I7HVN Returns To Qilla Records With 'On The Hill', Leaning Into Raw & Hypnotic Techno

Previously Bangalore-based and now Indore-based artist Ishan Gaur aka I7HVN just marked his return to Qilla Records with the EP 'On The Hill', coming back to the seminal Indian techno label after 2023's 'Youthful'. The 8-track release featuring 5 originals and 3 remixes by Caldera, Kabeer Arora and Spain's 矯激 [Radical] is Gaur's 3rd EP this year, following 'Priests of Decay' and the launch of his alternative moniker, ruag, with 'jester'.

While 'Priests Of Decay' featured a more abstract and cerebral take on techno, 'On The Hill' makes things more tangible as it adheres to the dark and hypnotic strains associated with the label, counting on the genre's repetitive nature to make things feel ceremonial and visceral. Unlike 'Priests Of Decay', every element asserts its own identity to draw and guide your attention, specially on more straightforward raw techno tracks like 'Vulture' or the minimal-almost-ambient 'On The Hill'.

I7HVN's experimental instinct comes through on the atonal sounds of 'Kangling' that feel almost kinesthetic in nature, while 'Luminarism' decorates its breakdown with personal voice notes and sentimental piano tinkering to include emotional drama in the otherwise low-end-led EP.

Listen to 'On The Hill' below and follow I7HVN for more information.