Electronic music has always been similar to an ancient communal ritual for South Patel Nagar-resident Sanil Sudan (34). “I love all sorts of music, but what draws me to electronic music is the aspect of enjoying and sharing it with a room full of strangers when I DJ (sic),” he says. Known by the stage name Film—he believes it helps his music not be boxed into a specific genre—Sudan has been an active member of Delhi’s growing indie music culture.
However, it was while pursuing the Border Movement Residency in Berlin five years ago, when the artiste realised that creating an album would be the best way for him to express his varied interests in music. A project that commenced during the pandemic, finally came to fruition with the release of Sudan’s 13-track eponymous album—he has collaborated with Delhi-based record label, Qilla Records—in May. In this week’s Soundscape, we speak to the artiste about the challenges he faced during the album-making process, and more. Excerpts…
What was your album-making process?
I write a lot of music on a regular basis without a singular purpose. I am curious to learn how things are made and most of the time, for me, it is like a maths problem—learning various techniques and styles. However, once I stopped making new music in the beginning of the pandemic and started filtering my unfinished projects, I began noticing a pattern with certain tracks. It had three things in common—a memorable hook, vox, and not-so-usual drum beats. These were immediately transferred to a folder titled ‘album’ and I knew there was a story with these tracks somewhere. I began contextualising them to make them a part of a bigger narrative.
While composing, was there a track that you specifically liked working on?
If I have to name one track, Mother was really hard to finish. It felt uncomfortably personal. But that is why I feel that this album is one of the most authentic pieces of music I have ever written.
The track PLPFCTN juxtaposes dialogues from the cult film Pulp Fiction with music. What was the inspiration behind this?
I love the movie, and of course Samuel Jackson played a huge role in it. Moreover, years ago, I had managed an act called BLOT!. They would blend movie dialogues with their live performance. The track is also an ode to them.
What’s next for you?
Currently, I am touring around the country to promote the album. I will also resume international touring after three long years with a few gigs set up in Berlin and Amsterdam in September. I am also in the process of finishing another album by the end of the year under my Tyrell Dub Corp alias [a moniker through which he explores weightless techno]. It is going to be an exciting year.
‘FILM’ by Sanil Sudan aka FILM is streaming on all leading platforms