Mumbai-based producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist sudan started producing in 2018 when he was all of seventeen. Years of producing and creating sonic identities of other artists has now led him to his debut evocative album, sudan? The album is a soul, full of emotions, poured into creating music. sudan rightly says, ‘This was my debut project so I had a lot to say within myself already in terms of both the sound and the writing. So I didn’t particularly have to venture out looking for inspiration rather just try and pour out experiences that I had collected all this while.’ He is no stranger to the scene and firmly establishes that with his music now. Some of the songs on the album are this year’s most penetrating earworms for us.
sudan’s debut album highlights his versatility, with each track carefully crafted and well-balanced. He adapts his vocals to suit each song, starting with the spoken word over keys in the intro and ending with the textured yet minimal production of the final track, Iiiii.
The album features a rich blend of ambient textures, prominent synthesizers, a mix of electronic drums with organic sounds and percussions, and uniquely processed vocals that could become his trademark. It includes 13 tracks and features collaborations with various artists. More from our conversation below:
MUSICAL INFLUENCES
I remember listening to a lot of pop singer-songwriters for some reason even though I don’t believe any of that reflects in my music currently. Electronic music was never in the picture. I used to listen to a lot of Jason Mraz, Ed Sheeran, Passenger - singers with guitars basically. It was only when I started producing more actively is when I branched out into different genres naturally and dived into music that’s similar to the music I make currently. Artists like Eden, Jeremy Zucker, Jon Bellion, Tom Misch definitely shaped me into the producer I am today.
FINDING SUDAN?
I’ve always been super inspired by a lot of my friends and peers who are doing cool things all the time. It makes me want to up my game quite consistently. Lately I’ve been trying to be more aware of my own philosophies and ideologies that I try to live my life by and that’s definitely reflecting in my next body of work already. I believe I have a very solitary process when it comes to shaping my own body of work, since I pretty much do all the work by myself in my own space. I think it serves as a nice contrast compared to my process of working as a producer for other artists since the way of working there is highly collaborative. I get to enjoy the best of both worlds. As for the album, this was my debut project so I had a lot to say within myself already in terms of both the sound and the writing. So I didn’t particularly have to venture out looking for inspirations rather just try and pour out experiences that I had collected all this while.
THE FRAMEWORK
I had a wireframe that I was following the whole time but I was very open to the structure changing if it was to happen naturally. The wireframe was to have anywhere between 10-15 songs with a few collaborations between them. What I was open to was the sound shaping up however it wanted to, I did not set any boundaries for myself in terms of the sound or the artists I wanted to get on board as collaborations.
COMING UP
Taking the album on the road! I debuted the first live set from the album in August at Antisocial in Bombay as part of Misfits 5 year anniversary showcase and we’re on course to taking that experience to a few other cities before hitting some festivals at the end of the year!
But that doesn’t stop me from hitting the studios one bit. I enjoy my time working as a producer behind the scenes as much as my own projects and that’s what I’m upto currently. I’m already producing records for some of the most exciting acts out of this country which will see the light of day towards the end of this year.
Words Hansika Lohani
Date 24.09.2024