Wild City

Driven by a relentless passion for electronic music from across the musical spectrum, Mathieu Josso a.k.a M.Mat, has, of recent, become an inimitable stronghold for the Indian house and techno scene. Leading the underground Mumbai based collective Bhavishyavani Future Soundz, he has over the years headed events across the country with artists such as Laurent Garnier, Mathew Jonson, Chloe, dOP, DJ Koze, Dixon and Cobblestone Jazz - continuously touring some of the most exciting acts ever to have played India to venues across Mumbai - and that's why we like him. His time as one of the country's movers and shakers actually traces back to the early '00s, but it's his recent role as one of head honcho's and resident DJ's of the BFS collective that has catapulted him to another level. Brandishing him as a musical entity all by himself. Originally from France - and now spending most of his time in Mumbai, Josso is a regular fixture behind the decks - and if we were to be honest - has been meaning to get us this m

Today marks the beginning of L’Imperatrice’s 7 city tour around India. The 5 strong French electronica outfit kick start their Indian journey tonight in New Delhi followed by gigs in Bangalore, Trivandrum, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai and Ponichery. We’ve been looking forward to this gig for a while now, it’s not often that you get to see a full live funk/disco set in India: “a frenetic and funky guitarist, an amazingly grooving bassist, a DJ and [a keys player playing alongside} with another musician.” To get you in the mood we have a tasty little exclusive vinyl mix from keys player Charles. A funk infused, old-school disco playlist, bound to brighten up your day. It just did for me (again). Do not miss these guys in a town near you. “This mix is full of our influences, jazz, funk, disco. This is what we play, but in a very Frenchy way, and we try to make it personal. What you'll hear is rooted in mid 70s black disco to late 90s French house, with a slice of hip-hop. Our set is also a big travel across synth p

“Pippin is a virtual music producer in an animated world.” Inspired by artists such as Mount Kimbie, Flume and Burial, Pippin pushes a blend of 2-step, post-dubstep and even a bit of indie. His debut EP ‘1010’ is expected to release in October 2013 followed shortly by a live show at Bacardi NH7 Weekender, in Bangalore. Perfect timing then. Having created music for a number of years under several other aliases (some, already featured in the Wild City mix series), Pippin is a producer with a unique taste and sound that in this case has compiled a different beast altogether. Pippin's offering is a groovy session with a powerful sensual streak; pop, ambient and some seriously deep business help make mix #064, not only enjoyable but also on a tip that we haven't experienced much in our long-running series. Moving effortlessly through a number of original tracks, some of which have already seen the light of day, online, it also offers up tracks from a varied line up of producers that have inspired Pippin over t

Donn Bhat is a music composer, producer, songwriter and guitar player based out of Mumbai. In the past he's written, produced and played for the bands 'Friday The13th' and 'Orange Street' both of which won the Great Indian Rock (GIR) competition in 2003 and 2005 respectively. Eventually, after an extensive tour of Europe with Orange Street, Donn produced his first solo album 'One Way Circle' in 2006 from his bedroom studio in New Delhi. The album received a great response from press and fans alike and has seen a quick appreciating reaction from reputed stalwarts within India's independent music scene. More recently three of his album tracks got featured on the MTV series 'Bring On the Night', whilst he currently is in the recording stages of his second solo album titled 'Passenger Revelator', alongside regularly composing music for film and advertising in Mumbai. He performs live with his band Donn Bhat + Passenger Revelator. On the one hand, Bhat's built a reputation as a solid producer, making accessible

FuzzCulture is a 2-piece electronic music outfit from New Delhi, made up of Arsh Sharma (The Circus) and Srijan Mahajan (Parikrama, Half Step Down and Cyanide). Evolving from a project that spent over a year and a half in the studio, it has now developed into an accomplished and brutal live act, that provides a fusion of metal, techno and even hip-hop - armed with just 2 figures on stage, determined to prove themselves and their new sound. Last week, they released their debut EP, 'Indulge.Divulge' as a free download. A exciting and optimistic record it largely earns its stripes by slightly sidestepping familiar footsteps, leaving the listener curious about future sounds from this prolific duo. Rave-goers, club heads, metal fans and electro-junkies alike will be united to the release of 'Indulge.Divulge' and with a sound that's much more in-your-face than a lot of Indian acts, the replay value is favourable. You know us. In celebration of the release of their EP, we asked the duo to create a mix for us. #0

Initially started as a solo project by front-man Suryakant Sawhney, Peter Cat Recording Co. otherwise known as pcrc is a New Delhi based band that formed in 2010 and is currently made up of 4 members. "The type of music we play is open to discussion (...) Our style ranges from gypsy jazz to ballroom waltz, midnight moonlight and car chase music (think Don). The sound is heavily inspired by 60s/70s Bollywood music, which was in turn inspired by American music of the 50s, such as big band music and soul. Lyrically, we choose to write about prostitutes, deception, android artists and about films coming to life." The gypsy-like free spirits in pcrc express a laidback sound. An incredibly talented group of musicians headed by an extremely potent songwriter. A band that through this process has shown a real passion for discovering new music as well as a blatant disregard for putting themselves in any sort of box. We don't exactly know where this band is going to take us over the coming years. And that is exciting

"A potpourri of fresh, eclectic, syncopated beats peppered with some funk. That’s what you can expect from Bombay’s resident next-door DJs Paloma and Varun." Mumbai based Paloma Monnappa and Varun Patra are two young DJs unafraid to push the ever extending boundaries of Indian clubland. Their live sets, confirm this enthusiastic and finely crafted union, in which it seems obvious that the two artists naturally complement each others ideas. From moody ambiences, bewitching loops and hybrid beats to sophisticated soulful rhythms, Algorhythm exhibits a rich pallet of atmospheres and attitudes with a smart and creative approach. Wild City #49, showcases exactly this. In a solid mix of old and new, it kicks off with the sounds of producer of the moment, Flume, running through tracks from the likes of SBTRKT, Arkist, Maribou State and Cashmere Cat. Starting at a head nodding tempo before picking up the pace as the mix progresses, it also throws in electro swing influences and exhibits a much apparent love for re

Beaumont, aka Michael Rintoul, is a young Scottish producer and creator of hypnotic R&B dream pop-soundtracks for late night bliss-outs. His unique and immensely addictive debut EP “Blush Response” was recently released on Boxcuttters' Kinnego imprint and is well... one of the best EP's we've heard in a while. This is the label that introduced Space Dimension Controller to the world back in 2009 and with only 4 titles to it's name it's obvious label honcho Boxcutter is all about quality over quantity. Still getting some heavy plays in the Wild City office, “Blush Response” is a wistful night-time groove from start to finish. Tracks such as “Tokyo” and “Lucky” sound like dubstep as made on a Fairlight in 1982, full of emotion and breathless invocations. The most overtly vocal track, “Midnight” seems to reference 80s Marvin Gaye with its drum machine and electronic piano palette and lovelorn emotional delivery. Recalling a more minimal Eurythmics, “Flesh + Blood” blends guitars and synthesized cellos into a

Sahej Bakshi, a.k.a Dualist Inquiry, is first and foremost probably one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Aside from this he's also an extremely talented producer, guitarist and all round nice guy. Wait, did I already say that? Since returning to Delhi after completing his education at the Thornton Music School, L.A in March 2010, Sahej has been touring India extensively, in addition to being selected to perform at Berlin Music Week last year. Additionally, he was ranked #1 nationally in the Burn Sasha Tour remix competition (2010) and was the 2nd Runner Up in the MTV Submerge Ultimate Pro DJ Championship (2010), held at blueFROG in Mumbai. Most recently, Dualist Inquiry performed at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton UK, opening for hip-hop god DJ Shadow. Already tipped by many in the electronic music community to be a major presence for years to come, Dulaist Inquiry showed exactly what the fuss is all about on his debut EP Dualism which dropped on Audio Ashram earlier this year to crictial acclaim.

We've been holding on to this one for a while, yet to be honest, we're kind of glad that we have. With a month off in the summer, we're happy to spring back to life with a mix from the supremely talented Kush Arora in the shape of Wild City #061. A San Francisco based producer, DJ and purveyor of cultural bass music, Arora has extensive music knowledge. Right through from metal, punk, goth, bhangra and industrial to what he's now more known for; tropical and global bass music. We're talking all shades of dub, garage, dancehall, funky and Indo-Caribbean influences, which form his unique and self-titled “dread bass” sound that has found him compared to producers such as The Bug, Stereotyp and even Adrian Sherwood. A member of Surya Dub, a San Francisco based clubnight, awarded Best Club Night by SF Weekly for two consecutive years (2007- 2008), Kush consistently finds himself on the road representing the Surya Dub Crew and opening for the likes of Flying Lotus, The Bug, Bassnectar and Thievery Corporation. H

Gautam Sinha a.k.a D_Poet is an "electronic producer and DJ currently based inside your speakers." When we asked him what he'd call his music, he didn't quite know how to respond (whilst mentioning that he doesn’t think it needs to be called anything). He still used the "inadequate phrase", 'chill bass'. Here's the deal. We first came across this producer after arriving upon his stunning remix of one of Sulk Station's standout tracks from their debut LP, Till you appear. Much like the original, his take on Piya II was dark and brooding yet sensual and layered with the lush, hypnotic vocals of Tanvi Rao. Nearly a year later, the Connecticut based producer, originally from Ahmedabad, has only let loose a handful of additional tunes, yet it sits at the precipice of a full-fledged crossover. He remains something of a mystery, yet is giving us enough to soak in, one bit at a time, and we're ready for him to step it up to the next level. You can sneak a peek of his other work via his SoundCloud here If that's n

"Castles In The Sky is a two piece electronic pie with some guitar fillings and a thin synth crust with effect toppings." Made up of Pune based college kids Shubham Mehra and Angad Bharaj, they're an electronic duo we have high hopes for in the future. Yet to find their "sound", they continue to experiment with both electronic and guitar elements, and aren't doing too badly at it either. Their debut EP, 'Fugu Fish' was released via BandCamp at the start of the year. It found the duo find a kaleidoscopic beauty that will one day be their hallmark. Space, atmosphere and anticipation all build and through excellent use of restraint, blossom into something completely unexpected. The influence of producers such as Koreless, Four Tet, Caribou and Mount Kimbie are apparent at the very first listen, yet never do those influences feel intrusive. Now don't get us wrong, we're not saying it's perfect. This album certainly is full of accomplishment and some truly stand out tracks, yet the mixing isn't fantastic and la

"Paralights is visceral music." Over 3 years of his existence as an engineer and producer in the Indian alternative scene, Ayan De merges emotive grooves with textural grit and glitch – cold and clinical instrumentation shivering with emotional fervour and timbre alike. Whether you like your beats mild, raw, or loud, chances are there's something for you in the music of Paralights. De has a clear possession and wide-ranging vision to balance minimal and maximal technicality and musicality, as first demonstrated on his debut Scores For Your Background EP. With more recent collaborations with Mumbai based Sandunes, his compositional range and palette for various electronic sensibilities also came out on full display. It's obvious that Paralights accomplishes this by consistently re-inventing combinations of a relatively scaled-down toolkit. Now starting to play shows, we can't wait to see him live. In fact, I think we may even tour him and his band around the country. For that however you'll have to wait unt

Nucleya entered the scene as half of Bandish Projekt, along with friend and long-time collaborator Mayur Narvekar, while still in eleventh standard. “There wasn’t a huge audience,” he says. “I was in Ahmedabad. I’m talking, mid-nineties, late nineties. So at that time, we were just making music and giving it out to our friends (...) We could go into a store and buy CDs, and the only CDs we could buy was some trance stuff, and because of that our early musical influence was a little underground.” As the sound grew and evolved, much of his work took on a distinctly dubstep flavor: “When I moved to Delhi, I was really into dubstep. I did that for a long time, but lately it’s become a little chaotic in terms of basslines. For example, when you listen to a Skrillex track, there’s melody in it. But most of the dubstep that you pick up now, it doesn’t have that melody. So I actually stopped playing it.” That change roughly coincided with Nucleya’s departure from Bandish Projekt, new studies of Indian Classical, an

Over the last few weeks, we've frantically tried to find new venues for the imminent Phon.o dates heading our way this weekend. Frankly, we've been so caught up, we almost forget about this exclusive mix on hand. And now that's we've found new venues, we just need to let slip at how bloody good these two shows are going to be. In a-first-of-its-kind in India, we're co-hosting the tour with 50 Weapons, a prolific and pioneering Berlin based label run by the world renown German techno duo, Modeselektor. The duo have released dubstep, techno, house and electro to the wider world. Many are artists that have already made a name elsewhere, but just as many aren't. The aforementioned Phon.o is on route to becoming a household name thanks to his recent album that came out of the label to much critical acclaim. Running for just over an hour, the mix showcases a sonically diverse range of electronica which we're hoping to hear more of in these two shows. We're beyond excited and you should be too. For a tracklist

Sid Vashi is a producer and multi-instrumentalist from Detroit, Boston, and more recently Gurgaon, India. A man who enjoys listening to R.D Burman and J Dilla simultaneously and often refers to himself in the third person. With a deep love for sample based music, he tries to incorporate these ideas to his unique brand of electronic music, by using and manipulating samples "until they take on a personality and voice of their own." We picked up on this young chap, earlier this year and have been holding on to this mix for a while. His stunning Motherland Tourism EP, available to download via his Bandcamp, came as one of the most surprising releases from any artist this year, fusing modern production sensibilities with Indian classical/Bollywood samples. With Sid on all production duties, co-collaborator Soopy provides all vocal samples and each self-written track abounds with tunnels of broad, hypnotic loops and ambient samples whilst retaining hazy basslines and splashes of colour that have almost become a

Sachin Shetty is an electronic music producer based in Bombay, currently working on 2 very different projects with 2 very different moods. His first is under the Antariksh moniker. Something he likes to call a space ambient project. More interestingly, at least for us is his other project titled, Clusters. A sound in which he tries to explore the width and breath of techno. Currently working on an EP due out this spring, Clusters excites us. A lot. Arguably, poised to do big things in the months and years ahead, we decided to enlist Shetty to put together #054 for our Wild City mix series. Just over an hour in length, the mix seems to fly by, as his penchant for ambience and soundscapes shines through in his work as a DJ. Running gradually through only 11 tracks - many produced by beat makers, we must admit, we've never heard of, Shetty keeps the kick in the forefront; even during the occasional respites (including the 10 minute outro), one can't shake the feeling that huge rhythms are just around the corn

London based producer and DJ, Reso a.k.a Alex Melia is a man with a fascination for all things robotic and futuristic. His hybrid of hyper beats and tech-basslines sometimes feel more suited to a post-apocalyptic Tokyo than the contemporary concrete of most dubstep and we dig it. "A truly inspiring experience his music’s mech-mania induced synthesesia conjures images of neon-tinged neo-Japanese cityscapes, powerful hulking automatons and violent bassline machismo." Melia's much anticipated debut LP, ‘Tangram’ was released on Civil Music back in November 2012. As most had expected it shook some serious ground and garnered praise and support from the likes of Mixmag as album of the month, XLR8R, Guardian and MTV as well as from bass music personalities such as Liam Howlett, Skrillex, KOAN Sound, Rusko, Starkey and more. A landmark in the producer's so far pretty underground career, the 13-track LP showcased his flair for intricate programming and love for all things jazz (as a trained jazz drummer), electroni

One time owner of the praiseworthy Atlas Records shop in Soho, London, now over a decade ago, Pete Herbert spends the majority of his time tirelessly producing in the studio on his various musical projects. When not in the studio he can be found regularly destroying dancefloors behind the decks at clubs such as The Nest, Fabric, Ministry Of Sound and other major parties/clubs in his hometown of London, including a annual slot at the Sancho Panza Stage at Notting Hill Carnival, one of the largest street festivals in the world. His unique take on Balearic leftfield disco, house, italo, dub and funk has also seen him travel extensively overseas, playing regularly in genre defying parties around the world. Some of these include the infamous Goa Electronic Parties in Madrid, as well as regular slots in Paris, Marseille, Belgrade, Moscow and Copenhagen amongst others. He's also playing his second show in India this weekend! As he weaves together classic sounds, clicking rhythms, and groovy drum patterns in this

This one's been a long time coming. As one half of Bay Beat Collective (BBC), Sohail Arora has been pushing low end sounds for over 4 years. His solo project Ez Riser aims to showcase newer forms of exactly that, yet with particular focus on glitch-hop and electronica (with a touch of hip-hop). A self confessed music geek and influenced by artists such as Koan Sound, Spoonbill, Opiuo and Griz (all currently destroying dancefloor's across the world), it's not hard to see where he gets his patronage for bass. As the founder of KRUNK, India's foremost alternative booking agency and events crew, Sohail has also over the years been responsible for touring acts such as Concord Dawn, Klute, London Elektricity, Koan Sound and Dub Phizix across India, whilst representing some of the freshest local sounds, including at a time, Dualist Inquiry and Reggae Rajahs with more recent additions such as Delhi Sultanate, BASSFoundation, Ox7gen and Sandunes. If like us, you've kept your ear to the ground, you'll know that he's