Karajimo, Nathan Thomas, and more: All the music you can stream while quarantined

We all have our ways of coping with the quarantine, but some people are living out their isolation in productivity as they are also helping others by making out timelines interesting. Since you’ve got a whole lot of time on your own hands, and hopefully no work, you check out these artistes viral sensations who are using comedy, music, relevant life hacks to make this time a little easier for others and also going viral while they are at it:

Varun Desai

Kolkata-based music producer Varun Desai has made way for something incredible; the musician has brought together several different artistes - 18 to be precise - and released a compilation of their tracks on Bandcamp. Titled Social Isolation, the compilation which relies on an ambient soundscape brings together work of artists who are in quarantine and have been sharing their work online amid the lockdown.

"Created and compiled during the last week of March 2020, this compilation brings together the sound of artists in isolation creating music that's reflective of our collective struggle during the Covid-19 pandemic. Those featured in this edition are of Indian origin but we plan to continue the Social Isolation series to create a worldwide artist-listener network," Varun revealed on Facebook.

The compilation features stunning tracks by Rijul Victor’s electronica project Corridors, Kolkata-based music producer philtersoup, Bangalore-based ambient producer Eashwar Subramaniam etc. Social Isolation also had an online launch party and the entire compilation is available to download for free at Bandcamp. 

Nathan Thomas

Mumbai-based bass player and electronic music producer Nathan Thomas who goes by moniker Nate08 just released a two-track EP titled Lightwork, which is free to listen on Soundcloud and has some upbeat synth shifts and a dynamic progression; both the tracks are also pretty strong on percussions which makes it listenable on loop.

Thomas also collaborated with Mumbai-based singer and drummer Azamaan Hoyvoy to release a funky track called Come Get It, on Soundcloud. Thomas has also taken to Instagram to share quirky sound loop samples he’s making in isolation with his controller, just in case you wondered how music creators are passing time amid the quarantine. He recently flipped an old Japanese tune by Hiroshi Wada and shared a random sample on his page.

Arjun Vagale

Arjun Vagale has been releasing new music under his experimental new project AsymetriK. He just released an 5-track EP titled AsymetriK 002, which features some amazing sonic textures. The EP is available to stream on Soundcloud and Vagale also opened up about the realities of making music in such uncertain times.

“It feels kinda weird putting out music right now, but maybe this is when we need it the most... ⁣These tracks were written during a very dark phase, and what’s strangest is that they feel like a soundtrack to the times we are in. ⁣⁣I guess we all express ourselves in different ways - this is me. I hope the music speaks,” he wrote on Instagram.

Karajimo

Delhi-based electronica artist Viraj Mohan who goes by the moniker Karajimo just released a synth-heavy new single from his debut album Lunar Howl. The album has been in the works for many months now, and is scheduled to be out in May. Make sure you check out the fantastic animation work in the Lunar Howl video designed by animation artist Dhruv Sharma.

Anand Bhaskar Collective

Mumbai-based Alternative rock fusion band Anand Bhaskar Collective, which performed in Kolkata just a couple of weeks back, just released a really interesting video along with their newest single Main Hoon Zameen; the track, which is the first single of their upcoming EP Ufaq celebrates unsung heroes of the country, like environmentalists and animal rescuers.

“We worked for nearly 18 months to bring this song to you, with a LOT of trials and tribulations in our own personal lives, but it's here and we're safe and we're healthy and we'll continue making music for you guys! And it's all thanks to YOU! Thank you all for waiting so patiently for us and we hope that this song was worth the wait!” the band said on Facebook.