Week on Week: The VICE India Mixtape

Attempting to keep up with new releases is exhausting. And the never-ending quest to discover an act before they hit >1000 plays on Bandcamp is all but rewarding. Having given up full time music writing a little while ago, more often than not I find myself feeling a mix of FOMO and IDGAF about new, local music while compiling my Spotify playlists. With this feature, we (that is, I) aim to put together a weekly mixtape—without being judgemental asshole(s).

For this week’s edition I’ve rounded up a bunch of peeps behind the excellent, prolific and much-needed online indie radio station, boxout.fm, which is more than just a platform. They’re also hosting Boxout Weekender from April 5 to April 7, in honour of them completing two years of existence, delivering some of the best, well-balanced sets consistently, and making us look forward to their Wednesday gigs week on week.

“This tune has been played by Delhi Sultanate on BFR Sound System throughout the last year. But it somehow only got stuck in my head over the last weekend during the 4th edition of Goa Sunsplash where I heard it multiple times played on two handmade sound systems; there was no escape from this. Now I have been waking up to this song every day (#morningtune). I love the production on this one! Made last year, championed this year. Big up, @rorystonelove!”
—Mohammed Abood aka DJ MoCity, Co-founder and Creative Director, boxout.fm

“Heard this track during my first few days back in Delhi. Even though I can't understand what's being said (O.G. Egyptian rap), it still gets stuck in my head, haha. Produced by Sami Baha, an incredibly talented Turkish musician from London, it makes me feel connected to home in a weird way."
—Shama Anwar, Partnerships and Business Development, boxout.fm

“This track! Well, it isn’t recent or even one of their most popular, but it’s been a favourite of mine for years now. Xploding Plastix really make for the perfect combination of learning and listening. I find myself coming back to their music year after year and always just hoping there’s something new or something I’ve missed. My favourite album by them has to be Amateur Girlfriends Go Proskirt Agents even though this particular track is from Treated Timber Resists Rot which is just so great as well. They’ve made a massive amount of music over the years, so for those who haven’t heard them, please do yourself a favour.”
—Siddharth Mehra, Studio Manager, boxout.fm

“I love this delicious robot funk by mysterious electro duo Dopplereffekt. This is from their last release in November. I would choose this to communicate with alien life on a faraway planet, or just to dance to in the depths of the night under open skies.”
—Manaal Oomerbhoy, Communications Manager, boxout.fm.

“Depending on how your head is wired at that moment, either the most Sabbath-esque song in the entire Black Sabbath catalogue or the least. Like a chimerical volley of hope in an utterly hopeless world. The sound of angels floating opiated towards the evening sun unafraid to die. Essential sh*t.”
—Abhi Meer, Chief Content Officer, boxout.fm

“Heard this track played by Benji B on his monthly radio show on BBC 1Xtra in October last year. Something about the lyrics really struck home for me with this track; the way he speaks about his insecurities and fears in such a casual yet reassuring manner makes the tune very relatable, at least to me. Been bumping this on many a rainy day, finding inspiration, melancholy, nostalgia and motivation depending on the mood I'm in while listening.”
—Arjun Sodhi, Digital Marketing Executive, boxout.fm

“What better way to start this goddamn month than a hella good record from Solange? Well, I’ve heard the album a few times over, but this song (and Almeda) seem to stick a fair bit. Inclined to agree that this song has some Aaliyah #vibes, as the YouTube comments suggest, but I absolutely love the soft play of power Solange exhibits with each release. Also, what the fuck is that collaborator list? Tyler, The Creator, Sampha, Earl Sweatshirt, Panda Bear, Metro Boomin, Dev Hynes—to just name a few—and it begins to feel like she’s just showing off at this point in time. Man, words won’t do justice… so y’all just hear this.”
—Naman Saraiya, Producer at VICE India and waiting for this release now

Get tix for Boxout Weekender here.

Check out our previous editions here.