"My music is inspired by my experiences of nature and mostly in the realm of movement, from travel, to the innate rhythms that regulate my body. I am intrigued by the human ability to perceive time fluidly and it greatly influences my music..." states Aditya Kapoor a.k.a 'flux vortex'. Music which is relevant to one's deconstruction of their surroundings has peculiar aesthetics. Yet the peculiar bits do not reveal by itself. Like words, sounds also contain innate stories, which become audible, visible, if we focus on the artist's narrative and perceptions. The details of a tapestry reveals itself only when we observe closely. Such is the case with a quiet, demure but resolute artist like 'flux vortex. He says "I do not write from a place of emotion, rather from a place of intuition, and a peak into the vastness of nature." His new album titled 'Tapestry' is out as an independent release - a cluster of compositions made of a dense sonic canvas and ghostly shamanic voices. Alternating between imaginary worlds, which are exploratory, yet staying far from the mainstream of electronic music in India. 'flux vortex' talking about the world around him, the traditions and dreams which weave into his music and not wanting to be labelled as 'dub'.
There has long existed a tradition of art, and especially music that has been a tool to conceive a future. The possibility like a dream, coming to a listener like their location in the vast, often incomprehensible spectrum of time..." As a producer and DJ based in New Delhi, the new album is his first foray into using voices and lyrics. Composed upon the voices Sanyas I and Rider Shafique, the tunes conjure a tribalist and futurist canvas. Alternating between energies shamanistic and political. Even as certain core elements of the artist's sound are rooted in the aesthetics of dub music, the overall projection is personal, hybrid, figurative, political and dark. "I believe that as a producer of mostly intangible/ non lyrical electronic music, this possibility becomes stronger. My music does not wish to sermonise or moralise, rather I attempt to dream up alternate futures - through the power of the sounds. Through track names, selection of samples / sounds and the vibe of the music, I attempt to make an alternative future irresistible..."
Certain traditions of electronic music contain political influences without being obvious. As an artist, to be able to forge that politically motivated desire into sound, without making it too upfront or exaggerated, is a fine line. 'flux vortex' is veering between realms, stacking up the little pieces in his 'tapestry'. "I do believe my music is political, in a time of imminent collapse, it becomes hard not to be. It is not impersonal political commentary. But a personal reflection of living in a highly fragile moment...An alternative to the institutions and systems that have governed rigidly the lives of the majority, while serving only the interests of the accumulation of capital. While a propaganda system has been effective at feeding the populace the mythologies that justify this imbalance, such as nationalism, cultural chauvinism, or anthropocentrism.".
"I listen to a lot of reggae and dub music, and I am inspired deeply by the lyrical as well as sonic content. What fascinates me the most about Jamaican dub, is how the pioneers like King Tubby or Lee Scratch perry were able to use second hand, or decrypt and very often self made technology... My inspiration from dub, then comes as a template, a drawing board from which possibilities are endless. The emphasis on the bass-line and the bending of time and space using effects, with an element of real time performance. I do not wish to recreate dub music from a culture that is not mine, rather create something new and radical..." We can hear a raw aesthetic, the blurring of genres and the fleeting 'rastafari' moments, on tunes like 'Warmonger' and our favourite 'Youth' - the closing track on the album.
"The world I have grown into is a world very different from the world of my parents. From stories of their youth, I gathered a sense of optimism...With the imminent collapse of the status quo, fragmented narratives have emerged. I believe breakbeats/ broken beats used in Tapestry serve as a good sonic analogy to the fragmented moment we now live in." Given the alarming set of problems that has gripped civilisation, made of human consequences and errors, we are compelled to reconsider the role of the artist in such dire times. It is encouraging, even in small numbers, that certain artists in India are aware and willing to speak of the incoming collapse of the ecosystem and the possible disintegration of society. Music can be perceived as a powerful catalyst and as a 'big prayer'. In essence 'Tapestry' as an album is a post-dub interpretation and incantation of the zeitgeist...
There has long existed a tradition of art, and especially music that has been a tool to conceive a future. The possibility like a dream, coming to a listener like their location in the vast, often incomprehensible spectrum of time..." As a producer and DJ based in New Delhi, the new album is his first foray into using voices and lyrics. Composed upon the voices Sanyas I and Rider Shafique, the tunes conjure a tribalist and futurist canvas. Alternating between energies shamanistic and political. Even as certain core elements of the artist's sound are rooted in the aesthetics of dub music, the overall projection is personal, hybrid, figurative, political and dark. "I believe that as a producer of mostly intangible/ non lyrical electronic music, this possibility becomes stronger. My music does not wish to sermonise or moralise, rather I attempt to dream up alternate futures - through the power of the sounds. Through track names, selection of samples / sounds and the vibe of the music, I attempt to make an alternative future irresistible..."
Certain traditions of electronic music contain political influences without being obvious. As an artist, to be able to forge that politically motivated desire into sound, without making it too upfront or exaggerated, is a fine line. 'flux vortex' is veering between realms, stacking up the little pieces in his 'tapestry'. "I do believe my music is political, in a time of imminent collapse, it becomes hard not to be. It is not impersonal political commentary. But a personal reflection of living in a highly fragile moment...An alternative to the institutions and systems that have governed rigidly the lives of the majority, while serving only the interests of the accumulation of capital. While a propaganda system has been effective at feeding the populace the mythologies that justify this imbalance, such as nationalism, cultural chauvinism, or anthropocentrism.".
"I listen to a lot of reggae and dub music, and I am inspired deeply by the lyrical as well as sonic content. What fascinates me the most about Jamaican dub, is how the pioneers like King Tubby or Lee Scratch perry were able to use second hand, or decrypt and very often self made technology... My inspiration from dub, then comes as a template, a drawing board from which possibilities are endless. The emphasis on the bass-line and the bending of time and space using effects, with an element of real time performance. I do not wish to recreate dub music from a culture that is not mine, rather create something new and radical..." We can hear a raw aesthetic, the blurring of genres and the fleeting 'rastafari' moments, on tunes like 'Warmonger' and our favourite 'Youth' - the closing track on the album.
"The world I have grown into is a world very different from the world of my parents. From stories of their youth, I gathered a sense of optimism...With the imminent collapse of the status quo, fragmented narratives have emerged. I believe breakbeats/ broken beats used in Tapestry serve as a good sonic analogy to the fragmented moment we now live in." Given the alarming set of problems that has gripped civilisation, made of human consequences and errors, we are compelled to reconsider the role of the artist in such dire times. It is encouraging, even in small numbers, that certain artists in India are aware and willing to speak of the incoming collapse of the ecosystem and the possible disintegration of society. Music can be perceived as a powerful catalyst and as a 'big prayer'. In essence 'Tapestry' as an album is a post-dub interpretation and incantation of the zeitgeist...
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