Listen: Su Real's Debut LP - 'Trapistan'

Delhi trap pride Suhrid Manchanda, alias Su Real has just released his debut album ‘Trapistan’, which comes as a follow up to his hugely popular 2013 EP ‘The Grind’.

Su goes big on indigenous flavour in ‘Trapistan’, using everything from temple bells and classical Indian percussion to recorded public service announcements, finally producing a bass accentuated sound that is immediately comparable to his contemporaries and fellow bass heads - Nucleya and Alo Wala.

‘Trapistan’ includes 11 tracks that, in typical Su style, cover a multitude of sub genres, proof of which lies in the samples; this might be the only album that credits Kendrick Lamar and Sun Ra next to Asha Bhosle. Somehow, it manages to work out seamlessly, forming a cohesive LP that works from start to finish without any stark irregularities.

Su will never give dance the back seat – it’s a core element not just in his recorded sounds but also, in his high energy, beat driven live performances. However, we were a little surprised to see that many of the tracks in the album (Swag, Aatankwadi, Ghanta) functioned at a lower bpm than usual, though frankly, nothing Su makes can ever really be completely undancable. After all, he serves to “help you have a good time”.

The booming, bawdy and robust 11 track LP can be streamed below and is available here as a free download. You can find out whether Su Real will be playing near you on our events page, and you can always follow him on Facebook for updates. If you're in Mumbai this Saturday, don't forget to head over to blueFROG where he'll be opening for Glaswegian production giant - Hudson Mohawke.

Image credit (thumb): Sachin Soni Photography
Image credit (main): Lights on Films

Words: Diya Gupta