EXCLUSIVE: Stream Shillong Rockers Ñion's Haunting Debut EP, Ki Dak Ki Shin

I stumbled upon Hammarsing Kharhmar via a photograph shot by Bikramjit Bose, and that led me to find out more about the recently-returned Shillong boy. Uncovering his musical projects, the early Mon Khmer, and later Exhibition, has been a rewarding one. Both projects hark a nostalgic, early-2000s NYC indie rock sound merged with the drone-y guitar, staccato drumming of the ’80s. No wonder the latter got signed to Julian Casablancas’s Cult Records, and the single No One There even featured The Strokes frontman on a guest spot (stream here). Besides these oft-headline making facts, Kharhmar has been entrenched in the music scenes of Boston and New York City for more than a decade, while also being the touring guitar player for The Strokes axeman’s side project, the eponymously titled, Albert Hammond Jr. and his former band AHJ.

Wanphrang K Diengdoh, on the other hand, is a filmmaker and musician from Shillong—and currently in the news for his upcoming release Lorni-The Flaneur, starring indie favourite Adil Hussain (read more about that in our story here). In his quest to score music for some scenes of his film, he reached out to Kharhmar which eventually led to the formation of their audiovisual project, Ñion. Now evolved into a four-track EP, and the promise of a 90-minute audio-visual set by the middle of next year, Ñion is an act to keep an eye and ear out for. It also signals Diengdoh back into the mix, since his Delhi/Shillong punk project, Tarik.

Stream the debut EP exclusively below:

We caught up with Kharhmar with a bunch of questions, which you can check out below to get a sense of what Ñion is about, up to and will be onto in 2019:

VICE: Mon Khmer, Exhibition and now Ñion: you seem to have traversed interesting soundscapes and prolific collaborators. Do you think it's some kind of foreseeable passion that drives you to such results?
Hammarsing Kharhmar: I’ve just been very lucky. I obsess over songs, sometimes for years, so maybe it’s the universe rewarding me when a sweet collaboration or opportunity appears.

With "Ki Dak Ki Shin" (Signs and Letters), Ñion's first offering, there's an unmistakable sound that signals a homecoming after 15 years. Do you think that was intentional, or perhaps it just weaved itself in naturally? Is there a clear intent of it being an audio-visual project?
It’s both. I’ve always loved the traditional drums and beats of the Khasis. I find they have punk, purity, and elegance in them. The beats have a purpose but they aren’t rigid; free and bustling with energy. You can hear versions of these rhythms in the songs of Mon Khmer and Exhibition. But with Ñion, Khasi philosophy and traditional drums are at the centre. The compositions start there. It feels very natural. I weave my guitar lines around the rhythms.

Yes, there is a very clear intent to this being an audio-visual project owing mainly to the fact that Wan is also an accomplished filmmaker. I find this so exciting and motivating. There’s a lot of work to be done but as we move closer to our vision for Ñion, I’m confident it will be something the whole country and world will find interesting.

Was the intent to make the OST of Lorni-The Flaneur available as a project that can be taken live, as you intend to do later this month? Tell me a little bit about your collaboration process with Wanphrang: how did you guys meet, what has it been like, and what's the future got in store for Ñion?
Ñion wasn’t yet formed when Wan asked me to write some music for a scene in his movie. I had moved back to Shillong and started composing again, working with a talented group of young traditional Khasi drummers. The vibe of the demos content fit really with the images. We started tracking with the intention of it being instrumental but at the end of a session, Wan wrote down some lyrics, did one vocal take and I guess that's when Ñion was born.

There’s a lot of spontaneity playing alongside years of effort. The EP was done in less than 3 months and now we have close to enough material for a full album. The collaboration has been really productive and enjoyable. We both draw heavily from what has existed in these hills for thousands of years. We aspire to explore the complex nuances of societies such as ours and share the universal ethos of Khasi philosophy.

90 minutes of music and visuals by mid-2019!

Thematically, outside of the film's OST, there's a trail running through the EP, one that seems to capture the essence of life in the hills of Shillong. You've worked with local musicians, and credited Da Thymmei for a bunch of local instruments. How did that roll out for you, in terms of recording and even creating a new sound without falling into the trap of the cliche of perhaps appropriating something?
As a child, I danced to traditional Khasi music at festivals like Shad Suk Mynsiem. Khasi culture and traditions are deeply entrenched in me. I’m born of it, it runs in my veins and I’ve always yearned to build on it. I believe that something new and original can only truly emerge if there is a search from within. There are similarities between our traditional drums and those found across the subcontinent and Southeast Asia but the rhythmic patterns, the syncopations and the way they are played lend them a sound that's just so distinct and unique. Every choice in the music, visuals and even in our appearance has been thought of. We want to spark curiosity, have people ask questions, engage in debate.

We‘re constantly trying to understand who we are and create out of what we have. The music and visuals of Ñion will document that journey.

Your guitar tones are unmistakable, and personally for me, when I hear that searing tone from the homeland, it really rocks my socks off—straight up rock and roll, or experimental as in the case with Ñion. How would you say being in Boston, and then NYC, shaped your musicality?
The access and exposure to different types of music, musicians, art and artists are priceless. In NYC you get to see, hear and sometimes make music with your heroes. It can really be inspiring. Playing in the NYC scene, absorbing all the good and bad the city has to offer has left its mark in my playing for sure. The friends I made shaped me the most.

There's a constant mention of #khasinewwave, from Wan on his films and interviews and even at the bottom of your EPK. Want to let us in on that secret?
An art movement that is inspired by an attempt to look at who the Khasis were, are and will be.

Ñion will play the entirety of their debut EP at Cloud 9, Shillong on December 29; details.

Kharhmar’s band Exhibition, Khasi Bloodz, Big Ri and more will be performing at Nowhere Is Here, in Shillong, on December 31. Get tickets here.

Follow Naman Saraiya on Twitter.