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
No one captures unrequited love like FLTY BRGR GRL. In their latest album Love You Forever, the Oslo-based garage pop duo not only highlights the heart-fluttering, adrenaline-pumping parts of crushing, but also the realizations that come once the fantasy of the crush has been shattered. They put music to the high school feeling of memorizing … Read More
In July 2020, when the pandemic was raging, and the uprisings were ongoing, Hrishikesh Hirway was missing his friends and family. Stuck at home with his wife and small dog, he expressed a yearning that struck a chord across the internet, tweeting, “I woke up with a small, specific sadness: I miss being on a … Read More
1+1=1, a footwear and handbag collection from Brooklyn-based Jaipur designer Saumya Sharma, is a study in functionality. The pieces, which Sharma made herself by hand, are at first art objects. They are unwearable until the viewer/wearer pulls the tab that unstitches the opening. From there they can continue to customize the fit and fall of … Read More
Contemporary artist Golnar Adili is playing with language. Specifically the shape of Persian. For the past 15 years she has been making art that revels in the physicality of her mother tongue. She has extracted individual letters from her father’s writing and recreated them in print and sculpture, designed her own Persian pixel typography, created … Read More
