Hear Riatsu’s New Meditative 25-Minute Track ‘Tabi’

2019 was quite a packed year for Mumbai ambient electronica artist Shadaab Kadri aka Riatsu. The producer released his collaborative debut album Safe With Me with multi-instrumentalist Jose Neil Gomes and also put on a dreamy curated set alongside harpist-vocalist Nush Lewis at music festival Magnetic Fields in Alsisar, Rajasthan. “It was a productive year for me,” says Riatsu. Now he’s back with a fresh new 25-minute meditative offering titled “Tabi,” released via Mumbai label Noosphere.

In June of last year, Riatsu was asked to perform at a yoga session in Mumbai which happened to be quite a contrast to his usual sets with an audience. He says, “It was a very unique experience for me [and] music is not the priority here, it was supposed to compliment the art (yoga) and it was challenging in its own way.” The positive response Riatsu received from that gig is what inspired him to create “Tabi.”

The song which weaves in and out of a multitude of emotions offers plenty for a listener to get immersed in with its dynamism and seamless flow. Although Riatsu admits that he’s never worked on a long-haul track like this before, he tells us that, “I have listened to so many ambient artists releasing these long-duration tracks that it felt very natural to me,” citing American composer Steve Roach as an influence.

Even with the long listen tag attached to it, “Tabi” is a relaxed song and one that can be quite soothing and comforting too. Ask Riatsu what he thinks the perfect sonic experience should be like and he says, “You need to let this track live with you. Let it breathe. Close your eyes and sit with a nice hot cup of coffee or chai (tea) and start reminiscing. Or let this play in the background while you meditate or clean your room. It’ll be your companion for the 25 minutes.” 

While the country is currently in a lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, Riatsu has been using the time on his hands to finish work on a few collaborations and has also been streaming live sets via his Instagram account. He says, “I also work as a digital marketing consultant, so that is going on, and I have also kept a routine to workout so I don’t become a couch potato.” Up next, Riatsu has more releases in the works including a collaborative EP and music videos in the pipeline too. His plan for this year is the same as 2019. He says, “Keep my head down and just put in the work and avoid all the noise around me.”

Stream ‘Tabi’ on Spotify below and click here to listen to the song on other platforms.