“One Time in Lebanon,” the third single from British-Indian singer and songwriter Prianca RA, is unusual for placing agency where it rightly belongs – in the hands of protagonist Habiba, who carves and expresses her own life story. In a world that all too often relegates women to unnamed and obscure character roles, the song … Read More
The Night is Dark and Full of Rainbows, by contemporary artist Sharmistha Ray, is a seductive image: A marigold crescent rests at the bottom of an indigo square. The square is inside a vertical rectangle and framed by a diagonal rainbow, such as one thrown by a prism. Rays of color seep through the blue … Read More
Priestess, a debut album from Karachi-based artist YULLOLA, breaks free from earthly realities and transports us into a new transcendental domain. Set in a galactic black hole, the album shows the artist assuming the identity of an extraterrestrial priestess and carving her own dystopian musical niche. For YULLOLA, this critical distance from humankind is not … Read More
Off his latest studio album The Way That Lovers Do, Prateek Kuhad’s new single “Favorite Peeps” explores the feeling of pain and the accompanying desire for human connection. The song’s graceful swung melody overlays a simple guitar rhythm, and is decorated with synthesized pitch bends, melismatic vocal stretches, and shrill bell tones. The music video … Read More
With his debut EP softworld out last month, electronic music artist and producer Shine Robbins gives us music that is futuristic and genre-defying. From the convergence of classical and modern in “Blue” to graphic evocations of the living world in “Nest,” the eight tracks comprising softworld conjure a multitude of sonic and emotional worlds. Robbins … Read More
Popular Trinidadian chutney musicians Ravi B and Nari’s recent “Gulabi Aankhen” remake boldly refashions the 1970 Bollywood classic with a global twist. As a master of chutney soca, Ravi B is no stranger to fusion. His music effortlessly weaves Indian filmi and Afro-Caribbean soca styles to create a distinctive chutney sound. This time, with “Gulabi … Read More
For the last year contemporary artist Abdolreza Aminlari has been making his own paper. Working with master collaborators at Dieu Donné, Aminlari has been producing velvety, vibrantly pigmented sheets of cotton paper – prussian blue, neon pink, and deep mauves. The adoption of papermaking is unsurprising; Aminlari is best known for another labor intensive craft … Read More
Ashni’s new EP Who I Dreamed Of begins with a whisper – the musician lilts softly over a persistent strumming and gentle piano with the first song “Light Bends.” Instantly reminiscent of the singer-songwriters of the 90s and aughts but with Ashni’s own signature touch, Who I Dreamed Of is only three songs but it … Read More
From simply looking at the cover photo of Myrmecophile, Ifti Nasim makes it clear that he is not here to hide any part of himself. The first image we have of him is a playful, subversive snapshot where he is decked out in full drag, donning a blonde wig, costume jewelry, pearls, and bangles. He … Read More
IV. Bengaluru, 2032 “Sometimes, Saturday has a lonely sound,” said the guy to the girl. A black-and- white from seventy years ago. That was the last line before the power cut out. Goddamned India. I guess some things never change. They nuked the grid to save the country, but the construction was rigged, crooked in … Read More
