocal style, an element that takes centre stage on Slowspin's sparse remix of the title track from 'DREAMER' alongside Zak Khan's gentle piano-playing, recontextualising the song with a simple arrangement to bring notice to the meaning behind the songwriting.</p> <p>Listen to 'DREAMER (Remixes)' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=316911633/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">DREAMER (Remixes) by Nabihah Iqbal</iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Joseph Hayes</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9103-nabihah-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '2452-nabihah-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Nabihah Iqbal has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label Ninja Tune,...'), 'href' => '/news/20588-slowspin-sijya-sidd-more-feature-on-ninja-tunes-remix-ep-for-nabihah-iqbal-s-dreamer', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20584', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19395', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-01 13:42:57', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-01 13:46:45', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi', 'date' => '01/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Talal Qureshi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/14605-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Talal Qureshi</a>. Even as the Pakistan's electropop pioneer has transformed from a Coke Studio mainstay with esoteric productions on the side to someone who brings his worlds together and creates the collaborative woofer-friendly bangers, that characteristic zaniness remains. As evident by his 2023 debut album 'TURBO' and its recent re-release with <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5AqK0sYFr4bVWAtVKTmXcz" target="_blank">a deluxe edition</a>, it has married itself to the sound of South Asian hip-hop with sometimes a satirising presence of Pakistan's hyperlocal elements.</p> <p>It is embodied in the announcement he makes at the start of his Wild City mix before launching into cuts from the 15-track release, unreleased demos, edits of his other work and even someone Skrillex to demonstrate how his work can boom alongside the globally prominent.</p> <p>Contrary to most mixes of nearly all-originals, Talal's quick-moving mix is a product bigger than the sum of its selections. Constant flow through hard cuts between collaborations that feature the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8936-seedhe-maut" target="_blank">Seedhe Maut</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faris_Shafi" target="_blank">Faris Shafi</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_Raheem" target="_blank">Hasan Raheem</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18090-natasha-noorani" target="_blank">Natasha Noorani</a> speaks to the effective structures of Talal's productions. It's a mix worth a listen even if just for the reimagined energy of Talal's take on '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mNaNMmxJ1I" target="_blank">Faltu Pyaar</a>' and '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3pUsXxCfEk" target="_blank">Muaziz Sarif</a>'.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-233-talal-qureshi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-233-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>MAAL(DEMO) - Blal x Talal Qureshi (Unreleased)<br /> Intro - Talal Qureshi<br /> Tarka - Talal Qureshi<br /> NACH LE - Imran Khan (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> ASAL G - SEEDHE MAUT x Talal Qureshi x Faris Shafi<br /> Paisa - Talal Qureshi x Hasan Raheem (TQ Honey Flip) (Unreleased)<br /> No ID - Skrills (unreleased)<br /> Push ID - Skrillex &amp; Hamdi ft. Taichu<br /> Muaziz Sarif - Coke Studio, Faris Shafi, Meesha Shafi (Talal Qureshi Version) (Unreleased)<br /> Peechay Hutt - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Justin Bibi's<br /> LEFT RIGHT - Ali Sethi, Maanu, Shaegill, A.S (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> Raazi - Natasha Noorani, Talal Qureshi (TQ Honey Flip) (unreleased)<br /> Faltu Pyar - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Natasha Noorani (TQ Honey Flip)(unreleased)<br /> Hico - Talal Qureshi, Maanu (TQ Honey FLIP)(unreleased)<br /> JOGI - Maanu x Talal Qureshi<br /> At the AfterParty - Trick Singh ( Talal Qureshi Version) (unreleased)<br /> KYA - Talal Qureshi x Asim Azhar</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '2345-talal-qureshi-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '1548-tq.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's Talal Qureshi. Even as the...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20584-wild-city-233-talal-qureshi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20576', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19387', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-22 10:41:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-22 10:59:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'New Delhi Gets A New Record Store By Digging In India ', 'date' => '22/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Digging In India', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka <a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-mix-187-digging-in-india" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> has just launched his record store in New Delhi's Shahpur Jat.</p> <p>Known for his sense of discovering overlooked Indian heritage in an exceedingly wide variety of styles, Mittal brings a collection he has accrued over 7-8 years to the store. Besides well-known classics from Western shores and Bollywood alike, the store also specializes in eclectic and rare grooves ranging from desi disco, Tamil funk, Bengali baul sangeet, qawwali, ghazal, Hindustani classical, Carnatic, Telugu soundtracks and Marathi koli geet to Japanese city pop, Afro Funk, Middle Eastern pop and more.</p> <p>Besides the musical collection, the store also features uncommon records like spoken word, political speeches, poetry and comic offerings, alongside vintage posters, comics, collectable matchboxes, stamps and other artefacts.</p> <p>The record store also shares the space with Mallika Tandon's designer cake studio <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bobo.cakery/" target="_blank">Bobo Cakery</a>, which will keep cake slices and bakes with a nostalgic twist for dine-in at the store in the coming month to make the vinyl store a space for more than just sales.</p> <p>Mittal explains: “One thing I’ve noticed is that record stores can be quite intimidating to people who are not familiar with the formal and that’s something I want to change. I want to create an easy-going comfortable space where people can come just to hear good music and learn how this thing works.”</p> <p>Head to the store at 141A/2 1st Floor, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi between noon and 7 pm on any day and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/digginginindia/" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> on Instagram for more information. Listen to Digging In India's Wild City mix below to familiarise yourself with Mittal's work.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/763668214&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5972-dii-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '9516-dii-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka Digging In India has just...'), 'href' => '/news/20576-new-delhi-gets-a-new-record-store-by-digging-in-india', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20560', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19371', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-14 13:07:29', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:16:55', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #232: Innerworld', 'date' => '14/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Innerworld', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Akshay Mathker aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20562-innerworld" target="_blank">Innerworld</a>'s Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most subtle forces. Starting with dark ambience, the mix is defined by its hypnotic atmospheric nature even when the languid textures clear to the thump of the techno's proprietary grooves.</p> <p>Like an experienced DJ, the Goa-based artist layers his selections, elevating them from their standalone value. The ebb and flow between lulling ambient numbers and compelling rhythms begin to combine as distorted gritty kicks creep up from behind the aqueous pads and slow breaks of ULV's '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjclQfXjQCI" target="_blank">My Sofa Turns Into A Desert</a>'. The influence of Goa's trance heritage doesn't shy away as deep airy washes remain a near-constant part of the selections – before the mix slowly turns towards more zany and esoteric cuts for a final push for energy.</p> <p><strong>"This mix is an expedition into the realms of intricate polyrhythms and otherworldly frequencies. Abstract, textural, ravey and laced with psychedelia, this journey through space-time is accentuated by moments of atmospheric bliss and fast-paced, yet minimal, irrefutable grooves.” - Innerworld</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-232-innerworld%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-232-innerworld" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #232: Innerworld</a></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0844-innerworld.jpg', 'picture' => '0323-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Akshay Mathker aka Innerworld's Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20560-wild-city-232-innerworld', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20552', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19364', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-10 08:21:19', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-11 06:55:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '"The Atmosphere That We All Create Together": Jeff Mills On His Legacy, DJ-ing As Non-Verbal Storytelling & More', 'date' => '10/02/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => 'Far Out Left', 'content' => '<p>“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me on a week that started with the now-considered-dying <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo/" target="_blank">Pitchfork rating his 1996’s ‘Live at the Liquid Room, Tokyo’</a> a rare 10 out of 10, and would conclude with the producer, DJ, label-head and dance music legend performing <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20499-jeff-mills-dj-red-arjun-vagale-more-announced-for-far-out-left-mumbai-goa" target="_blank">in India for the first time</a>. “It’s for others more than myself.”</p> <p>The mix, found only as <a href="https://soundcloud.com/theclassicmixcdseries/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo" target="_blank">unofficial uploads</a> on the internet and described in the said review as “the Techno Bible, unequivocally The One”, is arguably the glorious peak of Mills’ early techno legacy. Leading up to it, he had pioneered a minimal form of the genre alongside Detroit-mate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hood" target="_blank">Robert Hood</a>, developed a loyal following through his residency at Berlin’s then-fledgeling <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tresor_(club)" target="_blank">Tresor</a> and redirected the course of techno from his native city of Detroit with the Parliament bassist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Banks_(musician)" target="_blank">‘Mad’ Mike Banks</a> as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Resistance" target="_blank">Underground Resistance</a>, nudging the genre towards grittier realms with the help of militant outfits and political messaging.</p> <p>Prioritising energy over pristineness, including the audience in the process of phasing kicks coming together, the mix blazes through selections – sometimes barely offering more than a glimpse of some. They become more of a connecting component, featured less for their standalone value and more for their role in a greater whole that is the DJ set.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uapn-mknXVU?si=z6XkRrpzv31cRQ4a" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The breakneck mixing style finds its roots in the earliest chapters of Mills’ story when he was known as ‘The Wizard’, championing Detroit's talent, passionately finding the freshest releases from hip-hop to industrial, and informing the local tastes through his radio mixes. As if the deitifying by thousands (maybe millions?) of dance music fans wasn’t enough, Mills' early legacy also figures in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVDzDy1yvo" target="_blank">Eminem’s verses</a> with the lines: “<em>discovered this DJ who was mixing, I say it to this day, if you ain't listened to the Wizard, you ain't have a fucking clue what you was missing”</em></p> <p>As radio slots shortened while championable music remained abundant, Mills started mixing and moving through the selections quickly to develop his fast approach on turntables and mixing desk. It was also at the radio where Jeff Mills the music-maker developed his conceptual style as he opted to edit tapes and stitch together library sounds in his shows to communicate on air instead of speaking. The increasing competitiveness between stations meant Mills had to distinguish his selections, bringing in drum machines and keyboards to layer over records or create bespoke passages earlier on the same day.</p> <p>Visceral rhythms of 909s would underline abstract emotive layers when he finally started releasing his productions. More than a beat to move to, there’d always be a story running underneath whether as the sweeping tones accompanying the incessant distorted kicks of ‘The Hacker’ from the seminal ‘<a href="https://youtu.be/OGQBdEAo9RM?si=T3ZVS7aZ2h-TgPHq&amp;t=1264" target="_blank">Waveform Transmission, Vol. 1</a>’ or the cinematic strings of ‘Utopia’ from ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppJPQ3xsKWI" target="_blank">Cycle 30</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/STpOak4iAJY?si=XAS1qJHIRyZKBhKW" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Decades later, after feats like re-scoring Fritz Lang’s silent film ‘Metropolis’, performing with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra and celebrating 50 years of the moon landing with NASA, Mills’ music continues to either look inward or to a distant future. 2023’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/jeff-mills-the-other-maria/" target="_blank">The Other Maria</a>’ is about the often-restrained and potentially chaotic part of us that deals in hard truths and raw unrestricted emotion, while 2019’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/moon-the-area-of-influence-cd-digital/" target="_blank">Moon: The Area of Influence</a>’ discusses the effects of the moon on our lives and culture. Three decades on, it’s still the same sounds of 909s and analog pads that mark the sonic palette of Mills but the results are even more abstract and less frequently reminiscent of shaking walls in a raving warehouse.</p> <p>“I developed a sense to understand sound in cluster arrangement more than ever. I also understand the barriers due to sectionalizing between genres are becoming less. That musicians could and want to play with each other more,” addresses Mills, talking about how his futurism and sci-fi-influenced work has changed as the technology and idea of the future itself have evolved. “I hear music differently now as a result of the way we communicate. Also, the amount of information we can engage with in such a short amount of time has had an effect.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eU-UsvYbIV0?si=T5bG0meirnNjJoGd" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Techno is not just for dancing, is the philosophy that Mills has been espousing over the years. “If you can dance to it, that's great, that's a bonus, but music should say something. It should be made in a manner with seriousness, and that would enlighten someone simply by listening to it,” he has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/gv34jj/the-man-from-tomorrow-an-interview-with-jeff-mills" target="_blank">told Vice</a> in the past. It is what also guides him as a label-head with his <a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/" target="_blank">Axis Records</a>. Initially a platform for Mills' own work (under his various guises), it has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic to platform talent from the world over including the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/18876-review-arjun-vagale-s-reflective-journey-into-outer-space-on-exit-fragments" target="_blank">debut album by India’s own</a> techno frontrunner <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3379-arjun-vagale" target="_blank">Arjun Vagale</a>. “Having strong visions about the future isn’t privy to any particular country or city so, it was just a matter of coincidence. In this respect, no place on Earth is distant or remote. We’re all quite close to one another as we occupy the small patch of this Planet’s landmass,” he tells me.</p> <p>Behind the decks, the story isn’t much different. Cuts from other techno pioneers like Kevin Saunderson, Robert Hood, Eddie Fowlkes and Phuture intercut with Mills’ original (often extremely fresh) bits and fresher talent with similar substance to their music. The focus continues to remain on overarching energy as much as the selections if not more so as the mixing can go from boldly sudden to so subtle you’d hardly notice.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cCpHiWwA2Rg?si=yGxCmMJkwj1adMlI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“DJ sets are generally for dancing, but also can be widened to be considered as a non-verbal story about ‘The Fantastic’, ‘The Amazing’ or depending [on] how clever the DJ is, even ‘The Unbelievable’”, he says, explaining how a successful set is about giving the audience a sensation that wasn’t there before. That sensation is where the self-expression figures in. “I play based on how I feel at that time and it’s got nothing to do with anyone else. On occasion, not even the audience because my mind is somewhere far away,” he says, echoing the explanation he gave for <a href="https://ra.co/features/3436" target="_blank">Resident Advisor’s The Art of Djing</a>, wherein he recalls sometimes using his set to describe what it might be like to approach a planet.</p> <p>Yet, amidst the abstract tapestry of his sets, there are unmistakable points of recognition, where the selection itself becomes a focal point. While Mills argues, “I tend not to watch others to compare myself so, I can’t really say how I match up. This isn’t how I was taught to play music,” I see Mills able to create moments that only a few DJ-producers who have reached a certain stage of popularity with specific work can create. A moment similar to a rock or pop act “playing their hit”. For Mills’, that hit is ‘The Bells’, the popular and highly effective minimal work most recognisable through its sequence of melodic call and response. “I've tried not playing it, and people were sad! [laughs] So I kinda just gave up,” he says in The Art of DJing, going on to say how the track is a turning point in the set and now signifies that he is completely ready at his stations to kick proceedings into another gear.</p> <p>Nevertheless, relying on hits isn't something easily associated with Mills. While he frequently performs at large-scale events (an easy and sometimes unnecessary prompt for derision from a chunk of the techno audience), much of his recent touring has been dedicated to a collaboration with tabla maestro Prabhu Eduoard and keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, extending the '<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/71W9z9hP84oB6zVmQdRrXW" target="_blank">Tomorrow Comes Harvest</a>' project initiated with afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1352-13-jeffmills-tomorrowcomestheharvest-170923-photographer-thomasecke-109256.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Jean-Phi Dary, Prabhu Eduoard &amp; Jeff Mills in Berlin || Photograph by Thomas Ecke</em></h5> <p>Instead of cashing on his status as a pioneering figure in techno, Mills continues to release a stream of new music that diverges starkly from his '90s output, even while operating within similar styles and using a familiar sonic palette. “I like the thought process of making something from nothing so, I really enjoy starting over again,” he adds.</p> <p>Techno is more than just for dancing remains a recurring theme in his work and a harder thing to sell. “Music is such a suggestive medium that it’s just not possible to measure people’s appreciation level,” he says. “At times in my past, I remember being congratulated but also advised to “give it up - it’s not going to work”, “I’ve lost it and should stop” and many other discouraging things. So, I can’t put much value into what people say or what they appreciate. Instead, I only have to rely on what I feel is right and guide myself from this.”<b> </b></p> <p>That internal guiding compass remains the constant. It’s the same whether it was at Tokyo’s Liquid room, blazing through selections with hard stops and phasing rhythms 3 decades ago; or in Mumbai and Goa for <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/10414-far-out-left" target="_blank">Far Out Left</a> this weekend – drawing from his more abstract cluster arrangements and talent he has sifted through for Axis Records after years of building a legacy that has inspired most in the lineup and an audience that might await ‘The Bells’. “We’re just in different places at different times, but the objective is all the same,” he says. “It’s not about me or them, but rather, it’s always been about “it”. The atmosphere that we all create together.”</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by <a href="http://instagram.com/atemporarymatter.in" target="_blank">Amaan Khan</a></em></p> <p><em>Photo by <a href="http://instagram.com/jacobkhrist" target="_blank">Jacob Khrist</a></em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '4823-jeff-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5147-jeff-mills-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me...'), 'href' => '/features/20552-the-atmosphere-that-we-all-create-together-jeff-mills-on-his-legacy-dj-ing-as-non-verbal-storytelling-more', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20494', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19309', 'createdDate' => '2024-01-03 11:21:10', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:15:29', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #231: Krithi', 'date' => '03/01/2024', 'artists' => 'Krithi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19636-krithi-continues-to-explore-south-asian-sounds-in-contemporary-dance-music-with-uyirudan" target="_blank">Krithi</a> reaches for rhythms and sounds from her native land and the like, they fit into the mould of dance music as if they've always been a natural part of it rather than (as it often is) a forced gimmick of limited yield. Her achievement seems to go further on her upcoming EP 'Coping Mechanism' as she finds the style a vessel of personal narratives, calling the release a "sonic exploration of how she communes with the shadows of depression".</p> <p>Both the released singles from the EP 'Suppress' and 'Medicate' demonstrate that within Krithi's Wild City mix which features a heavy dose of original unreleased work and glimpses of the record that drops on February 15.</p> <p>Introduced through 140BPM techno, the mix quickly shifts to and operates in and around bass and breaks. A peppy start moves into sombre moods as a slightly slowed down 'Heist Track' by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/501-malfnktion" target="_blank">MALFNKTION</a> staggers into Krithi's own work before a jubilant return with the standout moment of Yourboykiran's Bollywood flip 'Yamma Yamma'.</p> <p><strong>"This mix has some of my favourite Bandcamp Friday finds (both new and old) by friends, mentors and producers I love. I recorded it at 140 bpm and with no particular genre in mind—but only with the hope that the listener keeps movin’ from start to finish. It also features some of my unreleased tracks and a couple from my upcoming EP ‘Coping Mechanisms’, which drops on Feb 15th.” – Krithi </strong></p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-231-krithi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-231-krithi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #231: Krithi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Pozibelle - Wait<br /> Mera Bhai - Be This Way (Feat Private Joy) - Provhat Rahman Remix<br /> Jadalareign - Defect<br /> Malfnktion - Heist Track<br /> Krithi - Medicate<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Rodman - Falcata<br /> Despina - Trickle Down Baby<br /> PlayPlay - FYI<br /> Venïson Man - Jewelry (Frost Version)<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - Suppress<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Yourboykiran - Yamma Yamma<br /> Dyslecta - Annihilate<br /> Tony Quattro &amp; Siete Catorce - Qesem Cave</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7067-krithi.jpg', 'picture' => '8500-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer Krithi reaches for rhythms and sounds from her...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20494-wild-city-231-krithi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20488', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19303', 'createdDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun', 'date' => '16/12/2023', 'artists' => 'Kohra', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4465-magnetic-fields-festival" target="_blank">Magnetic Fields Festival</a> taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi producer, DJ and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a> co-founder Madhav Shorey aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/291-kohra" target="_blank">Kohra</a> and Thailand's globe-trotting polymath <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sunjuhargun/" target="_blank">Sunju Hargun</a> are revisiting their B2B set from last year. </p> <p>Performed at the Resident Advisor afterparty, a highlight for the dancefloor-dedicated with its music going from the late hours of the night to the earliest moments of the morning, the accumulated energy of the night and its transformation into the morning audible in the set. Acid's mind-bending textures give way to increasingly guttural techno, pulling heavily from its minimal repertoire. As the night sky begins to lighten, the emotions are guided by the wash of the pads for a more refreshing conclusion. </p> <p><strong>"A combination between records from the past, present, and future. Sonically enhancing the atmosphere with zero limitations to pushing boundaries of tempo and feeling" – Sunju Hargun</strong></p> <p><strong>"A really fulfilling experience taking a restrained and fluid direction for this one, at my favourite stage of the festival." – Kohra</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:<br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun</a> // <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/WildCity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun/" target="_blank">Head here for Mixcloud</a></p> <p><em>Image by Parikshit Deshpande for Magnetic Fields Festival 2022</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5451-mf-2022---ra---image-credit---parikshit-deshpande---3.jpeg', 'picture' => '6442-kohra-sunju.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With the Magnetic Fields Festival taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20488-wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20147', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18982', 'createdDate' => '2023-04-04 16:56:55', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-04-05 11:27:44', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'My First Release: Shantanu Pandit', 'date' => '05/04/2023', 'artists' => 'Shantanu Pandit', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.”</p> <p>It was optimism-inspiring to hear these words from <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18674-shantanu-pandit" target="_blank">Shantanu Pandit</a> on my 27th birthday as I sat cross-legged on the floor among the audience at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art to watch him bring his first tour promoting his album ‘Milk Teeth’ to a conclusion. The New Delhi singer-songwriter had spent the weeks prior travelling by road across the length of India in a bespoke caravan to share his music while pausing at each stop to not just give but take in a sense of the places he performed at.</p> <p>“I had been holed up on the mountains when we put out the album and Dhruv was like ‘Dude, you released an album. You can’t just sleep on it like that. Now you’ve got to come down and let’s take it on tour and celebrate it’”, he continued at the show before launching into chirpy <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/track/do-u-know" target="_blank">comforting melodies</a> that underpin lines like <em>“Put that bullet in my head // Shoot me dead // Put that bullet in my head // Get it over with”.</em></p> <h5><em><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1133-shantanu-pandit-bts-milk-teeth-tour--1.jpeg" /><br /> Shantanu in his bespoke caravan for 'Milk Teeth' tour in 2022 | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>Walking through melancholic reminiscing and processing sorrow over dreamy musicality and nostalgic lightness is what defines the 2021 album. The very dichotomic sophistication is what highlights how far his songwriting has come since his first official release, the EP <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/album/skunk-in-the-cellar" target="_blank">‘Skunk In The Cellar’</a> in 2014 – which, like ‘Milk Teeth’, was also an album born out of seeing a relationship heartbreakingly come to end. However, the natural propensity to just write and share music disconnected from the cycle of talking about it, promoting it and packaging it remains a common thread.</p> <p>“I didn't have that word in my vocabulary,” he says while pondering on the idea of “official release” at the start of his career. “I was very much naive to the whole idea of putting out music in a proper format, putting out a press statement and all that.”</p> <h5><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PHVvVHVQxZg" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2012 for Tehelka TV</em></h5> <p>Before ‘Skunk In The Cellar’, Shantanu had been frequently sharing raw performances on Youtube as soon as he recorded them. Whether it was a host at HIT 95FM giving him CD recordings of his appearance on the radio or the sound engineer at Blue Frog giving him the soundboard recordings from his performance, the then-teenager musician’s first instinct was to just put it on Youtube as soon as he got home. “I didn’t think that hard. For me, I just heard the songs back and immediately thought, ‘I want to share this with my friends. I want to share this with my family.’”</p> <p>That immediacy was shaken up and replaced by process when he was contacted by his soon-to-become long-term manager and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/12653-pagal-haina" target="_blank">Pagal Haina</a> head honcho Dhruv Singh to record the songs which were to become ‘Skunk In The Cellar’. “I was like: ‘Hey, so we've got the songs. Let's just put them out.’ And he said, ‘No. This is just the start. Now we need to plan the whole release.’ And I went, ‘What does that mean?’” The process meant Shantanu had to wait for artwork to be made, distribution to be aligned and press strategies put in place before the music and the artist could represent each other to the world.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/0851-shantanu-pandit-4-by-shiv-ahuja-2014.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2014 | Photograph by Shiv Ahuja</em></h5> <p>Even while he could see the sense in all the auxiliary activities, the waiting time struggled to sit well with a songwriter that developed his material and style with notable intensity. “One thing that has been recurring through my career so far, as a songwriter, is that generally, I move fast. If I'm sitting eight months from now, I would look back at my material and be like, ‘Man! I need to write a bunch of new shit because I don't want to play this old shit.’” Even the debut EP ‘Skunk In The Cellar’ felt like a reinvention for the songwriter who started as a 16-year-old playing largely Bob Dylan covers at open mics before quickly replacing them with fast and loud originals that he dubs as his first wave of songwriting.</p> <p>The instinct to move on quickly translated to Shantanu punctuating his career with jumps from one outlet to the next – most notably the group <a href="https://runitsthekid.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Run It’s The Kid</a> and his moniker Morning Mourning, which was partly formed as a subconscious reaction against the limitations imposed by formal and elaborate creation and release cycles to retreat back into the straightforward sincerity of an artist just exorcising his creative impulses.</p> <p>Even while concluding the first promotional tour around ‘Milk Teeth’ in 2022 at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Shantanu’s set was replete with new material ripe for another album. At the same time, littered with older material too and light-hearted addressal of his relationship with it all. Greater patience has seeped in with the artist who crafted ‘Milk Teeth’ after 4 years of writing.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5129-shantanu-pandit-bts--mt-tour.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu in 2022 for 'Milk Teeth' promotional tour | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>“I have recently been able to enjoy performing live after a long time,” he says after walking me through years that included getting disenchanted with the return from releasing music, riding across the country as an escape, diverging into educational degrees, losing the individual self in a long-term relationship and the hardships finding that self again – themes that he tackled on ‘Milk Teeth’ through reflecting back on memories of growing up.</p> <p>After more than a decade as an artist, the New Delhi artist has traversed a long and winding road till the multiple facets of his career are beginning to be at peace with one another. His declaration of touring ‘Milk Teeth’ as a highlight of life so far is a testament to that – further supported as he recently embarked on another one, this time across North-East India. While <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CqDU1ZGy8lA/" target="_blank">announcing</a> it, he remarks: “I didn’t want the last one to end when it did and I’ve been itching to get back on the road ever since.”</p> <p>Listen to 'Milk Teeth' below and head <a href="https://www.skillboxes.com/events/business/pagal-haina-presents-shantanu-pandit-the-east-india-tour" target="_blank">here</a> for tickets and dates of Shantanu's tour across North-East India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1889828902/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Milk Teeth by Shantanu Pandit</iframe></p> <p><em>Words by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Lead artwork designed by Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5402-mfr-shantanu-08.jpg', 'picture' => '7416-mfr-shantanu-05.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.” It was...'), 'href' => '/features/20147-my-first-release-shantanu-pandit', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20078', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18920', 'createdDate' => '2023-02-15 11:49:31', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-02-15 12:11:15', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '“There Was No choice But To Make Room”: Ruhail Qaisar On Centering The Spectres That Haunt Debut LP 'Fatima'', 'date' => '15/02/2023', 'artists' => 'Ruhail Qaisar', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/fatima" target="_blank">Fatima</a>' predates even its creator.</p> <p>Rooted firmly in geo-personal histories, the noise album which happens to be the artist’s debut full-length offering, showcases the full range of his leftfield explorations that began with an extensive catalogue of singles on his SoundCloud, followed by the '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/ltalam-ep" target="_blank">Ltalam EP</a>' in 2016 and<i> </i>the<i> '</i><a href="https://hkcr.live/shows/the-hounds-of-pamir-the-fires-of-bal-ashram-w-ruhail-qaisar-06-11-2020" target="_blank">Hounds of Pamir</a>'<i> </i>radio residency in 2020.</p> <p>At the heart of Ruhail’s practice, which ranges from sound creation to analog photography and experimental filmmaking, is an unwavering emphasis on identity and history.</p> <p>For the indigenous artist hailing from one of the most controversial and unforgiving terrains of South Asia, Ladakh and its people – particularly the Skyayongs Gogsum community – are often seen in Qaisar’s works as straddling the dichotomies of a traumatic past and uncertain future, suffering from what’s colloquially described as <i>perpetual stasis</i>.</p> <p>The 90s were a time of dramatic change, recalls Ruhail. From growing up in a two-room rented house “with 6 hours of electricity, no traffic, no telephones, to being swept by an accelerated existence with 3G smartphones,[...] an endless slew of terrible smartphone tourists,” the landscapes of his childhood had changed drastically soon after the turn of the century.</p> <p>Yet, nothing could have prepared him for the climate of death, decay, and disease that was to characterise his hometown over the last decade. When he returns this time, after having completed his education in Delhi, Qaisar finds a self-sustaining community now completely destabilised, “battling chronic diseases or had passed away, others moved away, rented their old houses out, some squabbled over land in courts for their newly constructed hotel projects….” It induced in him a state of dysphoria, disconnect, and exile, even when home.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <p>'Fatima', whose very title invokes the memory of a late grandaunt, rises out of this abscess, carrying over the leitmotifs and the “main characters” of Qaisar’s tight-knit Ladakhi community, from an intransitive loss-state towards posthumous life.</p> <p>In Qaisar’s own words, the album is a “hauntological compendium of personal tribute” to these people who occupied those bygone spaces and eras, but also to “the pan-Ladakhi identity”, and the strife and struggle of all “indigenous communities in the Himalayas that are all suffering at the hand of unplanned industrialization and urbanization along with military atrocities”. Incidentally, 'Fatima' hits the airwaves at a time of mass unrest in Leh, over demands for Ladakhi statehood and cultural preservation under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5127-02-fatimas-poplar.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-45c11ae8-7fff-7d0b-9dbf-242538d004b7">Home videos and photographs as relics of an irretrievable past and a close-knit community | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>The idea for the record had fallen into place quite unconsciously upon the artist’s return to Choglamsar, Leh, during the pandemic in 2020, and was born out of a strong desire to rid himself of the muscle memory of traditional compositions - “I dispossessed myself of my own voice and shredded it only to a few whispers.”</p> <p>As soon as the first COVID wave abated, Qaisar (stuck in Delhi during the lockdown) took off, carrying with him (he lists:) a university laptop on which he’d downloaded Moog apps, the cheapest Behringer sound card that he’d painstakingly saved up for, and a basic zoom field recorder he’d borrowed from a filmmaker friend. He documented everything: nightly hikes alongside the Indus, when he would go stargazing in Choglamsar with his younger brother and a neighbour; conversations with his granduncle, a Sino-Indian war veteran; stories of his uncle’s disappearance in 1989; the blitz of Indian military tanks during the recent Galwan valley incursion.</p> <p>These voices and tapes, scaffolded by power electronics, frame ‘Fatima’<i>, </i>creating a somewhat minimal and rather tactile musical performance.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/4817-03-hotel.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-b236a0b9-7fff-a8e7-eb72-44ca729b3032">The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti, Leh, stoic in the face of dereliction | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>A self-taught experimenter, Qaisar’s musical influences are a pastiche of works by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/6937-hemant-sk" target="_blank">Hemant SK</a>, heavier emissions by EXHUMATION, Einsturzende Neubauten and Maurizio Bianchi, South Asian experimenters Senyawa and Raavan Kommand, contemporaries like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3934-jamblu" target="_blank">Jamblu</a> (aka Kartik Pillai) and KMRU, even the early works of AR Rahman. For 'Fatima', he mostly turns inwards, mixing influences of folklore traditions with experimental music and drawing sonic styles and guideposts from Ladakhi processional, funeral and tribal hymns.</p> <p>The album masterfully orchestrates the dramatic highs and lows of sonic expression, borrowing heavily from the surrealist movement, oracle rituals and vernacular theatre tropes. It morphs into stretches of unsettling ambient static, injecting distorted field recordings with drones and silence into some cuts, and crystallising others with DIS FIG, Elvin Brandhi, and Iben KasJer’s “oracular dreamspeech.” Iben’s invocations on 'Fatima’s Poplar' in particular, reciting the vitriolic poetry of political writer Nick Land, not only sets the tone for the sensory experience that follows, but also invites us to reckon with Ladakh’s present “smog-laden loss-state” hollowed out by “the colourful promises of neoliberalism”.</p> <p>Composed of nine microstories,<i> '</i>Fatima' is replete with these spectres that “could no longer be ignored”, and with totems willed into serving as their placeholders. The poplar, for example, is a visual reminder of the titular grandaunt, whose cremation site is guarded by the fabled tree. 'The Fanged Poet' whose story bookends the album is similarly “a dispossessed spectre haunting the derelict sites of what was once home.”</p> <p>On 'Partition', one of the record’s more serene and lingering tracks, Qaisar encrypts yet another dimension to his interactions with history. It is part tribute and part requiem for the powerful legend of another ancestor, this time his great-grandmother, who had undertaken the perilous journey from Glgit to Leh in 1947, with four young children in tow. Just as a refugee’s journey interminably connects their home and their destination, the sonic layers on 'Partition' mutate harmoniously into a hazy mass, so that the sum of its parts is indistinct, indistinguishable, and never truly separate.</p> <p>In our email conversation, Qaisar talks about digitally restoring a series of home videos on VHS tape, describing them as “the last remaining phantasmic spectres that capture…the now long-gone characters and quotidian life of late 20th century Ladakh”. The fourth track, which originates from one of these videos documenting a relative Ramazan’s wedding, is his attempt to illuminate this lost memory with sound. (A visual from the video appears in the accompanying album booklet which holds other snapshots from the family archive and some of Ruhail’s own lens-based works).</p> <h5 style="margin-left: 80px;"><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5980-partition.png" /></h5> <h5 style="margin-left: 40px;"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-ad810fd4-7fff-9591-b68a-6b9c095a271b">Illuminating the generational trauma of partition with sound | Photo of Qaisar’s great-grandmother from accompanying album booklet</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>Recorded between Leh and Delhi, 'Fatima' also reinterprets the lexicon, exploring notions of the temporal, internal, and the inter-generational, that echo Qaisar’s experience growing up in a state that’s rapidly changing but not really improving, ravaged instead by the echoes of “old tragedies” and “present disasters”, wrought by late-capitalism, militarisation, and conservatism.</p> <p>In one of the record’s most foreboding tracks, where the deceitful calmness is quickly corroded by drones and garbling samples, Qaisar positions the abandoned hotels of Zangsti as the totems for “three different waves of tourism in Ladakh”. Qaisar recounts strolling past these structures during the pandemic, “[of] old hotels built between the 70's - 80’s that were once the pride and glory of locality, [were now] totally derelict. New upcoming properties [were] halfway constructed…or devoid of any staff or customers, windows covered in newspapers from 2003, collecting leaves, insects, and dust,” explaining the stasis left by the pandemic, when the tourism industry in Ladakh went anomalously cold-turkey for the first time in nearly fifty years, leaving the sustenance of his community in the lurch.</p> <p>Later in 'Painter Man', we’re placed in more intimate settings, with Ruhail’s attempt to connect listeners to the internal life of an artist, the fear of artistic failure and societal shaming in Ladakh, where creative endeavours are generally discouraged. There is a mention in the liner notes about musicians typically occupying the lowest rung of Ladakh’s social hierarchy, to the extent that the only two avenues to make a living, for Qaisar, were either in the “seasonal tourism industry or as a civil servant.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/7374-04.png" /><br /> <strong><i>“I wouldn’t change anything on the album…I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked” | Snapshot from accompanying album booklet</i></strong></h5> <p> </p> <p>Qaisar’s own politics are not divorced from the themes that emerge from his music. He works outside of binaries, untouched by the commodified logistics of indie music production and the demands of cultural logic, clout, or even the desire to be understood. “I frankly don’t care about that world…had no time to find comfort in its rot,” says Qaisar. “There was no choice but to make room.”</p> <p>Challenging and disorienting at first, Qaisar has sure-footedly carved his niche through a series of self-designed, self-taught steps, which has involved unlearning, transgressing disciplines and mediums of expression, discovering the liminal spaces where leftfield artists can unreservedly thrive. One of these spaces certainly was the HKCR residency where Qaisar put out 60-minute selections of compositions improvised and performed live on a Moog Model-D for the better part of a year. (In fact, earlier drafts of 'Namgang', 'Painter Man', and 'The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti' can be traced back to 'Hounds of Pamir' archives). It catapulted him to the international noise music “scene”, with a tour across Switzerland which allowed him to perform his new compositions before an intuitive audience, and later put him on Danse Noire’s radar.</p> <p>A record label founded by Swiss-Nepalese producer Aisha Devi, Danse Noire is presently on the frontlines of decolonising experimental music (which is still typically viewed through eurocentric lens) and on a mission to support noise’s barebones-DIY economy centred around self-releases and underground blogs, with a space where acts like Ruhail have access to the same resources and infrastructure as mainstream global music. For Qaisar, working with Danse was also rewarding because he never felt he had to compromise his vision for Fatima.</p> <p>Clocking in at about an hour<b>, '</b>Fatima', all said and done, is about an artist’s temerity to document his and his people’s histories, about resisting oblivion by preserving it in whatever form - image, text, sound. It is beyond immersion or abstention, an incredible evocation of space and intimacy in a way not normally considered possible for music to communicate.</p> <p>At the time of this interview, Qaisar was preparing for his debut at Berghain, where he performed shortly after, for the CTM Festival alongside DIS FIG. Unfazed by streaming figures, he reports being thrilled with the initial response to 'Fatima'. When asked about this journey and if he would have done anything differently, Qaisar politely declines, saying, “I see most aberrations as rewards, I welcome them, I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked.”</p> <p>“Only thing I can assure is that everything that was done on this album would not be repeated in the next.”</p> <h5>.</h5> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by Prarthana Mitra</em></p> <p><em>Image by Adnan Zayed</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0831-ruhail-qaisar.jpg', 'picture' => '2748-ruhail-qaisar-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s 'Fatima' predates even...'), 'href' => '/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '19908', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18761', 'createdDate' => '2022-09-28 13:52:52', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2022-10-13 14:38:19', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Spotlight: Akshat Nauriyal (Yesnomaybe, St+Art, Now Delhi, Awaaz)', 'date' => '13/10/2022', 'artists' => 'Teddy Boy Kill, Hoirong', 'business' => 'St+rt India Foundation', 'content' => '<p>Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined up on Mumbai’s nearly-150-years-old <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassoon_Docks" target="_blank">Sassoon dock</a>. They overlooked the hectic rhythms of the fish market below, wafting in concentrated doses of the smell that is part of almost everyone’s experience of the seaside city.</p> <p>In a population more used to having the faces of movie stars plastered across its streets and public spaces, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_tahska/?hl=en" target="_blank">Akshat Nauriyal</a>’s co-created (with Pranav Gohil) array of portraits on Sassoon Dock pushed back on it by giving the limelight to the docks’ primary community and Mumbai’s earliest settlers: the fisherfolk.</p> <p>“To be able to speak to people, learn about their communities, sensitise myself about their dynamics, and then be able to bring that into the project was the most important takeaway for me,” says the New Delhi artist of capturing and exhibiting those portraits in 2017 as a contribution to French artist JR’s global participatory art initiative ‘<a href="https://www.insideoutproject.net/en/explore/group-action/sassoon-dock" target="_blank">Inside Out</a>’. By making the fisherfolks the subject of the portraits, convincing them about the work, capturing their likeness with a pop-up photo studio and then plastering the stylised results across the space that they define, Nauriyal and his colleagues highlighted the predominant trinity of Koli, Hindu Maratha and Banjara communities.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/6396-inside-out.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Inside Out at Sassoon Dock</em></h5> <p>“To bring the voices of people that are usually not heard from, or stories that are left on the wayside by the mainstream – those define the projects that I am always interested in”, explains Nauriyal as the mandate that drove his effort at Sassoon dock and his wider body of work. That body of work includes co-founding St+art, the collective and platform now widely celebrated for galvanising the undercurrents of street art in India by transforming localities like New Delhi’s Lodhi Colony and Shahpur Jat and creating India’s largest as well as tallest murals; documentaries capturing the capital city’s underground sub-cultures; socio-political stance-charged Instagram filters that examined social media platforms as a space for activism; short films tracing music-driven activism in different countries; music acts ranging from Another Vertigo Rush and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3598-teddy-boy-kill" target="_blank">Teddy Boy Kill</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4660-hoirong" target="_blank">Hoirong</a> and <a href="https://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/music/2020/aug/07/akshat-nauriyal-on-his-solo-project-yesnomaybe-his-upcoming-ep-and-augmented-reality-as-a-performat-27115.html" target="_blank">Yesnomaybe</a>; and currently, an ongoing project that keeps <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irom_Chanu_Sharmila" target="_blank">Irom Sharmila</a> (famously known as the ‘Iron Lady Of Manipur’) at its centre while it inquires into the cost borne by the leader of a movement.</p> <p>Whether music, film, augmented reality or paint-based, the New Delhi artist’s efforts carry an easily notable sub-layer of activism, which has founds its necessity rooted as far back as he can remember.</p> <h3><b>Early Beginnings</b></h3> <p>Coming from a military background, Akshat was privy to the slow cogs of government offices which worked its way into disillusionment with the system around the time he developed his initial interests in arts and culture. He recalls sitting stunned listening to tracks by the likes Rage Against The Machine after downloading them off of Napster at the cusp of Indian households getting connected to the Internet and finding his thoughts make cohesion within the activist lyricism of the band and similar angsty associates.</p> <p>The result was a deep-seated formative ethos that leaned towards art that stands for change and of having ready access to it. An ethos which was held back from getting showcased, save for through the array of rock bands that he drummed for during his school and college, while he navigated through the most common education pathway of engineering degrees and college placements prescribed to middle-class Indian kids. Eventually and gradually course-correcting himself with a move towards filmmaking and work for NDTV’s ‘Almost Famous’, Akshat started venturing out on his own around 2007 and 2008.</p> <h3><b>Now Delhi</b></h3> <p>“Because of being involved with the music scene, I was involved with a whole bunch of creative people from across the spectrum. Art galleries and things usually have a specific kind of people coming to them, but I’ve found that music is quite open in terms of the kind of audience it draws,” says Akshat. “Through that experience, I started seeing this other side of Delhi which I hadn’t experienced before I met these performance artists, digital artists and all kinds of artists who were the same age as me and were trying to push the envelope.”</p> <p>Making these artists the focus of his first major venture as an independent filmmaker, Akshat, who often works under the pseudonym Tahska, established ‘Now Delhi’, a film studio now synonymous with a run of short documentaries it generated on the likes of street artists, B-boys, extreme metal groups and rap cyphers in the capital. “At that time, you could still say that there was this underground – an underbelly that Delhi had which nobody was talking about in the mainstream media,” he continues, expanding upon his comparison of a city to a living breathing thing defined by the people that it in turn influences. “‘Now Delhi’ delivered an exploration of that. It was an exploration of all the different kinds of subcultures that exist in the city, and also how the artists are responding to the city itself.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vlCt2ji7IFA" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The films exposed a running motif early on – one of prioritising the question. Akshat carries strong openings and convictions, but they remain held back when he is behind the artistic lens to allow for the audience to do their own thinking. The ‘Now Delhi’ film on Khirkee Extension, a collective effort of street artists to create art around the namesake South Delhi locality, presents the artists reflecting on the economic dichotomy of the neighbourhood and how it inspires their art. They retell how the kids kept engaging with the creation process of the murals before the documentary ends with the local elders frustratingly venting how they don’t get the purpose of this art and its messaging. The film invites the viewer to ponder over the significance of the street artists’ efforts and their relation to the residents of the locality.</p> <p>“It’s something that I’ve tried to carry forward with all my work,” explains Akshat. “It comes from being able to first understand what the people who actually I’m trying to talk about feel, rather than impose my preconceived idea of what they might want to talk about.” For all the films of ‘Now Delhi’, Akshat first became a part of the sub-cultures he was highlighting or a close associate before micing them up. A decade later, with his current subject being a national icon like Irom Sharmila, he is tagging along to observe her usual going-abouts to discover the narrative naturally instead of imposing it. “I’ve always been a fan of gonzo journalism, like Hunter S Thomson and his writing – in terms of just immersing yourself in a situation to truly tell the story.”</p> <h3><b>St+art</b></h3> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6NaQbBiSMsI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Being close to his subjects meant Akshat had become a close associate of the street community of India, having made them the focus of ‘Now Delhi’ multiple times. Sharing a studio with one of its proponents, Hanif Kureshi, he soon found himself teaming up with Arjun Bahl, Giulia Ambrogi and Thanish Thomas to create the five-piece team that would become the founders of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/startindiafoundation/">St+art</a>.</p> <p>“There was an initial conversation about doing a festival, which we did without having any idea that it [St+art] would become this behemoth of an organization,” Akshat recounts the early days of the organization with the festival bringing together the artists to Shahpur Jat and its founders being hands-on with everything from moving the ladders and bringing the paints to Nauriyal documenting the process. “It was a logical progression for ‘Now Delhi’ to transition to St+art India,” quips Akshat, noting how the documentaries took a backseat as the workload got higher and allowed him to honour his formative drives of making art accessible while exploring a city and the many narratives it homes.</p> <p>Within a few years, St+art became a go-to organization for cultural consulates and medium to big brands, creating local landmarks across the country and transforming neighbourhoods, especially in New Delhi and Mumbai. The former’s Lodhi Colony remains defined by the makeover given by the collective during its annual festival. It was the place where St+art was fully able to realize its early motivations of creating art that was available to all and integrated all – specifically, through participatory murals, singing workshops, painting workshops and the like. Yet as the organization became a brand in itself, the ship started to feel too big to steer into radical corners – which Akshat still longed to address.</p> <p>“The initial years of anything are the best. They're the most honest. They're the most genuine. They're the closest to the vision that you start with. As things get bigger, there comes a set of compromises that one has to start making. I think that's the nature of anything that becomes big after a point of time,” he concludes his around half-a-decade-long journey with the prominent street art collective.</p> <h3><b>Yesnomaybe, Augmented/Virtual Reality</b></h3> <p>As St+art began to fade out from his professional life, his other continuing artistic efforts began to appear more prominently in the limelight again. Adding another feather to the musical cap, Akshat debuted his solo moniker Yesnomaybe, an outlet where he brings together all the facets of his work as marries the retrofuturism of synth-rock with the futurism of interactive filters and augmented reality-driven films. The latter also becoming a device for Akshat to continue posing topical questions while creating work that stood for something.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3_dwP09Genk" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>2019 was a particularly politically-charged year for India: BJP, the country’s right-wing majoritarian government, was re-elected to power with a higher parliamentary presence; it used it to abrogate Kashmir’s special status; and introduced the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act which faced nationwide protests that were met with controversial police violence. With augmented reality, Akshat offered tried to offer a response for all of it: a filter fashioned after prime minister Narendra Modi that let out the word “lie” every time you open your mouth, headers stating stances on Kashmir and CAA, and, for the following year’s state elections in Delhi, an interactive quiz where you can nod or shake your head based on who you’re voting for.</p> <p>“I felt social media platforms are almost like the new town halls where people are coming and discussing things. It was an interesting space to explore to try and also see if I could create work that could help on ground movements and also get people involved more than just changing a display picture,” says Akshat. “It was honestly a social experiment.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:16px;"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Akshat Nauriyal (@_tahska)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script> <p>Within days, around a million people saw the multiple of the filters. The mode of activism was talked about by the likes of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/1/29/meet-the-artists-resisting-indias-new-citizenship-law">Al Jazeera</a>, attracting loud pro-government commentators to Akshat’s profile alongside concern for safety by well-wishers. The work definitely rattled a few minds and sparked newer questions in Akshat’s own. “I started a conversation about what use it actually played in society. On my Instagram Stories, I asked people the question, whether they thought that it was just armchair activism or whether it actually led to any kind of change,” he remarks. Alongside equal amounts of opposing viewpoints, the “social (media) experiment” also saw its second phase as the platforms began, in most cases, a silent clampdown on politically-charged use of its platform. The traction for the filters and their related posts began to go down and, as is currently being highlighted in courts, the platforms themselves had to cater to clampdowns by the government. “It was also quite disillusioning, because the same platforms, which are supposed to be platforms for free speech are the ones that ended up censoring you,” reports Akshat.</p> <h3><b>Awaaz</b></h3> <p>With censoring becoming more and more obvious and Instagram itself pivoting from a creator-friendly platform, Akshat moved his exploration into creating meaningful work and examining the modes for it to other outlets: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHAWPwVJC2w/" target="_blank">installations</a>, talks and, coming a full circle, to films again. As part of Goethe-Institut’s ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19288-m-a-p-a-m-p-highlights-performances-stories-of-musicians-with-a-cause-including-ahmer-sheetal-sathe-more" target="_blank">M.A.P // A.M.P</a>’, the filmmaker created a series of documentaries entitled <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19524-awaaz-akshat-nauriyal-creates-documentary-films-on-protest-music-histories-of-india-pakistan-sri-lanka-iran">‘Awaaz’</a>, turning the lens yet again to underrepresented artistic voices. Handpicking with the help of research and local social networks, ‘Awaaz’ highlighted politically outspoken artists from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Iran to look at the history of protests from these countries.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ml2iV7BfkLE" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“Anytime you go on Twitter, somebody is getting boycotted. We’re living in an age of outrage,” says Akshat, noting how any political discourse is getting mudied up online by internet trolls while a work of activist nature doesn’t get platformed enough outside it. Allaying that, ‘Awaaz’ unearthed the nature of dissent specific to each country – whether it was about signalling the erosion of administrative infrastructures and economy in Sri Lanka, which erupted within weeks of the film getting released, or the difficulty in finding a voice that can publicly speak against the powers that be in a country like Iran. “There was a responsibility that I had on my end which was to ensure that I don’t put out content that can eventually lead to trouble for them [the artists],” continues Akshat. “Which is why I did in a way where we were actually chronicling the past protest movements to give context of where the country is right now, rather than attack any of the present figures.”</p> <p>Even with the varying specifics, much like M.A.P // A.M.P’s crowdsourced repository of protest music, ‘Awaaz’ brought out the parallels between artistic activism around the world, signalling a unification of voices and the possibility of shared empathy. According to Akshat: “[The films] platform these movements in a way so that other people in other parts of the world can see that we’re all pretty similar and that there is merit to creating work like this.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/2386-irom-5.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Irom Sharmila with family by Akshat Nauriyal</em></h5> <p>“I feel a cycle has finished and a new cycle is beginning,” he adds as we agree on how the films on national sub-cultures with ‘Awaaz’ feel like coming a full circle in light of how films on Delhi’s sub-cultures with ‘Now Delhi’ kicked things off. Since finishing ‘Awaaz’, two of the countries Akshat turned his lens to have been taken over by protests, which have emerged out of the shadows to engulf the streets, at times, fulfilling predictions touched upon in the films. Meanwhile, Akshat has moved on to creating the new chapter for Yesnomaybe and shadowing Irom Sharmila, not just documenting the cost her struggle for fairer civil rights has demanded but also building a multi-faceted reflection of her poetry and personality. For the New Delhi creative, the parallels and narratives to be unearthed by his personal artistic vision continue to draw him to the margins.</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Word by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Profile image by Akshat Nauriyal</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5133-akshat-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5937-akshat-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined...'), 'href' => '/features/19908-spotlight-akshat-nauriyal-yesnomaybe-st-art-now-delhi-awaaz', 'key' => 'features')), 'repo' => 'https://repo.thewildcity.com/', 'host' => 'https://www.thewildcity.com', 'page' => null, 'bannerhead' => array(), 'bannertop' => array(), 'bannermid' => array(array('label' => 'Mailing List', 'url' => 'https://thewildcity.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=3fbebf9eadf7433315c051d4e&id=e053aa3ae5', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column middle', 'image' => '3413-signup.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'bannerlow' => array(array('label' => 'follow us on instagram', 'url' => 'https://www.instagram.com/thewildcity/', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column bottom', 'image' => '2532-followus.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')))) in Environment.php line 362
  12. at Twig_Environment->render('page.html.twig', array('pages' => array(array('id' => '385', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '310', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:36:32', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2020-12-28 13:16:03', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'About', 'content' => '<p>Wild City was established as an online music magazine and community platform in 2011. It has since grown to become an events company (hosting a variety of musical showcases, events and the annual Magnetic Fields Festival), cultural PR agency (City Press launched in 2015), consultants for brands engaging with contemporary music culture in India (partners include Boiler Room, Resident Advisor, Red Bull, Jameson, Bira 91, Puma, Social Offline, Bumble, Ray-Ban, Budweiser, British Council amongst others), and executors of regional cultural programs across South Asia.</p> <p>Dedicated to spotlighting the latest in alternative culture and music from India and South Asia, Wild City’s inception filled a much-needed gap in the Indian music space.<br /> <br /> A year after its establishment, Wild City partnered with Gerriet Schultz (founder of iconic Berlin club VMF) and the Goethe-Institut to create Border Movement, an online platform and series of events, workshops and residencies that promote interaction between grass roots electronic music communities in South Asia and Germany.<br /> <br /> In 2013, Wild City co-founded the first-ever Magnetic Fields, arguably India’s most popular boutique music festival. Taking place in Alsisar Mahal, Rajasthan, Magnetic Fields has been included in the ‘50 Best Music Festivals in the World’ by Time Out Magazine. It has also been lauded by Resident Advisor, New York Times and other notable publications.<br /> <br /> In 2016, Wild City further went on to win an award for 'Best Promoter in India' and co-curated the music stream of The Coalition.<br /> <br /> Wild City is the voice for alternative music in the region. Whether showcasing local or international sounds, the company constantly thrives to challenge and develop the independent cultural space and its audience.<br /> <br /> <strong>Contact Us:</strong><br /> <br /> Promos | Music Submissions: music@thewildcity.com<br /> Listings | News | Features: amaan@thewildcity.com<br /> Press | PR: ruhi@thewildcity.com<br /> Commercial | Ads | Partnerships: munbir@thewildcity.com<br /> Recruitment | Hotdesking: info@thewildcity.com<br /> Inquiries | General: info@thewildcity.com</p> ', 'slug' => 'about', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => '')), array('id' => '386', 'dataset' => '24', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '311', 'createdDate' => '2017-06-09 18:51:38', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2018-04-19 06:50:04', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Advertising', 'content' => '<p><sub>To advertise with Wild City please contact press@thewildcity.com. For partnerships please speak to munbir@thewildcity.com.</sub></p> ', 'slug' => 'advertising', 'position' => array('2'), 'visibility' => '2', 'meta' => ''))), 'feed' => array(array('id' => '20610', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19421', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-15 12:43:44', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-15 15:50:09', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '2023 In Review', 'date' => '15/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Vinayak^a, Komorebi, Sandunes, Dreamhour, Tarun Balani, Ruhail Qaisar, Rafiki, Ditty, Lush Lata, Mali, Oblique, Bulli Bainbridge, Merak, Dhanji', 'business' => 'Dynamite Disco Club', 'content' => '<p>2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of its predecessor and no change of digit has ever put a break on the continuity of trends, talent or conflict.</p> <p>The exercise of shedding light upon the developments in alternative music in the Indian subcontinent in a particular year and highlighting what we predict will ripple forward doesn’t just help people reflect on what has been and catch up on things they might have missed or overlooked. It also has proven to signal the upcoming prominence of budding artists.</p> <p>For instance, from our <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20037-2022-in-review" target="_blank">2022’s reflection</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chaardiwaari/" target="_blank">Chaar Diwaari</a> has since released on Def Jam India and collaborated with Yo Yo Honey Singh and all 3 of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11700-noni-mouse" target="_blank">Noni-mouse</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7080-kiss-nuka" target="_blank">Kiss Nuka</a> made their Boiler Room debuts with the latter two also doing prominent shows in UK and Berlin respectively.</p> <p>Eitherway, we find it worth pausing to take in what we witnessed in 2023 – a year, that wasn’t the first period out of the pandemic but the one where the visions, growth and ideas developed on an individual level during the pandemic were exercised and showcased to its fullest.</p> <p>See what that looked like by focusing on handpicked artists and their work in the past year below:</p> <h3><b>Vinayak^a</b></h3> <p>A long-standing figure of Indian dancefloors, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/129-vinayak-a" target="_blank">Vinayak^a</a> would have defined 2023 in alternative music space just through the sheer quantity of his releases alone. While things had been sporadic on the release front in the nearly two decades-worth of career for the Chennai-based DJ-producer, 2023 was filled with a drop after another. Out of them, ‘Andar Bandar’, Vinayak^a’s second-ever solo LP looms large. Layers from electronic to sampled organic collide to create rich atmospheric tapestries while Vinayak^a shows how spoken word samples can be used to add to the textures rather than as devices to spoonfeed a message and emotion.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2587720108/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Andar Bandar by vinayak^a</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sandunes</b></h3> <p>Almost every year is filled with some commendable work by this electronica frontrunner but 2023 stands out for Sanaya Ardeshir aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/301-sandunes" target="_blank">Sandunes</a> through her most ambitious release to date: the album ‘The Ground Beneath Her Feat'. The 13-track release combines all the aspects Sandunes has become known for: the meticulously layered synth layers, syncopating grooves and experimentations with guest vocalists. She dials it all up another notch with the sweetness of woodwinds. The result is a work of electronica that’s in parts at par in its reflective emotionality with the best of any year or region. I recommend going in with ‘Tsunami’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3390681302/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Sandunes</iframe></p> <h3><b>Komorebi</b></h3> <p>If we are talking ambition, Tarana Marwah aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/177-komorebi" target="_blank">Komorebi</a>’s album ‘The Fall’ isn’t just one of the most ambitious works of 2023 but of any year so far for India’s indie music. Released with a comic, music videos, tying lore and scores of collaborations within it, the multi-tiered album goes back and forth between being an electropop effort and a progressive structured work suitable for a musical with its dramatic shifts between ideas.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QxmEUt3fVfk?si=1TE4A17yNNsq6Qw3" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Mali</b></h3> <p>In the case of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17335-mali" target="_blank">Mali</a>, it’s been about focusing on the basics. There were no added frills, just an album i.e. ‘Semi Automatic Butane’, music videos to help present it and a busy tour to support it. Within those basics, the Mumbai artist tightened her songwriting to indie-pop perfection and offered it with economically picked ideas. For a listener of the style, the album is destined to achieve that rarer-than-expected feat among independent releases, which is, to be part of people’s playlists beyond its promotional cycle.</p> <p>That itself is enough and yet, the singer-songwriter enjoyed another breakout success with her efforts in Tamil music with the worth checking out ‘<a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=n7_tASChbw4" target="_blank">Anniku Raatri</a>’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=969156237/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Semi Automatic Butane by Mali</iframe></p> <h3><b>Dhanji</b></h3> <p>After a long buildup to it, Gujrat’s rap artist <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20330-dhanji" target="_blank">Dhanji</a> released his <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20328-dhanji-releases-his-earnestly-awaited-debut-album-ruab" target="_blank">debut album ‘Ruab’</a> and the whirring repetitions of the title have been echoing in our brains ever since. The 11-track release brings in elements from funk, rock and even electronica but without compromising on the qualities of hip-hop as meticulously written verses flow through a dramatic progression of ideas. The album, supported via live performances throughout the year, is an instance where the ambitiousness is purely musical and demonstrates the kind of risk-taking that hasn’t been seen in Indian hip-hop for a while.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1663662427&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Dhanji">Dhanji</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/dhanji-scmusic/sets/ruab-1" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="RUAB">RUAB</a></div> <h3><b>Kinari / Finsta</b></h3> <p>Another occasion of something fresh dropping in the space of hip-hop came through the New Delhi artist formerly known as Finsta with their EP ‘QUEERBOPS’. Not just due to the still rare instance of queer narratives finding a space in the genre, but rather for the merit that Finsta deals with both hip-hop and themes around queerness with a distinctly and naturally fitting Indian flavour. Though the artist has since reinvented themself as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kinaripurrs/" target="_blank">Kinari</a> with already an album entitled ‘KATTAR KINNAR’ in the pipeline, the strong statements over the added delight of an experimental edge of the 6-track release still manages to move the body and shake the brain.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/2fvC5Y9lS5Y34t6GdPAovG?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Dot.</b></h3> <p>While her involvement in the lead cast of ‘The Archies’, Bollywood’s most-talked-about movie of 2023, looms larger than anything for most, it was a good year for people who know Aditi Saigal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20131-dot" target="_blank">Dot.</a> as a musician first. Alongside inviting the audience to witness her growth as a live performer over the year, the singer-songwriter ended the period with a collection of recordings from her practice room as an album entitled ‘Practice Rooms’, which even kicks off with her most popular raw take of ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’. At the same time, the year saw her at her most polished with the soft pop of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20135-dot-begins-to-find-a-new-voice-with-indigo" target="_blank">Indigo</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u0OG7rjgqxc?si=TfyMy6H5EhmXkcaB" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Long Distances</b></h3> <p>A product of remote collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/11187-aarifah-rebello">Aarifah Rebello</a>, Apurv Agrawal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/456-cowboy-and-sailor-man">Cowboy &amp; Sailor Man</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zubinski/">Zubin Pastakia</a>’s combined effort <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20375-long-distances" target="_blank">Long Distances</a> has outlasted the shadows of the pandemic, outliving most other projects born in that period. In 2023, the trio started unfolding singles that would lead up to the EP ‘How the Mighty Will Fall’ and through live performances, solidified their name among the newest generation of indie live groups of India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=3217313286/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Delicate Surrender by Long Distances</iframe></p> <h3><b>Excise Department</b></h3> <p>2023 was also the year New Delhi got to familiarise itself better with their new alternative hip-hop heads <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20177-excise-dept-take-a-dig-at-the-absurdity-in-present-day-religious-figures-on-baaro-maala" target="_blank">Excise Department</a> – which always remains tricky for an act that likes to stay anonymous and operate in English, Bengali and Punjabi. Alongside their debut live show and several others since, the group released 3 defining singles, namely ‘Baaro Maala’, ‘Birhada’ and ‘Billo’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oq_Qql2yu78?si=sc-JTcSKJNmKbyyf" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Yuhina</b></h3> <p>While talking of acts we got to familiarise ourselves with in 2023, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yuhinalachungpa/?hl=en" target="_blank">Yuhina Lachungpa</a> is an easy mention for her debut EP at the tail-end of the year. After years of having just the occasional collaboration and self-released work, the Bangalore-based Sikkim-rooted artist combined Buddhist chants and equally meditative lyricism about self with electropop production on the 5-track EP ‘Mnemonic’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4076191914/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">MNEMONIC by Yuhina</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bengal Chemicals</b></h3> <p>Even with the occasional emerging and new acts, it still felt like the alternative music space of the region had a decline in fresh talent and fresher growth. That story seemed completely different in leftfield genres like noise and ambient. Pritam Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bengal.chemicals/?hl=en" target="_blank">Bengal Chemicals</a> emerged as a good representative of the renaissance that seems to be emerging in Kolkata in these genres. While there is no shortage of recommendable works (shoutout to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20316-harmonium-ambient-torture-form-the-basis-of-nilotpal-das-aka-bios-contrast-s-harmonium-i">Nilotpal Das’ ‘Harmonium I’</a>), Bengal Chemicals’ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20186-bengal-chemicals-channels-deteriorating-cityscapes-on-sophomore-ep-via-biswa-bangla-noise">sophomore EP ‘তা​র​ক’</a> is the best way into unravelling the leftfield undercurrents that hopefully will get their rightful place in the discourse and industry around alternative music.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2291060274/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">তারক by Bengal Chemicals</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ruhail</b></h3> <p>Whether the spotlight is on noise or not, Ladakh's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4979-ruhail-qaisar" target="_blank">Ruhail Qaisar</a>’s album <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima" target="_blank">‘Fatima’ is one of the strongest albums of the year</a>. A most uncompromising and unflinching take on identity and personal history, Ruhail’s debut album, released via Danse Noir, is both about self and the world he comes from – its people, its transformations and tragedies. A layered work that uncovers meanings the more you dig into it and learn about its references and elements, ‘Fatima’ is a testament to the merit of being free from expectations and believing in one’s own artistic impulses – a quality that has also taken the artist to stages <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CttObMvoVIh/" target="_blank">across the EU</a> including Berlin's famed Berghain for the CTM festival.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <h3><b>Philtersoup</b></h3> <p>Sanjay Das aka <a href="https://www.instagram.com/philtersoupmusic/?hl=en" target="_blank">Philtersoup</a> has been present in the undercurrents of India’s alternative music for a while but the Mumbai-based producer-composer found greater agency in 2023. Besides experimental A/V shows in art studios and synth jams, Das performed alongside <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20068-karshni" target="_blank">Karshni Nair</a> and released the collaborative single ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20263-karshni-philtersoup-release-collaborative-single-long-gone" target="_blank">Long Gone</a>’. Parallely, he served as a music supervisor on the OTT-release ‘Rainbow Rishta’, helping cross over more of India’s independent music to the OTT-media audience.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=4239800201/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Long Gone by philterSoup x Karshni</iframe></p> <h3><b>Sourya Sen</b></h3> <p>Operating in close proximity and joining in on the aforementioned synth jams with Philtersoup, Sourya Sen (also known as <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/17413-oblique" target="_blank">Oblique</a>) has not only been a longstanding presence as a live visual artist for some leading independent artists but has also been one of the most evocative abstractionists within the modular synth space. The claim is no less potent when paired with his 11-track memoir of the places he has lived entitled ‘In The Cities’. Top that with his input at the earliest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkyBRg9A6EA" target="_blank">A/V show</a> at one of Mumbai’s newest (certainly one of its most heavily discussed in recent memory) spaces i.e. the <a href="https://nmacc.com/" target="_blank">NMACC</a>, and the Mumbai-based artist’s creative footprint is as relevant as it is subtle within the portrait of 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2242427289/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">In the Cities by Sourya Sen</iframe></p> <h3><b>I7HVN</b></h3> <p>It was a year of growth for Safar collective co-founder <a href="https://www.instagram.com/i7hvn/?hl=en" target="_blank">I7HVN</a>, who stepped beyond his IDM and trip-hop experiments for two long-form releases that showcased moments of self-realisation and a comfortable embrace of his styles. After the abstract atmospheres of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a>-released ‘Youthful’, Bangalore producer put out a broken beat techno EP ‘Anodyne’ at the end of the year. His best moments emerge within the restrained ambience of ‘Youthful’s closer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20252-first-look-i7hvn-sanoli-chowdhury-collaborate-on-imaginary-love">‘Imaginary Love’, which features Sanoli Chowdhury</a>, and the opening title track of ‘Anodyne’.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=514984918/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Youthful by I7HVN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Merak</b></h3> <p>While the Goan sibling duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20296-merak" target="_blank">Merak</a> isn’t the first to bring jazz into electronica, there is a balanced tastefulness in their work which gets rendered even more potent in the hands of seasoned acts like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a> and in the shared prowess of collaborators like Shreyas Iyenger – both of whom appeared on the duo’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20300-dreampop-electronica-jazz-mix-on-merak-s-manic-mode" target="_blank">EP ‘Manic Mode’</a>. Besides the appreciable release, Merak frequently became part of the festival lineups around the year to leave a lasting imprint on Indian alternative music’s 2023.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=553102807/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 274px;">Manic Mode EP by Merak</iframe></p> <h3><b>Seasonal Affected Beats</b></h3> <p>It’s hard to think of an artist who has seemed harder working in 2023 than New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4958-tarun-balani" target="_blank">Tarun Balani</a>. The multi-instrumentalist, educator and composer kicked off the year by touring his A/V show ‘2°’ with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/16948-spotlight-parizad-d" target="_blank">Parizad D</a> as Seasonal Affected Beats and filled the year treading the line between meticulous and intuitive through the music from his album ‘Where the Ice Meets the Water’. Add to that another tour in support of the album and two singles focusing on his more jazz-centric work with the Dhamma Collective, and it’s been undoubtedly big 12 months for Tarun Balani.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1503216166/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Where the Ice Meets the Water by Seasonal Affected Beats, Tarun Balani</iframe></p> <h3><b>Debo Sanyal / Dokodoko </b></h3> <p>Is it a cliché to call something ‘underrated’ at this point? If it is, then it’s unfitting of me to use a cliché for someone who usually offers anything but that. Siliguri’s Deno Sanyal aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4501-dreamhour" target="_blank">Dreamhour</a> has been dropping quality music full of humour, underexplored styles and singular quirk for years now. More recently, it has found a partner with the complimentary irreverence and straightfaced attitude (which translates sonically as well) of Dr. Kritika as the duo releases music as Dokodoko – <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20419-dokodoko-release-grunge-infused-hindi-electropop-with-shor" target="_blank">gracing 2023 with a foray into Hindi electropop</a>. For more puristical Dreamhour synth bops, the album ‘Now That We Are’ is as punchy as it comes alongside proving that there are still grounds to explore and fun to be had with synthwave.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3930647123/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Now That We Are Here by Dreamhour</iframe></p> <h3><b>Warehouse Mix</b></h3> <p><a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Warehouse Mix</a> is the latest (and increasingly rare) case of a bunch of young creatives coming together not for the primary purpose of making a quick profit but rather to create something “cool” or something that they believe in. In this case the belief is around the original ethos of house music and its ability to provide spaces for diverse expression. While the collective has been budding over the years, 2023 saw them break their immediate bubbles to create bigger impacts, hosting their flagship <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20428-hence-anticlub-a-club-outside-the-club-where-we-can-build-everything-from-scratch-warehouse-mix-on-their-flagship-weekend-party" target="_blank">Anticlub</a> parties, live percussion dances and vinyl-only sessions at the city outskirts.</p> <h3><b>Dynamite Disco Club</b></h3> <p>Another collective based near house music (and several other adjacent styles) but more defined by its experienced members, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/18599-dynamite-disco-club" target="_blank">Dynamite Disco Club</a> has been one of our year-defining acts in the past – the year it announced that it would function as a label as well. But this year, DDC embodies the idea that 2023 was the period all the visions developed during the COVID-19 pandemic about life after it were fully realised (as much as they will ever likely be). Besides a string of its parties throughout the year and having a space at almost every notable music festival in the country, the label realised releases from not just its well-known members like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/5027-stalvart-john" target="_blank">Stalvart John</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3929-hamza" target="_blank">Hamza Rahimtula</a>, but also newer talents like ISHXN and even bigger list of foreign acts. On top of importing off-shore acts to its label, the collective also took its domestic talent reach out to shores beyond with Stalvart John touring through parts of South and East Asia.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=2610448964/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Disco Disco, Good Good (Original mix) by ISHXN</iframe></p> <h3><b>Lush Lata</b></h3> <p>It was a big year for New Delhi’s <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>, who reached a milestone in her ascent as a DJ with a set at dance music mecca Berlin’s The Berghain early in the year as part of CTM Festival. Since then the stripes have kept attaching in the form of live sets for the likes of HÖR, Rinse and Kiosk Radio, and, constantly, the Indian dancefloors.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1464837649&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <h3><b>Rafiki</b></h3> <p>Through his work as a longstanding promoter and DJ, Sohail Arora aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7552-rafiki" target="_blank">Rafiki</a> has maintained his relevance for a while. This year, however, there was heightened emphasis on his musical output in the form of two EPs: first in the form of ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20144-rafiki-gives-retro-sounds-a-modern-edge-on-the-source" target="_blank">The Source</a>’ and then ‘New Shifts’. Surrounding it, the Mumbai-based music industry professional delivered notable mixes, joined his curation for Boiler Room, and toured through Europe, Sri Lanka and clubs across India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=141835852/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 340px;">New Shifts by Rafiki</iframe></p> <h3><b>Ditty</b></h3> <p>2023 also was the year of the return of Aditi Veena aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/12649-ditty" target="_blank">Ditty</a>. Though the singer-songwriter was hardly gone, having toured in the latter half of 2022 and releasing music as part of the group Faraway Friends before that, this year saw her put out her <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20452-exclusive-first-listen-ditty-offers-a-distinct-approach-to-indie-pop-with-single-hold-me-from-the-ep-skin" target="_blank">first solo release in 4 years</a> – during which she battled a major illness, got married and partly relocated to Berlin. The trickle of releases started with a collaborative track with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8232-jordan-johnson" target="_blank">Jordan Johnson</a> (another artist who put out standout work in 2023) and followed into the rollout of her own EP ‘Skin’ with live dates punctuating the process.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=966494420/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;">Hold Me by DITTY</iframe></p> <h3><b>Bulli Bainbridge</b></h3> <p>If you’re an avid listener of indie music and yet don’t know who Zain Calcuttawala is, it’s still likely you have unknowingly enjoyed his contributions. Besides his past as a gig programmer, the multi-faceted talent has been hosting podcasts on mental health and more popularly producing for everyone from Bhrighu Sahni and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19113-second-sight" target="_blank">Second Sight</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18207-raghav-meattle" target="_blank">Raghav Meattle</a>. His work with his moniker <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18024-bulli-bainbridge" target="_blank">Bulli Bainbridge</a> has been no less versatile. He kicked off the year with an album entitled ‘Seasons’ that saw contributions from the likes of Ankit Dayal, BobKat, and Bombay Dub Orchestra and followed it with a collaborative hip-hop single ‘One Me’. Since then, the producer, engineer and composer has been reimagining some of the most popular recent indie hits – cue an orchestral version of Bloodywood, a lo-fi cut of Raghav Meattle’s ‘City Life’ and a swing-era take of Dot’s ‘Everybody Dances To Techno’.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5ZULHCsrfC91weo5SUtENC?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius:12px" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words: Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Image Design: Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9199-2022-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '4028-2023-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '2024 is well underway and shaping up its own identity. However, no year is immune to the shadow of...'), 'href' => '/features/20610-2023-in-review', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20609', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19420', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-14 12:37:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-14 12:45:06', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #234: Hammer', 'date' => '14/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>A member of the <a href="http://www.feelmybicep.com/" target="_blank">Feel My Bicep</a> crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go on to form the duo Bicep), Rory Hamilton aka <a href="https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/hammer" target="_blank">Hammer</a> isn't just someone who has a sense for discovering interesting electronica works. After decades of hosting parties in Glasgow and later London, as well as spinning records the world over, the Belfast-born talent knows how to stitch together those records to create moments of passionate revelry.</p> <p>India has bore witness to that skill multiple times at this point as Hamilton returned to the country earlier this year <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/11647-london-based-dj-producer-hammer-announces-show-in-delhi" target="_blank">after half a decade</a>, adding dates in Goa and Kolkata alongside Delhi and Mumbai before jetting off to Sri Lanka for further performances with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for an 8-show tour of India and Sri Lanka. He recorded a mix for Wild City in Sri Lanka at the end of his tour to look back at his time in the region, which also included signing on Kolkata's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/7818-8-bit-culprit" target="_blank">8-bit culprit</a> – the second artist from India to work with the label after New Delhi Anhad Khanna aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19691-sublime-sound-releases-club-ready-ep-that-love-affair-through-hammer-s-remmah-records" target="_blank">Sublime Sound</a>.</p> <p>"From the first ever gig I played in Auro in New Delhi, I learnt that the dance floor in India is special in that the sense of excitement is genuinely palpable. Taking risks pays off," says Hamilton. "I’ve also learnt that like every country, each city is different and you need to be ready to fit into it."</p> <p>Consequently, while often operating close to house, disco and some techno, how Hammer uses a particular style can vary. Recorded at The Luna Terrace of Galle's Closenburg Hotel, the HQ of Tropical Wax, the Wild City mix goes from an unreleased remix of Syreeta Wright's chants on 'Shanti', to the disco-inspired Baldo Remix of Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami's 'Sugar Snap'. Testifying Hammer's abilities to create notable moments in his sets, the mix offers several instances – from the melody-led energy of Two Mamarrachos to the respite of the laidback chords of Madvilla's 'Galactic Banana'. The best, however, is the house-meets-pop euphoria that comes almost as a cinematic euphoric climax to the mix with an unreleased track featuring the voice of Lili Chan.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thehammerhits/" target="_blank">Hammer</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tropicalwaxsrilanka/" target="_blank">Tropical Wax</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-234-hammer%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-234-hammer" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #234: Hammer</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Suricata - Algo Para La Fiesta (Alma &amp; Mater Dub)<br /> Syreeta - Shanti (Hammer Remix) [He She They]<br /> Two Mamarrachos - Let's Find Another After [Nein]<br /> Calystarr - Heartdown (Tronik Youth Remix)<br /> MADVILLA - Galactic Banana<br /> Demi Riquísimo &amp; Manami - Sugar Snap (Baldo Remix) [Semi Delicious]<br /> HAMMER - Swivel [Skylax]<br /> Aaron Rutherford - Infinite Cycle<br /> Hammer - Highland ft. Lili Chan [He She They]<br /> KIRA BLUSH - What u Want [Remmah]<br /> Dharma - Turbulence [Remmah]<br /> HAMMER - Swerve [Skylax]</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7604-hammer-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '8183-wc-mix-hammer-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'A member of the Feel My Bicep crew alongside the likes of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson (who'd go...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20609-wild-city-234-hammer', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20606', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19417', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-12 09:20:09', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-12 12:20:42', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'sudan Strikes A Fine Balance Of Styles With 'omg'', 'date' => '12/03/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release under its critique is <a href="https://microplastics.substack.com/p/wiping-the-moistness-from-music-criticism?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank">at least 6 out of 10</a>, it's refreshing to come across a piece of music from an artist just starting out that's easy to get behind with robust promise. 22-year-old Pritpal <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">Sudan</a> from Mumbai, who is previously seen backing the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18225-releases-of-the-week-okedo-ditty-the-revisit-project-more" target="_blank">Anoushka Maskey</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20015-lavi-foenix-give-a-blend-of-rock-disco-for-the-internet-generation-on-no-phones-at-the-dinner-table" target="_blank">Lavi &amp; Foenix</a>, launched his solo act named after his last name with <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/18595-sudan-offers-bittersweet-affirmations-on-fire-snow" target="_blank">2021's 'Fire / Snow'</a>. Nearly 3 Years on, the producer and instrumentalist has announced his debut album 'sudan?', to be released on June 21, from which he has just released the single 'omg'.</p> <p>Lo-fi recording of soulful singing over large piano chords transforms into a brimming electropop-meets-neo soul passage a la Sampha or Kamaal Williams. The production keeps growing with moments of satisfying drops and layering styles over another without overpowering the previous or the songwriting – giving a perfect balance of interesting ideas without becoming too eager to impress.</p> <p>Listen to 'omg' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/notsudan/" target="_blank">sudan</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTOBfFzE_o4?si=ASspQLLmXpvX3d0x" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Pranav Marde</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '8267-sudan-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '8725-sudan-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'In an age when music criticism suffers from the lukewarm feeling that almost every music release...'), 'href' => '/news/20606-sudan-strikes-a-fine-balance-of-styles-with-omg', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20603', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19414', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-11 11:47:37', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-11 11:49:47', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'boxout.fm Recordings' 2nd V/A Compilation Sees Lush Lata Handpick Dancefloor Stompers', 'date' => '11/03/2024', 'artists' => 'MadStarBase, Lush Lata', 'business' => 'boxout.fm', 'content' => '<p>After <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19295-kohra-oceantied-zequenx-more-feature-on-first-of-boxout-fm-recordings-compilation-series-v-a-suchi-selects" target="_blank">2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS'</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4724-boxout-fm" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> is back with the second instalment of its artist-curated compilation series with 'LUSH LATA SELECTS' handpicked by New Delhi DJ <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/15695-lush-lata" target="_blank">Lush Lata</a>.</p> <p>The 7-track compilation kicks off with 'Cognac Bounce' by duo <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3908-madstarbase" target="_blank">MadStarBase</a>, who continue to prove themselves masters of creating booming dancefloor numbers with a sensual oomph while <a href="https://www.instagram.com/zealotantrik/" target="_blank">Zealotantrik</a> continues that boom but with the colour of some lo-fi artefacts. Following <a href="https://www.instagram.com/insowmya/" target="_blank">Insowmya</a>'s sampled esoteric percussion-heavy 'Shut Up', collaborative numbers by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pav4nco/" target="_blank">PAV4N</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sukhknight/" target="_blank">Sukh Knight</a>, as well as, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/captain.fuse/" target="_blank">Captain Fuse</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/muktmusic/" target="_blank">Mukt</a> highlight the defining quality of the compilation: heavy use of sampling, picking up vocal hooks from a variety of sources but more commonly vintage records and creating bass-led compositions.</p> <p>The latter collaboration by Captain Fuse and Mukt remains the most interesting offering on the compilation as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97-Ch6d2LBE" target="_blank">Geeta Dutt's 'Tumi Je Amaar'</a> transforms into a stuttering concoction of slow-funk and hip-hop.</p> <p>Listen to 'Lush Lata Selects' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/boxoutfmrecordings/" target="_blank">boxout.fm Recordings</a> for more.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3602297268/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 373px;">Lush Lata Selects by Various Artists</iframe></p> <p><em>Artwork by Sijya</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0028-lush-lata-selects-carousel.jpg', 'picture' => '4170-lush-lata-selects-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'After 2021's 'SUCHI SELECTS', boxout.fm Recordings is back with the second instalment of its...'), 'href' => '/news/20603-boxout-fm-recordings-2nd-v-a-compilation-sees-lush-lata-handpick-dancefloor-stompers', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20591', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19402', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-06 10:40:01', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-06 11:11:00', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Jyoty Singh Tours India As Part Of Ultra Soulflyp's Biggest Shows', 'date' => '06/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Jyoty Singh', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at weekly <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> events to more than half a decade of presenting a leading show at <a href="https://rinse.fm/" target="_blank">Rinse.fm</a> and a viral <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4569-boiler-room" target="_blank">Boiler Room</a> performance, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/?hl=en" target="_blank">Jyoty Singh</a> has always been privy to the cutting-edge sounds of the dancefloor. Stitching together the revelry of dancehall, afrobeats and funk when DJing live and tying threads between cultures when curating for her radio mixes, her parties '<a href="https://www.instagram.com/areyouhomegrown/" target="_blank">Homegrown</a>' and her magazine 'The Move', the Punjabi-descent Amsterdam-born London-based artist espouses versatility and ear for the fresh.</p> <p>The multi-faceted selector arrives in India for the first time since her breakout Boiler Room set gained popularity during the pandemic, performing at Mumbai's Famous Studio, Bengaluru's Sunburn Union and Gurugram's Imperfecto Patio on March 22, 23 and 24 respectively.</p> <p>The shows take place as part of <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp</a>, the event series by Kingfisher Ultra, Wild City and Gently Altered which kicked off almost a year ago and has taken over spaces across the country with various styles of dance music over the year. With support yet to be announced, the dates with Jyoty are slated to be Ultra Soulflyp's biggest celebrations to date as it promises to amp up its curation, capacity and immersiveness to make live music a multi-sensorial experience.</p> <p>Reserve your spots for the events and find out more about Kingfisher Ultra Soulflyp through its <a href="https://www.ultrasoulflyp.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and follow Jyoty Singh <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jyoty/" target="_blank">here</a>. Listen to her Boiler Room set below to get a sense of what to expect.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2VrztYTNYT8?si=zotxj2S3zpV3o6Vh" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Filipa Aurélio</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9992-0-thumb--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'picture' => '4636-0-banner--filipa-aure-lio-jyoty-retratos-alta-22.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With a journey from being the cloakroom girl at East London's The Nest and handling the doors at...'), 'href' => '/news/20591-jyoty-singh-tours-india-as-part-of-ultra-soulflyp-s-biggest-shows', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20588', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19399', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-04 13:43:12', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-04 13:50:41', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Slowspin, Sijya, SIDD & More Feature On Ninja Tunes' Remix EP for Nabihah Iqbal's 'DREAMER'', 'date' => '04/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Slowspin, Sijya', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja_Tune" target="_blank">Ninja Tune</a>, bringing together South Asian acts, namely Pakistan's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/haideruppal/" target="_blank">Haider Uppal</a>, <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4495-slowspin" target="_blank">Slowspin</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/young_dervish/" target="_blank">Zak Khan</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/siddbeats_/" target="_blank">SIDD</a> as well as India's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/19290-sijya" target="_blank">Sijya</a>, to reimagine tracks off her 2023 EP 'DREAMER'. As a bonus, the release also features Berlin's Innervision's label-owner and one-half of Âme, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/frank__wiedemann/" target="_blank">Frank Wiedemann</a>, who remixes 'Zone 1 to 6000' from Nabihah's 2017 debut album 'Weighing of the Heart'.</p> <p>All the South Asian artists on the package have shared the stage with the London-based Pakistani-descent artist, who DJ-ed alongside Haider Uppal and SIDD on her first-ever gig in Pakistan, invited Slowspin and Zak Khan to support her during her US tour and discovered Sijya at London's Tate Modern, when the New Delhi artist toured the UK in 2023 before being asked to open for Nabihah at Yes Manchester.</p> <p>Both Haider Uppal and Sijya take a textural approach to their remixes with the former suffusing a techno beat with deep pads out of which harmonic melodies and string lines emerge and diffuse. Meanwhile, Sijya offers the grittiest outing with 'Sunflower' as synths fizzle and distort over a visceral thump and Nabihah's near-spoken singing places itself as a transcendent chant.</p> <p>Frank Wiedemann and SIDD, one of Karachi's most prominent DJ-producers, present two flipsides of techno with their remixes. There is a clear edge of experience with Frank's innovative and effective structuring and Berlin-associated spaciousness as acid house synth squelching plays against Nabihah's singing, highlighting its singular qualities, while SIDD offers a more Detroit-influenced take on the genre with atmospheric spoken voice deepening the minimal nature of the production.</p> <p>The remixes play off of Nabihah's unique vocal style, an element that takes centre stage on Slowspin's sparse remix of the title track from 'DREAMER' alongside Zak Khan's gentle piano-playing, recontextualising the song with a simple arrangement to bring notice to the meaning behind the songwriting.</p> <p>Listen to 'DREAMER (Remixes)' below and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nabihahiqbal/" target="_blank">Nabihah Iqbal</a> for more information.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=316911633/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 307px;">DREAMER (Remixes) by Nabihah Iqbal</iframe></p> <p><em>Image by Joseph Hayes</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '9103-nabihah-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '2452-nabihah-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Nabihah Iqbal has just released a collection of remixes via the prominent British label Ninja Tune,...'), 'href' => '/news/20588-slowspin-sijya-sidd-more-feature-on-ninja-tunes-remix-ep-for-nabihah-iqbal-s-dreamer', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20584', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19395', 'createdDate' => '2024-03-01 13:42:57', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-03-01 13:46:45', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi', 'date' => '01/03/2024', 'artists' => 'Talal Qureshi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/14605-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Talal Qureshi</a>. Even as the Pakistan's electropop pioneer has transformed from a Coke Studio mainstay with esoteric productions on the side to someone who brings his worlds together and creates the collaborative woofer-friendly bangers, that characteristic zaniness remains. As evident by his 2023 debut album 'TURBO' and its recent re-release with <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5AqK0sYFr4bVWAtVKTmXcz" target="_blank">a deluxe edition</a>, it has married itself to the sound of South Asian hip-hop with sometimes a satirising presence of Pakistan's hyperlocal elements.</p> <p>It is embodied in the announcement he makes at the start of his Wild City mix before launching into cuts from the 15-track release, unreleased demos, edits of his other work and even someone Skrillex to demonstrate how his work can boom alongside the globally prominent.</p> <p>Contrary to most mixes of nearly all-originals, Talal's quick-moving mix is a product bigger than the sum of its selections. Constant flow through hard cuts between collaborations that feature the likes of <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/8936-seedhe-maut" target="_blank">Seedhe Maut</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faris_Shafi" target="_blank">Faris Shafi</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_Raheem" target="_blank">Hasan Raheem</a> and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18090-natasha-noorani" target="_blank">Natasha Noorani</a> speaks to the effective structures of Talal's productions. It's a mix worth a listen even if just for the reimagined energy of Talal's take on '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mNaNMmxJ1I" target="_blank">Faltu Pyaar</a>' and '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3pUsXxCfEk" target="_blank">Muaziz Sarif</a>'.</p> <p>Listen to the mix below.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-233-talal-qureshi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-233-talal-qureshi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #233: Talal Qureshi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>MAAL(DEMO) - Blal x Talal Qureshi (Unreleased)<br /> Intro - Talal Qureshi<br /> Tarka - Talal Qureshi<br /> NACH LE - Imran Khan (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> ASAL G - SEEDHE MAUT x Talal Qureshi x Faris Shafi<br /> Paisa - Talal Qureshi x Hasan Raheem (TQ Honey Flip) (Unreleased)<br /> No ID - Skrills (unreleased)<br /> Push ID - Skrillex &amp; Hamdi ft. Taichu<br /> Muaziz Sarif - Coke Studio, Faris Shafi, Meesha Shafi (Talal Qureshi Version) (Unreleased)<br /> Peechay Hutt - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Justin Bibi's<br /> LEFT RIGHT - Ali Sethi, Maanu, Shaegill, A.S (Talal Qureshi Edit) (Unreleased)<br /> Raazi - Natasha Noorani, Talal Qureshi (TQ Honey Flip) (unreleased)<br /> Faltu Pyar - Talal Qureshi, Hasan Raheem, Natasha Noorani (TQ Honey Flip)(unreleased)<br /> Hico - Talal Qureshi, Maanu (TQ Honey FLIP)(unreleased)<br /> JOGI - Maanu x Talal Qureshi<br /> At the AfterParty - Trick Singh ( Talal Qureshi Version) (unreleased)<br /> KYA - Talal Qureshi x Asim Azhar</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '2345-talal-qureshi-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '1548-tq.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'For years, we kept clubbing the word "psychedelic" with Lahore's Talal Qureshi. Even as the...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20584-wild-city-233-talal-qureshi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20576', 'dataset' => '22', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19387', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-22 10:41:13', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-22 10:59:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'New Delhi Gets A New Record Store By Digging In India ', 'date' => '22/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Digging In India', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka <a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-mix-187-digging-in-india" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> has just launched his record store in New Delhi's Shahpur Jat.</p> <p>Known for his sense of discovering overlooked Indian heritage in an exceedingly wide variety of styles, Mittal brings a collection he has accrued over 7-8 years to the store. Besides well-known classics from Western shores and Bollywood alike, the store also specializes in eclectic and rare grooves ranging from desi disco, Tamil funk, Bengali baul sangeet, qawwali, ghazal, Hindustani classical, Carnatic, Telugu soundtracks and Marathi koli geet to Japanese city pop, Afro Funk, Middle Eastern pop and more.</p> <p>Besides the musical collection, the store also features uncommon records like spoken word, political speeches, poetry and comic offerings, alongside vintage posters, comics, collectable matchboxes, stamps and other artefacts.</p> <p>The record store also shares the space with Mallika Tandon's designer cake studio <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bobo.cakery/" target="_blank">Bobo Cakery</a>, which will keep cake slices and bakes with a nostalgic twist for dine-in at the store in the coming month to make the vinyl store a space for more than just sales.</p> <p>Mittal explains: “One thing I’ve noticed is that record stores can be quite intimidating to people who are not familiar with the formal and that’s something I want to change. I want to create an easy-going comfortable space where people can come just to hear good music and learn how this thing works.”</p> <p>Head to the store at 141A/2 1st Floor, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi between noon and 7 pm on any day and follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/digginginindia/" target="_blank">Digging In India</a> on Instagram for more information. Listen to Digging In India's Wild City mix below to familiarise yourself with Mittal's work.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/763668214&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5972-dii-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '9516-dii-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'One of India's most recognised vinyl enthusiasts, Nishant Mittal aka Digging In India has just...'), 'href' => '/news/20576-new-delhi-gets-a-new-record-store-by-digging-in-india', 'key' => 'news'), array('id' => '20560', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19371', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-14 13:07:29', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:16:55', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #232: Innerworld', 'date' => '14/02/2024', 'artists' => 'Innerworld', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Akshay Mathker aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/20562-innerworld" target="_blank">Innerworld</a>'s Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most subtle forces. Starting with dark ambience, the mix is defined by its hypnotic atmospheric nature even when the languid textures clear to the thump of the techno's proprietary grooves.</p> <p>Like an experienced DJ, the Goa-based artist layers his selections, elevating them from their standalone value. The ebb and flow between lulling ambient numbers and compelling rhythms begin to combine as distorted gritty kicks creep up from behind the aqueous pads and slow breaks of ULV's '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjclQfXjQCI" target="_blank">My Sofa Turns Into A Desert</a>'. The influence of Goa's trance heritage doesn't shy away as deep airy washes remain a near-constant part of the selections – before the mix slowly turns towards more zany and esoteric cuts for a final push for energy.</p> <p><strong>"This mix is an expedition into the realms of intricate polyrhythms and otherworldly frequencies. Abstract, textural, ravey and laced with psychedelia, this journey through space-time is accentuated by moments of atmospheric bliss and fast-paced, yet minimal, irrefutable grooves.” - Innerworld</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-232-innerworld%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-232-innerworld" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #232: Innerworld</a></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0844-innerworld.jpg', 'picture' => '0323-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Akshay Mathker aka Innerworld's Wild City mix doesn't just move subtly, it moves you with the most...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20560-wild-city-232-innerworld', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20552', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19364', 'createdDate' => '2024-02-10 08:21:19', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-11 06:55:25', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '"The Atmosphere That We All Create Together": Jeff Mills On His Legacy, DJ-ing As Non-Verbal Storytelling & More', 'date' => '10/02/2024', 'artists' => '', 'business' => 'Far Out Left', 'content' => '<p>“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me on a week that started with the now-considered-dying <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo/" target="_blank">Pitchfork rating his 1996’s ‘Live at the Liquid Room, Tokyo’</a> a rare 10 out of 10, and would conclude with the producer, DJ, label-head and dance music legend performing <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/20499-jeff-mills-dj-red-arjun-vagale-more-announced-for-far-out-left-mumbai-goa" target="_blank">in India for the first time</a>. “It’s for others more than myself.”</p> <p>The mix, found only as <a href="https://soundcloud.com/theclassicmixcdseries/jeff-mills-live-at-the-liquid-room-tokyo" target="_blank">unofficial uploads</a> on the internet and described in the said review as “the Techno Bible, unequivocally The One”, is arguably the glorious peak of Mills’ early techno legacy. Leading up to it, he had pioneered a minimal form of the genre alongside Detroit-mate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hood" target="_blank">Robert Hood</a>, developed a loyal following through his residency at Berlin’s then-fledgeling <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tresor_(club)" target="_blank">Tresor</a> and redirected the course of techno from his native city of Detroit with the Parliament bassist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Banks_(musician)" target="_blank">‘Mad’ Mike Banks</a> as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_Resistance" target="_blank">Underground Resistance</a>, nudging the genre towards grittier realms with the help of militant outfits and political messaging.</p> <p>Prioritising energy over pristineness, including the audience in the process of phasing kicks coming together, the mix blazes through selections – sometimes barely offering more than a glimpse of some. They become more of a connecting component, featured less for their standalone value and more for their role in a greater whole that is the DJ set.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uapn-mknXVU?si=z6XkRrpzv31cRQ4a" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The breakneck mixing style finds its roots in the earliest chapters of Mills’ story when he was known as ‘The Wizard’, championing Detroit's talent, passionately finding the freshest releases from hip-hop to industrial, and informing the local tastes through his radio mixes. As if the deitifying by thousands (maybe millions?) of dance music fans wasn’t enough, Mills' early legacy also figures in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVDzDy1yvo" target="_blank">Eminem’s verses</a> with the lines: “<em>discovered this DJ who was mixing, I say it to this day, if you ain't listened to the Wizard, you ain't have a fucking clue what you was missing”</em></p> <p>As radio slots shortened while championable music remained abundant, Mills started mixing and moving through the selections quickly to develop his fast approach on turntables and mixing desk. It was also at the radio where Jeff Mills the music-maker developed his conceptual style as he opted to edit tapes and stitch together library sounds in his shows to communicate on air instead of speaking. The increasing competitiveness between stations meant Mills had to distinguish his selections, bringing in drum machines and keyboards to layer over records or create bespoke passages earlier on the same day.</p> <p>Visceral rhythms of 909s would underline abstract emotive layers when he finally started releasing his productions. More than a beat to move to, there’d always be a story running underneath whether as the sweeping tones accompanying the incessant distorted kicks of ‘The Hacker’ from the seminal ‘<a href="https://youtu.be/OGQBdEAo9RM?si=T3ZVS7aZ2h-TgPHq&amp;t=1264" target="_blank">Waveform Transmission, Vol. 1</a>’ or the cinematic strings of ‘Utopia’ from ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppJPQ3xsKWI" target="_blank">Cycle 30</a>’.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/STpOak4iAJY?si=XAS1qJHIRyZKBhKW" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Decades later, after feats like re-scoring Fritz Lang’s silent film ‘Metropolis’, performing with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra and celebrating 50 years of the moon landing with NASA, Mills’ music continues to either look inward or to a distant future. 2023’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/jeff-mills-the-other-maria/" target="_blank">The Other Maria</a>’ is about the often-restrained and potentially chaotic part of us that deals in hard truths and raw unrestricted emotion, while 2019’s ‘<a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/product/moon-the-area-of-influence-cd-digital/" target="_blank">Moon: The Area of Influence</a>’ discusses the effects of the moon on our lives and culture. Three decades on, it’s still the same sounds of 909s and analog pads that mark the sonic palette of Mills but the results are even more abstract and less frequently reminiscent of shaking walls in a raving warehouse.</p> <p>“I developed a sense to understand sound in cluster arrangement more than ever. I also understand the barriers due to sectionalizing between genres are becoming less. That musicians could and want to play with each other more,” addresses Mills, talking about how his futurism and sci-fi-influenced work has changed as the technology and idea of the future itself have evolved. “I hear music differently now as a result of the way we communicate. Also, the amount of information we can engage with in such a short amount of time has had an effect.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eU-UsvYbIV0?si=T5bG0meirnNjJoGd" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Techno is not just for dancing, is the philosophy that Mills has been espousing over the years. “If you can dance to it, that's great, that's a bonus, but music should say something. It should be made in a manner with seriousness, and that would enlighten someone simply by listening to it,” he has <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/gv34jj/the-man-from-tomorrow-an-interview-with-jeff-mills" target="_blank">told Vice</a> in the past. It is what also guides him as a label-head with his <a href="https://www.axisrecords.com/" target="_blank">Axis Records</a>. Initially a platform for Mills' own work (under his various guises), it has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic to platform talent from the world over including the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/features/18876-review-arjun-vagale-s-reflective-journey-into-outer-space-on-exit-fragments" target="_blank">debut album by India’s own</a> techno frontrunner <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3379-arjun-vagale" target="_blank">Arjun Vagale</a>. “Having strong visions about the future isn’t privy to any particular country or city so, it was just a matter of coincidence. In this respect, no place on Earth is distant or remote. We’re all quite close to one another as we occupy the small patch of this Planet’s landmass,” he tells me.</p> <p>Behind the decks, the story isn’t much different. Cuts from other techno pioneers like Kevin Saunderson, Robert Hood, Eddie Fowlkes and Phuture intercut with Mills’ original (often extremely fresh) bits and fresher talent with similar substance to their music. The focus continues to remain on overarching energy as much as the selections if not more so as the mixing can go from boldly sudden to so subtle you’d hardly notice.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cCpHiWwA2Rg?si=yGxCmMJkwj1adMlI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“DJ sets are generally for dancing, but also can be widened to be considered as a non-verbal story about ‘The Fantastic’, ‘The Amazing’ or depending [on] how clever the DJ is, even ‘The Unbelievable’”, he says, explaining how a successful set is about giving the audience a sensation that wasn’t there before. That sensation is where the self-expression figures in. “I play based on how I feel at that time and it’s got nothing to do with anyone else. On occasion, not even the audience because my mind is somewhere far away,” he says, echoing the explanation he gave for <a href="https://ra.co/features/3436" target="_blank">Resident Advisor’s The Art of Djing</a>, wherein he recalls sometimes using his set to describe what it might be like to approach a planet.</p> <p>Yet, amidst the abstract tapestry of his sets, there are unmistakable points of recognition, where the selection itself becomes a focal point. While Mills argues, “I tend not to watch others to compare myself so, I can’t really say how I match up. This isn’t how I was taught to play music,” I see Mills able to create moments that only a few DJ-producers who have reached a certain stage of popularity with specific work can create. A moment similar to a rock or pop act “playing their hit”. For Mills’, that hit is ‘The Bells’, the popular and highly effective minimal work most recognisable through its sequence of melodic call and response. “I've tried not playing it, and people were sad! [laughs] So I kinda just gave up,” he says in The Art of DJing, going on to say how the track is a turning point in the set and now signifies that he is completely ready at his stations to kick proceedings into another gear.</p> <p>Nevertheless, relying on hits isn't something easily associated with Mills. While he frequently performs at large-scale events (an easy and sometimes unnecessary prompt for derision from a chunk of the techno audience), much of his recent touring has been dedicated to a collaboration with tabla maestro Prabhu Eduoard and keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, extending the '<a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/71W9z9hP84oB6zVmQdRrXW" target="_blank">Tomorrow Comes Harvest</a>' project initiated with afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1352-13-jeffmills-tomorrowcomestheharvest-170923-photographer-thomasecke-109256.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Jean-Phi Dary, Prabhu Eduoard &amp; Jeff Mills in Berlin || Photograph by Thomas Ecke</em></h5> <p>Instead of cashing on his status as a pioneering figure in techno, Mills continues to release a stream of new music that diverges starkly from his '90s output, even while operating within similar styles and using a familiar sonic palette. “I like the thought process of making something from nothing so, I really enjoy starting over again,” he adds.</p> <p>Techno is more than just for dancing remains a recurring theme in his work and a harder thing to sell. “Music is such a suggestive medium that it’s just not possible to measure people’s appreciation level,” he says. “At times in my past, I remember being congratulated but also advised to “give it up - it’s not going to work”, “I’ve lost it and should stop” and many other discouraging things. So, I can’t put much value into what people say or what they appreciate. Instead, I only have to rely on what I feel is right and guide myself from this.”<b> </b></p> <p>That internal guiding compass remains the constant. It’s the same whether it was at Tokyo’s Liquid room, blazing through selections with hard stops and phasing rhythms 3 decades ago; or in Mumbai and Goa for <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/10414-far-out-left" target="_blank">Far Out Left</a> this weekend – drawing from his more abstract cluster arrangements and talent he has sifted through for Axis Records after years of building a legacy that has inspired most in the lineup and an audience that might await ‘The Bells’. “We’re just in different places at different times, but the objective is all the same,” he says. “It’s not about me or them, but rather, it’s always been about “it”. The atmosphere that we all create together.”</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by <a href="http://instagram.com/atemporarymatter.in" target="_blank">Amaan Khan</a></em></p> <p><em>Photo by <a href="http://instagram.com/jacobkhrist" target="_blank">Jacob Khrist</a></em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '4823-jeff-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5147-jeff-mills-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“A legacy isn’t something I can really direct or participate in,” Jeff Mills writes back to me...'), 'href' => '/features/20552-the-atmosphere-that-we-all-create-together-jeff-mills-on-his-legacy-dj-ing-as-non-verbal-storytelling-more', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20494', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19309', 'createdDate' => '2024-01-03 11:21:10', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2024-02-14 13:15:29', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #231: Krithi', 'date' => '03/01/2024', 'artists' => 'Krithi', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19636-krithi-continues-to-explore-south-asian-sounds-in-contemporary-dance-music-with-uyirudan" target="_blank">Krithi</a> reaches for rhythms and sounds from her native land and the like, they fit into the mould of dance music as if they've always been a natural part of it rather than (as it often is) a forced gimmick of limited yield. Her achievement seems to go further on her upcoming EP 'Coping Mechanism' as she finds the style a vessel of personal narratives, calling the release a "sonic exploration of how she communes with the shadows of depression".</p> <p>Both the released singles from the EP 'Suppress' and 'Medicate' demonstrate that within Krithi's Wild City mix which features a heavy dose of original unreleased work and glimpses of the record that drops on February 15.</p> <p>Introduced through 140BPM techno, the mix quickly shifts to and operates in and around bass and breaks. A peppy start moves into sombre moods as a slightly slowed down 'Heist Track' by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/501-malfnktion" target="_blank">MALFNKTION</a> staggers into Krithi's own work before a jubilant return with the standout moment of Yourboykiran's Bollywood flip 'Yamma Yamma'.</p> <p><strong>"This mix has some of my favourite Bandcamp Friday finds (both new and old) by friends, mentors and producers I love. I recorded it at 140 bpm and with no particular genre in mind—but only with the hope that the listener keeps movin’ from start to finish. It also features some of my unreleased tracks and a couple from my upcoming EP ‘Coping Mechanisms’, which drops on Feb 15th.” – Krithi </strong></p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-231-krithi%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-231-krithi" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #231: Krithi</a></p> <h3><strong>Tracklisting</strong></h3> <p>Pozibelle - Wait<br /> Mera Bhai - Be This Way (Feat Private Joy) - Provhat Rahman Remix<br /> Jadalareign - Defect<br /> Malfnktion - Heist Track<br /> Krithi - Medicate<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Rodman - Falcata<br /> Despina - Trickle Down Baby<br /> PlayPlay - FYI<br /> Venïson Man - Jewelry (Frost Version)<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Krithi - Suppress<br /> Krithi - ID<br /> Yourboykiran - Yamma Yamma<br /> Dyslecta - Annihilate<br /> Tony Quattro &amp; Siete Catorce - Qesem Cave</p> ', 'thumbnail' => '7067-krithi.jpg', 'picture' => '8500-wc-mix-01.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Whenever Chennai-born Brooklyn-based DJ-producer Krithi reaches for rhythms and sounds from her...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20494-wild-city-231-krithi', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20488', 'dataset' => '21', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '19303', 'createdDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-12-16 09:46:17', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun', 'date' => '16/12/2023', 'artists' => 'Kohra', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>With the <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/4465-magnetic-fields-festival" target="_blank">Magnetic Fields Festival</a> taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi producer, DJ and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/318-qilla-records" target="_blank">Qilla Records</a> co-founder Madhav Shorey aka <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/291-kohra" target="_blank">Kohra</a> and Thailand's globe-trotting polymath <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sunjuhargun/" target="_blank">Sunju Hargun</a> are revisiting their B2B set from last year. </p> <p>Performed at the Resident Advisor afterparty, a highlight for the dancefloor-dedicated with its music going from the late hours of the night to the earliest moments of the morning, the accumulated energy of the night and its transformation into the morning audible in the set. Acid's mind-bending textures give way to increasingly guttural techno, pulling heavily from its minimal repertoire. As the night sky begins to lighten, the emotions are guided by the wash of the pads for a more refreshing conclusion. </p> <p><strong>"A combination between records from the past, present, and future. Sonically enhancing the atmosphere with zero limitations to pushing boundaries of tempo and feeling" – Sunju Hargun</strong></p> <p><strong>"A really fulfilling experience taking a restrained and fluid direction for this one, at my favourite stage of the festival." – Kohra</strong></p> <p>Listen to the mix below:<br /> <iframe frameborder="0" height="120" src="https://player-widget.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&amp;feed=%2FWildCity%2Fwild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun%2F" width="100%"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://soundcloud.com/thewildcity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun" target="_blank">Direct Download Wild City #230: Kohra B2B Sunju Hargun</a> // <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/WildCity/wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hurgun/" target="_blank">Head here for Mixcloud</a></p> <p><em>Image by Parikshit Deshpande for Magnetic Fields Festival 2022</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5451-mf-2022---ra---image-credit---parikshit-deshpande---3.jpeg', 'picture' => '6442-kohra-sunju.png', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'With the Magnetic Fields Festival taking over Alsisar this weekend for its 9th edition, New Delhi...'), 'href' => '/mixes/20488-wild-city-230-kohra-b2b-sunju-hargun', 'key' => 'mixes'), array('id' => '20147', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18982', 'createdDate' => '2023-04-04 16:56:55', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-04-05 11:27:44', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'My First Release: Shantanu Pandit', 'date' => '05/04/2023', 'artists' => 'Shantanu Pandit', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.”</p> <p>It was optimism-inspiring to hear these words from <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/18674-shantanu-pandit" target="_blank">Shantanu Pandit</a> on my 27th birthday as I sat cross-legged on the floor among the audience at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art to watch him bring his first tour promoting his album ‘Milk Teeth’ to a conclusion. The New Delhi singer-songwriter had spent the weeks prior travelling by road across the length of India in a bespoke caravan to share his music while pausing at each stop to not just give but take in a sense of the places he performed at.</p> <p>“I had been holed up on the mountains when we put out the album and Dhruv was like ‘Dude, you released an album. You can’t just sleep on it like that. Now you’ve got to come down and let’s take it on tour and celebrate it’”, he continued at the show before launching into chirpy <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/track/do-u-know" target="_blank">comforting melodies</a> that underpin lines like <em>“Put that bullet in my head // Shoot me dead // Put that bullet in my head // Get it over with”.</em></p> <h5><em><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/1133-shantanu-pandit-bts-milk-teeth-tour--1.jpeg" /><br /> Shantanu in his bespoke caravan for 'Milk Teeth' tour in 2022 | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>Walking through melancholic reminiscing and processing sorrow over dreamy musicality and nostalgic lightness is what defines the 2021 album. The very dichotomic sophistication is what highlights how far his songwriting has come since his first official release, the EP <a href="https://shantanupandit.bandcamp.com/album/skunk-in-the-cellar" target="_blank">‘Skunk In The Cellar’</a> in 2014 – which, like ‘Milk Teeth’, was also an album born out of seeing a relationship heartbreakingly come to end. However, the natural propensity to just write and share music disconnected from the cycle of talking about it, promoting it and packaging it remains a common thread.</p> <p>“I didn't have that word in my vocabulary,” he says while pondering on the idea of “official release” at the start of his career. “I was very much naive to the whole idea of putting out music in a proper format, putting out a press statement and all that.”</p> <h5><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PHVvVHVQxZg" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2012 for Tehelka TV</em></h5> <p>Before ‘Skunk In The Cellar’, Shantanu had been frequently sharing raw performances on Youtube as soon as he recorded them. Whether it was a host at HIT 95FM giving him CD recordings of his appearance on the radio or the sound engineer at Blue Frog giving him the soundboard recordings from his performance, the then-teenager musician’s first instinct was to just put it on Youtube as soon as he got home. “I didn’t think that hard. For me, I just heard the songs back and immediately thought, ‘I want to share this with my friends. I want to share this with my family.’”</p> <p>That immediacy was shaken up and replaced by process when he was contacted by his soon-to-become long-term manager and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/directory/12653-pagal-haina" target="_blank">Pagal Haina</a> head honcho Dhruv Singh to record the songs which were to become ‘Skunk In The Cellar’. “I was like: ‘Hey, so we've got the songs. Let's just put them out.’ And he said, ‘No. This is just the start. Now we need to plan the whole release.’ And I went, ‘What does that mean?’” The process meant Shantanu had to wait for artwork to be made, distribution to be aligned and press strategies put in place before the music and the artist could represent each other to the world.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/0851-shantanu-pandit-4-by-shiv-ahuja-2014.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu Pandit in 2014 | Photograph by Shiv Ahuja</em></h5> <p>Even while he could see the sense in all the auxiliary activities, the waiting time struggled to sit well with a songwriter that developed his material and style with notable intensity. “One thing that has been recurring through my career so far, as a songwriter, is that generally, I move fast. If I'm sitting eight months from now, I would look back at my material and be like, ‘Man! I need to write a bunch of new shit because I don't want to play this old shit.’” Even the debut EP ‘Skunk In The Cellar’ felt like a reinvention for the songwriter who started as a 16-year-old playing largely Bob Dylan covers at open mics before quickly replacing them with fast and loud originals that he dubs as his first wave of songwriting.</p> <p>The instinct to move on quickly translated to Shantanu punctuating his career with jumps from one outlet to the next – most notably the group <a href="https://runitsthekid.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Run It’s The Kid</a> and his moniker Morning Mourning, which was partly formed as a subconscious reaction against the limitations imposed by formal and elaborate creation and release cycles to retreat back into the straightforward sincerity of an artist just exorcising his creative impulses.</p> <p>Even while concluding the first promotional tour around ‘Milk Teeth’ in 2022 at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Shantanu’s set was replete with new material ripe for another album. At the same time, littered with older material too and light-hearted addressal of his relationship with it all. Greater patience has seeped in with the artist who crafted ‘Milk Teeth’ after 4 years of writing.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5129-shantanu-pandit-bts--mt-tour.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Shantanu in 2022 for 'Milk Teeth' promotional tour | Photograph by Aarohi Mehra</em></h5> <p>“I have recently been able to enjoy performing live after a long time,” he says after walking me through years that included getting disenchanted with the return from releasing music, riding across the country as an escape, diverging into educational degrees, losing the individual self in a long-term relationship and the hardships finding that self again – themes that he tackled on ‘Milk Teeth’ through reflecting back on memories of growing up.</p> <p>After more than a decade as an artist, the New Delhi artist has traversed a long and winding road till the multiple facets of his career are beginning to be at peace with one another. His declaration of touring ‘Milk Teeth’ as a highlight of life so far is a testament to that – further supported as he recently embarked on another one, this time across North-East India. While <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CqDU1ZGy8lA/" target="_blank">announcing</a> it, he remarks: “I didn’t want the last one to end when it did and I’ve been itching to get back on the road ever since.”</p> <p>Listen to 'Milk Teeth' below and head <a href="https://www.skillboxes.com/events/business/pagal-haina-presents-shantanu-pandit-the-east-india-tour" target="_blank">here</a> for tickets and dates of Shantanu's tour across North-East India.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1889828902/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 472px;">Milk Teeth by Shantanu Pandit</iframe></p> <p><em>Words by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Lead artwork designed by Sijya Gupta</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5402-mfr-shantanu-08.jpg', 'picture' => '7416-mfr-shantanu-05.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => '“These past few weeks… They have been some of the best weeks of my life.” It was...'), 'href' => '/features/20147-my-first-release-shantanu-pandit', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '20078', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18920', 'createdDate' => '2023-02-15 11:49:31', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2023-02-15 12:11:15', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => '“There Was No choice But To Make Room”: Ruhail Qaisar On Centering The Spectres That Haunt Debut LP 'Fatima'', 'date' => '15/02/2023', 'artists' => 'Ruhail Qaisar', 'business' => '', 'content' => '<p>Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/fatima" target="_blank">Fatima</a>' predates even its creator.</p> <p>Rooted firmly in geo-personal histories, the noise album which happens to be the artist’s debut full-length offering, showcases the full range of his leftfield explorations that began with an extensive catalogue of singles on his SoundCloud, followed by the '<a href="https://ruhailqaisar.bandcamp.com/album/ltalam-ep" target="_blank">Ltalam EP</a>' in 2016 and<i> </i>the<i> '</i><a href="https://hkcr.live/shows/the-hounds-of-pamir-the-fires-of-bal-ashram-w-ruhail-qaisar-06-11-2020" target="_blank">Hounds of Pamir</a>'<i> </i>radio residency in 2020.</p> <p>At the heart of Ruhail’s practice, which ranges from sound creation to analog photography and experimental filmmaking, is an unwavering emphasis on identity and history.</p> <p>For the indigenous artist hailing from one of the most controversial and unforgiving terrains of South Asia, Ladakh and its people – particularly the Skyayongs Gogsum community – are often seen in Qaisar’s works as straddling the dichotomies of a traumatic past and uncertain future, suffering from what’s colloquially described as <i>perpetual stasis</i>.</p> <p>The 90s were a time of dramatic change, recalls Ruhail. From growing up in a two-room rented house “with 6 hours of electricity, no traffic, no telephones, to being swept by an accelerated existence with 3G smartphones,[...] an endless slew of terrible smartphone tourists,” the landscapes of his childhood had changed drastically soon after the turn of the century.</p> <p>Yet, nothing could have prepared him for the climate of death, decay, and disease that was to characterise his hometown over the last decade. When he returns this time, after having completed his education in Delhi, Qaisar finds a self-sustaining community now completely destabilised, “battling chronic diseases or had passed away, others moved away, rented their old houses out, some squabbled over land in courts for their newly constructed hotel projects….” It induced in him a state of dysphoria, disconnect, and exile, even when home.</p> <p><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1128288546/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 439px;">Fatima by RUHAIL QAISAR</iframe></p> <p>'Fatima', whose very title invokes the memory of a late grandaunt, rises out of this abscess, carrying over the leitmotifs and the “main characters” of Qaisar’s tight-knit Ladakhi community, from an intransitive loss-state towards posthumous life.</p> <p>In Qaisar’s own words, the album is a “hauntological compendium of personal tribute” to these people who occupied those bygone spaces and eras, but also to “the pan-Ladakhi identity”, and the strife and struggle of all “indigenous communities in the Himalayas that are all suffering at the hand of unplanned industrialization and urbanization along with military atrocities”. Incidentally, 'Fatima' hits the airwaves at a time of mass unrest in Leh, over demands for Ladakhi statehood and cultural preservation under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5127-02-fatimas-poplar.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-45c11ae8-7fff-7d0b-9dbf-242538d004b7">Home videos and photographs as relics of an irretrievable past and a close-knit community | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>The idea for the record had fallen into place quite unconsciously upon the artist’s return to Choglamsar, Leh, during the pandemic in 2020, and was born out of a strong desire to rid himself of the muscle memory of traditional compositions - “I dispossessed myself of my own voice and shredded it only to a few whispers.”</p> <p>As soon as the first COVID wave abated, Qaisar (stuck in Delhi during the lockdown) took off, carrying with him (he lists:) a university laptop on which he’d downloaded Moog apps, the cheapest Behringer sound card that he’d painstakingly saved up for, and a basic zoom field recorder he’d borrowed from a filmmaker friend. He documented everything: nightly hikes alongside the Indus, when he would go stargazing in Choglamsar with his younger brother and a neighbour; conversations with his granduncle, a Sino-Indian war veteran; stories of his uncle’s disappearance in 1989; the blitz of Indian military tanks during the recent Galwan valley incursion.</p> <p>These voices and tapes, scaffolded by power electronics, frame ‘Fatima’<i>, </i>creating a somewhat minimal and rather tactile musical performance.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/4817-03-hotel.jpeg" /><br /> <meta charset="utf-8" /><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-b236a0b9-7fff-a8e7-eb72-44ca729b3032">The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti, Leh, stoic in the face of dereliction | Photo from accompanying album booklet by Ruhail Qaisar</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>A self-taught experimenter, Qaisar’s musical influences are a pastiche of works by <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/6937-hemant-sk" target="_blank">Hemant SK</a>, heavier emissions by EXHUMATION, Einsturzende Neubauten and Maurizio Bianchi, South Asian experimenters Senyawa and Raavan Kommand, contemporaries like <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3934-jamblu" target="_blank">Jamblu</a> (aka Kartik Pillai) and KMRU, even the early works of AR Rahman. For 'Fatima', he mostly turns inwards, mixing influences of folklore traditions with experimental music and drawing sonic styles and guideposts from Ladakhi processional, funeral and tribal hymns.</p> <p>The album masterfully orchestrates the dramatic highs and lows of sonic expression, borrowing heavily from the surrealist movement, oracle rituals and vernacular theatre tropes. It morphs into stretches of unsettling ambient static, injecting distorted field recordings with drones and silence into some cuts, and crystallising others with DIS FIG, Elvin Brandhi, and Iben KasJer’s “oracular dreamspeech.” Iben’s invocations on 'Fatima’s Poplar' in particular, reciting the vitriolic poetry of political writer Nick Land, not only sets the tone for the sensory experience that follows, but also invites us to reckon with Ladakh’s present “smog-laden loss-state” hollowed out by “the colourful promises of neoliberalism”.</p> <p>Composed of nine microstories,<i> '</i>Fatima' is replete with these spectres that “could no longer be ignored”, and with totems willed into serving as their placeholders. The poplar, for example, is a visual reminder of the titular grandaunt, whose cremation site is guarded by the fabled tree. 'The Fanged Poet' whose story bookends the album is similarly “a dispossessed spectre haunting the derelict sites of what was once home.”</p> <p>On 'Partition', one of the record’s more serene and lingering tracks, Qaisar encrypts yet another dimension to his interactions with history. It is part tribute and part requiem for the powerful legend of another ancestor, this time his great-grandmother, who had undertaken the perilous journey from Glgit to Leh in 1947, with four young children in tow. Just as a refugee’s journey interminably connects their home and their destination, the sonic layers on 'Partition' mutate harmoniously into a hazy mass, so that the sum of its parts is indistinct, indistinguishable, and never truly separate.</p> <p>In our email conversation, Qaisar talks about digitally restoring a series of home videos on VHS tape, describing them as “the last remaining phantasmic spectres that capture…the now long-gone characters and quotidian life of late 20th century Ladakh”. The fourth track, which originates from one of these videos documenting a relative Ramazan’s wedding, is his attempt to illuminate this lost memory with sound. (A visual from the video appears in the accompanying album booklet which holds other snapshots from the family archive and some of Ruhail’s own lens-based works).</p> <h5 style="margin-left: 80px;"><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/5980-partition.png" /></h5> <h5 style="margin-left: 40px;"><em><b id="docs-internal-guid-ad810fd4-7fff-9591-b68a-6b9c095a271b">Illuminating the generational trauma of partition with sound | Photo of Qaisar’s great-grandmother from accompanying album booklet</b></em></h5> <p> </p> <p>Recorded between Leh and Delhi, 'Fatima' also reinterprets the lexicon, exploring notions of the temporal, internal, and the inter-generational, that echo Qaisar’s experience growing up in a state that’s rapidly changing but not really improving, ravaged instead by the echoes of “old tragedies” and “present disasters”, wrought by late-capitalism, militarisation, and conservatism.</p> <p>In one of the record’s most foreboding tracks, where the deceitful calmness is quickly corroded by drones and garbling samples, Qaisar positions the abandoned hotels of Zangsti as the totems for “three different waves of tourism in Ladakh”. Qaisar recounts strolling past these structures during the pandemic, “[of] old hotels built between the 70's - 80’s that were once the pride and glory of locality, [were now] totally derelict. New upcoming properties [were] halfway constructed…or devoid of any staff or customers, windows covered in newspapers from 2003, collecting leaves, insects, and dust,” explaining the stasis left by the pandemic, when the tourism industry in Ladakh went anomalously cold-turkey for the first time in nearly fifty years, leaving the sustenance of his community in the lurch.</p> <p>Later in 'Painter Man', we’re placed in more intimate settings, with Ruhail’s attempt to connect listeners to the internal life of an artist, the fear of artistic failure and societal shaming in Ladakh, where creative endeavours are generally discouraged. There is a mention in the liner notes about musicians typically occupying the lowest rung of Ladakh’s social hierarchy, to the extent that the only two avenues to make a living, for Qaisar, were either in the “seasonal tourism industry or as a civil servant.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/7374-04.png" /><br /> <strong><i>“I wouldn’t change anything on the album…I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked” | Snapshot from accompanying album booklet</i></strong></h5> <p> </p> <p>Qaisar’s own politics are not divorced from the themes that emerge from his music. He works outside of binaries, untouched by the commodified logistics of indie music production and the demands of cultural logic, clout, or even the desire to be understood. “I frankly don’t care about that world…had no time to find comfort in its rot,” says Qaisar. “There was no choice but to make room.”</p> <p>Challenging and disorienting at first, Qaisar has sure-footedly carved his niche through a series of self-designed, self-taught steps, which has involved unlearning, transgressing disciplines and mediums of expression, discovering the liminal spaces where leftfield artists can unreservedly thrive. One of these spaces certainly was the HKCR residency where Qaisar put out 60-minute selections of compositions improvised and performed live on a Moog Model-D for the better part of a year. (In fact, earlier drafts of 'Namgang', 'Painter Man', and 'The Abandoned Hotels of Zangsti' can be traced back to 'Hounds of Pamir' archives). It catapulted him to the international noise music “scene”, with a tour across Switzerland which allowed him to perform his new compositions before an intuitive audience, and later put him on Danse Noire’s radar.</p> <p>A record label founded by Swiss-Nepalese producer Aisha Devi, Danse Noire is presently on the frontlines of decolonising experimental music (which is still typically viewed through eurocentric lens) and on a mission to support noise’s barebones-DIY economy centred around self-releases and underground blogs, with a space where acts like Ruhail have access to the same resources and infrastructure as mainstream global music. For Qaisar, working with Danse was also rewarding because he never felt he had to compromise his vision for Fatima.</p> <p>Clocking in at about an hour<b>, '</b>Fatima', all said and done, is about an artist’s temerity to document his and his people’s histories, about resisting oblivion by preserving it in whatever form - image, text, sound. It is beyond immersion or abstention, an incredible evocation of space and intimacy in a way not normally considered possible for music to communicate.</p> <p>At the time of this interview, Qaisar was preparing for his debut at Berghain, where he performed shortly after, for the CTM Festival alongside DIS FIG. Unfazed by streaming figures, he reports being thrilled with the initial response to 'Fatima'. When asked about this journey and if he would have done anything differently, Qaisar politely declines, saying, “I see most aberrations as rewards, I welcome them, I would rather leave a composition vulnerable rather than overworked.”</p> <p>“Only thing I can assure is that everything that was done on this album would not be repeated in the next.”</p> <h5>.</h5> <p>.</p> <p><em>Words by Prarthana Mitra</em></p> <p><em>Image by Adnan Zayed</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '0831-ruhail-qaisar.jpg', 'picture' => '2748-ruhail-qaisar-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Three years in the making, Ladakhi multidisciplinary artist Ruhail Qaisar’s 'Fatima' predates even...'), 'href' => '/features/20078-there-was-no-choice-but-to-make-room-ruhail-qaisar-on-centering-the-spectres-that-haunt-debut-lp-fatima', 'key' => 'features'), array('id' => '19908', 'dataset' => '20', 'status' => '-1', 'parent' => '0', 'sequence' => '18761', 'createdDate' => '2022-09-28 13:52:52', 'createdEditor' => 'sacha', 'modifiedDate' => '2022-10-13 14:38:19', 'modifiedEditor' => 'sacha', 'data' => array('title' => 'Spotlight: Akshat Nauriyal (Yesnomaybe, St+Art, Now Delhi, Awaaz)', 'date' => '13/10/2022', 'artists' => 'Teddy Boy Kill, Hoirong', 'business' => 'St+rt India Foundation', 'content' => '<p>Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined up on Mumbai’s nearly-150-years-old <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassoon_Docks" target="_blank">Sassoon dock</a>. They overlooked the hectic rhythms of the fish market below, wafting in concentrated doses of the smell that is part of almost everyone’s experience of the seaside city.</p> <p>In a population more used to having the faces of movie stars plastered across its streets and public spaces, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_tahska/?hl=en" target="_blank">Akshat Nauriyal</a>’s co-created (with Pranav Gohil) array of portraits on Sassoon Dock pushed back on it by giving the limelight to the docks’ primary community and Mumbai’s earliest settlers: the fisherfolk.</p> <p>“To be able to speak to people, learn about their communities, sensitise myself about their dynamics, and then be able to bring that into the project was the most important takeaway for me,” says the New Delhi artist of capturing and exhibiting those portraits in 2017 as a contribution to French artist JR’s global participatory art initiative ‘<a href="https://www.insideoutproject.net/en/explore/group-action/sassoon-dock" target="_blank">Inside Out</a>’. By making the fisherfolks the subject of the portraits, convincing them about the work, capturing their likeness with a pop-up photo studio and then plastering the stylised results across the space that they define, Nauriyal and his colleagues highlighted the predominant trinity of Koli, Hindu Maratha and Banjara communities.</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/6396-inside-out.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Inside Out at Sassoon Dock</em></h5> <p>“To bring the voices of people that are usually not heard from, or stories that are left on the wayside by the mainstream – those define the projects that I am always interested in”, explains Nauriyal as the mandate that drove his effort at Sassoon dock and his wider body of work. That body of work includes co-founding St+art, the collective and platform now widely celebrated for galvanising the undercurrents of street art in India by transforming localities like New Delhi’s Lodhi Colony and Shahpur Jat and creating India’s largest as well as tallest murals; documentaries capturing the capital city’s underground sub-cultures; socio-political stance-charged Instagram filters that examined social media platforms as a space for activism; short films tracing music-driven activism in different countries; music acts ranging from Another Vertigo Rush and <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/3598-teddy-boy-kill" target="_blank">Teddy Boy Kill</a> to <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/artists/4660-hoirong" target="_blank">Hoirong</a> and <a href="https://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/music/2020/aug/07/akshat-nauriyal-on-his-solo-project-yesnomaybe-his-upcoming-ep-and-augmented-reality-as-a-performat-27115.html" target="_blank">Yesnomaybe</a>; and currently, an ongoing project that keeps <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irom_Chanu_Sharmila" target="_blank">Irom Sharmila</a> (famously known as the ‘Iron Lady Of Manipur’) at its centre while it inquires into the cost borne by the leader of a movement.</p> <p>Whether music, film, augmented reality or paint-based, the New Delhi artist’s efforts carry an easily notable sub-layer of activism, which has founds its necessity rooted as far back as he can remember.</p> <h3><b>Early Beginnings</b></h3> <p>Coming from a military background, Akshat was privy to the slow cogs of government offices which worked its way into disillusionment with the system around the time he developed his initial interests in arts and culture. He recalls sitting stunned listening to tracks by the likes Rage Against The Machine after downloading them off of Napster at the cusp of Indian households getting connected to the Internet and finding his thoughts make cohesion within the activist lyricism of the band and similar angsty associates.</p> <p>The result was a deep-seated formative ethos that leaned towards art that stands for change and of having ready access to it. An ethos which was held back from getting showcased, save for through the array of rock bands that he drummed for during his school and college, while he navigated through the most common education pathway of engineering degrees and college placements prescribed to middle-class Indian kids. Eventually and gradually course-correcting himself with a move towards filmmaking and work for NDTV’s ‘Almost Famous’, Akshat started venturing out on his own around 2007 and 2008.</p> <h3><b>Now Delhi</b></h3> <p>“Because of being involved with the music scene, I was involved with a whole bunch of creative people from across the spectrum. Art galleries and things usually have a specific kind of people coming to them, but I’ve found that music is quite open in terms of the kind of audience it draws,” says Akshat. “Through that experience, I started seeing this other side of Delhi which I hadn’t experienced before I met these performance artists, digital artists and all kinds of artists who were the same age as me and were trying to push the envelope.”</p> <p>Making these artists the focus of his first major venture as an independent filmmaker, Akshat, who often works under the pseudonym Tahska, established ‘Now Delhi’, a film studio now synonymous with a run of short documentaries it generated on the likes of street artists, B-boys, extreme metal groups and rap cyphers in the capital. “At that time, you could still say that there was this underground – an underbelly that Delhi had which nobody was talking about in the mainstream media,” he continues, expanding upon his comparison of a city to a living breathing thing defined by the people that it in turn influences. “‘Now Delhi’ delivered an exploration of that. It was an exploration of all the different kinds of subcultures that exist in the city, and also how the artists are responding to the city itself.”</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vlCt2ji7IFA" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>The films exposed a running motif early on – one of prioritising the question. Akshat carries strong openings and convictions, but they remain held back when he is behind the artistic lens to allow for the audience to do their own thinking. The ‘Now Delhi’ film on Khirkee Extension, a collective effort of street artists to create art around the namesake South Delhi locality, presents the artists reflecting on the economic dichotomy of the neighbourhood and how it inspires their art. They retell how the kids kept engaging with the creation process of the murals before the documentary ends with the local elders frustratingly venting how they don’t get the purpose of this art and its messaging. The film invites the viewer to ponder over the significance of the street artists’ efforts and their relation to the residents of the locality.</p> <p>“It’s something that I’ve tried to carry forward with all my work,” explains Akshat. “It comes from being able to first understand what the people who actually I’m trying to talk about feel, rather than impose my preconceived idea of what they might want to talk about.” For all the films of ‘Now Delhi’, Akshat first became a part of the sub-cultures he was highlighting or a close associate before micing them up. A decade later, with his current subject being a national icon like Irom Sharmila, he is tagging along to observe her usual going-abouts to discover the narrative naturally instead of imposing it. “I’ve always been a fan of gonzo journalism, like Hunter S Thomson and his writing – in terms of just immersing yourself in a situation to truly tell the story.”</p> <h3><b>St+art</b></h3> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6NaQbBiSMsI" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>Being close to his subjects meant Akshat had become a close associate of the street community of India, having made them the focus of ‘Now Delhi’ multiple times. Sharing a studio with one of its proponents, Hanif Kureshi, he soon found himself teaming up with Arjun Bahl, Giulia Ambrogi and Thanish Thomas to create the five-piece team that would become the founders of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/startindiafoundation/">St+art</a>.</p> <p>“There was an initial conversation about doing a festival, which we did without having any idea that it [St+art] would become this behemoth of an organization,” Akshat recounts the early days of the organization with the festival bringing together the artists to Shahpur Jat and its founders being hands-on with everything from moving the ladders and bringing the paints to Nauriyal documenting the process. “It was a logical progression for ‘Now Delhi’ to transition to St+art India,” quips Akshat, noting how the documentaries took a backseat as the workload got higher and allowed him to honour his formative drives of making art accessible while exploring a city and the many narratives it homes.</p> <p>Within a few years, St+art became a go-to organization for cultural consulates and medium to big brands, creating local landmarks across the country and transforming neighbourhoods, especially in New Delhi and Mumbai. The former’s Lodhi Colony remains defined by the makeover given by the collective during its annual festival. It was the place where St+art was fully able to realize its early motivations of creating art that was available to all and integrated all – specifically, through participatory murals, singing workshops, painting workshops and the like. Yet as the organization became a brand in itself, the ship started to feel too big to steer into radical corners – which Akshat still longed to address.</p> <p>“The initial years of anything are the best. They're the most honest. They're the most genuine. They're the closest to the vision that you start with. As things get bigger, there comes a set of compromises that one has to start making. I think that's the nature of anything that becomes big after a point of time,” he concludes his around half-a-decade-long journey with the prominent street art collective.</p> <h3><b>Yesnomaybe, Augmented/Virtual Reality</b></h3> <p>As St+art began to fade out from his professional life, his other continuing artistic efforts began to appear more prominently in the limelight again. Adding another feather to the musical cap, Akshat debuted his solo moniker Yesnomaybe, an outlet where he brings together all the facets of his work as marries the retrofuturism of synth-rock with the futurism of interactive filters and augmented reality-driven films. The latter also becoming a device for Akshat to continue posing topical questions while creating work that stood for something.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3_dwP09Genk" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>2019 was a particularly politically-charged year for India: BJP, the country’s right-wing majoritarian government, was re-elected to power with a higher parliamentary presence; it used it to abrogate Kashmir’s special status; and introduced the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act which faced nationwide protests that were met with controversial police violence. With augmented reality, Akshat offered tried to offer a response for all of it: a filter fashioned after prime minister Narendra Modi that let out the word “lie” every time you open your mouth, headers stating stances on Kashmir and CAA, and, for the following year’s state elections in Delhi, an interactive quiz where you can nod or shake your head based on who you’re voting for.</p> <p>“I felt social media platforms are almost like the new town halls where people are coming and discussing things. It was an interesting space to explore to try and also see if I could create work that could help on ground movements and also get people involved more than just changing a display picture,” says Akshat. “It was honestly a social experiment.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <div style="padding:16px;"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BwBtliMno_z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Akshat Nauriyal (@_tahska)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script> <p>Within days, around a million people saw the multiple of the filters. The mode of activism was talked about by the likes of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/1/29/meet-the-artists-resisting-indias-new-citizenship-law">Al Jazeera</a>, attracting loud pro-government commentators to Akshat’s profile alongside concern for safety by well-wishers. The work definitely rattled a few minds and sparked newer questions in Akshat’s own. “I started a conversation about what use it actually played in society. On my Instagram Stories, I asked people the question, whether they thought that it was just armchair activism or whether it actually led to any kind of change,” he remarks. Alongside equal amounts of opposing viewpoints, the “social (media) experiment” also saw its second phase as the platforms began, in most cases, a silent clampdown on politically-charged use of its platform. The traction for the filters and their related posts began to go down and, as is currently being highlighted in courts, the platforms themselves had to cater to clampdowns by the government. “It was also quite disillusioning, because the same platforms, which are supposed to be platforms for free speech are the ones that ended up censoring you,” reports Akshat.</p> <h3><b>Awaaz</b></h3> <p>With censoring becoming more and more obvious and Instagram itself pivoting from a creator-friendly platform, Akshat moved his exploration into creating meaningful work and examining the modes for it to other outlets: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHAWPwVJC2w/" target="_blank">installations</a>, talks and, coming a full circle, to films again. As part of Goethe-Institut’s ‘<a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19288-m-a-p-a-m-p-highlights-performances-stories-of-musicians-with-a-cause-including-ahmer-sheetal-sathe-more" target="_blank">M.A.P // A.M.P</a>’, the filmmaker created a series of documentaries entitled <a href="https://www.thewildcity.com/news/19524-awaaz-akshat-nauriyal-creates-documentary-films-on-protest-music-histories-of-india-pakistan-sri-lanka-iran">‘Awaaz’</a>, turning the lens yet again to underrepresented artistic voices. Handpicking with the help of research and local social networks, ‘Awaaz’ highlighted politically outspoken artists from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Iran to look at the history of protests from these countries.</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ml2iV7BfkLE" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe></p> <p>“Anytime you go on Twitter, somebody is getting boycotted. We’re living in an age of outrage,” says Akshat, noting how any political discourse is getting mudied up online by internet trolls while a work of activist nature doesn’t get platformed enough outside it. Allaying that, ‘Awaaz’ unearthed the nature of dissent specific to each country – whether it was about signalling the erosion of administrative infrastructures and economy in Sri Lanka, which erupted within weeks of the film getting released, or the difficulty in finding a voice that can publicly speak against the powers that be in a country like Iran. “There was a responsibility that I had on my end which was to ensure that I don’t put out content that can eventually lead to trouble for them [the artists],” continues Akshat. “Which is why I did in a way where we were actually chronicling the past protest movements to give context of where the country is right now, rather than attack any of the present figures.”</p> <p>Even with the varying specifics, much like M.A.P // A.M.P’s crowdsourced repository of protest music, ‘Awaaz’ brought out the parallels between artistic activism around the world, signalling a unification of voices and the possibility of shared empathy. According to Akshat: “[The films] platform these movements in a way so that other people in other parts of the world can see that we’re all pretty similar and that there is merit to creating work like this.”</p> <h5><img alt="" src="//repo.thewildcity.com/2386-irom-5.jpeg" /><br /> <em>Irom Sharmila with family by Akshat Nauriyal</em></h5> <p>“I feel a cycle has finished and a new cycle is beginning,” he adds as we agree on how the films on national sub-cultures with ‘Awaaz’ feel like coming a full circle in light of how films on Delhi’s sub-cultures with ‘Now Delhi’ kicked things off. Since finishing ‘Awaaz’, two of the countries Akshat turned his lens to have been taken over by protests, which have emerged out of the shadows to engulf the streets, at times, fulfilling predictions touched upon in the films. Meanwhile, Akshat has moved on to creating the new chapter for Yesnomaybe and shadowing Irom Sharmila, not just documenting the cost her struggle for fairer civil rights has demanded but also building a multi-faceted reflection of her poetry and personality. For the New Delhi creative, the parallels and narratives to be unearthed by his personal artistic vision continue to draw him to the margins.</p> <p>.</p> <p>.</p> <p><em>Word by Amaan Khan</em></p> <p><em>Profile image by Akshat Nauriyal</em></p> ', 'thumbnail' => '5133-akshat-thumb.jpg', 'picture' => '5937-akshat-banner.jpg', 'visibility' => 'Visible + Feed', 'excerpt' => 'Around 350 monochromatic portraits were plastered across the external walls of the warehouses lined...'), 'href' => '/features/19908-spotlight-akshat-nauriyal-yesnomaybe-st-art-now-delhi-awaaz', 'key' => 'features')), 'repo' => 'https://repo.thewildcity.com/', 'host' => 'https://www.thewildcity.com', 'page' => null, 'bannerhead' => array(), 'bannertop' => array(), 'bannermid' => array(array('label' => 'Mailing List', 'url' => 'https://thewildcity.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=3fbebf9eadf7433315c051d4e&id=e053aa3ae5', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column middle', 'image' => '3413-signup.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')), 'bannerlow' => array(array('label' => 'follow us on instagram', 'url' => 'https://www.instagram.com/thewildcity/', 'active' => '1', 'position' => 'Column bottom', 'image' => '2532-followus.gif', 'duration' => '10', 'target' => '_blank', 'content' => '')))) in index.php line 527
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