Dushume highlights South Asian & African soundscape artists in ‘Disruptive Frequencies’

UK label nonclassic has released the compilation ‘Disruptive Frequencies’, focusing on increasing the representation of Asian and African artists in the soundscape genre and shifting Eurocentric bias in experimental sound creation.

Sound artist and researcher Amit Dinesh Patel aka Dushume started working in music technology in 2000. In 2021, he began a research project addressing the distinctive lack of visibility for Black and South Asian artists within the field of experimental music and sound. It was titled ‘Exploring Cultural Diversity in Experimental Sound’ and was hosted at the Sound/Image Research Centre, University of Greenwich.

‘Disruptive Frequencies’ comes as a manifestation of said research project. This sonic-based initiative aims to disrupt institutional biases, confront racial prejudices and address the limited exposure and opportunities available to those working with experimental sound and electronic music.

Each contribution pushes the boundaries of sound manipulation, turntablism, field recording, audio fragmentations and sound collage techniques whilst crossing noise, high-energy electronic music, deep bass, ambient and experimental soundscapes.

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The 12-track project takes the listeners on a journey through different sonic backgrounds and influences, all heavily rooted in Asia and Africa. The often unsettling yet always engaging sounds showcase these artists' immense creativity and unique perspectives on sound.

The project was met with a launch party in London featuring performances from NikNak, Dhangsha, Nikki Sheth, Poulomi Desai, Gary Stewart and Dushume.

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‘Disruptive Frequencies’ takes listeners to what sounds like a remote jungle on Nikki Sheth’s two tracks before diving into a dark space filled with despair, static and distorted sounds that feature on Bantu’s offerings.

Intro track ‘The Vichitra, Queer conjurations from us’ by Poulomi Desai kicks off with harrowing vocals over stripped-back instrumentation before building over its 13-minute run time. The work takes enormous jumps throughout its journey, with different influences, sounds and samples being used in its ever-evolving life.

Purchase the ‘Disruptive Frequencies’ compilation on Bandcamp.

Henry Cooper is a Writer at Mixmag Asia. Follow him on Instagram.