This year has been all kinds of wonderful for us; some great curated nights, new family members, new releases [check #DnBIndiaPremieres] and exciting new things lined up for the upcoming months. Amidst all this, we were lucky to have Osmani Soundz from the 'Nasha Experience' on board for a candid chat and it would be an understatement to say that the experience was surreal. We spoke about an array of topics, apart from his journey since the very beginning and about new music in the pipeline. Don't forget to hit play and listen to this fire mix-set he has put together for our March Dubplate feature, before you start reading.
Nasha Experience is a different breed. They’re not your usual drum and bass tied with the conventions of sticking to a single sound. The East London based group is arguably the finest bass super group Asia has ever come across. Their music is distinctive and it exemplifies our emphasis of Nasha Experience being the finest Asian export in UK Drum & Bass. The group has created some breathtaking music in various genres ranging from Drum & Bass, dubstep and Asian Breaks. They like to call their music as ‘Spiritual Bass’ Music, and rightly so. They have captivated their listeners with some dazzling tunes like ‘808’, ‘Aaja’, ‘Harappa’ and many more. The group has been active for more than three decades but we were keen to know how it started for the group. “Coming out of school, a group of friends found a common interest and we decided to meet up and start making music. Back then, we were dealing with numerous challenges like racism, lack of operating space to work in and these challenges made it difficult for us to function together”, says Osmani Soundz. Racism was a major conundrum in the U.K during the late 80s and it affected the way Asian expats lead their life and for a group of young zealous teenagers, it was all the more difficult. But the group was unfazed by these barriers and they continued to pursue their passion. “Initially, it was difficult but we wanted to make a mark in the country. We were keen to create something positive and create something in in the right manner and making music was our answer to the problems we were facing back then. We started by making graffities on the streets and eventually we found music to be our definite answer. We weren’t trained musicians at first and everything we learned was self-taught and we were determined on channelizing our energies and expressing ourselves through Art”. The compositions that Nasha Experience have released over the years have been nothing less than breathtaking and that’s been their motto when they started making music together. “We started by playing at clubs across London and to gather music, we went from shop to shop collecting vinyls. When we sat down to make music, we had to pay for it. Studios weren’t available easily and it was difficult to assemble in a group and make music. So, we decided to make music individually or two at once send music to each other but our motto right from the start has been the same; to make music different than the others” and boy did they make great music. “Harappa”, which is one of the group’s fiercest tracks, in our opinion, was made in 3 hours. YES, 3 hours!!! The fact that it was made in 3 just 3 hours emphasizes how fluent Nasha Experiences’ creative process was. “We sat down in a dark room with a small candle in one corner of the room and within 3 hours, Harappa was made”, said Osmani Soundz.
Like “Harappa”, numerous tunes were released by the group of their label, Nasha Records and the group was largely successful because of the impeccable ability to deliver tunes in the right moment. “While releasing music on the label, we were always selective about our releases and it was important for us to find the right moment to release our music. Having our own label helped in many ways because we didn’t have to deal with the pressure of tight deadlines involved when you’re signed to a label and this was pivotal in giving us to creative space to operate on our own and release top notch music”.
While his group mates like Squarewave and Nuphlo have visited India in the past, Osmani hasn’t travelled to India since 2012 and he is keen to visit the country and captivate Indian crowds with his music. “It’s been a while since my last visit to India and I am planning to visit the country soon and hopefully do a few shows across the country. I am also very happy with the way Indian artists have evolved and shaped their sounds, particularly in Drum & bass and I am excited to see how they build from the strong base that they have built.
Osmani also feels the need to do more Drum & Bass shows in the country. “Drum & Bass gigs are all about those sweaty intimate gigs in a dark room with minimal lights and crowds going absolutely wild while being close to the artist who is playing in the club. I think India is some time away from reaching that point when it comes to enhancing the club experience”.
Drum & Bass as a genre peaked in the country at the start of this decade but we have seen the hype take a serious beating in the last few years and Osmani’s thoughts should certainly echo around the people listening/promoting drum & bass and take the scene where it deserves to be.
The Nasha Experience as a whole has seen a hiatus, they have been releasing music individually on Hunderd Colours Music and dare we say that they haven’t put a foot wrong. Each and every release is meticulously planned and released to evince an experience for the listener. 2018 saw Hundred Colours Music the group released the “Blueberry Junction” EP and the “Conquest” EP involving all the Nasha Experience members and result was remarkable.
Osmani Soundz has some individual output which is due for release. “I have tons of unfinished projects which due for release and I am going to release my music soon. I am collaborating with a Russian artist for a release and I hope to release my individual output very soon”. If we are to go by Osmani Soundz’s recent releases on HCM, it would be safe to say that we are super stoked to hear Osmani’s next output.
Along with this, Osmani Soundz also confirmed that there is a Nasha Experience album in the pipeline and the albums will include close to 50 unreleased tunes which were produced by the group over the years. “Along with the album, we have another 75 tunes which are due for release and we plan to release it this year. We have also taken few artists on board and we can’t wait to share what we have planned for this year”.
So keep your eyes peeled for their releases, because when the Nasha Experience release music, it is stunning.
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Tracklist 01. Adi Sharma - Become One With Nature (Promo Dub) [Nasha Records] 02. Agu-stheps - Isya (Promo Dub) 03. DBA - Liquid [1K Records] 04. Subsurfing - Face With Corn [Dubsahara] 05. Strago - Pressure Ratio [Soulless Lab Records] 06. Sorrow - Sheol [Inspected Records] 07. Shandy, Nuphlo - R Wari [Hundred Colours Music] 08. Ges-E, Ketz - Lagare [Nasha Records] 09. Nasha Experience - Technology (C23 Remix) [Nasha Records] 10. Klax - Link To the Past [Uprise Audio] 11. Shandy - Duality [New World Audio] 12. Kahn - Tehran [Punch Drunk Recordings] 13. Agbo - Secret Place (Promo Dub) 14. Agbo - Gravity [Occulti Music] 15. Ges-E, Nuphlo - Barrels of Oil [Nasha Records] 16. Spectrasoul - Peninsula [Critical Music] 17. Minor Rain - Woodpecker [Minor Rain Studio] 18. Osmani Soundz, Nuphlo - Trirebal [Hundred Colours Music] 19. Burning Spear - Jah No Dead (Clima Remix) [Clima Music] 20. Last Life - Wrong Club [Cylon Recordings] 21. Foreign Concept - Easton Ritual [Critical Music] 22. Maykors - Inland [Occulti Music] 23. Osmani Soundz, Nuphlo - Aura (Promo Dub) [Nasha Records] 24. Osmani Soundz, Nuphlo - Blueberry Junction [Hundred Colours Music] 25. Shandy, Nuphlo - Divided [Hundred Colours Music] 26. Osmani Soundz, Shandy, Nuphlo - Vantage [Hundred Colours Music] 27. Kaya Project - Nazreh Mili (Nasha Experience Remix) [Seb Taylor Bandcamp] 28. Electrosoul System - Jumpets [Occulti Music] 29. Osmani Soundz - Lushmeena [Nasha Records] 30. Ivy Lab - Gomeisa [Critical Music]