Electronic Music’s general appearance in the Indian Music landscape has always been a little one dimensional, forcing artists to conform to familiar structures and palettes largely dictated by international subcultures. Though this has made Electronic Music more popular in the country, a large majority of listeners have really just scratched the surface. Dolorblind as an aesthetic resides deeper in the ice berg where most listeners and sometimes even indie musicians rarely wander. In the underbelly of the Indian underground scene a new sound is shaping Indian electronic from the inside out. Comprising of artists that frequently dabble with noise as a medium of expression, their integration of jarring sounds into something more palatable and recognisable is becoming more and more fluent. Dolorblind effortlessly oscillates between his own jarring yet tranquil sonic universe and more familiar and comforting melodic compositions to sculpt out a unique form for himself.
The use of noise and abrasiveness in electronic is not radical or even uncommon but hasn’t seemed to have caught on in the Indian landscape. The dominance and acceptance of melodic tastes are still largely unyielding to anything that inclines towards or resembles atonality. ‘No Signal’ is however a result of the maturity of the underground electronic and noise scene here in India. The album explores a sweetness, melodically speaking, and also retains a grime and tasteful incoherence, texturally. ‘UVB-76’ is perfect example of this philosophy. The angular, digital sattelite signal called UVB that introduce are quickly merged with a recognisable synth with a more melodic quality to it. Very quickly we are introduced to the smoky voice of hara, an Indonesian singer, who was also part of the ‘One Beat’ programme the same time Dolorblind was. Hara’s vocal quality is a strong contrast to what’s going at a production level and as such her singular contribution makes the entire track much lighter and easy to chew down. Her chant like approach, adds sacred heft.
Dolorblind’s clever use of rhythm gives the track a more playful exterior. The play of Hara’s vocals along with the whole track creates a deep, wavy groove, universally felt. The use of layering gives the listener options to pick the sound they want to interact with. The more you listen, the more you begin to recognise familiarities in odd places. The same old shapes have been used but are being observed from unusual angles. ‘Ombré’ is a constant riser because of the arp that very clearly makes me want to dance. The undulating beat doesn’t settle and constantly keeps the listener waiting for the relished drop. In terms of sound this palette is definitely more approachable then the EP opener. The song follows a more concrete structure, resembling trap from the mid 2010s. Stylistically, ‘Ombré’ gives off a lot of Hudson Mohawk energy mixed with a little bit of cloud rap production.
OD is a slow burner takes on a much more aggressive stance. Opening with some atonal vibes, the track immediately creates a haunting atmosphere. Very reminiscent of some of the work crafted under the label of Musique Concréte, the song is given direction by the introduction of a nasty reese bass. The track is very tense and unsettling even with the drums. The arpy synth does provide movement and eases the overall experiment. But the track isn’t meant to make you feel safe and you realise this as you feel the reese bass opening into higher frequencies. The menacing strings sound old school and fits perfectly as the jewel of the crown. The track relies on its individual elements very well and doesn’t try too hard to do something to gain the favour of the listener. In fact I love that the track remains unperturbed till the end.
‘Silo’ is easily the most complex composition on the EP, showcasing very tasteful detailing and drum work. Completed with help from Bangalore based producer _RHL, Dolorblind recalls how he was advised to focus more on the artefacts rather than melodic aspects of it. As such this track does take on a more granular and deconstructed form compared to the others. It almost feels like you can inspect the the track from the inside as opposed to observing from the outside always. The melodic content here though refined, to me feels a little weaker than the other compositions. Less about the idea itself and more the way the melody has been arranged to progress. ‘NRG’ wastes no time and Rounak Maiti gets right in to it. Maiti’s voice does sound more processed compared to his own work and frankly I love this brighter and synthetic timbre of his voice. Maiti’s songwriting brings with it interesting melodic progressions that aren’t witnessed before in this EP. I especially also love the relative simplicity of the track. The refined structure and sectional songwriting does serve as a nice break away from what could’ve been a through and through fleeting form style of music. Not that it would’ve been a bad thing. The end of the track features the most melodic section of this EP, with Maiti’s voice ornamenting the atmosphere, doused in melancholy and hope.
The EP closes with ‘Omni 2′, slow, heavy and rife with friction. Feeding off the chaos of previous, the song reinstates the core themes of this body of work, shameless obscurity. My use of the word shameless is well spirited and I use it to describe the sheer courage this EP emphasises. If anything,’Omni 2’ is a victory lap, championing confusion and a violent affinity to explore deeper and easily misunderstood sonic worlds. This EP is important to underground electronic in India and largely the indie scene as well. Dolorblind hasn’t created anything new but his loyalty to his sonic roots has certainly shed light on the elusive underbelly of Indian electronic music. Hungry for more.
Listen to ‘No Signal’ on Spotify and Apple Music
