Premiere: Sijya’s textural ‘Clear’ gets reworked by Rounak Maiti into a radiant, dance floor-ready cut

Sijya follows up her breakthrough EP ‘Young Hate’ with a set of remixes that expand on the artist’s multi-layered approach to composing sonic masterpieces.

Coming via Matthew Herbert’s Accidental Records once more, ‘Young Love’ comprises seven reworks that showcase a plethora of sounds and perspectives from both international names and fellow Indian producers including Dolorblind, A Temporary Matter and Pale Blue Dotter.

“I found it interesting to reach out to people who make downtempo, slow and ambient work, and to have them experiment with my stems. I was interested in seeing this as an extension of the EP in that way, but interpreted by other people,” she says.

Among the aural concoction that ranges from swirling ambient, rousing off-kilter house to glitchy, brooding electronica and beyond is a remix by fellow New Delhi producer, Rounak Maiti, who adds weight and punchiness to one of Sijya’s most minimal tracks from the EP, transforming it to a moving, dance floor-ready cut.

‘Clear’ is a track that expresses Sijya’s earliest and purest experiences of bonding, demonstrating her serene vocals over tranquil keyboards. Maiti’s rework propels it towards a more climactic mood while still staying true to its tonal and rhythmic clarity with his emotive chord progressions.

Speaking to Mixmag Asia, Maiti mentions how the original keyboard samples of the track inspired him to create an energetic rhythm section that was atmospheric and spacious to complement the sound. Reworking bits of her existing vocals and chords, the producer “pretty much made the entire track live on the spot while jamming with my Korg Volca Beats drum machine, SP404 (loaded with Sijya samples) and some MIDI voicings,” he explains.

“The abstract, textural nature of Sijya's recordings serve as perfect samples to jam along with, especially with my approach, which is very raw and intuitive. I just like making music that provokes emotion or movement,” Maiti adds.

Listen to Sijya ‘Clear (Rounak Maiti Remix)’ below.

The full ‘Young Love’ release will be available to purchase on Friday, May 12. Pre-orders are available now on Bandcamp.

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.