Rolling Stone India Premiere: Dualist Inquiry Releases New EP ‘Natural Disasters’

Dualist Inquiry
Photo Credit: Siddharth Dugha

With shrinking attention spans and sample-ridden electronica, it’s hard for most producers to make a lasting impression. That is, unless you’re New Delhi-based electronica artist Sahej Bakshi. The artist, who performs under the alias Dualist Inquiry, has been reinventing himself with every new release, ever since he first showed up on our radar in 2010. Says the producer, “I’m always really nervous the morning of any release, because it occurs to you that if you’ve got something that’s working, then why mess around? But at the same time, it’s absolutely not an option for me to make something that sounds like anything I’ve done before.”

After the release of Bakshi’s last single, “Lumina,” which released in March this year, the producer began work on his latest EP Natural Disasters ”“ a four-track collection of songs that were composed on an acoustic guitar. Says Bakshi of the themes that inspired the EP, “As individuals, we go through these internal battles and sometimes it can feel like you are your own worst enemy. I wanted each listener to be able to draw their own conclusions, but in a sense, Natural Disasters is like a soundtrack for the different stages that you go through.” The track “Departure” is about the solemn, reflective point where one realizes that there’s a problem that needs to be addressed, “Landslide” talks about internalizing and accepting the issue, “Come On” centers on facing the situation head on and “Aftermath” is about looking back at the issue with a sense of retrospection.

With Natural Disasters, the producer makes a marked return to rock ”“ his primary influence until his introduction to electronica during his college years. Says Bakshi, “I grew up playing a lot of blues and rock ”˜n roll from the age of nine to 19, so in a way it was like going back to my oldest comfort zone because they are still latent influences.” The new EP, which was released on Bakshi’s label Dualism Records, also includes Bakshi’s first guitar solo and his vocals on all four tracks. Says the producer, “I’m not a vocalist now, I don’t have a new identity. There’s drums, guitar, bass, sampler, and now there’s my voice which is another little thing in there.”

The Natural Disasters Tour, which covers four cities, kicks off in Mumbai on September 12^th, with support from Mumbai electronica producer Sandunes. Electronica artists Big City Harmonics, Soulspace and Blent will open for Dualist Inquiry in Pune, New Delhi and Bengaluru respectively. Bakshi has already begun work on his next album which should be ready for release early next year, as well as a lineup of collaborations with New Delhi-based electronica producer Frame/Frame, Mumbai nu-disco duo Madboy/Mink and New Delhi dubstep producer Nucleya, among others.

 

Natural Disasters Tour:

September 12th, 2014 ”“ Blue Frog, Mumbai

September 13th, 2014 ”“ Blue Frog, Pune

September 19th, 2014 ”“ Moonshine, New Delhi

September 20th, 2014 ”“ The Humming Tree, Bengaluru

 

Listen to Dualist Inquiry’s Natural Disasters: