When it comes to music, this form of art has always been attached to an aspect of inspiration. Music styles and genres have migrated from place to place through transparent boundaries of culture and language, eventually inspiring a mix of creative inputs. While the West sought deeper insights into Indian music, both traditional and conventional, the Indian music scenario tried to base itself on western music genres.
Dibrugarh, a district in Upper Assam, in the Northeast of India has forever been a place where creative and inspiring musicians evolved. In the last decade, when home studios became the in thing, aspiring musicians got an upper hand to establish their musical foundations. It's the same decade when genres like Hip-Hop and Rap crossed over to a mass audience in the nation. In the context of Rock and Metal, minimalistic scenes existed from localities to localities for a long time. Musicians from Dibrugarh ensured to keep up with this wave and now stand as part of an evolving scene which is inspiringly promising.
The year 2022 saw the release of two new EPs by Th3 Saint and 'the butterfly effect' from Dibrugarh. Th3 Saint's new EP is titled "Genghis Khan" which was released in August 2022 and 'the butterfly effect's new EP is titled "Bixonno" which was released in January 2022.
Hustling across a journey that spans over almost 8 year, Th3 Saint (Steven Kapoor) is a Veteran underground rapper from the Dibrugarh music scene. On the other hand, 'the butterfly effect' is an experimental modern rock band from Dibrugarh, which was formed in the year 2020. Fronted by Debabrata Gogoi, popularly known as Debo, who is known for his songs like "Xullo Son" and "Maaz Nixa", the band consists of Akash Tim Cena (guitarist), Jinnay Chowdang Boruah (bassist) and Digbijay Gogoi (drummer, studio guy).
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan by Th3 Saint comes in a package of 5 hard-hitting tracks. The EP starts with the track titled "Premonition" which apparently is the intro to the EP. This track leads a listener to face a merciless depiction of what the EP might contain. Th3 Saint ensures to inform his listener that the EP is a projection of both the lyrical damage that he is capable of and the art of preaching that he portrays in his work. He uses a fast paced flow to deliver his art on this hard trap beat produced by Jaxxinator, a Silchar based music producer. Couplets like "overdose makes you die once, overthoughts makes you die once in a minute" is where the artist cleverly layers his messages.
The EP moves on to the second track which is called Heavyweights. This track features another rapper, EKXO, from Demow. This track is layered with thick 808 drums along with an ethnic vocal sample. The laid back aura of the beat gives both the rappers the window to put up their emotions up front. Both the rappers express their dedication to the art form. While Th3 Saint says, "How the hell you talk about UA hip-hop and leave me out of it", EKXO says, "kisi ka na khauf, jang bhi kare khud se".
The third track is called "Genghis", which features the Guwahati based rapper Nefro. Both the rappers deliver fast paced lyrics which does justice to the beat that features an Indian devotional sample. The two rappers showcases the best of their capabilities in terms of flow and lyrics, in such an impressive way that one would question which one of them did it better. Th3 Saint's verse on the track ends with, "Genghis can die but Saint is eternal". Pretty cool, isn't it?
The fourth track is called Empire and this is where the rapper gets down from his skill demonstration and gives more importance to expression. Th3 Saint does a Punjabi verse on this track with heart-felt lyrics. The song is inspiring and hopeful that depicts the hustle of an artist. When he said, "siyahi naal likha jo vi maine saha pain, badh ragerhi age", the hustle of every artist battling between a work life and their art could be felt. This chilled track was produced by Syreno.
The fifth and final track of the EP, which is called Fire, is more chilled than Empire. This track ends the EP on a calmer note, like the rest you give yourself after a tiring yet happy journey. Produced by Fauxtail from Dibrugarh, who also produced Genghis and Heavyweights, the beat is a basket that perfectly contains the rapper's emotions. He raps what he wants to achieve for himself while also stating some hard facts. "Man of the God but thode se sab hote demonic", is where the rapper makes a listener pause for a moment and contemplate.
Overall the EP is fun, hopeful and meant for the bigger speakers.
Bixonno
The Assamese Rock EP commences with an instrumental intro of the same name as the EP, which is a perfect display of the musicians' individual abilities. The track is groovy with some chunky guitar riffs and harmonious guitar licks. Backed by the drummer-bassist combo, the track incorporates some variations in the rhythm, while the lead guitar plays some short melodic lines. A fun jam where the band's guitarist, bassist and drummer does what they do best. The track is the band's warm welcome to their world.
The second track titled as "Osinaki Abeg" is a song which speaks of moving on. The verses of the song are layered on top of some plucking guitar progressions and plain rock drum patterns. This escalates into a wavy and open chorus that feels like a warm hug with lyrics such as, "Asutiyakoi bandhi rokha smriti burok loi, jaon aguai hei batere, nijei nijor harothi". The band includes a short djent-sounding interlude after the second chorus. A short solo by Akash stitches up the song completely into an excellent modern rock track.
The third track "Notun Probhat", as the name suggests, speaks of new beginnings. The guitar composition ensures to express the exact emotion that the lyrics underlays. The verse escalates into a harder sounding chorus than the previous track. With some short variations, fillers and musical interludes, the song takes a short break into a bridge, which is subsequently taken over by a short solo. This track is the longest in the EP and is a rollercoaster of mixed rhythmic emotions.
The fourth track, titled as "Omanixar Aagomon" is a perfect modern rock track with more complex rhythms. Drummer Digbijay's skills which he has honed over a decade, clearly powers this track. The guitars and bass constantly compliment each other leaving behind enough room for Debo to scream out his emotions.
The fifth and final track of the EP called "Bedona" is where you get to hear more of the modern chuggs and djents. Bassist Jinnay Chowdung takes over initially creating a room for abstract emotions. However, surprisingly after the first chorus, the track calms down into a short interlude, where each guitar strum, each word being sang and each bass and drum hit feels like a hard hit to one's soul. The vocalists high pitched takes on words like, "Bedona, Jontrona, Nalage Morisika", and another guitar solo is what brings the EP to a heavy wrenched end.
Overall the EP is brilliantly done and has raised the bar for the Rock music scene of the state.
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