DJ/Producer Gurbax, recognized for being at the forefront of the bass music movement in India with hit releases like Boom Shankar and Aghori, is gearing up for yet another banger of a release. Titled Dirty South, the track sees the 28-year-old collaborating with acclaimed California-based world/experimental music act, Beats Antique for the very first time.

The track serves as a homage to the cultures that contributed to Gurbax’s creative inspiration and molding, with Beats Antique, an ethnotronica group that blend electronic music with various genres of world music, infusing emotive depth into the sonic texturing through the violin and live drums. A heady combination between traditional South-Indian instrumentation and modern 'dirty south' hip-hop/trap, the track transports the listener into an alternative universe complete with celestial resonances often heard in South Indian temples before building up into a debilitating bass-heavy frenzy.

Commenting on the single, hailed as one of the fastest rising names in the country’s electronic dance music scene, Gurbax, who has shared the stage with the likes of Steve Aoki, Marshmello, Wiz Khalifa, Troyboi says, “A constant theme in my music has been to attempt a perfect intersection between the two cultures that have impacted my life the most – Indian & American. Growing up in both places meant my music had undeniably become this mutant love-child of the East and the West.  However, up until this point, I had never actually attempted to combine the cultures of the specific cities that influenced me the most, namely – Bengaluru & Atlanta. ‘Dirty South’ attempts to do just that. It draws inspiration from the instrumentation, rhythms and musical motifs that are quintessential to both cities – coincidentally both situated in the South of their respective countries - and combining them in a way that’s refreshingly contemporary. The Nadaswaram, a traditional double reed wind instrument from South India, had this dirty, jagged aesthetic in its tonality that instantly drew me to it and forms the main ‘voice’ of the track.”

Beats Antique further state, “This new release Dirty South is a testament to the ongoing evolution of Global Bass Music. With the heavy influences of American ‘dirty-south hip hop’ to the haunting melodic glitched Nadaswarm from South India - this track is a conversation of contrasting cultures finding common links though the sweaty grit that is the south. We are honored to collaborate with the talented likes of Gurbax. We invite you to dance with us on a journey where dirty beats meet sweltering song and where everyone is welcome to come along." 

Speaking further on the collaboration with Beats Antique , Gurbax elaborates, “Funnily enough, my introduction to Beats Antique happened way back in 2011, as one of the thousands of college kids, amongst a sea of people, who would religiously be at their shows in Atlanta. It was in those front-row raging moments when I first got an introduction to their sound, ironically, without them having knowledge of it at all. Fast-forward 4 years later after I had graduated & relocated back home to Bengaluru, I got a call from a mutual friend who asked if I wanted to open for David Satori (of Beats Antique) in Goa during his India tour. We felt an instant creative connection and bonded over coffee and paddleboard yoga for the next couple days after the performance. Another 4 years later, during the summer of 2019, I was in the US on my North America tour when they invited me over to their studio in Berkeley, California and we ended up vibing on this beat that I had created earlier. David & Tommy are such incredibly skilled musicians, so there were a myriad of choices to take the song sonically. We created some sketches together for what the final arrangement would sound like and a couple of weeks later, they sent over their violin and live drum recordings which ended up being the perfect catalyst to finish the track.”

Early next month Gurbax will also be a part of the line-up of a digital music festival called Electric Blockaloo, conceptualized by Rave Family with over 300 artists, including Diplo, A-Trak, Above & Beyond, and TOKiMONSTA that will take place inside the video game Minecraft. Additionally, he will also be seen lending his name to Canadian festival, 5x Fest that features the best of South Asian music, art, fashion, and film.

Click on the link below to stream here:  

https://orcd.co/dirtysouth