Experimental sounds from the subcontinent: Anthology of Exploratory Music from India
WORDS BY RAJEN BHATT
IG: @FRKSE_DIVSERIES
It took me a long time to discover India’s extensive experimental music scene. I attribute my ignorance to the occidental blinders I’ve worn - feeling as if only in the West could the most critical examinations be brought forth and then subsequently smashed to fucking bits.
‘Anthology of Exploratory Music From India’, released by Italian label Unexplained Sounds Group, is a compilation of exploratory music and sound works from India hopefully shatters any prejudices you might have. Their intention with this release is to present a comprehensive collection of sonic practices emerging from the desire to break away traditional Indian classical and folk music, while simultaneously drawing inspiration from traditional Indian music in the form of recurring motifs and sonorities as well as textures and open-ended compositions.
With the exception of Budhaditya Chattopadhyay, whose work I remember seeing in a European museum at some point, all of the other artists featured here are new to me. Styles on this compilation range from the post-modern Hindustani classical (Clarence Barlow, Sandeep Bhagwati), musique concrete (Jessop & Co, Ish S), sparse ambient (Budhaditya Chattopadhyay, Hemant Sreekumar), and field recording manipulations (Sakunda Majumdar). While all of these offerings are fascinating for one reason or another, the tracks that really caught my ear were Rajesh Mehta’s ‘Sky Cage’ for its unexpectedly felicitous incorporation of trumpet and minimal electronics into an otherwise fairly straight forward raag, and installation composer Farah Mullah’s ‘Out of Reach’ which dips pedestrian samples into a harsh metallic drag of percussive drones and pings. ‘Jessore Road’ by Varun Desai also piqued my attention, offering a similar approach to Farah’s by blending Indian road noise and the somber drone of some unknown metallic object.
‘Anthology of Exploratory Music From India’ will likely be a challenging listen for most folks (myself included), but it is a worthy showcase of the underground experimental talent that India has to offer. I’m excited to delve into the discographies - and in some cases visual works - of these brilliant artists.
Rajen Bhatt
Rajen Bhatt is based out of Boston, USA and records and performs music under various monikers including FRKSE. He sometimes operates the Divergent Series imprint in between teaching math to 15 and 16 year olds and reading books on theology and metaphysics. He appreciates mid-90s hip-hop and mid-90s death metal in equal measure.