Wild City #255: Femme Music

Musician Sanoli Chowdhury and her manager Vinod Gadher (with past experience managing Talvin Singh and The Orb) have come together to launch Femme Music, a record label dedicated entirely to female artists. The former highlights the sound and ethos behind the new venture, which continues the pair's aim of promoting female representation in music through efforts like the live concert series Riot Grrrl, with an exclusive Wild City Mix.

“I feel artists are now judged by numbers and lack management which sign and help develop a musician. Femme Music will help an artist in terms of not just management and booking, but also publishing copyrights,” adds Sanoli.

With the Wild City Mix, the Bangalore-based musician organises the women-only selections to start with the electrifying energy of veterans like Heart and St. Vincent before mellowing the journey. Unreleased tracks from Indian musicians Ro Maiti and Tiana Tara, from Femme Music's upcoming debut release and compilation 'Nyima Vol. 1', lean more towards intimate and heartfelt alongside the acoustic plucks of New Zealand duo Tāl. Going through more introspection through another unreleased work from the compilation, 'Come Sit By My Bed' by Goa-based Tabitha Kagoo, the mix uses the heightened drama of 'Strange Game' by Australia's Jess Ribeiro to dial the energy back up and finish with the oomph of Sade and the romp of Bikini Kill.

"I didn’t restrict the mix to any specific genre. The music I chose is based on what makes me feel nostalgic and tracks whose production I genuinely love, along with songs that make a very clear statement (like Rebel Girl and No Less Than a Woman). I’ve also included three songs from our upcoming debut album, 'Nyima Vol.1'. In curating the flow of the mix, I focused on creating tension and release throughout, allowing the listener to stay engaged and experience an emotional journey rather than just a playlist." – Sanoli Chowdhury

'Nyima Vol. 1' releases on Nyima Records, one of the sub-labels of Femme Music focusing on pop, indie and singer-songwriters, on November 28 and features the likes of Aanchal Bordoloi, Aadya Jaiswal and kokum.

Listen to three of its tracks as part of Femme Music's Wild City mix below:

Direct Download Wild City #255: Femme Music

Tracklisting

Crazy On You - Heart
No Less Than A Woman [Infertility] - Lady Saw
New York - St.Vincent
Daytime - Ro Maiti
A-Part - Tāl
Wallow - Tiana Tara
Come to Me - Gretchen Parlato
If You Love Me - Melody Gardot
Come Sit by My Bed - Tabitha Kagoo
Maybe - Ko Narter
Strange Game - Jess Ribeiro
No Ordinary Love - Sade
Rebel Girl - Bikini Kill