Dreamhour, the musical project of Siliguri based music producer and songwriter Debojyoti Sanyal, has released his sophomore full-length album titled ‘Propstvr’ last week. It is a follow up to 2018’s ‘Vllns’, released by New Retrowave Records, also his first release on vinyl and cassette.
An 11 track album, one more than his debut album which stood at 10 tracks, ‘Propstvr’ holds the same characteristic sound that Dreamhour has come to be known for. Catchy synth led rhythms, electronic beats reminiscent of the 80’s era and airy vocals, the album is a great reiteration of Dreamhour’s capabilities as one of the countries most active electronic music producers focusing on releasing their original music. If you would have heard this album without knowing it be Dreamhour’s latest work, you could have easily identified it to be his. It is with that ease that he has been able to establish his own unique sound.
This album has been Sanyal’s way of trying to get comfortable with the fact that he’s already in his mid-20s and still not the ‘international star’ he imagined himself to be as a kid. “Just millenial things,” he adds, “Our generation has grown up feeling extremely special and extremely neglected at the same time, and the brands of our time has had an important part in making us feel that way. PROPSTVR is one such brand. It reminds you you’re the star NO MATTER WHAT. You don’t need it but you better want it.”
He takes on time, nostalgia, the internet, politics and wraps it up in a sound reminiscent of 80s synthpop meets Bollywood with modern pop elements thrown in for good measure. The album has mostly been recorded at the Gorakshnath Hostel in Pune on a ‘dying old computer’ and he describes it as an experience in itself.
“Battling noise complaints from neighbours, bloodthirsty bed bugs, an old computer consistently giving up on you, bad recording (and living) conditions and days of running out of lunch money later, the album somehow finally got made. The place and its tiny rooms had a charm of its own. The claustrophobia added to the experience than take away from it. If I had a choice I wouldn’t be living there, but it still wasn’t as bad as it may seem.”
PROPSTVR is available on all major online music stores. A limited run of posters + 20-page booklet (and more) bundle will be available shortly. It will also be released on CDs and cassettes by Synth City Records. All artwork has been created by Pune based artist and animator Anusha Menon.
