Kapil Seshasayee’s debut album addresses the various manifestations of casteism 

The LP is the first installment of a Desi-Futurism trilogy
Kapil Seshasayee’s debut album addresses the various manifestations of casteism 

There are two prominent ways of composing popular music—writing lyrics to fit tunes and vice versa. Kapil Seshasayee’s debut album A Sacred Bore follows the latter style with the “narrative content of the song always coming first and the music written later.” This is how he lays stress on speaking about the casteism that exists in our society, which has followed this Tamil musician from his birthplace in Ramnad to Glasgow in Scotland which he calls home.

“I decided to focus on caste after witnessing a confrontation between two Indians at my workplace which led to one person quitting. Later, I learned that the abuse was based on the lower-caste background of one of them.  I figured that the notion of ‘caste in diaspora’ isn’t very uncommon,” says Kapil, whose 10-song LP is designed with Carnatic-influenced guitar work aiding an avante-garde approach to rock.

Beyond the West 
Citing influences ranging from Glenn Branca to L Subramaniam, the artiste engages diverse experimental attitudes. The first thing of note upon playing the release is the distinct tone of the guitar which retains the timbre of the veena.

“I tried to reference the musical heritage of the region in which each song was set so as to provide the most relevant sonic backdrop for each story I hope to tell,” informs the multi-instrumentalist, pointing to tracks like The Ballad of Bant Singh (a direct reference to a Dalit resistance leader) which use rhythms typical of the Punjabi folk instrument tumbi.

The layering of industrial and noise elements within the songs create an unsettling effect and more so when instruments like the aquaphone (prominently used to create soundtracks for horror movies) are put to use. 
 

An essay on caste
Starting from its name, the release shows adherence to the theme. “Caste is this tedious barrier for many but it’s simultaneously heralded as ‘sacred’. The album is an essay on the topic, with each song being a chapter on the different guises which oppression can take such as honour killings and the normalisation of casteist rhetoric,” ascertains Kapil.

Bringing in a western perspective, his song The Agitprop even draws parallels between white and Hindu nationalism. “I hope to bring caste to the mainstream platform of discourse. By dragging casteism into popular culture, I hope that the discussion of it among Indians becomes less of a taboo...” the musician simplifies his aim.

Expanding his scope, Kapil plans this release as the first installment of a Desi-Futurism trilogy which will further deal with themes like toxic brown masculinity and the taboos connected with sex work.

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