- The beloved UK artist debuts as a producer with a poignant EP combining his love for gentle IDM, live instrumentation and breakbeat science.
- Back in 2020, Raj Chaudhuri made a now-infamous T-shirt that said "too techno for the hip-hop kids [and] too hip-hop for the techno crowd." The British-South Asian multi-hyphenate has built his career around defying genre pigeonholes. His selections are wide-ranging, often going from grime to electro to breaks (look no further than his long-running NTS radio show or his resident nights at Corsica Studios). As Boiler Room's former head of music and ex-A&R supremo for Warp, Bleep and others, he elevated artists of colour while running the now-defunct London party and collective Livin' Proof. He now adds another title to his already long list of hats: producer.
For his debut EP, out on his own OTIH Records label, Chaudhuri explores his hip-hop, jazz and downtempo influences. Congratulations has two facets: deep drum science with help from Taiwanese producer Sonia Calico and ambient jazz featuring violin and double bass courtesy of Raven Bush and Peter Bennie of Speakers Corner Quartet (SCQ).
The wistful boom-bap melody on "Kiran's Bike" nods to RZA's haunting soundtrack for the 1999 cult film Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. Just as the film's protagonist marches down the street knowing his purpose in life, the track's rolling bass, glitchy synths and Bush's powerful violin seems to exude Chaudhuri's own sense of duty. An advocate for a fairer and safer music industry, he's highlighted the urgency of drug testing in nightlife spaces with UK politicians and sued R&S Records over the latter's discrimination towards Black artists.
The IDM-y jungle highlight "Making Love To A Ghost" (the name is inspired by his car mechanic) is also packed with pensive feelings. Sinewy, serpentine layers of whirlwind percussion criss-cross into haunting theremin-like chords in a dynamic dance. A star of Taipei's underground electronic scene, Calico brings her expertise of dystopian sound design to "Bullet Train," the EP's hardest track. It's built around looped Taiko and Darbuka drums, with warped effects transforming Bennie's bowed double bass into a psychedelic drone.
Congratulations is a personal record for Chaudhuri, who was clearly in a state of introspection during the entire creative process. "This EP is a reflection that I’m still standing when I genuinely thought I was going to lose everything," he described in a press statement, referring to recent major life events such as a worrying health scare and his legal battle with R&S. Now that the worst is behind him, Congratulations celebrates his past, present and future legacy.
Tracklist01. Obligatory Ambient Intro
02. Kiran's Bike
03. Making Love To A Ghost
04. Bullet Train feat. Sonia Calico
05. Enchanté