Hear Bengaluru Artist Ankur Das’ Groovy, Genre-Hopping EP ‘The Annoying Dasaralibeans’

Bengaluru guitarist, vocalist and composer Ankur Das tunes into a diverse sound palette on his debut five-track EP The Annoying Dasaralibeans, which is wrapped around a quirky relationship story. Three songs – “Funk Yourself,” “M.P.D.” and “Rain” – are punctuated by conversations between a seemingly obnoxious man and his partner, who is a barista at a coffee shop.

Das says the songs came first and then the scenes were creating a thematic arch of sorts. He adds, “I was trying to join my love for cinema and music together. These songs are different from each other, stylistically speaking. So I thought this would tie them together and also help them stand out a bit.”

So far, Das has been part of funk/jazz bands like Little Coffee In Your Sugar and 4 Left Feet and performing with singer Neethusha Cherckal. For his first record, he calls on singer-songwriter Soyam Dean, keyboardist and synth artist Anand Murali and drummer-producer Shakthi Prasad K.T. aka Kōdəh. The title of the record, too, was born out of smushing together the names of Das, Murali and Dean, conveying a sense of “playfulness” according to the artist.

Kōdəh, Dean, Das and Murali all feature together on the central track “M.P.D. (Multiple Personality Disorder),” one that veers between stomping rock, funk grooves, a bit of hip-hop and tops it of with modern metal. Das says he was inspired by artists such as Extreme, Mark Lettieri and Australia’s Twelve Foot Ninja for the numerous twists and turns on the track. “I like listening to different styles of music and taking the stuff that speaks to me musically. Which help me think outside the box and helps me approach the guitar differently. These bands are pushing boundaries which haven’t been pushed before and they come up with an original sound,” Das says.

The Annoying Dasaralibeans also puts forward proggy, rhythmically zig-zag on “Funk Yourself” and closes with one of Das’ early works, “Rain,” which showcases his love for artists like Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam on the melancholic song. With a video in the works and set to release soon, Das has already started working on the “second episode” in the series. He adds, “I hope to collaborate with other musicians as well. And I want to get back to playing live. God knows I have missed playing live.”

Listen to ‘The Annoying Dasaralibeans (Episode 1) EP below. Stream on more platforms here.