Over the last ten years, Sahej Bakshi A.K.A Dualist Inquiry has risen from a studious music producer to headlining almost every major stage in India, to now making waves way beyond his home country. Tipped as the pioneer of the new wave of Indian electronica, his music is an intersection of guitar music and beautifully composed rhythmic electronic dance.
Breaking out of the traditional Indian music scene, Sahej is very much a contemporary anomaly going against the grain of Bollywood’s influence on youth culture. Dualist Inquiry is a progressive artist best experienced playing live, lights flashing, brandishing a guitar in full flow.
Releasing multiple albums and EPs since 2011, Dualist Inquiry has been described by Rolling Stone India as “adding another dimension to the dance music scene” in India. After releasing his last album in 2016, he retreated to solitude with a conscious goal to learn and evolve. He returns with the release of his ‘Life Form’s’ EP and a special self-edited and composed video.
“I was on a self-imposed exile at this cabin in a remote, wild part of Goa that monsoon. I used to go on these long walks through the forest, taking in the lush greenery, which was particularly dense because of the rain. It was crazy, everywhere you looked, every last corner of the forest was teeming with life. I started taking pictures and videos of all the animals, insects and birds that I saw and started working with them in ‘After Effects’, which is a visual compositing software I had wanted to learn for a while. Making my own music videos is a relatively new area of exploration for me – with Life Forms, I was working on the music & video simultaneously, and found that they both somehow inspired each other.” Sahej on the Life Forms Video
This special 4 track EP is beautifully constructed, with a wide range of feeling and emotion from gentle meditative builds and spoken word, to rolling drums, floaty synths and of course signature guitar licks, all culminating in an atmospheric, energetic and warm sound.
The title track ‘Life Forms’ is instantly captivating through the use of spoken word about life and death. The opening minutes of the track feature the voice of an American Philosophy Professor, Dr. Eric Steinhart, explaining Conway’s “Game of Life,” which is a computer model that emulates the evolutionary process of life in a two-dimensional form. It transcends from scientific explanation to full on musical flow. Continuing on the theme ‘Delta Wave’ is a song that’s all about tension & release and was written with his live band in a rehearsal session. It creates a feeling of anticipation through the building of percussive elements and layering of beautiful piano chords. The whole band holds one sustained note through the whole song, modulating the volume and tension in the sound in sync with the drums. ‘Echo Park’ is a great example of Dualist’s guitar skills, providing a personal feel. The song encapsulates that feeling when you suddenly and intensely miss or feel nostalgic about something or someone from a long time ago.
With a spacious, contemplative theme across the first three tracks, it was only natural for Sahej to add in a ‘Club Edit’ of ‘Life Forms’, a version that is aimed squarely at the dancefloor.
Bringing his unique and inimitable sound with this new EP, Dualist Inquiry is set to make his mark as an international artist. A fascinating and articulate individual educated in the US and who has performed all around world including the UK and Europe.
