The West’s fascination with Indian music stretches back decades. Even before the 'raga rock' wave of the 1960s, traces of Indian instrumentation and modal melodies had begun to seep into jazz and experimental circles, but it was the psychedelic era that made sitars, tablas, and ragas a global pop vocabulary. Rock bands layered tambura drones under guitars, borrowed rhythmic cycles, and turned to Indian classical traditions as a counterpoint to Western harmonic norms. That moment of cultural curiosity opened the door to a storied exchange between Indian and Western sounds.
By the late ’80s and ’90s, hip-hop producers were mining Bollywood scores for samples — loops of strings, vocal refrains, and orchestral flourishes slipped into beats from New York to London. What began as exotic snippets became a recognizable texture in rap, weaving South Asian sound into the backbone of Black American music. Over time, this evolved into genuine collaborations across pop, electronic, and hip-hop, with Indian and Western artists co-creating rather than just borrowing. That trajectory now reaches a peak with Gorillaz’ 'The Mountain', recorded partly in India and featuring legends from Asha Bhosle to Anoushka Shankar, proof of how entwined the histories of these traditions have become.
And at home, India’s own independent scene is thriving as a melting pot of expression and experiment — where folk collides with electronica, rap bends toward jazz, and hybrid sounds push forward with conviction. Here are some of our favourite tracks from homegrown artists this past month:
On his latest mixtape 'Farookh', Delhi-based alternative hip-hop artist shauharty explores identity and displacement through three acts, with 'Delicate Ache of Unknown' sitting in the third — an introspective chapter of catharsis and self-acceptance. Built on a beat by 30KEY!, the track immediately stands out for its strange but resonant sensibilities, carrying an unease and of being caught between places. It reflects shauharty’s own experience of never fully feeling at home, and of carrying the side-eye of unfamiliar spaces wherever he goes. The collaboration with Karshni on the hook completes the piece, her voice bringing the vulnerability and softness the song demands. Musically, it draws from jazz and R&B, but its tone is subdued, melancholic, and cerebral; an intimate meditation on belonging and the quiet ache of never quite arriving.
'Aizawl City Innis Bish' is both a tribute and critique of Aizawl, voiced from Kim’s perspective as a Mizo raised in Shillong. Switching between English and Mizo, his verses move through contradictions of pride and discontent, blessings and burdens, joy and disillusionment, while the chorus turns the city into a rallying presence. Sangtei’s rich, soulful delivery in the Mizo sections grounds the song, carrying the emotional tones of nostalgia and belonging. Together, they create a piece that makes the love-hate tension of home resound in language, voice, and rhythm.
On her new EP 'Leather & Brass', New Delhi-based producer and composer Sijya digs into sound at its heaviest — distorted synths, raw rhythms, and textures stripped of polish until they feel both fragile and abrasive. The record thrives on tension, circling themes of emotional distortion. Within this landscape, 'Do I Know' arrives as a moment of spontaneous invention: a synth-led track unexpectedly shaped around a guitar riff, channeling her subconscious pull toward the language of electric guitars while staying rooted in her electronic framework.
Punjabi singer-songwriter Jai Dhir continues to expand the language of modern Punjabi pop with 'Shaam,' an Afrobeat-infused love song produced by NEVERSOBER. Known for weaving Punjabi roots with global sounds, Jai here pairs smooth melodies and flowing rhythms with poetic lyricism that likens a lover to the mystery and calm of evening itself. Both romantic and rhythmically buoyant, 'Shaam' sits comfortably between global pop sensibilities and Punjabi storytelling, showing once again why Jai Dhir has become one of the genre’s most resonant young voices.
Part of a three-track trilogy, 'Written in the Weather' finds jazz guitarist and composer Karan Khosla leaning into funk-inflected optimism with a groove built to cut through monsoon blues. What began as a buried riff in an old voice memo has been reimagined into a layered, feel-good anthem. Featuring collaborators from Argentina, Spain, and Ukraine, the track captures the spark of musicians in sync across borders, building into a playful yet precise arrangement carried by dynamic solos and a memorable guitar lines.
With his new single, Delhi-based hip-hop artist sxnchay sharpens the warm, fuzzy pop-rap sound he’s been sketching since 'Dalal Street', weaving jangly guitars, syncopated bells, and funk-laced basslines into a head-bobbing groove. Lyrically, the track captures the rhythm of twenty-something life in the capital — sleep-deprived mornings, metro commutes, balancing ambition with art, carving out individuality against the noise, plus the inner workings of a fling. Featuring Unfuckman on the bridge and Logan on the beat, the song is packed with key changes and texture. Its raw, found-footage-like, handheld music video mirrors that choatic energy with cameos from Frappe Ash and shauharty.
India’s luminary R&B voice Mary Ann Alexander follows her Craig David collaboration with 'Take,' a luxuriant track built from a deceptively simple percussion loop by Mumbai producer Kambli. That mischievous, buoyant beat sets the stage for Alexander’s declaration of ambition, self-worth, and confidence, as winding guitar motifs and velvety harmonics weave through her vocal lines. Both a celebration and a reminder of what it takes to claim your space, the single embodies the fearless pursuit of desire while fiercely protecting one’s energy.
Indian electronic trio Five Years From Now return with 'Alvida,' a reflective single that questions whether saying goodbye is ever as simple as the word implies. Built on their signature fusion of electronic production, soft pop, and emotive atmospheres, the track drifts through memories with swelling layers and ambient textures, capturing the tension between holding on and letting go. It’s a song that lingers in the in-between haunted by what once was, yet trying to move on.
With 'Snake Charmer', Delhi-based duo Tech Panda x Kenzani lean into the signature blend of folk and electronica that has defined their rise, this time pushing it squarely toward the dancefloor. The track fuses the hypnotic tones of the shehnai with driving percussion and high-octane production, creating a futuristic, festival-ready anthem. Building on the folk-infused experiments of past releases like 'Ek Tara' and 'Duniya', the new single crystallises their ethos of bridging Indian sounds with global electronic landscape.
With her upcoming EP, folk-pop singer-songwriter Akanksha Bhandari turns her distinctive voice toward one of life’s most intimate milestones, curating a five-track project that reflects the many shades of a wedding —from anticipation to joy, ritual to togetherness. The opening single, 'Piya Ghar,' sets the tone with a reimagined folk song that blends Punjabi and Hindi lyrics into a heartfelt mehendi celebration. Framed around the bride-to-be sharing her dreams with friends, her hands painted in mehendi, the track is filled with warmth, colour, and longing, embodying the mixture of joy and anticipation that defines the moment before marriage.
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