Wild City Singled Out: September 2016
20 October 2016
Wild City handpicks the most interesting one-off singles released by artists in South-Asia in our monthly feature - Singled Out. If you’d like us to listen to your music, send the relevant info to music@thewildcity.com or contact us privately on SoundCloud.
Masked non-vigilante Sparkle and Fade is back with another ambient reminder that things are going to be ok, ok? All of the producer's music has a calming quality to it, the beauty of which lies in its simplicity and the producer’s restraint in knowing when to add more and when to hold back. Airy, gentle - almost therapeutic.
‘Devil's Imagination 53616 – 01982’ by SISTER
Ruhail Kaiser samples a recitation of modernist poet T.S. Eliot’s dramatic monologue ‘Gerontion’ and combines it against classical melody. This is the prettiest and least frightening thing SISTER has put out yet. The song arpeggios into a chorus of heaving, symphonic string midway as the words in the background become increasingly incoherent till they’re nothing but mumbles. It’s a pendulous and oddly powerful little piece (inexplicably tagged ‘power electronics’).
Another slow building low-fi beauty in PCRC’s ‘Transmissions’ series (and a Lifafa production). The acid tinted shehnai-like music during the song’s peak at its second half is apparently a saxophone player the band recorded on some trip to London - but the band’s got it right - this is the sound of an Indian wedding. Everyone stuffed on kebabs, slightly scruffy in their bi-annually dusted and worn Indian finery (mostly borrowed), by now drunk and watching an overly emotional bidai or something. Overwhelming and evocative, even for the most reluctant shaadi-goer.
D80’s been on a roll – he’s released a bunch of singles over the last month, which you can check out on his SoundCloud page. ‘Night Drive’ is a good example of the sound that the producer’s trying to go for i.e. sultry, synthy pieces with undulating bass lines and 80s inspired riffs.
Banger! Seven & Seven released the immaculately produced, commercially viable, ‘Meraki’ in late September – it’s got a fat bassline and lots of details for a maximalist, heavy track that’s built for big rooms and has a lot going for it. Yuge, and kind of reminds us of our next producer…
One of our favourite producers right now is out with another dance tune, featuring some smooth as silk vocals from fluxxy. It isn’t his best work so far (relatively tame and restrained compared to the excellent ‘NEON GRAFX 3K9’ EP but it’s definitely a worth a listen, and vocals might be an interesting venture for the artist in his future releases.
Technically, this should have been in last month’s list, but it wasn’t worth missing out on. Lacuna releases a lovely little video for ‘Sinking Straight’ that’s shot in this grainy, glitchy format, and features a female protagonist who gets to splash paint on the wall and walk around a forest. It’s a nicely done video and equally well-produced song from the Delhi based producer and guitarist.
Another *fiyah* track from Naezy, who’s quickly becoming our favourite lyricist out of the new lot of Mumbai’s rappers - even if this isn’t his best tune in terms of flow. Evident from the title, but ‘Asal Hustle’ talks about the struggles of life in his home-town.
Words: Diya Gupta