Unfurling a labyrinth of sinister sounds and lush ominous soundscape, Madhav Shorey’s music is soaked in mystery. And, as he morphs dark timbres into rich harmonic textures, his music stimulates and drives all senses while delving deeper into eccentric sonic realms. Evoking raw emotions and expressions with dusky undertones, his songs flirt with the unknown depths of aural bliss. “I think my evolution as an artiste is deeply rooted to my evolution as a human being. I’ve always been curious and inclined towards things that are unconventional. Today, music has become more than just a part of my life,” says Shorey, Delhi-based artiste, who performed in the city recently.
Through Kohra, his hypnotic and grunge mirror image, Shorey wishes to expand and explore every aspect of aesthetic musicality and experimental sounds. Apart from toying with apocalyptic melodies and brooding rhythms; he also strives to create new spheres of resonance within his minimal sonic identity. Lurking beneath the fleeting fragments of percussion and sharp glitches, are serenading tones that penetrate your soul; almost liberating you from the clutches of frivolity. Though his love for dark funk-influenced melodies is not unknown, his playful experiments with textures and structures often alter the character of a composition. Melody is his one true love and ‘ambience’, his mistress.
“I shuttle between my passion for music and design, and sometimes I try to connect the two. I feel that my take on creativity is often inspired by my view on life; of how I see things and what I have observed. As a result, my identity merges with my creativity. However, I also feel that sometimes I need to disconnect myself and focus on what my instincts are telling me,” says Shorey who fervently believes that art has always triggered hope in mankind and it will continue to do so. According to him, the human mind has a beautiful ability to imagine; to create visually, on its own. And, this is possible only through listening and discovering.
Growing up, Shorey was never a fan of outright pop-music or cheesy musical progressions. Being exposed to musical acts as esoteric as The Doors to Mike Oldfield; his style has gradually evolved to its current identity. Over the years, Shorey has mastered the art of crafting diverse sounds and spaces with brevity and soul. Tiptoeing through the shadows of fear, his music also provides a harmonic cloak that shelters one from the crux of brutality. Entwined in poetry, his musical structures wrap every melodic cadence with a sense of repose and notoriety. The magical transformation of sounds, from gentle to austere, in his tracks often leaves one spellbound.
For instance, one of his latest tracks Dream Machine was produced with an intention of ripping all conventional sounds and producing a rather inorganic mechanical soundscape. On the other hand, he has incorporated the mythical and rustic elements of a desert in Pyramids.
“I find it difficult to explain or intellectualise my music. It’s really what it is. Eventually, I chose to work around a certain musical space. When I say space, I’m referring to a large metaphorical space that I create while working on a track,” he said.
So, what does the future have in store for Shorey? “I’m trying to collaborate with as many interesting artistes as possible. I have some tracks coming out soon with Re:Axis, BLOT!, Audio Units and a few friends from Belgium,” he says.