Mumbai-based experimental producer Kumail Hamid made his way to Bengaluru on April 7 for the launch of his EP, From You to Blue, and also took an opportunity to play a DJ set at the Boiler Room X Budweiser What’s Brewing at The Humming Tree. While the two are very different experiences, Kumail’s laidback music fits seamlessly into both.
Boiler Room, best described as, “the online home of the underground”, is an invite-only gig hosted in various cities across the world and is also streamed live online. Sharing the stage with international artistes, Kumail’s downtempo beats set the mood for what was to come. “Compared to Mumbai, the energy in Bengaluru is totally different. People here are all about the music, they come here to listen and not just to party and no one asks for song requests,” says the 23-year-old. Although Mumbai has a booming music scene, he says the crowd in Bengaluru is very receptive and gives good feedback about the music.
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The EP launch gig, also at The Humming Tree, had Kumail on the drums with guitarist Apurv Isaac and bassist Nathan Thomas. The intro track, February, is his, and our favourite as well. Haunting and melodious, the song has mellow vocals. Some other tracks include CMO, Fuss, Fool and Blue You. Kumail has been immersing himself in a lot of jazz, and that is reflected in the album. “I’ve been listening to album a day. There is a lot of Miles Davis and John Coltrane,” he adds.
Kumail started making music at the age of 15. This EP has been a year in the making. “It was born out of a break-up I went through,” Kumail reveals, adding, “I wanted to put all my energy into making music. It is all very personal, and will probably make more sense to me than to my listeners.”
Future plans for Kumail include putting out an album a year, and eventually touring the world and playing at some of the biggest festivals.
Details: soundcloud.com/kumailmusic