Curtain Blue Opens Up About His Exquisite New EP ‘S. T. R. I. P. E. S.’ 

Fresh from his performance at this year’s Magnetic Fields Festival at Alsisar Palace in Rajasthan, we caught up with New Delhi producer-vocalist Abhishek Bhatia aka Curtain Blue to discuss his recently released four-track EP S. T. R. I. P. E. S. that’s out via Export Quality Records. Read excerpts below.  

The last time we wrote about you was for the Birds And Bees EP earlier this year. What have you been up to since then? 

I’ve been working on a bunch of music since then. S. T. R. I. P. E. S. has been with me since 2019 and I took my own sweet time finishing and packaging it. I’ve also put up a brand-new three-piece live act around the new music, and the band played its debut gig at Magnetic Fields Festival this past weekend.  

How did S. T. R. I. P. E. S. take shape and what was it like to put it together from a writing perspective?  

The EP has four tracks. Each track was thought of and conceived independently from the other. I started the EP in 2019 and wrote the first track ‘Right Into You.’ That’s the time when I was most excited about my analogue synth setup. The intro came about after messing with my moog and a bunch of supporting digital synths. The process was super fluid and had no boundaries.  

The second track [‘Is It You That I Want’] was a bit more intense and had taken up one full night for the writing process. It’s actually a love song, kind of sad but again immense fun production-wise. ‘All For You,’ the third track, was the one for which I wrote my first quartet and really messed around with brass and strings.  

I got inspired by the intensity that a relationship with a partner holds when [the EP] turned to its darker, B-side. The last number on it, ‘Sunkissed,’ was a nice end to this intense writing process.  

What was the production and recording process like for the record? 

It was quite experimental as it started with just me being me in my studio. I tried to stay as far away as I could from opinions and outside ideas on this one. I’ve had a lot of fun with analog synths and effect pedals in my post-production of these tracks, as I feel the analog system creates a sense of fluidity. I’ve followed a ‘one take’ process in recording synth lines on top of the chords. These are some parts that even I can’t repeat.  

What can you tell me about the videos you put together for the tracks on the EP? 

Thanks to Export Quality Records, I found some amazing bunch of people to work with on four different videos. The video for ‘Right Into You,’ shot by Lendrick Kumar, is a standout with a 3-D modelled version of me featured in it. The video draws inspiration from the fluidity and colors exhibiting my personality and demeanor. Lendrick Kumar and Madhav teamed up to create a surreal mauve, pastel forest and a unique organic landscape with intensive 3-D modelling.  

‘Is It You That I Want’ has a rather surreal visual pallete, directed by the talented Mumbai-based Shrey and DOP Arjun Thapar.  

‘All For You’ is a ballet with the video depicting a page in the book of a real relationship. It goes from [depicting] a new relationship to reflecting the darker side of when things go wrong. The video is choreographed and performed by Ritika Chandra, and directed by Riddhiman Gosh. 

‘Sunkissed’ is the last of the four videos and visually, we took my travel footage compiled over the last four years and made a travel journal in the form of a music video. It’s super personal and intimate as it’s all phone footage with my partner, shot by me without the intent of turning it to a music video.  

What’s next for you? 

I just played my debut band setup at Magnetic Fields Festival and it’s a brand-new one with a trombone player and an electronic drummer. We’re planning to take these songs and the setup live and tour the country. I have the next release in the works and on the radar, and will be planning that very soon. 

Stream ‘S. T. R. I. P. E. S.’ on Spotify below and on other platforms.