There’s nothing quite like the moment you stumble upon a new artist or come across a new label. It’s as though you’ve unlocked the door to a room at home you never knew existed. What follows on from that initial discovery is 60 minutes of exaggerated facial expressions as you forget about everything else and begin to explore and examine this newly found asset, astounded that it had eluded you until now.  

Krunk Kulture has been my new room this week. Bounded by four walls of big beats, thumping bass, fluid electronica and smooth downtempo, Krunk Kulture is a new record label that’s sprouted from Krunk; an agency that’s been at the forefront of Indian electronic and live music for over 10 years. I won’t sit here and profess my knowledge of Indian electronic music because it’s sadly pretty much nonexistent. However, I will say that the awareness of the “underground” music scene in Asia has been growing steadily among us Europeans. The intimate British musical collective
Keep Hush held their first live stream in China at Shenzhen’s very reputable Oil Club, while the culture surrounding Tokyo’s well respected listening bars has got me itching for a Japanese holiday now more than ever.

Sohail Arora, the founder of Krunk, has embarked on a new project as a way of showcasing emerging talent from India and its neighbouring countries to an audience that stretches well beyond the megacities of Mumbai and New Delhi. There are currently 3 Flavours of The East to choose from on Krunk Kulture’s bandcamp - each a compilation of 15-18 tracks of complimentary genres from local producers and international guests. The first in the series, Kaala Khatta, pushes the more leftfield sounds of acid and breaks, while their second release, Ganga Jamuna, jumps up a gear and accelerates things to the 160 mark. The third and most recent release named Thandai, is “relished for it’s viscous texture and cooling effect in the body and mind” - a description as apt for the local beverage as for the compilation itself. The longer this lockdown persists, the longer you can find me in my new room.