New Delhi-based DJ-Producer Sanil Sudan a.k.a. FILM is set to launch his thirteen-track eponymous debut full-length album in May via Qilla Records. FILM offers a cohesive 52 minutes of ambient pads, techno, and old-school breaks while shifting gears towards a more songwriting approach.
FILM, the self-titled debut, has been in the making for the last few years with every track created around a memorable hook. Sudan explores the album format by shedding the dancefloor-ready sonic identity while retaining some classic club cuts.
There is homage to Berlin synth lines (“Second Self”) in the same blend as samples of opposition members in the Indian Parliament berating the Home Minister (“Discordia”) over skittering 4/4. The record nods to cult films (“PLPFCTN”) and video games (“Formless”) with euphoric dives into jungle (“DBRK”) and darker dub (“Rush”) influences. On “Drill Masala” the indigenous indie brand of electronica is evident as polished percussions of the tabla glide on “I’ve Always Liked Trance”.
The album closes with a poignant ode to Sudan’s late mother with an outro featuring Matrix protagonist Keanu Reeves’ voice. The Korg Arp Odyssey has contributed to the deft basswork that progresses from minimal to menacing and hypnotic through the course of the record. “Most tracks have been built around a central theme or samples which tell a story.