Listen: ‘Amino Acid’ by Amyt Datta

Veteran Kolkata composer, producer and guitarist Amyt Datta (known best for his work with Skinny Alley, Shiva and Pinknoise) has just released a new album under his eponymous solo project, titled ‘Amino Acid’.

'Amino Acid' has been mastered by Yosi Horikawa and created alongside frequent collaborator and arguably one of the country’s foremost drummers Jivraj Singh. It's structured in similar vein to his previous releases i.e. improvisational/experimental (borderline) jazz and electronic music that highlights string composition.

Off-kilter melodies and broken, often frantic drums are enveloped by a distinctive air of dissonance that has marked a lot of Datta’s previous work. Jiver’s percussion – never innocuous – is bold and essential in tying it all together. Of course, at its core is the guitar and Datta - with his unmatched meticulousness - proves once more why he’s known as a master of the instrument.

A lot of you reading this might already be aware but Datta’s work isn’t ever really easy listening. That deliberate discordance in beat, harmony and structure makes his work a bit inaccessible (hence polarising) on one hand, but completely inimitable and unique on the other. So before you make your decisions we do suggest listening to the entire album to see what the musician’s trying to get at.

Listen to ‘Amino Acid’ below and follow Amyt Datta on SoundCloud for more music.

Words: Diya Gupta
Art credit: Yashasvi Mathis