Only Now Presents: Indian Unclassical Vol. 1
by Only Now
JC
JC
only now present a magnificent suite of sonic disorientation - alongside some passages of sheer beauty, here we find ragas twisted into weapons while dogs sit on shoulders barking orders and tablas summon to war
as fierce and militant as the label's underlying ethos, BKV dips into it's dark side once again and we're all the better for it
buy tape, press play - this one blew my fucking head off Favorite track: Cavern Trance (feat. Robin Sukhadia).
as fierce and militant as the label's underlying ethos, BKV dips into it's dark side once again and we're all the better for it
buy tape, press play - this one blew my fucking head off Favorite track: Cavern Trance (feat. Robin Sukhadia).
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Streaming + DownloadIncludes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Purchasable with gift card
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Cassette + Digital AlbumFull Color 2 sided cassette
Includes unlimited streaming of Only Now Presents: Indian Unclassical Vol. 1 via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.ships out within 30 daysedition of 25$10 USD
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about
50% of the proceeds for this release will go to Manav Sadhna for their work strengthening underpriveleged communities in Ahmedabad:
manavsadhna.org
With the first volume in the new ‘Indian Unclassical’ series Kush Arora presents a lineal reorientation for the Only Now project, centred on heavyweight experimentation and traditional Indian heritage. Across a nine-track collaborative suite of fractured rhythms, consuming drone, and poignant echoes of virtuosic Indian music, Arora produces a singular work where time-honoured roots and pioneering forms combine to form an imposing, foreboding environment.
The process for the ‘Indian Unclassical’ series began with a request for solo instrumental pieces from influential Indian classical musicians including Robin Sukhadia (Tabla), Sheela Bringi (Bansuri), Kamaljeet Ahluwalia (Santoor) and Rajib Karmakar (Sitar). Alongside co-producer / curator Sukhadia (aka Tablapusher) – an essential player in the Indian classical community – Arora then reshaped these contributions, subverting classical diurnal and nocturnal ragas with tidal waves of noise and resonance.
On this unique collaborative encounter the Only Now project and the conventions of Indian classical music are equally transformed, as Bairagi (early morning raga), Brindavani Sarang (afternoon raga), and Malkauns (post-midnight raga) are brought into proximity with assaultive rhythms and sunken soundscapes, making for a formidable collision of disparate modes and disciplines.
From the convulsive Santoor-led dread of ‘Time Suffocation’ through the propulsive Tabla-driven tempos of ‘Slit Ties’ and ‘Cavern Trance’ and on into the sombre Sitar-toned space blues of ‘Inverted Memories’ and ‘Last Gasp’, Only Now mixes craft and prowess with power and scale, moving between dissonant onslaught and luminous abstraction. Here, Arora connects ancestral tradition with relentless contemporary flux, embodying the ever-changing pluralities of history and identity.
For Arora the first installment of the ‘Indian Unclassical’ series is the product of an enduring interest in experimenting with traditional Indian music, as some of his earliest material incorporated industrial interpretations of Punjabi music, with many of these nascent productions supported by long-time collaborator Sukhadia.
Reflecting the continuing relationship Arora has with both the music and preservation of his homeland, a percentage of proceeds from the first volume of ‘Indian Unclassical’ will be sent to Manav Sadhna in Ahmedabad, India, a non-profit organization supporting underprivileged communities through programs in education, nutrition, health, youth, women’s empowerment, senior care and more.
The inception of the ‘Indian Unclassical’ series illustrates a sustained evolution in the output of the Only Now project, following a string of acclaimed self-released projects, as well as collaborations with Bay Area affiliate Orogen and doom metal guitarist Peter Arensdorf (King Woman / Beneath The Ruins). Arora has made recent appearances on Discrepant, Polaar, and Infinite Machine, and has an upcoming contribution set for release on Nyege Nyege Tapes sublabel Hakuna Kulala.
manavsadhna.org
With the first volume in the new ‘Indian Unclassical’ series Kush Arora presents a lineal reorientation for the Only Now project, centred on heavyweight experimentation and traditional Indian heritage. Across a nine-track collaborative suite of fractured rhythms, consuming drone, and poignant echoes of virtuosic Indian music, Arora produces a singular work where time-honoured roots and pioneering forms combine to form an imposing, foreboding environment.
The process for the ‘Indian Unclassical’ series began with a request for solo instrumental pieces from influential Indian classical musicians including Robin Sukhadia (Tabla), Sheela Bringi (Bansuri), Kamaljeet Ahluwalia (Santoor) and Rajib Karmakar (Sitar). Alongside co-producer / curator Sukhadia (aka Tablapusher) – an essential player in the Indian classical community – Arora then reshaped these contributions, subverting classical diurnal and nocturnal ragas with tidal waves of noise and resonance.
On this unique collaborative encounter the Only Now project and the conventions of Indian classical music are equally transformed, as Bairagi (early morning raga), Brindavani Sarang (afternoon raga), and Malkauns (post-midnight raga) are brought into proximity with assaultive rhythms and sunken soundscapes, making for a formidable collision of disparate modes and disciplines.
From the convulsive Santoor-led dread of ‘Time Suffocation’ through the propulsive Tabla-driven tempos of ‘Slit Ties’ and ‘Cavern Trance’ and on into the sombre Sitar-toned space blues of ‘Inverted Memories’ and ‘Last Gasp’, Only Now mixes craft and prowess with power and scale, moving between dissonant onslaught and luminous abstraction. Here, Arora connects ancestral tradition with relentless contemporary flux, embodying the ever-changing pluralities of history and identity.
For Arora the first installment of the ‘Indian Unclassical’ series is the product of an enduring interest in experimenting with traditional Indian music, as some of his earliest material incorporated industrial interpretations of Punjabi music, with many of these nascent productions supported by long-time collaborator Sukhadia.
Reflecting the continuing relationship Arora has with both the music and preservation of his homeland, a percentage of proceeds from the first volume of ‘Indian Unclassical’ will be sent to Manav Sadhna in Ahmedabad, India, a non-profit organization supporting underprivileged communities through programs in education, nutrition, health, youth, women’s empowerment, senior care and more.
The inception of the ‘Indian Unclassical’ series illustrates a sustained evolution in the output of the Only Now project, following a string of acclaimed self-released projects, as well as collaborations with Bay Area affiliate Orogen and doom metal guitarist Peter Arensdorf (King Woman / Beneath The Ruins). Arora has made recent appearances on Discrepant, Polaar, and Infinite Machine, and has an upcoming contribution set for release on Nyege Nyege Tapes sublabel Hakuna Kulala.
credits
released October 25, 2021
Production, Music, Mixing: Kush Arora
Executive Producer and Curation: Robin Sukhadia
Recorded between 2020-2021 throughout Los Angeles and Berkeley, California.
Tabla: Robin Sukhadia
www.tablapusher.com/about
Bansuri: Sheela Bringi
www.shebrings.com/about/
Santoor: Kamaljeet Ahluwalia
www.absolutefocus.co/about
Sitar: Rajib Karmakar
sitarrajib.com/about/
The rest: Kush Arora
kusharora.com
Mixed and Mastered at Atomic Garden, Oakland, California
by Jack Shirley and Kush Arora
Photo by Tashi Tobgyal
Copyright The Indian Express (P) Limited.
Santoor tracks: Raga Bairagi (early morning raga): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bairagi_(raga)_
Sitar tracks: Raga Malkauns (just past midnight raga): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malkauns
Bansuri tracks: Raga Brindavani Sarang (afternoon raga): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brindavani_Sarang
Tabla: in teentaal (16 beat cycle)
Production, Music, Mixing: Kush Arora
Executive Producer and Curation: Robin Sukhadia
Recorded between 2020-2021 throughout Los Angeles and Berkeley, California.
Tabla: Robin Sukhadia
www.tablapusher.com/about
Bansuri: Sheela Bringi
www.shebrings.com/about/
Santoor: Kamaljeet Ahluwalia
www.absolutefocus.co/about
Sitar: Rajib Karmakar
sitarrajib.com/about/
The rest: Kush Arora
kusharora.com
Mixed and Mastered at Atomic Garden, Oakland, California
by Jack Shirley and Kush Arora
Photo by Tashi Tobgyal
Copyright The Indian Express (P) Limited.
Santoor tracks: Raga Bairagi (early morning raga): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bairagi_(raga)_
Sitar tracks: Raga Malkauns (just past midnight raga): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malkauns
Bansuri tracks: Raga Brindavani Sarang (afternoon raga): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brindavani_Sarang
Tabla: in teentaal (16 beat cycle)
license
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Only Now Berkeley, California
Only Now is the time.
Music by Kush Arora
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