Wanderlust is a popular buzzword amongst the millennial generation. For some, it’s merely a Tinder pick-up line, but for others, travelling is an artistic and spiritual pursuit. Nahaz Ravi belongs to the latter tribe. His wanderings have become the spark for a solo project named Electric Gypsy.
“I was at a tough juncture in my life when I took to the road and I figured that if we charge ourselves up and be active, we’ll find a way out of every situation,” says Nahaz, an MBBS graduate. Not defeated by the difficulty in finding people to play music with, this youngster went on to record his tunes singlehandedly.
The longest road
Produced from within a home studio using a pair of Samsung headphones and a Sony laptop, the raw sound of what Nahaz calls an experimental folk project is a DIY success story. The LP named The Land of Eclectic Dancers also incorporates equipment he acquired on the road like a kalimba, an African instrument he bought at a fair, and a bird sound maker he found in Kodaikanal.
Field recordings he made during his trips find space alongside free online sound samples, acoustic guitar melodies, and versatile vocalisation which doesn’t shy away from narrations.
At a time when releasing singles has become a fad, Electric Gypsy’s concept album offers a certain freshness. “The modern global consciousness is very survivalist. This feeling of leading a meaningless life in the city has now actually become a documented disease which is driving young lives to suicide,” says the 25-year-old, whose seven-track set follows a protagonist who embarks on a physical and metaphorical journey.
Nahaz is hoping to take the action out of the studio if he finds session musicians to play his music.