“Do you remember where you were on 16th December 2012? What about the 17th? Or the 18th?” I ask Mumbai-based Metal outfit Zygnema’s guitarist Sidharth Kadadi. “I could never forget,” He replies, “You?” I could never forget either. It was the first time in the…
When we chanced upon Barcelona-based Chilean Alex Schoihet’s venture, Re:Drums, we knew this was something that absolutely needed to reach international clientele. The innovation, beauty and finesse in the hand-crafted items made by reusing old drums is by far one of the coolest home decor…
The last time I spoke to Mayur, he’d just released his EP “Unspoken” and by the end of our conversation, he’d made a promise to follow it up with music videos for each song. This was in November and by then, I guess, the world…
It takes special talent to take an existing track or tune and turn it into something incredible. When the late Avicii sampled Etta James’ “Something’s Got a Hold on Me”, it was that brief appearance of the first two lines of James’ soul hit that…
Robert Hampton aka "LaTRUTH", a Carolina-bred artist, has recorded 11 albums and sold more than 300,000 units from his car pre-streaming era. His single titled "Don't Disrespect" ft Snoop Dogg (Yes, THE Snoop Dog!) has done big numbers in downloads & streams and his new…
On one end of the spectrum, he plays guitar for the Mumbai-based post-grunge band Hook and, on the other, for the Hindi prog-fusion act Paradigm Shift. Somewhere in the middle he has worked on ad films for Royal Enfield, HDFC Bank and PhonePe and as…
Hanif Shaikh is a patient young man who wears his heart on his sleeve. He works night-shifts at a call-centre so he can support his family and has no time and inclination to judge people by their names and communities, in fact he wishes for…
“Music has helped me overcome many obstacles. It is through music, that I’ve built lasting relationships. Music has helped me get inspired in ways I cannot even describe.” Jaden Maskie Jaden Mascarenhas aka Jaden Maskie is all of nineteen, but already has a decade’s worth…
Jumpstart Outdoors has always worked at providing a wholesome experience in the outdoors while keeping the finer points of sustainability, conservation and responsible traveling in mind. They believe that music holds a great power of transcendence and when in the outdoors it can provide for…
Come fall in love with Abracadabra; A beautiful, soulful single by Argentinian singer, writer and painter Cheyca Parker and our very own guitarist-composer Abheek. Flipsyde has had the distinct pleasure of interviewing two spirited and versatile musicians from two distinct cultures, located far away from…
“Artists wait for years to achieve their dream. Here, I have begun my career having already achieved mine!” Shivansh Jindal ecstatically reveals to me. After speaking to hundreds of Indie artists over eons, this has got to be the first time I’m witnessing this level…
Breakups are hard, but there’s so much out there to help us through them. Most of us tend to find comfort in music. After all what’s better than a friend who puts into words what we can only feel. When faced with a situation that…
"I remember watching Aerosmith on MTV when I was a boy, and the experience changed me forever. I saw Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, and I’m like - Woah, I want to do that!" Wildstreet's 36-year-old vocalist, Eric Jayk, recently told Hollywood Soapbox. When we…
“Are there many Christian Rock and Metal bands in India?” I ask bass guitarist and sound engineer, Jatin Jitendrakumar at the outset of our chat about his latest album, Arise, Lord! “There were bands years ago in India that played Christian rock and even metal,…
At the dawn of the new millennium Bruno Reuter released a new age album, so popular that listeners rushed out to buy new amplifiers and speakers just so they could enjoy his sounds to their fullest. The haunting power behind his compositions can never be…
Ranaghat, West Bengal-based independent artist Dhi Harmony has just released his much-awaited single Bechain along with a theatric music video, which in his own words portrays the darkest era in history, when women were chained in every aspect of life. Bechain is a story of…
It’s been a while since we’ve heard something as natural as Vinod Bansode’s latest composition featuring veteran ghazal and bhajan singer Hariharan. This song is Hariharan's comeback in the Marathi music scene after "Jiv Rangala" from the film Jogwa (2009). Premachi Kahani, a soulful Marathi…
“There’s a reason I’ve put a car on the cover! This album is meant to be enjoyed on a long drive.” Quips Shezan Shaikh, or rather his alter-ego Ronin. So that’s exactly what I did. I plugged in my earphones and rode around the wide-empty…
Believe in Music Week is the global gathering to unify and support the people who bring music to the world. The online celebration, to be held over the week of January 18, 2021, will feature a mix of comprehensive programming and professional education at BelieveinMusic.tv,…
You saw him in Gully Boy. The first time Ranveer Singh’s character Murad nervously performs at an underground open mic in a dilapidated building, it was Rahul Piske AKA Rahul Raahi’s killer beatboxing that really MADE the moment what it was in the film. Raahi…
Artists have found the pandemic somewhat of a blessing in disguise. In a country where the film industry has controlled the music industry for as long as we can remember, 2020 was a significant year for the Indie scene. With Bollywood films being postponed, and…
Today, we’re thrilled to bring you an exclusive and candid interview with the omni-competent Dolce Wang. Born in Houston, Texas, Wang began studying cello in 1991, training in classical music with teachers from the University of Houston and Houston Symphony Orchestra. She has also studied Mechanical…
By now, we all know the current generation of musicians are wildly talented. In fact, many of these ‘maestros’ are so young they can neither vote nor drive. Thankfully this year Aditya Bhagavatula, a ridiculously talented drummer from New Delhi, can do both. Having spoken…
Big Greg debuted in 2010 with his "What's It Gonna Be Like" mixtape while attending college. He was able to maintain a significant following during his tenure in college. Greg would perform around campus during student activity events and anywhere in the city that permitted…
The first time I listened to David R Blessed, I couldn’t put my finger on his vocal texture and who it reminded me of. I knew there was something familiar about it. Christmas came and went, as did New Year. I still couldn’t identify it;…
'Why do you listen to that noise?' Or 'What's with the black t-shirts and the skulls' are questions that every rocker has put up with for a chunk of their lives. I remember my school days where I was quiet, reserved and inevitably picked on…
In one of those wonderful end-of-year conversations, I sit down with Olly E, a young solo artist from Loughborough. While his songs are dynamic and spirited, I notice, almost immediately, how calm and patient his demeanour is. Olly E calls himself an Alternative Rock singer-songwriter,…
Following the popularity of their first three singles, Breathe, Stay and Poison, which grew immensely popular in the US, Brazil, Indonesia and India, Cryosis has now dropped a fourth single You Make Me. It's been a good couple of years for the Mumbai-based trio, the…
It’s good to hear a Contralto after so long, all thanks to Indian-Australian singer Amritha Shakti and her new single Kingdom. Though hardly common to female singing music history, the timbre and texture of a Contralto beckons no comparison. Think Annie Lennox... or our very own…
Have you heard of the genre Pirate-Party-Punk? If you haven’t, I guess you’re in for a treat! The boys from Stockholm have released their third single The Lonesome Man, which they describe as ‘kind of a dark story with an Irish tone’. Which probably means…
He won India Film Project's 50 Hour Music Challenge from a pool of over 700 teams and is the artist responsible for SaReGaMa’s first non-film release. Yet Tanmoy Guha, better known by his stage name Dhi Harmony, has been making his own music for a…
“It always has been my dream to form an alternative rock band." Muses Abin Thej, the founder of Sick Society, who also happens to have been the first drummer for Kochi-based rockers Thaikkuddam Bridge. Sick Society may well be new, but each member joining Abin…
As usual we are floored by Prateek Gandhi’s voice. He’s among the few singers we have come across in recent times who stands a foot or two away from the mic and sings from the pit of his stomach. “I feel the Sufi singing-style suits…
Roshan Bhat has been a very busy man. If you think you haven’t heard his voice before, think again, because you’ve probably encountered it in that ad jingle you love so much. In fact, Zee Music Company has just released his latest single Rakh Hausla.
It’s 7 am, and I’ve just gotten down to listening to Kya Wajah by Yogie (Yogesh Varma), Wroc (Shekhar Mhatre) and Vanishree Sahu. Everything about the EP is conducive to a night spent web-designing (of all things!). There’s a lot of “lo-fi” going around these…
Moin Farooqui embodies the spirit of a true indie artist. To back me up here, Musician-Entrepreneur Big Will, AKA Will Zhong, sums up the characteristics of an indie artist perfectly, "They don't stop learning more, they work relentlessly, they think outside the box when it…
It’s very rare that we cover a single artist twice in the same month but RITWQ’s new single Haan was worth every second of its four-minute duration. Trap beats with a crazy-ass guitar solo? Serve us some more of that, please! As always, there's a…
By 1964, Beatlemania took over the world with the band appearing on the Ed Sullivan show, viewed 73 million times and resulting in sold out concerts. The Beatles would then travel in armoured vehicles to protect them from screaming, frenzied fans. Their popularity, though studied…
We were quick to fall in love with his minimalistic yet funky rhythms, his erudite and entertaining lyrics and, of course, the raw honesty with which he talks about his work. But Canadian drummer, producer and lyricist Alexander Cook AKA Azawka may just be his…
I've spent the past couple of weeks chatting (on and off) with the industrious Shezan Shaikh and what a trip it has been. Just when you think the guy has too much on his plate, well, he goes and fills it up some more. For…
Hypnoblue describes their music as ‘open-hearted’. That is exactly what it is. The infectious melodies bring back memories of a sunnier, happier time. And for those in their forties, their childhoods! We can’t put our fingers on it, but we imagine if you’re a fan…
Just when we thought we’ve seen it all, 2020 has served us some more of the good stuff! Though formed in 2018, Taiwanese death metal band Dharma needed to do a little more before they could unleash their sound on us. Metal drummer, Jack Tung,…
Meet 28-year old Harish Budhwani. A software engineer/developer during the day, kickass musician at all other hours. We've met many engineer-musicians in our lives, actually so many that it borders on cliché. But there's a lot that's different about Harish. Perhaps because he's disciplined and…
When I first listened to Bright Smoke’s newest single Follow My Dreams, I was quick to box them into a category. Don’t get me wrong, I love their sound. Plus they’re a very tight band. But they took me back to the days of yore…
What we love about indie artists is how creative they can get, especially when left to do what comes naturally to them. They aren’t afraid to try things others wouldn’t dare to, a lot like children who don’t hide their play from adults. In fact,…
Harry D’Souza is not your run-of-the-mill musician. I got the sense of it when I first listened to his music. And I was entirely convinced of it when I’d finished an hour-long conversation with him. One, he's learned the ropes organising gigs for other artists…
NYC-based singer-songwriter Manas Jha released his second EP Reimagined in November 2019. Rain, a single off of that EP has taken the form of beautiful ode to Mumbai's lost creative spaces. Born and bred in Mumbai, indie-rocker Jha's 3D animation music video captures our beloved city…
It should come as no surprise that Chantel loves the saxophone. One, Sade had the most memorable and soulful saxophone solo in Smooth Operator and two, Chantel's uncle was an amazing saxophonist who played the instrument at home while she sung freestyles. In fact the…
Remember our letter-writing exercises in school? We’re wondering where those skills had vanished in today’s workplace environments, where even the salutation ‘Dear’ seems to have retired from most written communications. If there’s anything I’ve learned from life, it’s the fact that if you’re asking someone…
In 2015, the Norwegian electronic scene was yet to explode when the then 23-year-old Norwegian DJ, Kygo, broke all records to become the fastest music producer to hit one billion streams on Spotify. In that way, Norway has always had their electronica heavyweights spread out…