M.I.A. drops 16-track 'Bells Collection' mix featuring Skrillex, Blaqstarr and more
Includes recently released cut ‘Free Pali’
M.I.A. has followed up on last year’s ‘MATA’ album with a surprise 16-track mixtape titled ‘Bells Collection’.
The project, which is only available to listen to on her website OHMNI, features tracks from Skrillex, Blaqstarr, Troy Baker and many more.
The mixtape also features her previously released politically charged track ‘Free Pali’, along with ‘Bella Hadid’, a track dedicated to the Palestinian-Dutch supermodel.
M.I.A. wrote in a press release about the mixtape, "I present you a gift from the East, star of wonder star of night. Beauty. Bright. Sacred. Cosmic. Magnetism. A collaboration with God. Limited edition hear it only on ohmni.com."
This project is bursting with creative ideas, all of which are executed seamlessly and cohesively across its 41-minute run time and is rooted in Indian and Sri Lankan sounds in a way unheard of before.
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Track 3, ‘Believe A Bell’, is a trip with swirling soundscapes of bells over mind-bending vocal chops that only build and rise as the track progresses, culminating in euphoria-inducing, synth-overlaid madness.
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The tracklist spans a wide variety of sounds and styles, with traditional yet distorted vocals and instrumentation taking centre stage throughout. It goes from almost drug rug sounds at 28 minutes to eerie time-honoured tracks, before the chaotic, almost d'n'b-stylised sounds at 32 minutes.
Listen to M.I.A.’s ‘Bells Collection’ here.
Henry Cooper is a Writer at Mixmag Asia. Follow him on Instagram.
