'Tis the season to be retrospective. The clock's ticking on 2014, and as we race to the next, we take out a moment to thematically round up some of the pieces we worked on over the year, a little something to remember it by.
2014 brought with it a whirlwind of new developments when it comes to the burgeoning music scene in the country, and finding ourselves inevitably caught in the maelstrom, it's turned out to be quite the journey; from interdisciplinary collaborations that broke the mould and conversations with some of the pioneering venues in country, to game-changing videos that excavated the darkest crevices of human relationships, and our very own attempt at documenting the evolution of bass culture over the decades, spread out languorously over two volumes.
Here's a quick round-up of Homegrown's music-related highlights from the year, just in case you missed it:
I. Watch: Part II/III Of Nicholson's Video Trilogy Is Painfully Relatable
Sohrab Nicholson's sound has been making waves since the beginning of the year, rising into a crescendo in the latter half with the release of his videos leading up to his new EP 'Cold Water'. In this piece, we caught up with all the actors who had delivered powerful performances in each of the three videos to discuss what their processes, and journey as a creative team, have been like.
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This one has been quite a labour of love, only made possible thanks to the scores of artists we reached out to, who responded with their personal key moments, highlights and opinions to contribute to the chronicling the evolution of bass culture in the country; tribute to the music that’s clearly got a very special role to play in our overall musical journey.
In Part I, we have the first part - spanning from the mid-90's to 2008 - involving the very initial pioneers/pushers of the genre in India, both locals and foreigners, and the UK’s Asian Underground Movement, forming the foundation for everything we see today.
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Part II involves a few incredibly key latecomers who took it upon themselves to resurrect an otherwise closeted genre, and take the time to evolve larger audiences’ taste for bass music; this piece captures the more recent years, with the advent of much higher numbers of internet users and a fast-evolving audience–both in numbers and tastes.
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“There’s nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” – Vishal Shetty
Commercial-yet-cult. Burlesque-yet-believable. As Mumbai’s most iconic club till date, Fire & Ice, threatens to haunt our nightlife with its ghost, one of its creators tells a tale worthy of fantastical chronicling. Between revolutionizing the city’s witching hours and creating the cave that holds its most epic dance-floor memories, the man still found the time to drink 8 vodka Red Bulls by breakfast. This is a quest to trace a journey that even 10 years post its closing, sparks an interest in every person that weaved their way into its fabric.
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Far more than a conversation about exploring Sahej Bakshi's ‘evolution as an artist’ or his ‘next big release,’ this is a story about reclaiming identity and the contemplation of his own past, present and future that’s made him the person he is today.
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“The Memory Lamp is designed to invoke a sense of nostalgia that you might not be aware of, for which you need to be able to tap into the deeper levels of your subconscious. This is sparked off not only by youthful pockets of childhood memories, but deeper rooted data which travels back several lifetimes, transcending the dimensions of space and time.”
The Memory Lamp, a collaboration between Sandunes and audio-visual outfit Wolves, was an art installation that blended aural and visual elements designed to tap into a sense of nostalgia that transcends the conscious mind, at TARQ, a relatively new contemporary art gallery in Colaba.
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In his nouveau chronicle, ‘India Psychedelic’, journalist and author Sidharth Bhatia tells the tale of an India that grappled with changes of national interest through the fates of some young musicians of the generation. In conversation with him, we found out a little more about the rock music of a lost generation.
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