Meet Nexa Music Top 24 Artist: Heat Sink

Ahmedabad-based jazz/prog rock outfit Heat Sink are known for their experimentation with melodies and instrumentation. They released their debut four-track EP Euphony earlier this year. Replete with lightheaded and old-school jazz and even pop and prog elements, the record was mixed and mastered by Stockholm-based engineer Thomas Juth.

The band is a part of Nexa Music’s Top 24 cohort, a countrywide search for emerging English-language musicians. “I can’t believe the song [‘Volition’] I wrote two years ago sitting in my room got selected in the Top 24,” says guitarist Chirag Todi. He formed Heat Sink in 2017, alongside violinist and vocalist Protyay Chakraborty, vocalist Meera Desai, bassist and producer Raag Sethi, percussionist Pritul Chauhan and keyboardist Nayan Kapadiya. The band recorded the song together at Ahmedabad’s Compass Box studio. “That very live recording video got selected for Nexa Music. We’re all very excited for this grand opportunity,” shares Todi.

In the contemporary scenario where Bollywood and Punjabi music tend to rule the roost in India, English-language original acts face an uphill battle, especially when it comes to carving out a space for themselves in the independent music scene. But Todi is hopeful. “Not many competitions and events are ready to invest in upcoming English original acts as there is an uncertainty of reach which is one main reason why artists don’t get encouraged to write English music. Nexa Music is a great initiative to encourage that,” he says.

Heat Sink has also been playing more gigs and receiving mentions in the press since their selection in Nexa Music’s Top 24. The’ve since played in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi, Gurugram, Goa and Hyderabad as part of their EP tour. Todi sees this recognition and push as instrumental in getting the band’s music out to people who wouldn’t otherwise tune into the music of upcoming bands. 

“We had one mentoring session with [Nexa Music mentor] Clinton Cerejo and re-recorded some parts of the song at his studio which was a great experience. He gave us some valuable insights and made slight variations in the song,” Todi says about the evolution of Heat Sink’s track “Volition.” A shoot for the music video is in the pipeline and the band is looking forward to also meeting Nexa Music mentor A.R. Rahman. Todi would like to pick his brain for feedback and possibly work on new material together. “I am particularly interested in the creative process of writing and learning how they approach it. We have all been listening to the final songs but it would be incredible to step into the process of making them,” he says.