FuzzCulture Launches Debut EP

(Left) FuzzCulture’s Srijan Mahajan and Arsh Sharma

As two musically-inclined, childhood friends, it’s no surprise that Srijan Mahajan and Arsh Sharma [guitarist with experimental rock band The Circus] got together to form a metal band a decade ago when they were both 15.  While the first band fizzled out without even a name, Mahajan and Sharma decided to give it another go two years ago, when the guitarist introduced Mahajan to electro acts such as Asian Dub Foundation. Mahajan, who plays drums for hard rock band Half Step Down and rock veterans Parikrama, is, by his own admission, not a big fan of electronica. But the result of his initiation was getting together to set up the electronica project FuzzCulture and their debut EP Indulge.Divulge.

Their debut EP  was a product of endless rows and some sleepless nights, admits Mahajan. He adds, “We’re both control freaks.” This also explains why the EP took two years to come together. For Indulge.Divulge, the duo used all kinds of samples including airport announcements to doors creaking to create a mix of IDM, post-dubstep and glitch-hop. On stage, the guitarist and drummer stick to their instruments, but also have a sampler and laptop each to mash up the backing track. While Sharma occasionally lends vocals to songs, Mahajan says he’s getting used to having one hand on the sampler and playing the drums with the other.

 The musicians turn away from their initial electronica sound [sample the cheekily-titled “Do We Get A Grammy Now?” released as a single in December last year] to concentrate more on IDM and glitch for their six-track debut, Indulge.Divulge. Says Sharma, “What we did [on the EP] was create inorganic electronic music and match it to organic guitars and drums.” The guitarist plays an acoustic guitar on the mellow glitch hop-inspired song “Pizkiatone,” and says the guitars lines are basic grooves similar to what he plays in The Circus. The title track, “Indulge.Divulge” will release as a single on August 28th, with a video in the works set to release later.

Considering The Circus launched their album in December last year, and Mahajan tours regularly with Parikrama, FuzzCulture is certainly a sideproject for its members. Despite the big draw for electronica in Delhi, Sharma says the project isn’t a money-making venture. Mahajan and Sharma have performed as FuzzCulture mostly in and around Delhi and Mumbai besides a spot at the Escape festival earlier this year. “We’re still at a nascent stage, but it’s hardcore electronica,” says Sharma, adding Indulge.Divulge will be released online on August 29th for free, with limited CDs being given away at the launch gig at Blue Frog, Delhi.

Indulge.Divulge EP artwork

Indulge.Divulge Tracklist:

1. “Indulge.Divulge”

2. “Midnight Delinquents”

3. “Pizkiatone”

4. “Degeneration Next”

5. “Mr.Profanity”

6. “Beam Me Up”

FuzzCulture performs at Blue Frog, New Delhi on August 29th. Free entry. Event details here.

Stream the title track off Indulge.Divulge below