There is a brewing movement on the rise. The more and more we explore the world of electronic dance music and its influence on the music industry as a whole, we get to realize how visionary record labels are- especially the ones that experiment not only with their artists, but also with demographics.
With an increasingly saturating market, here’s no denying the fact that innovation is the key to the success of any industry. Although music has been around in various forms since the beginning of time, it still continues to evolve with each passing day. Being susceptible to social and cultural trends, music, and especially the electronic landscape needs to adapt and evolve on a continuous basis. Not only is the onus on the creators themselves, but also the labels and venues to push that innovation in the right direction in order to have a positive influence over the audience. Not only does it challenge a conventional concept, the music scene also strives to create a whole new platform for electronic artists to place themselves on.
Image Credit: Wind Horse Records Facebook
Wind Horse Records, the creation of Hamza Rahimtula is a masterful piece of vision crafted with the aim to help empower the house music scene in India. Founded back in 2009, the innovative outfit, has not only led a mindful curation of quality music amongst the masses, but also has earned the distinction of being India’s first true house music label. Having tasted success since their humble beginnings, their 7 year long journey till now has been led by passion and spearheaded by the music. An ambitious step in anyone’s career, Hamza fronted the movement to help India have a hand in the explorative house music genre and prove their mettle. Talking about his beloved creation which is also India’s first house music label, Hamza tells us that,
“I started Wind Horse Records because I wanted to create a platform that would enable like-minded producers in India to release their music to an international audience. At that time there were no labels focusing on house music in India and I felt that the only way to get music out was to release the music ourselves. This would ensure quality control and we would not have to follow anyone else’s vision but our own.”
And like every other record label, each concept has its own vision and direction which the music portrays or embodies. Hamza points out the ethos of his label of being very experiment-driven on an artistic level.
“I wanted Wind Horse to be a playground of production ideas with depth and adventure. I wanted more experimentation with world music sounds and house music as I felt a lack of representation of more Asian and middle eastern sounds. There were so many possibilities and combinations that were not being used. In other words, there were so many instruments from Indian folklore, Turkish folklore and other musically rich heritages that had the potential to gel perfectly with house music, but were not being touched upon by western house labels. So I thought that this void could be filled through Wind Horse. Besides experimenting with world music, I wanted to get the best producers in India to showcase their talent and make people aware of their amazing sound. So the sound of the label was always balanced between deep and tech house music and world beats.”
They say with innovation comes differences and it is the first step away from being generic. And as is the case with the proverb, “All good things take time”, Wind Horse Records stands as a prime example. A fresh and dynamic approach towards house music, has been developed over the years by the crew, to cement their own sound and find ears amongst the Indian and international audience.
“There was no one in India to learn from as no one knew how to make this type of music so we made all the mistakes in terms of sound quality. Our music did not sound like other labels and it took us a while before we could match the international standard. Now we have our own unique sound and have set our own standard so it’s good to know that our sound is appreciated across the world.”
Ever since its inception in 2009, Wind Horse Records has become a melting point of eastern sounds while being house music at its core. With an artist roster which consists of some of the brightest talents from India, Hamza’s label is looking to go places and expand on what has become an iconic imprint leading the charge to put India’s rising underground scene onto the main stage.
“Our label is on point and is very consistent. Also the talent pool in India is a lot bigger, so we have many more producers to choose from, and this means more diverse music and better quality. Now we are focusing on a new blog and a new documentary film. The learning curve never stops. You think you have one thing figured out and then you have to start over again. But this keeps things fresh.”
Also stepping aside from Hamza’s stint as a label owner, the artist in disguise is also renowned for his experimental beatmaking skills, and has seen his own productions being played by industry stalwarts like Dubfire, Richie Hawtin, Peter Kruder and more. His Sufi Soul EP which still stands out as one of his prime works, the man himself talks about how important it is to gain recognition and how it has helped benefit their movement, per say.
“This type of feedback is what keeps you going as these people are trend setters and if they endorse your music, that means you did something right. Similarly, there are many WHR artists that have received awesome feedback from top DJs across the globe. I truly believe India is the future of electronic music.”
In their latest move to bring about the underground electronic music scene onto the forefront, Wind Horse Records have partnered up with Informal. A step into music curation which sees them host a weekend full of intimate performances courtesy some of the brightest talents from within and beyond their roster which includes native and international talents alike at the new home of Delhi’s rising underground scene, Informal.
A prime venue which exists in the sprawling location of Janpath looks to be the next big hub for true electronic music talents. The multi-dimensional venue concept that is an ingenious creation by the guys from the house of Imperfecto is the perfect accompaniment to a delectable curation of the finest music on showcase. An ambitious move which is a crucial step in the next direction for India’s underground music scene, Informal are placing themselves as the benefactors to help the scene usher while inducing a crossover appeal. Talking about the promising partnership, Hamza dishes out on the vision behind it.
“Our vision is to take our music to the people and instead of just releasing music, they should be able to experience the sound of the producers live. Informal is a group that has given us this platform and we respect them for giving us this opportunity. Delhi needs people like the owners at Informal to support the artist community and to set high standards of music so that the youth become aware and also proud of the music that is being in their own country, instead of constantly being bombarded with mediocre international DJs. It’s like cricket. Just how we have the best cricketers in the world, I believe we will soon have the best electronic music producers and DJs.”
As Hamza puts it across, Informal is the place to be, which is truly supportive of the growing underground scene and is helping shape up the culture in a crucial manner. And as venues serve a purpose to be the essential accompaniment, the guys at Informal are the ones to step up on that and deliver. An exciting new concept which is set to take the way we experience music to a whole new dimension, make sure to keep it locked and head to Informal to catch Wind Horse Records and their crew take over your weekends! You can check out the scheduled gigs for this weekend here.
To know more about Informal, you can read about it in our feature!
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