Basic Instinct

After a couple of singles and a host of gigs in India and abroad,the audio-visual collective is one member slimmer (Pillai not a part of it any more),and is finally out with its debut album. It has taken us a while to put out this album. Weve released a couple of singles but weve only just developed the skills and the discipline to put out a large consolidated body of work, says Malakar about the album which is called Snafu. He began working on the album almost four months ago,but adds that along the way,the album reshaped itself into something entirely different.

With minimal techno act,the album is well beyond the confines of the standard sounds of the collective. There are all sorts of sounds in the album: big,driving bass,trip-hop flavours and vocal-led tunes, says Malakar,about the album that was recorded in Malakar and Kumars studio in Hauz Khas and will release in August.

The album opens with the title track and puts out the sound with a menacing edge one that dominates their DJ sets. Malakar says he has retained some of the funk flavour. This is followed by Tatamae,the echoing atmospherics of which track ring and chime. Malakar and Kumar have collaborated with Suryakant Sawhney of Peter Cat Recording Co on this track. Suryakants tweaked vocals float airily over a resonant melody,bouncing gently between classic Balearic tropes,while emotive pads and heavy synth give it a firm,contemporary footing, says Malakar.

Spacedust is a straight-up big-room techno track while 9283 is built on a loop of flickering percussion and begins with a slew of halting,digitally processed beats. As the track progresses,the hollow spaces,coupled with squelchy horn,crackle and hiss,lend it the swagger of an R&B track. A multi-city tour for the self-funded album will start in August-end and go on till mid-September.