New Delhi-based producer Seven & Seven aka Nischay Sharma has been one of India’s most prolific bass music acts in recent years. And while his work has always allowed him to showcase a multidimensional representation of the genre, it makes sure to coax your attention during every single listen. After maintaining radio silence over the past few months, Seven & Seven has now returned to action with his brand new EP, ‘Arcane‘.
Released earlier this week following the recent unveiling of his single ‘Mwendo‘ with SickFlip, the three-track effort reveals itself as the output of “trying to do something out of my comfort zone“, he says. Helmed by the presence of emotive and inventive melodies which steadily translate his ideas into one of his strongest works till date, Nischay also shed more light on the creative catalyst which anchored the musical direction behind his latest body of work.
“The whole idea to gather this body of work was to achieve something in between and this between can be anything, ask yourself. There is a person inside you who always wants something new but another one, that doesn’t want to change. What if we can find the right one, somewhere in between. Each track sets a different mood but with some sort of connectivity among them.”
With the onset of ‘Solasta‘, the EP already feels like a mood-driven record before taking listeners to an extraordinary level of comfort which paves the way for the track’s booming, yet shimmering barrage of sub-lines which then builds towards it melodic crescendo. Having initially begun working on it back in 2017, he breaks down the track for us saying:
“This was one of my earlier ideas which I stopped working on. Later I was going through my projects and found this so I started experimenting with it. I shifted the tempo to half and suddenly that timbre I heard of a lead sound was something very significant to my ears, it sounded like some organic instrument but it was digitally synthesized which generated the curiosity to move forward with it.”
Next comes the titular cut from ‘Arcane‘ which feels very much alive, and punctuates the proceedings with an influx of drama and momentum. With the uprising of its organic power, Nischay tells me how he “wanted to make something which sounded more like an electronic Indie band.” Adding to it, he shares how ‘Arcane‘ started taking shape with Vince Staples’ ‘Norf Norf‘ acapella.
“This track came out pretty naturally. It actually started with Vince Staples’ ‘Norf Norf’ acapella and I wrote a track around it. Later I replaced the vocals and filled that spectrum of the frequency with melodies and other substantial elements. I wanted something unconventional yet conventional at the same time. I just tried to step in everywhere I could and create an experience out of it.”
And finally, on ‘Whelve‘ which rounds up his latest offering, Seven & Seven seems to complete his re-entry into to the real world as the extremely potent cut sets itself up beautifully to be the EP’s most extravagant highlight. But there’s nothing flashy about this one as he goes on to take forward its hazy beginnings into the hectic, yet wildly exciting territories of his powerful, yet comforting sonic pastures. Written post his trip to the hills back in 2018, he drops in to tell me how “it’s about that airiness you feel in that kind of environment.”
With ‘Arcane‘, Seven & Seven offers up a point of re-introduction to listeners which not only soundtracks his current outlook, but also highlights his fascination for crafting vivid soundscapes which feel intriguing, yet remarkably attractive to take note of. Talking about future plans, there’s a lot to look forward to from the man himself as he tells me, “Lots of new music will come out as it’s completed and also signed something big which is going to come out early in 2020.”
Seven & Seven will be taking over Summerhouse Cafe, New Delhi on 30th August for his EP launch gig alongside SickFlip and Lush Lata. Listen to ‘Arcane‘ below.