Wild City

Wild City's 159th mix might be the most cohesive one yet. It sounds less like a mix than the soundtrack to an imaginary, otherwise silent sci-fi film. In many ways, it's like an aural film on its own, a sonic journey with a thrilling, intriguing narrative directed by Varun Desai aka Yidam. The Kolkata-based artist, who makes different kinds of music under multiple monikers – 5Volts, Yidam and VvvvV – achieves a transcendental quality with this seamless mix, melting one track into another without revealing the slightest clue. Were this not explicitly defined as a mix, with a tracklist, it might beguile you into thinking it's a single track, or a singular concept album. Yidam effortlessly (so it seems, though we reckon it comes from careful, precise deliberation and effort) stitches together an interstellar soundtrack, using his own, original tracks and borrowing from ambient music stalwarts like Mat Jarvis' High Skies, Ash Ra Tempel, and the cult ambient classics, The Orb. To even call this mix a soundtrack

People really like to throw around the phase “age is just a number”. It is just a number, but when it comes to Veer Kowli, it's nearly impossible to ignore, for he's all of 17 years old. The Mumbai-based teenager, who's still in 11th grade (this may be a cue for the rest of us to give our own lives a long, hard look), has already dabbled in design and film. Most impressive and renowned, however, is his musical alter-ego Chrms. As Chrms, the young electronic producer makes feel-good, RnB inspired tracks with ambient and future bass influences, including conspicuous traces of producers who have inspired him - names such as Flume, Mr Carmack and Odesza. What's more, the high-schooler – who apparently started producing when he was just 9 – already has an extensive discography that includes over 23 tracks. Chrms' mix for Wild City can best be summarised as an hour-long introduction to the unpretentious, enthusiastic persona of the producer and a comprehensive look into the musical space he aspires to occupy. J

Pablo Valentino isn't exaggerating when he says his sets span across genres. His reputation as a tastemaker precedes him, as does his notoriety for breaking sound barriers. The French producer, DJ and owner of the MCDE and FACES imprints has been behind the console for over two decades. Part of his appeal on the dance floor owes largely to his voracity for collecting records, an activity that has consumed most of his life. The distinct musical patterns he weaves as he spins tunes that vary from jazz, funk and hip-hop to disco, house and techno are distinguishable for the primary ingredient he seeks in music – soul. As Pablo gears up for his 3-city tour of India, which commences tonight in New Delhi, he put together Wild City's 157th mix. Pablo's entire genre-spanning legacy is culminated into this single 1-hour compilation, which gets off to an energetic start with The S.T.U.D Band's straight-up funk and jazz track 'Success'. True to his words, these elements leave their mark on the rest of the mix, even a

To techno enthusiasts in Spain, it may seem like Fatima Hajji has been part of the dance music scene since forever. The Spanish DJ and producer has, after all, been honing her skills behind the console for nearly two decades. Though her musical taste and sound have evolved over the years, there has been one resolute element that has remained steadfast throughout all of Fatima's artistic endeavours – techno. Whether it's in her releases, her own labels or her sets at festivals and clubs around the world, she exhibits a tenacious love for the genre. Fatima is all set to kickstart her 3-city tour of India tomorrow, and as a sneak peek into what awaits her audience, she compiled Wild City's 156th mix. This set is not for the faint-hearted or casual listener – Fatima means serious business; it's apparent from the very first minute. Incredibly fast-paced and absolutely ruthless, the hour-long mix straddles the line between pure and hard techno, leaving no time for breathers. For further info, head here: http://w

Few producers in India are capable of making the dance floor as hypnotic as dotdat. His secret is a dark, ambiguous strain of minimal techno that reaches deep inside the trenches of your mind and body; you could call it almost meditative. He made his debut at an Odd Recordings showcase in Barcelona in 2017 and it's his nuanced art that is the driving force behind dotdat's eminence as a producer. His latest mix for Wild City, featuring artists such as Shlomi Aber, Architectural and Dario Zenker, offers an insight into dotdat’s current mood and inspiration. He maintains high energy throughout the mix as he seamlessly transitions from one track to the other. Intelligent and deep techno converge for a subliminal interaction of the senses. For further info and tracklisting head here: http://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/9801-wild-city-155-dotdat

Anushka Menon is a photographer by profession. She has however been associated with the Indian electronic music scene since 2015 - first performing with DJ partner AGENT as ANU$HKA + AGENT. Having been playing solo for over a couple of years now - she’s got a number of key shows under her belt - including Burning Man Festival in 2015 and festivals across India. Wild City #154 by Anushka, fluctuates between house, afro house and disco - featuring tracks by artists such as Sharam Jey, Softball and Mella Dee. A hour-long insight into Anushka’s favourite tracks past and present and signalling her appetite for music full of heart and soul. For further info and tracklisting head here: http://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/9394-wild-city-154-anu-hka

Recorded live on the 11th anniversary of Record Store Day at Wild City, New Delhi. An internationally recognised event Record Store Day now spans dozens of countries and countless cities. Conceived in 2007 as a way to celebrate and spread the word about this distinctive and culture. In partnership with boxout.fm, we recorded sets vinyl-only sets from Ani Phoebe, Rikki Kher (Kardo), Jamblu and Boxout Soundsystem.

Recorded live on the 11th anniversary of Record Store Day at Wild City, New Delhi. An internationally recognised event Record Store Day now spans dozens of countries and countless cities. Conceived in 2007 as a way to celebrate and spread the word about this distinctive and culture. In partnership with boxout.fm, we recorded sets vinyl-only sets from Ani Phoebe, Rikki Kher (Kardo), Jamblu and Boxout Soundsystem.

Recorded live on the 11th anniversary of Record Store Day at Wild City, New Delhi. An internationally recognised event Record Store Day now spans dozens of countries and countless cities. Conceived in 2007 as a way to celebrate and spread the word about this distinctive and culture. In partnership with boxout.fm, we recorded sets vinyl-only sets from Ani Phoebe, Rikki Kher (Kardo), Jamblu and Boxout Soundsystem.

Recorded live on the 11th anniversary of Record Store Day at Wild City, New Delhi. An internationally recognised event Record Store Day now spans dozens of countries and countless cities. Conceived in 2007 as a way to celebrate and spread the word about this distinctive and culture. In partnership with boxout.fm, we recorded sets vinyl-only sets from Ani Phoebe, Rikki Kher (Kardo), Jamblu and Boxout Soundsystem.

Hailing from Gujarat, New Delhi based Jay Pei has come to represent a mature sound within the confines of techno. His delicate production style is revelating of a minimal, liquid strain of club music - often hypnotic; inspired by some of his favourites including artists such as Mind Against, Recondite and Gardens Of God. The latest mix by Jay Pei features a similar arrangement - artists who have been inspiring him to make music since 2013; CTF, Patrice Baumel, VII Circle and Fideles. The mix revels in dark melodies associative of his sophisticated sound. Mixed with utmost precision, the mix is a gateway to the subliminal interaction of the senses. For tracklisting head here: http://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/8689-wild-city-152-jay-pei

Now based in New Delhi, VridianMusic is the shared moniker of producers Vir Rattan Chowdhry and Sidhant Jain. The duo has been producing electronic dance music together, since the inception of their project last year. Associated with the various spectrums of house and techno, VridianMusic aspires to produce, what they like to call ‘emotive electronic music’. Their mix echoes a similar sentiment; with music from Allies For Everyone, Musumeci, and the two-man live-project Doyeq with who’s track, the mix opens. A smooth transition from minimal techno to IDM, finishing off with higher energy tracks from Rauschhaus & PHCK and, Affkt-Txuribeltz; this mix by VridianMusic is subliminal in the craft that is has been put together with. All those scouring the internet for subtle dance music; almost liquid in nature, search no further. For more information and a tracklist go here: http://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/8350-wild-city-151-vridianmusic

26-year-old Arman Menzies played the guitar as part of the metal band Goddess Gagged before diving into electronic music production. He currently produces music for the dance floor as Zokhuma with selections that range from raw electronic acid breaks to African inspired beats. For our 150th in the series, Zokhuma offers us an hour of dance music that opens with one of Octo Octo’s darker, heavier texture-laden tracks before succumbing to one of Panthera Krause’s uplifting clutters titled, Stonith. Two of Zokhuma’s unreleased tracks also make a feature in the mix; alongside others from artists such as Drexciya, Gaunt and Botine before finishing off into a serenading dub by Axel Boman. For more information and a tracklist go here: http://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/7980-wild-city-150-zokhuma

Formerly known as Sleepwalker, Small Town Guy - aka Shantanu Ghosh hails from the coastal town of Pondicherry. Known for his dancefloor selections which are not confined by genre, his sets are a hybrid between nu disco and techno with slight world-music influences. Having performed at GO:MADras, Shanti Jatra and Future Theory - and as an active promoter in Pondicherry - Small Town Guy is slowly gaining traction as one of India’s leading curators who is constantly experimenting and re-inventing dance floor music. His latest mix for Wild City merges disco with hints of techno and funk and through the course of an hour features tracks from the likes of Psychemagik, Afrolicious and Stavroz - representing various areas of the dance music spectrum, that interest him. Following is a mix that merges Psychedelic disco encapsulated into peak time house bangers. For more information and a tracklist go here: http://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/7328-wild-city-149-small-town-guy

Rohan Kalé is a New Delhi based producer and DJ who has a deep-rooted love for D&B and jungle. As Radio Program Manager at Boxout.fm, Rohan is one who sculpts sounds for different environments - the club, the home, the car - the former is the area in which he is most widely known, laying down dark and arresting sets - captivating bass music heads across the country. As expected his mix for Wild City is an hour long meditation into a trajectory guided by his love for liquid drum and bass sounds... Starting off slow and steady it kicks off with UK based producer Stray and, gradually swivels towards drum n bass and jungle influenced sounds from the likes of Instra:mental, Commix, Bop and French producer Naibu. For more information and a tracklist go here: http://www.thewildcity.com/mixes/6930

Either as zzz or Three Oscillators or part of the collective Jwala, since Brij Dalvi popped up, he’s arrested our attention. The Mumbai-based producer has been creating some of the most left-field electronica in this country. His idiosyncratic take on music, one that’s became very distinctive in a field flooded with unoriginality, has been refreshing to listen to. Tracks like ‘Coca Cola’ have gained attention internationally, contributions to Jwala compilations and his collaborations with Multani and hollow have been nothing short of exciting. His hour-long mix takes you through a journey of the Brij’s unconventional tastes. He tends to float through genres effortlessly going from glitch-hop and bringing in soul samples before diverting into Three Oscillators originals.. For more information and a tracklist go here: http://www.thewildcity.com/EN/music.xhtml/article/13227-wild-city-147-brij-three-oscillators

Likwid has spent the last decade perfecting his craft at a DJ. With the ability to float through genres effortlessly, the Bleep! Crew-signee had a stellar 2017. The new year continues to see his name ascend to new heights as he continues to tour across Indian clubs and festivals. It was really only a matter of time before we asked him to come through with a selection for Wild City. An hour of energy permeates through the mix as Likwid selects a number of high intensity, lively tunes. 60 minutes of timeless rhythms as well as outings to more heads-down grooves, all strung together with impeccable timing. For more info and a tracklist, head here: http://www.thewildcity.com/EN/music.xhtml/article/13150-wild-city-146-likwid

Stalvart John truly cemented his place within the Indian electronic music space in 2017. It’s undeservedly late as he’s been regularly making podcasts and releasing music for a number of years, always one-step ahead of the curve. Topping off 2017 with an energetic set at Magnetic Fields Festival, it seemed appropriate for Stalvart to come through with a mix for Wild City. Stalvart’s set is pure disco; its sole purpose is to get your body moving and it accomplishes that with ease. With several remixes, re-edits and a few rare selections, Stalvart is, at once, educating and entertaining audiences. This mix is further proof that Stalvart is peerless in India as a selector. You can find the tracklist and more information here: http://www.thewildcity.com/EN/music.xhtml/article/13090-wild-city-145-stalvart-john

Robert Yang aka Bézier is a talented multi-instrumentalist, DJ and producer. He’s also a founding member of Honey Soundsystem, the San Francisco-based DJ and artist collective. Having played at Magnetic Fields Festival in 2016, Bézier is back in India for a one-off show in New Delhi on 12 January. In the run up to his all night session, he has just dropped a luscious hour-long mix for us. Known for his fervent crate digging, he’s come up with mature and diverse selection that does not disappoint. Running through tracks from The Golden Filter, TWINS and himself, Bézier’s mix seamlessly moves through various forms of house and techno essentially acting as an auditory showcase of his craft behind the decks. Weaving together a selection of intoxicating records and rare favorites close to his heart - he’s given us a good taste of what to expect later this week. For a full tracklist and more information, head here: http://www.thewildcity.com/EN/music.xhtml/article/13080-wild-city-144-bezier

Co-founder of Magnetic Fields Festival, Smita Singh, who DJs under the alias AGENT has been on a meteoric rise. Since she started hitting the club circuit, the Goa-based DJ has gained recognition for her distinctive brand of hard-hitting, bass-heavy dance music. But it’s on her boxout.fm radio show ‘World Ocean’ where she has truly perfected her craft. It seemed about time AGENT dropped a mix for Wild City. The near hour-long mix builds slowly from ‘Cloudy Others’ by Sebastien Casanova until it takes a turn into the dance-floor-friendly vibe AGENT has become renowned for. Shining a spotlight on sounds you’re not likely to hear anywhere else, there’s a smattering of music from around the world wrapped in a traditional house beat. Though it takes a while for the mix to get you moving, AGENT will have listeners dancing by the end of it. Through her selection, she also guarantees to make you you obsessively check the tracklist. For more info and a tracklist, go here: