First Listen: ‘STAYLO’ By Sid Vashi

26 November 2015

Sid Vashi is a producer and multi-instrumentalist from the suburbs of Detroit, currently living in Mumbai, who we’ve been following since the release of his impressive 2012 EP and subsequent LP - ‘Motherland Tourism’.

Vashi’s 2013 ‘Motherland Tourism’ LP was one of our favourite releases that year, with its distinct brand of Bollywood infused (without being cheesy), soulfully vocalised, sensual hip-hop/pop. The greatest testament we can give is that it’s amongst the few Indian alternative releases that still sits pretty on iTunes 2 years later.

‘STAYLO’ is the first track Vashi has shared from an upcoming, unnamed release. Despite a slew of live performances this year, it’s also the first proper song he’s shared in a long, long time (though you should check out everything on his SoundCloud – particularly the excellent ‘Daniel Glover’ cover).

“I’m working on a lot right now so things are all over the place, but this is the first song I’m releasing in a long time. I’ve learned a lot since then - I took some time off to learn about sound design and engineering so it’s more of a realisation of what I’ve been trying to do. There's still a Bollywood influence but I’m trying new styles, just arranging sounds in a way to create space and you know, still try to make pop tunes. I’m really happy with it.” – Sid Vashi

Based on our premature evaluation of his intricately produced new tune, Vashi’s next release seems to be increasing the tempo and leaning towards a more chewed up, very textural pop sound which we’re very keen to hear more of. There’s still some Bollywood influence but it’s a lot less obvious. Album art comes courtesy of Annie Yang and deserves a special mention too for packaging 'STAYLO' with quiet, elegant uneasiness.

This one’s a gem. Listen to ‘STAYLO’ below and follow Sid Vashi on Facebook for updates and SoundCloud for music. We’ve heard that there’s a lot more coming.

Sid Vashi will be playing at the Magnetic Fields Festival, which is set to take place in December at Alsisar Mahal in Rajasthan. You can check out the full lineup here.

Art credit (thumb): Annie Yang
Image credit (main): Kirti Virmani
Words: Diya Gupta

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