Listen to Ezzyland From Chennai

Ezzyland

Chennai-based electronica producer/rapper Sidharth Ezhilan, who releases music under the name Ezzyland, was in a car with his dad when he heard his first rap song. Says Ezhilan, “Everything changed after that.” After listening to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” the artist spent the remainder of his teenage years discovering and downloading rap music. Adds the 21-year-old producer, “I didn’t fall in love with the song. Rather, I fell in love with the art of storytelling through rhythmically enunciated, spoken words over catchy beats.”

Six years, four EPs and a slew of sporadic singles later – Ezzyland is still an anonymity. Says the producer, “People like me who don’t really back the mainstream find solace on the internet where obscurity, individuality, expressionism and originality are welcome to occupy space.” Born in the small town of Salem in Tamil Nadu, Ezhilan has lived in Dubai, Hyderabad and Chennai over the last few years, intermittently producing and releasing new music online whenever left alone with a laptop for too long. Says the artist, speaking about his style of production, “I don’t play with instruments, but with samples and sounds. I chop samples from movies, other songs and stuff that I find on the internet. It’s a process of experimentation.” Drawing inspiration from a range of artists that include everyone from Flying Lotus to Dr. Dre, Ezhilan incorporates elements of trap, hip-hop, rap and electronica to create a cross-genre blend of beats and basslines. Says the artist, “Right now, I mostly like to keep it hazy and slow. It’s more to set a mood or send you boarding on a deep train of thought than to make you jump up and down. I guess you could say its music for the loners and the outcasts.”

The producer, who devotes most of his free time to reading articles about music production or videos to hone his craft, is working hard on developing a more cohesive sound that audiences can connect with. Says Ezhilan, “If I’m able to make a career out of my interests, it would be a big ‘fuck you’ to everyone who said I can’t.” Artists who he would like to work with in future include Bengaluru-based electronica duo Sulk Station and Mumbai-based future garage artist Sandunes. Says the artist, “I talked to Sandunes once, she said my music is dope and she’d be willing to do a collaboration with me in 2014. Still waiting!”

Listen to “Reignforest”