MUMBAI: Pioneering producer, Dualism founder, Boxout.fm co-founder, DJ and multimedia artist Dualist Inquiry announces third studio album When We Get There, featuring singles ‘All There Is’, ‘When We Get There’ and ‘Bloom’, arriving 16th Feb via Dualism Records.
Sahej Bakshi, aka Dualist Inquiry, is a DJ/producer, live performer, and pioneer at the forefront of India’s growing alt-electronic scene. From experimenting with production tools in his New Delhi bedroom, to becoming one of India’s most influential artists, Sahej has used the Dualist Inquiry project to build the local scene and is the co-founder of India’s leading independent radio, Boxout.fm, a passionate community tapping into and platforming emerging talent.
When We Get There (his first LP since 2016’s Dreamcatcher) is a moving ode to the passage of time through the lens of new fatherhood and his own musical voyage, with influences spanning sounds from the Indian diaspora, UKG, electro, breaks and experimental.
Related Post
Over nine immaculately produced tracks, we are taken on a journey of reflection, self-discovery, memory and love. A journey that begins with a pilot’s announcement on the opening track and single ‘When We Get There’: ‘…that is a jetstream on our flight path, and that will give some turbulence. When we arrive there it’s going to be quite nice, few clouds with temperatures around 20 degrees….’ The found sample sets the mood and intention for Dualist Inquiry: ‘a reminder that even if things feel bumpy and challenging at a particular moment in time, it’s worth it to keep marching on trusting that when we get there, it’s all going to be worth it’, matched by peppy rhythms and a sense of warm anticipation that tell us we are off and flying.
Written the day after its predecessor, ‘Coming Alive’ delves into a tender, personal space for the artist. The sonic equivalent of receiving an especially warm hug – it radiates with a gentle and comforting energy, innocent and unconditional. Sonically we are embraced with gorgeous looping synths and sitar samples, Dualist’s ‘way of expressing the sense of opening up – of coming alive – it speaks to the sense of wonder and gratitude I was feeling at the time.’
On ‘Days Away’, we find the artist steering away from self-consciousness on this dreamy day trip of a tune. A shapeshifting vocal loop and lush, warm Juno chords give the track a driving, feel-good factor, the soundscape equivalent of travelling through beautiful scenery with the wind in your hair: ‘I wanted it to have a lot of forward momentum, but not too much. I didn’t want the song to feel like it’s pressuring the listener to dance – I wanted it to be possible to enjoy this song in as relaxed or energetic a setting as the listener wishes to.’
Tapping into the album’s key themes of memory, family and love ‘Mother’ connects the dots between childhood and life as a new parent, Dualist says: ‘I remembered the limitless feeling that came with my mother’s love, and at the same time I saw my own child form this impossibly deep, mystical and otherworldly bond with her mother instantaneously’. Glowing at the midpoint of the record like a warm hearth, the track is emotive and heartfelt, delivering playfulness and light through chopped samples and chance arrangements, and gorgeous melodies that are at times hazy with touches of distortion just as memories can also be.
Taking the tempo up a notch, ‘Times Go By’ encapsulates the album’s ‘passage of time’ theme. Working in another perfectly selected vocal sample, ‘times go by – I am a little bit stronger, I am a little bit more in love’, Dualist nails a feeling of strength and growth through this emotively euphoric track. Housey and heavenly, rising pads give a sense of vibrant optimism amongst the themes of self-reflection.
On celebratory lead single ‘All There Is’, ‘a reflection on the transitory nature of our lives and on how our memories persist, morph and evolve as time goes on’, we are treated to more of this growthful, buoyant mood. It’s a euphoric, headsy journey through dreamy vox, emotive arps, bleepy details and garagey breaks. Like ‘Times Go By’ it’s a track that fans of BICEP and Overmono will take to their hearts.
‘Bloom’ takes us to more sombre and reflective territory. Like the denouncement of the hero’s journey where a sense of struggle transforms into a message of empowerment, we travel through brooding percussion, haunting childlike vox, and climbing melody that speak to the artist’s growth through difficult times, trusting inner guidance to ‘stay the course in spite of not being able to see where I’m going’.
We step into some delightful experimental territory on ‘I Need To Know’, the gorgeous result of a freewheeling jam with a Buchla modular synth plugin. Drenched in yearningnes, the track is emotive, amorphous and psychedelic – leaning into the unpredictable nature of the Buchla (and life) and extracting exquisite beauty in the process.
Closing out When We Get Here is the beauteous ‘My Light, My Fire’, ‘a celebration at the conclusion of a long journey. It feels like coming home, like it would feel to see the old and familiar with new eyes.’ The thread of optimism that sits at the beating heart of the album vibrates in this profoundly moving piece.
A gorgeous and special record, alive with rich life experience and brilliant warmth, it provides soundtracks for both reflective moments and dancing ones too. When We Get There is Dualist Inquiry’s piece de resistance, the product of an astounding and influential career delivered with heart, skill and distinct emotional integrity. All eyes are on this exceptional artist who recently debuted his new A/V Live set for headlining shows at Magnetic Fields and Lollapalooza in Dec and Jan. Expect much more from Dualism records in 2024 as his profile continues to go stratospheric.
Dualist Inquiry says :
“‘When We Get There” was written between December 2022 and July 2023. It’s a nine track record that reflects on the chapters in our lives that open and close with the passage of time, and the irreversible, unidirectional nature of time. It’s about the innocence of childhood, becoming a father and seeing the world through my daughter’s eyes. It’s the result of a deeply emotional journey. The process of creating this record has helped me make sense of my own life and present musicality in many ways. It’s become an anchor and reference point from which to assimilate the various versions of myself and navigate onwards.”
Since the 2013 release of his critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Doppelganger’, on his own Dualism imprint, Sahej has toured the world, shared bills with Bonobo, Flying Lotus, DJ Shadow, Basement Jaxx, and Fatboy Slim, and secured a Resident Advisor ‘Track Of The Year’ with ‘Delta Wave’. Earlier this year he headlined Boiler Room’s India tour and delivered a standout performance for Mixmag Lab India.
