Composer and electronic musician Thomas Bingham explores the condition of insomnia and the blurry line between wakefulness and sleep in his debut EP ‘Fractions of a Moment’.

Conceptually deep and intriguing, the young French-American artist shows a musical maturity that is quite remarkable, also drawing a parallel between the sleep-deprived state and the feeling of stasis that many of us have been experiencing during the lockdowns and curfews of the past year and a half.

Through his sonic introspection, the artist attempts to illustrate a sincere and sympathetic picture of some of the harder moments of life and even succeeds in capturing the underlying beauty in these moments with this ambient exploration.

On the centenarian anniversary of the Theremin, Dub exponent Gaudi fuses his two of his biggest passions, Dub & Reggae and the Theremin to produce a legendary album that is as eccentric as the instrument itself, and as eclectic as his massive career that spans over three decades. An enigmatic instrument that carries along with it a dark yet beautiful piece of history, the Theremin is an instrument like no other. Associated by default with eerie movie soundtracks and avant-garde concert music, and brought to the mainstream by rock stalwarts like The Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones, the modern musical maestro Gaudi along with his equally exceptional long-time collaborators masterfully adapts it with skill and reverence into a perpetual union with his beloved Dub, resulting in a unique ornament of a record. This is definitely one for the ages!

Brokenblender’s ‘Blending Realms’ is an exciting journey through seven different sonic realms that converges seamlessly in the Psy-bass domain. True to his name, he incorporates a multitude of (other-)worldly influences and merges them into his signature broken-downtempo style in a unique way.
Subliminally drawing from his expertise as a professional chef, creating new flavours by mixing and blending ingredients while retaining their original essence is second nature. So feast your ears and minds on the buffet of sound that is Brokenblender.

Melody, accessibility and ‘tentative experimentation’ are the elements of electronic music that ‘nervous_testpilot’ has always been drawn towards. Coming from an established background of creating soundtracks and sound design for video games through his company ‘Mode7 Games’, “Information Technology” is his first release on the Billegal Beats Label.

This foray into the IDM world is only natural for the UK based musician and producer, who effortlessly blends emotive and uplifting flavours with relatively abstract textures and geometric interplays of sound. Inspired by the aesthetics of retro computing as evident in the theme, the EP is a well-crafted piece of music that easily manages to crossover between the likes of mainstream house or trance music, experimental IDM and last but certainly not least, the vast and wonderful world of video games.

'Syntheshwara' signifies the intelligence that resides in all electronic music equipment. In 'Roots Vol. 2', the Bangalore based artist and beatmaker invokes this 'deity of sound and synthesis' which he created for his own home studio: "the Temple of Sound", and explores an interesting sonic space by sampling mesmerizing Indian melodies over laid-back beats. His 'workflow' truly lives up the to 'flow' part of the word, as the entire album was done in 24 hours, in one take, with no re-edits or re-arrangements. The ‘Roots’ series is equivalent to a refreshing dip in a lake, or a peaceful trek in the mountains.

Hyper-glitch noisemaker Romanowitch released one of the hardest hitting and unconventional sounding EPs of the year so far. In ‘Inner City’ he channels all the angst and uncertainty of the pandemic, along with a plethora of other dark emotions associated with living in the deep end of human ‘civilization’ - the “inner city” of any metropolis - and brings out a sound that is definitely not for the faint-hearted, but one which everybody who has lived in a big city will relate to. His raw and gutsy sound takes the element of noise, both inner and outer, and puts the listeners in a test of their own resilience. Try out the experience for yourself and you may actually feel a sense of accomplishment that conventional music fails to deliver. It is the same kind of feeling that Batman, the dark knight, must have attained when he conquered his fears, the kind we get when we make peace with the darkness within us.

"Filament and Place" by Innesti is, as described by the artist, an exploration of the emotional connections that exist between the places and people that exist in our lives. It is a meditative and cathartic transformation of ‘half-remembered dreams and a longing for places that no longer exist’, into sonic forms called ‘Ambient Sound Grafts’, by grafting them together with natural field recordings and organic synthesis. Innesti has a subliminal way of making listeners feel like they have travelled through time and space, all from the comfort of their own literal and metaphorical homes.

With solemn shoutouts to memes, music technology and heavy music, London duo Stonx deliver their latest EP ‘Rings’, a ballistic bombardment in the form of two D&B bangers, “Critical” and “Defiant”.

Having a solid equilibrium between self-learning and music education, they are equally at ease with producing cutting-edge tracks as they are at sharing their knowledge. No matter where the road may take them, these unswerving Abletoneers will continue their noble crusade to spread their colossal sounds across the world.

‘Simplicity’ and ‘Uniqueness’ are two traits that most of us naturally gravitate towards. The music of ‘Yestegan chaY’ exhibits both of these attributes in an authentic manner, while also being the furthest thing away from the ordinary. A self-proclaimed ‘anti-producer’ who embodies his Israeli-Persian heritage effortlessly through his sounds, he creates an eclectic mix between oriental and electronic flavours for the listener, while striking a comfortable balance between his roots, and the global state of the present world.

Chakram is an artist who sculpts the minutest of details into his art while always keeping the focus on the bigger picture. As evident in this audiovisual offering, “When Planets Mate”, is the culmination of a parallel process of self-discovery for the artist. By channelling his understanding of the circular nature of this material existence through Indian mythology, he makes a glorious effort to portray his own heritage and the ancient wisdom of the cosmos through a modern technological lens. While paying due homage to their vast influences, Chakram and his collaborators ensure that the seemingly contrary worlds of science and spirituality converge effortlessly. Upon diving into this masterpiece, the viewer is assured of a holistic and reverent experience.

International hip-hop superstar PAV4N of 'Foreign Beggars' fame dons his new “rap god” avatar by fusing Hindu mythology with hip hop, continues to ceremoniously announce himself in a larger than life fashion in the relatively new field of Indian hip hop with his single “DOOM” which is produced by Sukh Knight with vocals from Ishani.

A dramatically intoxicating vocal hook in Hindi from Ishani catapults the track forward, with Sukh Knight’s unique and hard-hitting beat setting the arena for poetic destruction by Pav, as he lyrically meanders over the bars with his verses elevating the track to a whole new level. He spits his venom in the face of his ‘frenemies' so artfully that it would make the co-starring snake in the music video envious of his ability. However, beneath the brash assertion of his verses, there is deep-rooted respect and groundedness that makes the message hit even harder. The maverick is only getting started in what seems will be new ground in the force of world hip hop and music.

Chennai based singer-songwriter and producer Damini Chauhan continues her electro-pop journey as ‘Krameri’ with a pensive, coming-of-age, yet light-hearted sounding new EP titled “Feels Like Amnesia”. The multi-faceted artist who hails from Gujarat, and has a penchant for the latest musical trends, can also be spotted alongside a stellar lineup of musicians in AR Rahman’s latest musical extravaganza “99 Songs” handling modular duties for (arguably) India’s finest and most well-known composer. The EP beautifully balances a bold simplicity with honest expression, and most definitely leads her one step closer to a bright musical future.

The past year and a half have been a busy time for UK based composer Seb Taylor. While producing a prolific output of music, Seb took some time out to share his music-making process, some “behind the music” thoughts, highly interesting, inspiring and/or humorous stories, and his insights on life as a musician.

Featured here are two releases in particular: ‘body.mind.soul’ and ‘Organic Technology’, and furthermore, what drives him to make such seemingly diverse yet integrated sounding records that bring out his own unique expression. To top it all off, his light-hearted honesty, invaluable perspective, and last but not least, modest musical genius make this Innerview a truly fun and inspiring one.

“After the Flood”, the sixth album by veteran Danish musician and composer Jens B. Christiansen under his primary alias 'Rumpistol', is in many ways a turnaround from his previous efforts. After a career of over 15 years, mainly in the electronic music scene, a computer screen triggered burn-out led him to reinvent himself and his music-making methods. The resulting record turned out to be therapeutic as well as artistically rewarding for Jens, as he went back to his instrumental roots and composed the entirety of this album using the piano as the musical core.

“After the Flood” has an uplifting, ethereal quality to it, yet remains tangible, almost tactile, in its use of organic, non-electronic instruments and textures. As refreshingly new this musical direction is for a Rumpistol album, it’s also somewhat familiar-sounding to fans of the artist. The melodies seem to ebb and flow, undulating around each other in that particular Rumpistol way that point forward (and perhaps even upwards, celestially), yet evoking memories of past works. “After the Flood” isn’t merely music to casually relax to. Although the album sounds very pleasing to the ear, it’s an engaging and thought-provoking listening experience.

Mantismash is a multifaceted mystical magician who operates musically in the psychedelic bass & downtempo realm. His latest offering, "Time Seeds", is one that, as he puts it, "Imagines each track as a 'seed' of a different plant, that will bear flowers and fruits of exotic flavours at the right time," and thus focuses on planting the right seeds and not giving in to the fear and confusion that surrounds our planet at this strange moment in time. In this record, Natan, aka "Mantismash", channels this crucial period in human history by combining the magical moments of his Goa stint into an exciting musical story of psychedelia, positivity and hope.

Moustached Sardinian DnB marauder ‘Moostatz’ releases his first two-track EP ‘Dark Sun’ on San Francisco based label Samsara Beats, which also includes halftime mixes of the two tracks. After releasing his first single ‘Reality’ on their compilation earlier this year, the exciting new producer levels up his game to give us two absolute vocal Dnb bangers that will send you into orbit. Effortlessly balancing sensitivity with intensity, ‘Dark Sun’ puts the producer’s career to an astronomical start. We expect big things from him in the future.

Fabulous funkmeister Cualli is back with his unique brand of dream-funk-hop and disco-psychedelia in his new album ’Tummy Fuzz’. Here, we are witness to some exciting instrumentation like the cat-funk conversation in ‘Pleasure Treasure’, a melodic talk-box in ‘Hungry Spiders’ and a quirky vocal hook in ‘Front Door’, all sandwiched between infectious, intertwining guitar riffs with light-hearted beats bopping underneath. These whimsical electro-funk jams will most definitely befriend you right to the bone and succour you with their carefree and magnetic demeanour. During the unpredictable ride that 2020 has been so far, this irresistible bowel movement boogie is a welcome form of audio inoculation that comes highly recommend.

Unabashedly eclectic yet firmly rooted third culture artist Iyer has released his latest album ‘Farewell’, a collection of tracks that are equal parts of booty shaking as well as nostalgia. With a wide range of influences that include Tamil film music, 90s Bollywood, dancehall, hip-hop and pop, all of which are sewn together with threads of footwork and an undying love for artists like DJ Rashad and AR Rahman, Iyer has juxtaposed his varied tastes together and augmented them with his own life experiences of being a 'third culture Tamilian’ to create a sound that keeps up his own identity with the fast paced cultural changes that every generation is exposed to. All in all, ‘Farewell’ happens to a be a highly gratifying aural culture clash.

Zen Baboon’s latest release Hidden Frogs is an aural bouquet of sublime harmonies, tantalising melodies, caressing ambiences and silky beats, all of which present to us a perfect paradox of flawless glitchy goodness. Tiptoeing between classical glitch, trip-hop, chillout and techno, all with a subtly psychedelic touch as mild yet seductive as a micro-dose of Lucy on a warm summer’s day in nature, the music occasionally evokes feelings that are reminiscent to traversing through Parisian rues or a quaint Lisbon alley in an alternate sur-reality. Zen Baboon’s work has always been one of a kind, rich in feeling, spontaneous, sentimental, sympathetic and with a strong storytelling sense. This record is no different as you are anachronistically transported through several layers of nostalgic moods and musical topographies that leave you enamoured by this delightful musical courtship.

Billegal Beats debutant Navaro taps into his experience of the most powerful emotion, love, and chronicles his relationships, personal growth and coming of age in this brand new 4 track EP called ‘Timeline’. His premier sonic sojourn delivers mellow atmospheres, petillant melodies and elegant basslines. This drummer & producer from Israel is one of the many talented new artists to emerge from an exciting music scene in the country and promises to be a force to reckon with in the future.