Murthovic — Antariksha Sanchar: Transmissions in Space, Vol. 1

ElectronicDesi Fusion
Written By Akhil Srivatsan
 
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A few days ago, I discovered something incredibly interesting online. I stumbled upon a feature on Antariksha Sanchar, described on their own Instagram page as video game + dance opera + graphic novel + electronic music + art merch. Even conceptually, the idea is just so fresh, and for a Tam such as myself, so relatable. To draw from the official website, Antariksha Sanchar is a point and click adventure inspired by the dream theorems of prodigious mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan and originated from an opera by the classical dancer Jayalakshmi Eshwar.


There seems to be plenty to dig into here, and I sense a rabbithole forming for myself. But let me talk about the electronic music aspect of that long description. The two Antariksha Sanchar albums by Murthovic are splendid heady mix of electronic music and Carnatic classical music. Through collaborations with incredibly talented instrumentalists and producers, the album traverses through such a rich variety of sounds, while managing to create two coherent opuses of moody downtempo. It’s incredibly difficult to strike this balance while covering entirely new artistic ground.
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I’m so happy I struck upon these albums and will keep reporting on my discoveries down this rabbithole. The albums are available on Bandcamp and Spotify, and I highly recommend checking them out.

The Music Box
Thou - Umbilical
Thou - Umbilical

I have yet to hear an underwhelming Thou record. A decade after Heathen, Thou’s 2024 release, Umbilical, is just as fantastic a representation of Thou’s brand of sludgy doom. Or is it doomy sludge?

Model/Actriz - Dogsbody
Model/Actriz - Dogsbody

Post-punk has made a strong resurgence of late. On some other occasion, I’ll list out some of the great post-punk records from the last few years here so I can better commit them to memory: Squid’s Bright Green World and the song Houseplants, Wet Leg’s self-titled records, Dry Cleaning’s New Long Leg and particularly the album opener Scratchcard Lanyard, others. 

Nourished by Time - Erotic Probiotic 2
Nourished by Time - Erotic Probiotic 2

Nourished by Time’s Erotic Probiotic 2 is – far and away – my favourite record made in 2023. I love its simplicity, a feature it shares with Sleaford Mods’ UK GRIM, another favourite from 2023. However, it shares its vocabulary with synth-based R&B unlike UK GRIM’s post-punk.

Pinegrove – Pinegrove on Audiotree Live
Pinegrove – Pinegrove on Audiotree Live

In this piece, I navigate the intricate soundscapes of Pinegrove's Audiotree performance, set against the backdrop of the bustling city and its ubiquitous cafes. My exploration of indie studio sounds, alongside an introspective study of key indie bands, unravels a tale of life, hope, rejection, and the unending rhythm of the urban existence.

Basement – Colourmeinkindness
Basement – Colourmeinkindness

I don’t believe I’m in a position to share any facts about the band Basement except that, in the 2010s, they played lightly distorted mildly noisy alternative rock. And that in 2012, they recorded an album called Colourmeinkindness, which has a sound that serves as a great backing track for the part of one’s life that’s punctuated by deeply introspective walks in the blistering heat.

12 RODS – My Year (This Is Going To Be)
12 RODS – My Year (This Is Going To Be)

12 RODS sit high on the list of all-time favourites I never expected to hear from again; in fact, until a week ago, they perhaps sat atop that list. A week ago, that is, when they released their latest single, My Year (This Is Going To Be), and announced an album to be released later this year, their first since 2002’s Lost Time.

Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster
Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster

The hypermodel before me sticks her arm out a couple feet to take what must be an immaculately captured self-portrait that’d put Van Gogh’s to shame. In doing so, she reveals her pronounced wristbones, bony arms, pale and sunken pits, textbook indicators of poor nourishment.

Nouvelle Vague – Nouvelle Vague
Nouvelle Vague – Nouvelle Vague

The one thing that kept her going through a set was the promise of a beer, some fries, and a big burger on the other end. As she breezed through one lounge cover after another – from a smouldering rendition of Love Will Tear Us Apart through an absent-minded interpretation of Making Plans For Nigel to a non-punk version Teenage Kicks – all she would visualise was that meal: bar food on bar china.

Radiohead – The Bends
Radiohead – The Bends

You’re in mainland Europe – somewhere in the continent’s northwest. Alone in an English pub run by the English, frequented by the English. Most brownfolk with a sense of history would likely find much of the imagery here discomforting, but most would overlook it. The pub’s been playing the Bends, all the way from Planet Telex on; this is a strange sort of place.

Nothing – Tired of Tomorrow
Nothing – Tired of Tomorrow

Sitting in the world’s most absurd café after completing the world’s most meandering walk, your phone suggests you listen to Nothing’s Famine Asylum off of their 2020 album, The Great Dismal. You’re reminded of an earlier album by the same band as a beskirted post-Soviet NFT scamster asks a vaguely Mediterranean dad-bodied man wearing a deep blue TOMMY JEANS tee to take a photo.

Akhil Srivatsan
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