Bengaluru/Valencia Producer Kōdəh Dives Deep on Emotive Debut ‘Swerve’

Once a drummer slugging it out in Bengaluru independent music circles, Valencia-based artist Shakthi Prasad K.T. aka Kōdəh (pronounced ‘kodah’) has spent just over a decade as a musician, now making his solo debut. His deeply melancholic yet immersive single “Swerve,” featuring Los Angeles singer Keana, was released on January 4th. 

Prasad, originally hailing from Kozhikode, has previously been part of prog metal band Distortion Culture, prog rock band Dark Light and most recently, funk rockers 4 Left Feet. In 2019, the drummer-producer enrolled at Berklee College of Music in Valencia, for a postgraduate course in music production, technology and innovation. Taking to ideas of sound design and production, the artist describes it as a place that led him to discover his “new ambient and experimental electronic artist identity.” The experimental-electronic nature of “Swerve” stands testament to dense, psychedelic music. 

He says about the song in a statement, “‘Swerve’ is a call for humanity to tap into the collective consciousness.” On the track, Keana — drawing from her training in classical and jazz vocals — asks in a prayer-like manner, “When will we learn, when will we listen?” She later bemoaning the state of the world with lyrics such as “My feet they’re kissed with blisters from the fires set by indulgent sinners burning every last flower/Parasites addicted to money and power.” Prasad adds in his statement, “Only destruction comes from greed. It also tells the listeners to accept change, change is the only constant in life, and unexpected things happen and there will always be change in course of life.” 

Stream “Swerve” below. Hear the song on more platforms here.