After two well-received EPs – his debut Flashbulb Memories and 2015’s Shift – Kumail Hamid launches his most colourful compilation till date. ‘Links’ is a culmination of his travels across Rajasthan, Sri Lanka, Pondicherry and Goa of the last year; and explores the connections he has with his surroundings. Working with a lot more organic and raw sounds, as opposed to electronic sounds, the 10 – track ‘Links’ sees Kumail experiment with instruments such as the guitar and harmonica and samples of the sitar, and his own minimalistic vocals have been contributed to five tracks.‘Links’ is a narrative of music with nature, and the sonic elements and frequencies that come with it, as Kumail has incorporated sounds he’s recorded along his travels on the LP.
Tune in to the freshly-released LP right here:
Kumail’s believes travelling has been a potent influence for the evolution of his sound in ‘Links’, which features collaborations with drum ‘n’ bass producer Ox7gen and synth-player extraordinaire Sandunes. Bonus track ‘Bobby’, slated to release soon, witnesses Aditya Ashok (Ox7gen) on live drums. The track was inspired by Kumail listening to a lot of Brooklyn producer Taylor Mcferrin. “I’ve really started to appreciate the drums. I plan to pick them up myself and it’s the only instrument I haven’t used much of in the album,” he adds, while ‘Let Me’ see Sanaya Ardeshir (Sandunes) layering synths expertly on the track.
Another track ‘White Monkey’ takes after the eponymous venue in the mountains of Sri Lanka (which Hamid counts as one of his favourite places) and constitutes only of sounds recorded there from his last visit.‘Fields’, which comes out with a DIY video later this month, is Kumail’s personal favourite off ‘Links’, as he associates the music with a very happy and pleasant time in his life ‘inspired by a really good day with my homies’.One of the few pioneering ambient / downtempo producers in the country, he counts the styles of Shigeto and Shlohmo as major influences.
However, Links sees him mature from his signature experimental work for more beats and groove.[Kumail will be launching ‘Links’ with a 5-city tour, kicking it off with Mumbai tonight at Bonobo; check out the details here & here. To know more about his exclusive Magnetic Fields Festival LP release in 2015, click here.]
