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A thrilling, thought-provoking meditation on beauty, boredom and repetition set to a shimmering instrumental emerging from the heart of the UK's Asian underground. Mandeep's (@mandeepthemc) first release of the year - a vocal refix of 'Remember' by long-time collaborator and Daytimer's DJ/producer 'Zar' - sits somewhere between deep-house, Sufi music and conscious rap. He calls the style 'rap and raga'.
Inspired equally by the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and Four Tet, the track is intended to let you think on one listen, and dance on the next.
The first of several releases lined-up for this year, it serves as an introduction to a unique voice in Mandeep as a rapper, singer and writer. In 'Remember', an intricate and detailed flow is bathed in a vocal timbre developed through his study of North Indian classical vocal music in a way that feels authentic, fresh and seamless. The track warbles and glistens as the vocals weave throughout, in one line waxing lyrical on existence, and in the next line revelling in witty hip-hop braggadocio.
Alongside study of Indian traditional music, the track pulls together Mandeep's wide-ranging roots in London's electronic and jazzy musical underbellies, as well as a unique lens on life developed throughout his career as a psychiatrist. His nu-jazz collective 'Patterns' has been selling out night-after-night at the Jazz Cafe in Camden, reimagining classic hip-hop albums by MF DOOM and A Tribe Called Quest. He took on mic duties at Warehouse Project in 2023, narrating a scorching B2B set between old friends Darama and Zar from the Daytimer's collective. Having honed his craft across a versatile range of stages and projects for others, he gratefully presents to you this release showcasing his own vision and voice.