Wild City

Slow Down Clown is a Mumbai based 4-piece act that fuses various forms of alternative rock, folk and punk into a sometimes uncategorisable category. It began as a solo project, formed by singer/songwriter Vitek ‘Tek’ Goyel in Upstate New York in 2001. Upon his return to Mumbai, Tek teamed up with producer and guitarist Anurag Shanker, to translate his bedroom enterprise into a full band experience together with bassist Wilson Kenneth and drummer Arfaaz ‘Fuzz’ Kagalwala (also known as Fuzzy Logic). Their songs are characteristic of Mumbai, "brimming with anecdotes, steeped in nostalgia and entirely relatable. Frenetic and ecstatic, lovelorn yet optimistic, Slow Down Clown are an easy, addictive listen." Their debut EP, ‘Say Nothing’ (stream here) was released on Meteorik Records in September 2010. The band have since played to packed venues across the country, whilst keeping busy in the studio working on their follow up. To anyone not paying attention, their mix could at first come across as a random collec

Jatin Puri burst onto the Indian live music circuit less than a year ago, quickly gaining a countrywide reputation for his original and innovative take on varied forms of electronica. Influenced by trip-hop, breakbeat, hip-hop, bass and even pop, Puri’s eclectic sound defies easy classification. His catchy and thoughtful tracks are all self-produced, composed, performed and sung. Within his short career, he has released two albums (read our review of his 2011 release, Purify here), provided scores for short films and played countless gigs across the country with more notable shows taking place at last years Bacardi NH7 Weekender and this years Holi Cow Festival. Most recently, the Delhi based artist won the award for Best Music Video at the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) for 'Life Is Good'. The video was shot in Hauz Khas Village last year and features local Bboys from the SlumGods. The judging panel for the competition was an impressive mix of iconic artists such as Tom Waits, Ozzy Osbourne an

Delhi based Qilla Records has fast become one of the country's key underground powerhouses, a name now associated internationally with underground dance music particularly with minimal and techno. Spearheaded by Madhav Shorey a.k.a Kohra and Gaurav Malaker, one half of BLOT, the label is now on the cusp of its 8th release. Unlike its predecessors, this is the first time the imprint has put together a compilation rather than an EP, showcasing a completely new direction for the label. "The idea behind our very first full-length compilation 'Open Dialect' came after we received a large number of demos that were all fantastic tracks but didn't quite fit the "label profile" so to speak. We decided to section out certain styles of tracks into compilations that support parallel ideas of the label presented differently." - Kohra, Qilla Records Due to be released on 21 May, the compilation features tracks from a number of young and upcoming producers from France, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and India. It also we

Kevin McHugh a.k.a Ambivalent has spent the last decade living in either Berlin or New York. In a sense, these two metropoleis represent the contradiction at the heart of his Ambivalent persona. On the one hand the reckless freedom and hedonism of the Berlin subculture, on the other the more considered, conceptual approach of its New York counterpart. As a result his unique sound lies somewhere between the two, a precarious balancing act that manages to infuse stripped down, finked up minimal techno with a distinct sense of purpose. Due to be over in India over the coming weekend, we did, well, what we usually do and got him to sit down and make us an exclusive mix for Wild City. It wasn't easy - he's a busy man! But you know what, he came through in the end. "Sometimes I rarely get moments to just sit and focus on one thing. Time on flights is often my best way to get some thinking done, or make a mix. This podcast was made in one of those moments. I did my best to fit a balance of sounds that I play in my

"Bangalore based duo Rahul Giri and Tanvi Rao currently make up one of the country's most interesting contemporary acts, Sulk Station. Their debut album ‘Till You Appear’ is a brilliant specimen of trip-hop and downtempo, beautifully laced with Indian classical influences. Placed side by side with their more contemporary sounds it’s a listen that manages to create a despairing timelessness." - Abhinava Bhattacharyya This Wednesday Wild City will be hosting Sulk Station’s debut Delhi show and album launch at Out Of The Box, Hauz Khas Village. In addition to Sulk Station, the show will include a performance from Teddy Boy Kill and Wild City DJ. To get you in the mood this Monday, Sulk Station have put together a mixtape of tracks that played a big part in influencing their album throughout last year. Featuring tracks from the likes of Baths, James Blake and Radiohead it's not hard to see why they sound like they do. Considering their influences from music that was utterly of the moment, one can only wait with

Wild City #023 - Daniel Haaksman by Wild City

Wild City #022 - Coma by Wild City

"With rhythm in her soul and funk in her attitude, Kini has been steadily creating waves within India's house music scene." Starting off as resident DJ at Poison in Hyderabad, Kini quickly rose through the ranks to open for acts such as dOP, Dale Anderson, Anil Chawla, Djuma Soundsystem, James Harcourt and Jody Wisternoff. A long time coming, we've managed to persuade Kini to lend us an hour of her time for a mix running through her current favourite tracks. Keeping things light it moves through various strains of house and techno while focusing on melodic grooves and tight dancefloor orientated beats. Featuring tracks from the likes of Maxi Mill, Martyn and Nicolas Masseyeff it's a fun and forward listen that only builds the anticipation for what Kini is going to deliver next. With four releases already under her belt on labels such as Whose Haus and Arjun Vagale's Maktub, Kini is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. "This mix is representative of the sound that I'm into right now. It covers a l

2008 was the year Frederic Berger and Patrick Buck started their marvelous career as Kaiserdisco, tying together over 10 years of experience within the music industry. A duo that's not so easy to pin down, Kaiserdisco combine with exceptional style and grace both the warmer, melodic and deeper sides of house with the more heated and groovy, pounding drum patterns of minimal and techno. Within the last 4 years they've remixed artists such as Booka Shade, Kosheen, Extrawelt, Sebastien Légér, 2000 and One whilst having releases on legendary labels like Drumcode, 100% Pure, Strictly Rhythm, My Best Friend and Global Underground. Beside their big future plans and already signed releases on Drumcode and My Best Friend in April 2012 the boys have also started their own imprint titled KD Music - what better time for them to enter Indian clubland. To mark their first ever Indian tour later this week at blueFROG Delhi and Mumbai Frederic from Kaiserdisco has gone and put together a mix that folds together various el

When you think of hip-hop, house and dubstep, Newcastle, in the North-East of England, isn’t exactly the first place that comes to mind. London, Chicago, New York, Detroit, Paris and Manchester are amongst the few cities that are credited with making huge contributions to the heterogeneous catalogue of electronic music we have at our fingertips today. It's sometimes very easy for national music media to overlook fledgling talent in cities such as Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle. To a similar extent, media attention regarding recent developments in electronic music has been almost exclusively centered on London. Whilst nobody could overlook the influences of a vast roster of dubstep, techno and garage producers based in the UK's capital, it seems unfair that artists with similar levels of talent lack the appropriate platforms for exposure in northern cities. TRIPTIK Music is aiming to address this imbalance, with these key criteria kept at the forefront of their progress: "Essential, Eclectic and Electro

Switch Bitch has been gestating within various bedrooms and laptops for just over two years. Considering the matured sound you're about to hear over the next 12 minutes, it's hard to believe. What began with the shared passion of two people sitting around a laptop and making electro has over time evolved through sonic-scapes and grown as if by mitosis into a four piece counter-culture. "Now we have more than two, even five people at a time crowded around a laptop." Currently consisting of Abhinav Chaudhary, Nikhil Kaul, Abhishek Bhatia, Anshul Lall and Anupam Roy, Switch Bitch is an act that can travel from shadow to light and all shades in between with casual grace. As expected, the mysterious group have piloted an ominous, exotic musical journey and even better, have made it an exclusive 3 track EP released via Wild City completely free of charge. The key here is atmosphere. An EP that burrows itself into the brain before nestling down for the long haul. By taking electronics forward but without at any

Andy Vaz hails from Düsseldorf, Germany and is the man behind Background Recordings, a label internationally acclaimed as being instrumental to what people refer to today as minimal techno. In March 2007 Vaz added to his list of musical ventures by launching a new label called “YORE”, the focus of which will be on authentic old school Detroit and Chicago house sounds. His latest release, Straight Vacationing is his first full-length artist album since the 2006 release of Repetitive Moments Last Forever. It see's Vaz travel back into history, registering as less a straight-up collection of dance-floor burners and more a variety pack that mixes club tracks and full-fledged house songs. Straight Vacationing dives into the genre in all it’s rich variety. Last October Andy Vaz, Glitterbug and Murat Tepeli were invited out to India to tour as part of a Goethe Institut initiative. This is where we first met Andy. His love for house and techno became evident instantly and we just knew there and then, that we wanted

"There's no innate skill involved in quality drum and bass production beyond a surge of all nighters and dying city lights." says Mumbai based producer and DJ, Ox7gen. Self taught in the studio and now quickly gaining a reputation as the rising star of Indian drum and bass Ox7gen a.k.a Aditya Ashok is surely one to watch in 2012. In a career spanning just over a year, this self-proclaimed drum and bass newbie has been pushing the boundaries tirelessly. Suffice to say the effortless skill and insatiable appetite for glitch has paid off as he’s managed to garner himself an impressive following in only a few short months of live meddling. The latter half of 2011 saw Ashok play his first couple of gigs in Mumbai and also close Bacardi NH7 Weekender’s Dub Station stage. Throughout this mix, regardless of what genre is being explored, Ox7gen's love of drum-heavy percussion and thick rhythms is a constant. Textured by sharp, crunchy beats and mutating into a hard and sloppy sonic experience, it results in a listen

The legendary drum and bass duo Concord Dawn a.k.a Evan Short and Matt Harvey is quite simply one of the most recognised names in drum and bass history. After bursting onto the international scene in early 2000 with their "Best Electronic Album" and "Best Independent Release" Disturbance, the duo rocked the foundations of drum and bass into a movement that eventually would see the genre move into the mainstream. Classic tracks such as “Morning Light” and “Don’t Tell Me” found international acclaim and are still heavily play-listed across the planet. This week, Matt Harvey will be bringing his critically acclaimed brand of drum and bass to audiences in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Bangalore headlining the 6th installlent of BASS CAMP Festival, the country's only bass heavy music festival. The duo’s Wild City mix is as expected mainly centered around their own productions and music. A 25 minute brockout of what you can expect as part of their Indian tour. "This is a mix of a selection of tracks I made last year,

With the sudden undeniable presence in India of glitch hop/electro hip-hop or whatever else you want to call it, we thought it only fair to get a mix from the genres fastest rising stars. A union of three talented young producers, Zen Death Squad are a phenomenon waiting to happen. Armed with laptops, synthesisers and drum machines, their diverse and explosive live sets are becoming notorious within the underground. Cyber Dojo Lazer Training EP was the trio's debut release. Uncompromisingly brazen and intensely colourful, the title track has already received global recognition from DJs, bloggers and crowds alike. "This is easily the strongest debut release I have heard in years. If you don't like this record you are pretty much a racist." - ill Gates Following a successful US tour including performances at the world renowned Low End Theory club in Los Angeles and San Francisco, alongside Gaslamp Killer, Salva and EPROM to name a few we expect there's a lot more to come from this trio. For now, they're seco

Earlier this year we interviewed Ghettophiles, one of the leading players for the juke/footwork scene's movement and home to some of the most recognised names in juke, footwork, ghetto tech, dub, moombahton and Chicago house. One of these names is Starfoxxx a.k.a Erik, Dave and Fabe, the production trio based out in Chicago. Together they bring a real grassroots sound to moombahton while at the same time producing ghetto bounce and juke. The fusion of their combined experience in the studio allows them to construct dark, sinister sounds mixed with bouncy "booty bass" alongside a global twist. "Me, coming from a Mexican background, I just love the fact that salsa, cumbia, merengue, and all these Latin influences are starting to show up in this new wave of music. To be honest when I was younger I didn't think cumbia and merengue were cool at all, but the way it's been handled now by all these producers is amazing. I love the flavour and it's nice to get a change in the speed of music, something that feels a bi

Teddy Boy Kill is a self confessed technologic "beat punk" consisting of Ashhar Farooqui, Samrat Bee, and recently added drummer Akshat Nauriyal. Otherwise known as Toymob, Audio Pervert and Tahska. Forget everything you know about Indian electronica. "Rising out of the usual clutter and clam of electronic music in India", Teddy Boy Kill has forced itself to develop an edgy, moody and distinctly solid sound. An electronic-based rock/techno/electro band from New Delhi, Teddy Boy Kill make a mark with their raucous live shows and high-energy music that draws comparisons to !!!, LCD Soundsystem, Justice, Walls and even Massive Attack at times. Yup, I said it. Their music pulls towards many conflicting and opposing genres with an industrial sound that is seamlessly and disjointedly interwoven with confrontational lyrics. There is a profound quality about this partnership (especially when watching live) that gives their music a very distinctive heart and depth. Proud to be independent of any record label and giv

Last week, we let you know about burntprogress, a music focused agency and network whose project 'CDR - The Nights Of Ideas and Tracks In The Making' has been the bedrock for music producers and artists alike. In fact, it was through the same initiative that BBC Radio 1 (now XFM) DJ Mary Anne Hobbs first heard the sounds of Floating Points, SBTRKT, Bullion and Paul White. The project itself has travelled with residencies spanning across cities such as London, Paris, Barcelona, Tel Aviv and Sydney. Tonight it begins its tour across India allowing both aspiring and established producers to submit their current works in progress which are then usually play-listed and heard on a great sound system on that same night (the next night in the case of Mumbai). Essentially it's offering an opportunity for like-minded artists to meet and exchange feedback/ideas. In celebration of this initiative heading over to our shores, we present Wild City 010 from London based, Planet Mu artist Oriol, who'll be traveling across t

Hailing from the German club scene this bass heavy collective is a creative alliance made up of London-born, Sri Lankan songwriter and front woman Sasha Perera alongside two beat freak multi-instrumentalists; Teuton Robot Koch and Tel-Aviv born Oren Gerlitz. The versatility of their music and sheer energy of their live performance has led the band on an unrelenting trail across 5 continents, playing everything from festivals to clubs, raves, squats, galleries and even impromptu Boombox parties in a Berlin underpass. To say that we're excited about seeing them over on our shores, would just be an understatement. Wild City #009 is everything we hoped it would be. A dusk-lit garage, bass and house session featuring tracks from UK bass heavyweights such as Shackleton, Dark Sky, Zomby and Brackles alongside alternate versions of a couple of well-known Jahcoozi jams. It also includes a choice selection from their BLNRB album titled Welcome To The Madhouse, a project that involved 22 Kenyan musicians, Jahcoozi, Mo

Brooklyn Shanti otherwise known as Shanti or the1shanti is an MC, producer, composer and DJ based in New York City. Bengali in origin, decidedly hip-hop in orientation, Shanti is currently a man possessed with the idea of bringing true hip-hop to India, "the most populous democracy in the world.” Shanti's story began at the young age of 12, where he set off on his journey by supporting hip-hop pioneers such as Doug E. Fresh and Ultramagnetics MCs. Since then he's collaborated with musical heavyweights such as A. R. Rahman, Sonik Gurus, the Foreign Beggars, Italy's Feel Good Productions, ElekTro4, Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin and Wood), and Niraj Chag to name a few. In 2006, Afrika Bambaataa, the "grandfather" of hip-hop, aware of Shanti's efforts to spread a positive message in South Asia, even dubbed the artist the Indian Bambaataa. Currently working on his third full length LP due for release next year, Shanti is collaborating with a wide range of legendary musicians ranging from Afrika Bambaataa to Kut