When you’ve accomplished so much in such a short period of time, the odds are definitely stacked with you to deliver again and again. There’s not much room for complacency, when you’ve got a large population of fans rooting for you. Niles Hollowell-Dhar, better known as KSHMR and a former member of The Cataracs, has been the center of attention and one of the most fan-centric producers to grace the world of electronic music, in recent times. With an enterprising past and a number of hits to his name, KSHMR has successfully forayed into EDM territory, with an impressive number of chart toppers and collaborations that most producers could only hope to boast of.
KSHMR donned the writers hat a few years back to reveal his children’s book, ‘The Lion Across The Field’. Years later, he made a definitive statement with his own book-inspired, full length EP, with a similar title. Yes, we’re talking about the recently released EP that has once again, and not surprisingly so, stormed the charts.
Not one to shy away from his Indian roots, as evident from his past records, KSHMR has brought back the Indian influence to his music amidst a delightful fusion of Indian folk and Electronica. The theme and inspiration has, of course been borrowed from his book, ‘The Lion Across The Field’.
KSHMR delivers emphatically with this unique and culture-rich EP, with it’s adventurous and enthralling melodies and crafty samples that add to the picturesque vibe. Take for example ‘Jungle Whistle’, a beautifully complex and riveting down tempo ballad that blends in the flute with a calm instrumental vibe.
‘Dadima’ which translates to ‘Grandmother’ in English, is another down tempo delight with it’s classical Indian instruments and enchanting vocal swells, fused perfectly, leading to an arpeggiator blended with vocal conclusion.
‘Touch’ featuring Felix Snow and Madi, lends a different amidst beautiful vibe to the EP. Heavily inspired by the recent trend of melody infused moombahton, KSHMR lands another hit with this popular radio number.
With ‘Dhoom’, KSHMR returns to Big Room dance music, with the orchestral and Indian influence, blended with an enchanting vocal, leading to the heavy drums and synths we all know best.
The guitar melodies on ‘Hymn of Reflection’ are beautifully done, adding to the rock-infused electronica vibe that we’re definitely digging at the moment!
‘Sleepwalk’ begins with a nice progression of vocal chops that hit the higher tempos to set the groove for the EP.
‘Wildcard’ featuring Sidnie Tipton is definitely one of the highlights of the album, ideal for the larger stages and festival vibe that provides a refreshing change to the listener amidst an emotionally rich EP. Full marks to Sidnie for the beautiful vocal as well!
This culturally rich EP, with synths aiming to mimic classical Indian instruments, definitely packs a punch, with the added narratives to the story line that calmly blend in with the music. Fulfilling the primary objective of telling a story with music, lending his conceptually rich production techniques, KSHMR aims to capture the listener’s attention with both music and adventure.
