Hello frnds,
Our escape from the forever humid Chennai weather was lounging on plastic chairs in the balcony of our little flat, sipping on some tasty chai and grooving to the fantastic music we would stumble upon. We've spent more hours than we can count just chilling to music, watching the world do its thing, and they were some of the best music experiences we've had.
Now we're done with our engineering stint in Chennai and those balcony times are sorely missed. But there is no reason we can't still enjoy music and who better to enjoy it with than all of you? So we decided we are going to take the plunge into the newsletter world, sharing our favorite tracks and artists with all of you. Also, we really really enjoy listening to independent Indian artists and want to help showcase their talents to the world.
Well here goes attempt number one at this:
Playlist on Spotify • Playlist on Youtube
Take Off - Submarine in Space
Album: Wavelength (2018)
Submarine in Space is an extremely talented band from the famous Hans Raj College in Delhi. This song is our favorite from the album, with some extremely technical electric guitar work. An incredible song to groove to, I recommend playing it whilst stuck in mad traffic (like near tin factory).
Don't Wanna Fight - Alabama Shakes
Album: Sound & Color (2015)
Bringing a new element to the rock game with her raw and husky voice, Brittany Howard kills it with this groovy and soulful track. The rest of the album follows a similar blues-rock vibe, though we have to say, this one takes the cake.
Sit Back - No Honey
Album: Future Like (2019)
Keshav Dhar from Skyharbour, Suyash Gabriel from Kraken and Abhilasha Sinha from RIVER have come together to create an EP that we couldn't help but play on repeat all day. The album showcases a futuristic pop synth sound packed with technicalities. We went nuts over this track in particular.
Ofakombolo - Jupiter & Okwess
Album: Kin Sonic (2017)
Opening with incredible energy, this song never fails to get us on our feet or pumping our hands around wildly. Hailing from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jupiter & Okwess consistently produce mad grooves, great vibes, and really really catchy songs.
Vacillate - Paraphonics
Album: Silhouette (2018)
Being people who like a little something playing in the background as we work/study, this song fits perfectly into our productivity playlists. Not classically ambient, the glitchy overtones add an element that just seems to work in the songs favor. Keeps our heads bobbing as our fingers tap away on that keyboard.
中途 - Elephant Gym
Album: Work 工作 (2016)
Though as a rule, our first instinct is to run from anything involving the word 'math', Math rock and this band hailing from Taiwan are an exception. Putting the bass guitar at the helm, they produce an incredible rhythmic, bright and funky soundscape.
Fire - Pineapple Express ft. Benny Dayal
Album: Fire (2018)
A definite addition to our Carnatic Rock playlists, this single gets us head-banging even on the calmest of days. Pineapple Express teams up with Benny Dayal to put out this track in solidarity of women taking actions into their own hands.
Bamboleo - Gipsy Kings
Album: Bem Bem Maria (2018)
Songs by Gipsy Kings were a part of our introduction to the Latin music scene. They've been active for nearly 25 years and have put out many excellent tracks, Bamboleo being the most popular in recent times. Fun fact, they are based out of France! Definitely an artist worth checking out for that dance-date with ya S/O.
GM ! - bhattchin
Album: Gunk (2018)
Wildly talented, Sachin 'bhattchin' Bhatt enters the music scene with this soothing ambient track. A consistent and repetitive sound, it is a definite addition to our work playlists. Just put the album on loop, and you're good to go for a couple hours of concentrated effort! Also, a quick shoutout to his incredible artwork, more of which you can find in these links: @bhattchin @blankfoundcreative
ICY GRL - Saweetie
Album: High Maintenance (2018)
I stumbled across this song browsing videos by the YouTube channel Genius, and our lives haven't been the same since. A song that just drips of swag, it has a beat that just won't be beat. It's the kind of song you listen to get in the mood for a fab night out with ya crew. It just pops, I don't know what else to tell you.
Well, that's 10 songs. As a 'First Newsletter by teamix' bonus, we felt like giving you 2 more songs we both absolutely love:
Moonchild - The F-16's
Album: Triggerpunkte (2016)
'nuff said. If you haven't heard this artist already, welcome to your new life. (P.S. WE BOTH HAVE POSTERS SIGNED BY THE WHOLE BAND!! Greatest day of our lives)
Fist of Fury - Kamasi Washington
Album: Heaven and Earth (2018)
Chills, freakin' fully body, spine-tingling chills is what this song gives us. Listening to this song makes us feel like Bruce Lee's very Indian, very not-athletic yet still very very cool cousins. We are very pleased that we found a place for this song on this list, and are extremely excited to hear what you think about it.
Anyways, we really hope you enjoyed this! Thanks a lot for reading it till the end, it means a lot to us! Do write back if you have suggestions/feedback/thoughts/music to share, or if you just want to say hi, here are our Instagram handles: @rohit_mathew & @iyer.suchet.
We recommend a comfortable chair, a nice buddy and a steaming cup of chai to pair with teamix, thank you all and see you next month!
Rohit & Suchet
