BAALTI

Baalti is a San Francisco based Indian duo who have a knack for finessing retro South Asian samples to create dance floor vibers. Their warm, nostalgia-laden samples sit within intricate layers of percussion that give their tunes a swampy, crunchy, lofi feel. Their eponymous debut EP releases on Krunk Kulture, and showcases their ability to craft playful grooves with lots of energy and flavor.

Baalti began as a medium for Mihir Chauhan and Jaiveer Singh to explore old Indian records and global sounds that they felt were missing from dance music. Several late-night crate-digging and production sessions followed as they discovered and crafted their own unique style, honing in on a sound that felt organic, exciting, and unabashed in its rawness. Much of their unique sound can be attributed to the fact that they made the whole record in the cultural isolation of their own bubble, with minimal equipment and little outside influence – they were already done with the record before they even showed it to anyone or considered releasing it.

The resulting EP is an exciting and exploratory collection of loose-limbed groove oriented cuts that move deftly between styles – Gujarati folk, Hindustani classical and Bengali disco samples can all be found here. It’s a solid club record that stays honest and true to its cultural roots, without taking itself too seriously.