Varun Nimbolkar’s Bah Bah Black Sheep is a five-track EP that weaves Indian classical and electronica together. Based in Pune, Nimbolkar has been steadily carving his own space in the indie circuit with his blend of classical sensibilities and modern production. A sitarist, producer, and vocalist by training, he brings an instinctive understanding of both Indian and Western sounds. Having already released an EP and 4 singles, this project feels like another thoughtful step in his artistic evolution.
Bah Bah Black Sheep doesn’t try to sound larger than life and that’s what makes it work. The EP moves at its own pace, starting slow, easing into a defining moment and explores what happens when Indian music meets western without trying to dominate each other. In short, it’s a thoughtfully crafted soundscape where Indian classical, electronica, hip-hop, ghazal, and blues intertwine through storytelling, with the Sitar playing a major role.
However, there’s a sense of restraint throughout the record. Nimbolkar doesn’t overload the sound; instead, he lets the textures breathe with calculation. You hear the dialogues happening between different genres that come and go without drama. It’s experimental, but approachable — the kind of music that doesn’t demand your full attention but quietly earns it over time.
Among the five tracks, Okay! for me was a real jolt of energy. Tienas’ rap brings a nice contrast to the soundscape, giving the album a lift just when it starts to feel a little identical. On the other hand, Amrita 2.0, the sequel to the earlier release Amrita, builds on the world of its predecessor and has this trance-like rhythm that loops gently, building a mood rather than chasing a hook. Maayus, inspired by Sahir Ludhianvi’s poetry, reshapes the traditional ghazal through an R&B lens. Queen’s Bath felt like a musical poetry, which, if listened twice or thrice could feel like a strong enunciation of longing that you have been hiding a little too well from the world, thanks to the additional prowess of Sangeeta Mardur.
In the EP, not every moment feels polished immediately, but that’s also part of its charm. There’s an unfiltered quality to Bah Bah Black Sheep, as if you’re listening to someone test ideas in real time. But with repetitive listening, you may actually fall in love with it because it’s honest in how it blends tradition with contemporary style making the EP immersive in an understated way.
It can be deduced that Bah Bah Black Sheep doesn’t attempt to reinvent fusion or electronica, but it contributes a quiet, authentic voice to the genres. It’s a carefully composed musical project where each track unfolds like a scene in an ongoing narrative. The result is a modest, reflective listen that leaves you with the sense of an artist still in exploration and that’s a promising place to be.
