A knockout hatke desi playlist
This month, we have put together a desi playlist—with help from the splainer fam. We’ve ditched the cliché for the hatke—no Bollywood, Tollywood or even ho-hum ‘indie’ tracks. We hope you discover something fresh and fun for your personal playlist. You can check out the full playlist over on our Spotify account!
- ‘Dil’ by Geet Barua & Jackie Foster: For Deepshikha, this is simply “beautiful, original and underrated.” We couldn’t agree more.
- ‘Aasa Kooda’ by Sai Abhyankkar & Sai Smriti: Malathi understood the assignment—built on vocal harmonies, this Tamil composition is as ‘hatke’ as it gets.
- ‘Ne Vekkam Kori’ by Kaber Vasuki: This largely stripped back, acoustic piece off of Vasuki’s 2019 album ‘Kurangan Era’ typifies the art of indie music discovery, according to Raahul.
- ‘Color White’ by Parvaaz: This lush folk-rock production was picked by Aparajita, who considers this band to be as tight live as they are in their studio recordings.
- ‘Slybounce - SickFlip Remix’ by Sandunes feat. Nicholson: A triumph of experimentation, this track is about “leaving a party without saying goodbye” and “evokes warm nights and sandy feet with a gin and tonic”, according to Meenakshi.
- ‘Lajawab’ by Anand Bhaskar Collective: Vatsal finds this song from the pop rock band “fresh and honestly just straight up fun.”
- ‘Kaun Azaad Hua’ written by Ali Sardar Jaffri: The raw vocals coupled with the powerful lyrics have a transcending effect. Vijay suggests this song as it “captures India.”
- ‘Majhi Layki Kay’ by Sheetal Sathe: Any Maharashtrian would instantly recognise this voice and the name. Sheetal Sathe is a folk singer, poet, and Dalit rights activists. This one is Lavish’s fave and talks about social stereotyping and discrimination.
- ‘Mayavi’ by Sanjith Hegde and Sonu Nigam: Anita loves this peppy number for “its lilting tune and beautiful lyrics.” We just can’t over how effortlessly Sonu Nigam sings in Kannada.
- ‘Ma Rewa’ by Indian Ocean: From one of the pioneers of Indian folk-rock music, this track really appeals to Manish: “I was moved by it when I heard the song and even more so that it is a tribute to the river Narmada.” FYI: The band gave their support to Narmada Bachao Andolan.
- ‘Sakal Hans Mein Raam Viraaje' by Shabnam Virmani & Shreeparna Mitra: This lovely pick is from Vijay. The song is Shabnam’s rendition of a Kabir song.
- ‘Foolmuse’ by Peter Cat Recording Co: This is the perfect song to listen to when you want to get lost in the music. Arunima especially loves the chorus, the harmonies, the lazy guitar! It’s a vibe.
- ‘Tumi Phire Jani Asbe Na’ by Dolinman, Subrat Da and Abhijit: This melodious and deeply emotional song touched NiNa as the vocalist Subrat Ghosh sang this version of the song after the loss of his mother.
- ‘Ocean Tide’ by When Chai Met Toast: For Sandeep, this song just hits all the spots! He says, “The music is not overbearing, the vocals compel you to sing along—but the lyrics, they remind you of your entire college life.” We absolutely love that description:)
The splainer team’s picks
Our assistant news editor, Aarthi, loves fusion so naturally her two top picks include Agam—the progressive carnatic rock band—and Pakshee—a band that seamlessly blends Indian classical with jazz and blues influences. Her fave songs are ‘Koothu over Coffee’ by Agam which is a fun, upbeat song and ‘Ang’ by Pakshee.
Our editorial manager, Raghav, lives and breathes music—his interest in the diverse Indian scene is no different. For this list, his tastes range from the alternative hip hop of ‘Patthar Kaandi’ by Ghabraahat Intensifies to the progressive metal and desi classical influences that make up ‘Telangana’ by ArrowBridge. And here’s a little bonus to finish it off: the earwormy ‘Courage’ by art rock trio No Honey.
PS: Check out the splainer fam’s other recommended playlists—heartbreak songs, songs that mention location, one for unwinding at the beach, a soundtrack for the slog, songs to get your karaoke groove on, tunes that mention colour, their favourite cover versions, music for your next road trip, tunes to sing in the rain and songs to dance to in your underwear.
