MUMBAI: When it launched in April earlier this year, Boxout.fm was envisioned as an online community radio from India that would cater to the growing demand for alternative music in the country. Six months later, the online radio streaming platform – which has listeners in 35 countries and has had 1,742,881 minutes of content played on Mixcloud – is now diversifying into launching a record label, Boxout.fm recordings, that will continue with the mission to bring India’s best underground music to the fore.
The online community radio and now record label share a lot more than just a name – the label is founded on the same principles and motivating factors that spurred the co-founders of Boxout.fm into action earlier this year.
Boxout.fm Recordings’ mission statement is precise – “to build an infrastructure and provide the necessary facilities that will enable Indian artists’ music to reach a wider cross section of listeners and fans”. It’s less about selling a marketable product and more about extending support to artistes that have little or no support.
“We believe that India – as a country, as a scene – has what it takes to be a true force in the global underground music landscape, but we’re also acutely aware of the work that must be done in order to make that ascent,” say Boxout.fm co-founders Delhi-based Sahej Bakshi and music entrepreneur and scene veteran Mohammed Abood aka DJ MoCity.
“We realise that a radio without a system to support it won’t work so we are doing everything ourselves to create an ecosystem – events, label, merchandise – for the artists around us to make music as a sustainable line of work to dive into,” they add.
Boxout.fm Recordings will be officially launched on 20 October 2017 with a gig in Delhi and on 23 October, the first two releases on the label will be made available as digital downloads and limited edition vinyl.
The first two artistes to have releases on Boxout.fm Recordings will be Beatsmiths and electronica producers, Lacuna and Profound.
Lacuna, whose diverse rhythmic sensibility allows him to comfortably straddle the world of glitch electronica and hip-hop with equal ease, will release the Strains EP, while Profound, who has impressed many with his J. Dilla-esque productions will put out an extended album titled the Dream Journal LP.
Lacuna – Strains EP
Lacuna's seven-track deep Strains EP is a mix of party-time bangers and more laid-back tunes that seamlessly dip in and out of hip-hop, and more aggressive, off-the-beaten-path electronica.
Profound – Dream Journal LP
Profound’s 27-track Dream Journal LP is an extended exploration of beats that range from funky and soulful to vibrantly smooth and abstract, altogether setting a new standard for beat-tape production.
Boxout.fm Recordings launch
The 20 October 2017 launch for Boxout.fm Recordings will be held in Delhi at Auro, and will feature performances by Lacuna, Profound and special appearance by Night Slugs royalty Girl Unit.
Girl Unit is the stage name for the London-based producer and DJ, Phillip Gamble. The prolific Night Slugs regular doesn’t candy-coat his dancefloor-obliterating sound, a purpose-built mix of tough intercontinental rhythms that blur the lines between UK bass, hip-hop and ghetto-tech. His famed DJ sets, peppered liberally with Night Slugs’ sonic weaponry, are at once high-energy and tense, uplifting and full of bounce.
Date: October 20
Venue: Auro
Line-up: Girl Unit, Lacuna, Profound
Entry: Rs 200 for early bird tickets, Rs 300 after
Tickets: https://goo.gl/Yd4K2r
Time: 9 pm onwards
Buyers of early-bird tickets for Rs 200 will be automatically entered into a raffle and stand a chance to win one vinyl pressing of each release worth Rs 2,500. There are only 100 early bird tickets available.
Lacuna and Profound will also be playing at the 14th edition Boxout Social, in Mumbai on 22 October.
City: Mumbai
Date: October 22
Day: Sunday
Venue: Social, Khar
Line-up: Lacuna and Profound
Time: 3-7 pm
Entry: Free