Smax – Tribe EP
It’s hard to make music that reminds one of certain spaces, even indistinct ones. It’s certainly a task that becomes even harder if you eschew sounds that resonate an idea or an area – tablas, for example, are an easy way to sound oriental, while sounds like train whistles can denote movement. Smax’s (Amman Mushtaq) music, however, manages to evoke not only a strong sense of space, but also of movement, without ever resorting to any such pitfalls. …
Border Movement Lounge Opening in Colombo
Launching this Friday, the Border Movement Lounge will open it’s doors and krank up the volume at the newly renovated Goethe Institut building in Colombo. …
When Hard And Soft Collide
Not being a huge dub-step head, I may not be the ideal individual to review Bandish Projekt tracks. And yet, there’s something about the way that Bandish blends desi sounds – often soft and sultry ones – with hard hitting bassy beats that draws in the casual listener. I was hooked by their 2009 Badi Dheere remix from the film Ishqiya, and their remix of their own Waiting largely lives up to the promise of that track. …
Paralights: Electro. Acoustic. Whatever
It is becoming increasingly unclear whether “electronic music” is a meaningful category. Mainstream contemporary hip-hop is mostly made on computers, ED-Pop has gone mainstream, and even rock music, the last bastion of the mighty guitar, increasingly incorporates computer sounds into its sonic palette. …
Kashmir, Blood, and The Cypher:
MC Kash And The Immediacy Of Authenticity
Authenticity in music is rare. I absorb music as the arrogant among us absorb themselves, though subject to an inbuilt figurative moisture barrier. That which is insincere remains away from me to evaporate, as far away from me as possible, left to pollute our collective environment. Conversely, that which is sincere never leaves me. I am admittedly mercenary with my musical tastes. But I cannot internalize that which is clearly forged to serve the lowest common denominator. I am the music snob archetype, and I revel in this shamelessly. …
Sandunes & Shaa’ir Open Up The Garage Door
Keeping track of Sandunes’ rapid evolution over the past six months or so has never been hard on the ears, but this remix of the Shaai’r + Func banger ‘Oops’ represents a new level in her musical development. Sandunes has always placed her production in the future garage space, but although her tracks have borrowed bits and pieces from the genre, none have fully embraced its dancefloor potential in the way that this remix does. …
The Accidental Hero : Charanjit Singh in Berlin
The sixth installment of Club Transmediale’s Polymorphism series will see Charanjit Singh performing live at Berlin’s legendary techno institution Berghain for the first time.
The album ‘Synthesizing : Ten Ragas and a Disco Beat’ originally came out in 1982 but went largely unnoticed. It was re-released in 2010 to critical acclaim and is considered by many to be the first Acid House album that was ever made. Multi -instrumentalist Charanjit who had been producing Bollywood film music in the 60s and 70s took a trip to Singapore in the early 80s in order to buy the state of the art Roland sound machines TB-808 (1981), TB-303 (1982) and Jupiter-8 (1981). …
Preview Hashback Hashish’s ‘Sometimes I Go Crazy’ EP
Following his storming international set at the legendary SXSW earlier this year, Delhi based minimal electronica producer Hashback Hashish is keeping the momentum going with his latest EP ‘Sometimes I Go Crazy’ due for release on 10 June via Irish label Nice & Nasty. …
In the studio with Pippin Pip
Newest kid on the block – Pippin Pip’s been rousing much intrigue for multiple reasons. For starters, he’s animated – and not just in a lively sense.
As a virtual music producer, he’s got an elaborate plan for an audio-visual setup to go with his live set which promises to feature sounds within a post- dubstep space. …
From lindy hop to electro pop: MADBOY/MINK take us through their setup
We’ve been hearing a lot about this electro swing torch bearing duo and their dynamic act. MADBOY/MINK are now known to unabashedly grime up venues with their mash ups and live improv over samples from the swing and big band era. At their gigs, Imaad Shah and Saba Azad have their hands full with keys, buttons, knobs and faders, (not to mention mics, guitars, and synths) while dishing out their tunes. …