Get ready to be immersed in the unique sights and sounds of India as EX GENERATION brings a slice of The Land of Spices to listeners with The Mumbai Exchange.
Being the next step in their global series, EX GENERATION follows up on their previous season of The Napoli Exchange, which showed off the rhythm and beats created by southern-Italian funk visionaries from Naples, with a more vibrant and cultural exploration on The Mumbai Exchange.
The Mumbai Exchange, featuring the focus track 'Bandra Hustle', delves into how a city’s character is formed through years of tourism and exposure to different urban soundscapes. The album is a bold confession to the dynamic city — capturing everyday life through the lens of music describing the spectrum of experiences that people from all walks of life have. The rhythmic record that paints the city in such a beautiful light already has support from the likes of BBC6 Music, Gilles Peterson, NTS, MOJO, Bandcamp, and Somewhere Soul.
Lewis Moody and Ziggy Zeitgeist of EX GENERATION offer their insights into the inspiration behind creating the album as they share, “The weight of this gift isn’t something we take lightly. Over the past year, we’ve been putting everything into shaping an album that stands as a testament to cultural sharing - honouring the lineage of Indian music while embracing the clash of Western traditions we’ve grown up in. Somewhere in that middle ground, we’ve found something fresh, exciting, and deeply human.”
Featuring talented vocalists such as Anuja Zokarkar and Vinay Sugatha Ramadasan, the tracks highlight the authenticity and life of the city with a lush blend of explosive rhythms, heartfelt melodies, and psychedelic soundscapes — embodying the sensory richness and emotional intensity of India’s cultural landscapes.
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Woven together in Island City Studios in Khar West, Mumbai, the nine-track album is an expressive love letter to India. The duo combines the lyrical sophistication of north-Indian classical traditions with EX GENERATION’s unapologetic beats, producing music that is profound, layered, and effortlessly resonant.
The record opens with 'More Saiyaan', which is a beautiful fusion of the psychedelic guitar lines and the amazing performance by Anuja Zokarkar, who presents her aalaap style, which is a classical vocal improvisation. The album journeys through secretive, forbidden spaces and diverse musical eras, from the Bollywood-meets-house energy of 'Aao Naa' to the Indian cinematic influences that shine in 'Jung Chidi Hai', led by Vinay Sugatha Ramadasan, and the meditative, field-recording-infused textures of 'Pancha Bhuta'.
'Shringara' ties back to 'More Saiyaan' in terms of exploring divine love, blending Bollywood disco elements with vocals in the traditional Braj Bhasha dialect of Hindi. The album moves from the vibrant Bhangra featured on the heart of the album, 'Bandra Hustle', to the psych-rock edge of 'Lady of the Lake', the cinematic deserts of 'Dunes of Thar', and finishes with 'Sochti Hun, O Mere Jaanam', which is a Hindi tabla-infused reimagining of Sister Sledge’s 'Thinking of You', celebrating cultural fusion.
Experience the vibrant diversity of India through EX GENERATION’s The Mumbai Exchange, where each track blends simplicity, variety, and a love for life with traditional techniques and rich cultural heritage, offering the world a window into India’s dynamic musical landscape.
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