08 September,2016 06:08 PM IST | | The Guide Team
Out with an edgy album, Desi Bass producer Su Real is happy that Indian youth are tripping over his sounds
His sound juggles genres and dance styles while his tracks are burning up the charts in record time. Desi Bass guru, Su Real's new album, Twerkistan is ready for release, and he can't stop beaming. A collection of 16 tracks that demonstrate Su Real aka Suhrid Manchanda's dexterity is the Delhi-based producer's most meticulously crafted output to date.
He elaborates, "Actually, most listeners are not discerning. They might act like they know what's up but if you quiz them, a different picture emerges. I like to make tracks where the analysis of genre is so complicated that people abandon all thought and start dancing instead! After all, that is the main demand - "entertain us". Entertainment and deep thinking don't go hand in hand. That said, I feel like a mechanic - it's more important that I know how
the gears and shafts work, but the customer has to be able to just drive off for a smooth ride."
A different sound
Featuring songs in English and Hindi, the album mostly builds on Desi Bass, incorporating styles and ideas popularised by international and popular labels like Mad Decent and OWSLA. While Twerkistan and Soldiers, the two lead singles will hook the EDM audience, Kabaddi and Fitness Pump have earned high-fives on the dance floor.
The album features collaborations with a number of artistes including Reggae Rajahs, P-Man, Tanya Nambiar, Rohan Kulshreshtha from Peter Cat Recording Co., as well as young and upcoming producers like Ritviz.
He confesses, "I'm not necessarily an easy guy to work with. So, most of the collaborations are with friends who understand where I'm coming from and where I'm trying to go. They are willing to work with me to get there. That helped us try to create good songs rather than piecemeal collaborations."
Desi, and loving it
Su Real has been touring with Nucleya, the other Indian name on the Desi Bass circuit, and is all praise for him. "It always is an honour to be mentioned in the same breath as Nucleya. A lot of my success is due to his support. We recognise that a new foundation of Indian music cannot rest on the shoulders of one, or two people. The Desi Bass movement is driven by fans who need some homegrown representation of global trends that they have embraced. Together, we can find our place in global culture as Indians," he says.
Su Real feels that Desi Bass as a genre will ultimately be decided by the younger generation of producers and fans. "The East-West fusion formula is not new - Bollywood has done that for years. In terms of Electronic music, there is a long list of pioneers - Talvin Singh, Asian Dub Foundation, Midival Punditz, Bandish Project, Nasha, and so on. Unfortunately, I find younger Indian musicians often get caught up trying to sound like their favourite Western artistes."
Tour mate Nucleya, he feels, has shown that the tide has changed with a hunger for "Indian independent music that expresses its Indian-ness while still being comparable in quality to international releases".
