The dance floor king is back on his throne with the launch of Raja Baja, the follow-up to last year’s powerhouse album, Bass Rani. And this one not only retains Nucleya’s spiky edge, it’s an out-and-out banger.
“There used to be a time a couple of years ago when releasing an album meant you needed to drop 8-10 songs together at one go. I feel we’ve moved on from that a little. I wanted to try something new with this album. We’re in the digital age now and I feel we consume music differently, especially when it’s free. I want every track on Raja Baja to have it’s own time in the spotlight, so I have decided to release each track independently as a single,” the 36-year-old wrote on Facebook.
The man is coming to Calcutta with Raja Baja for the first time, which means turn up this Saturday for Bacardi NH7 Weekender Express, in association with t2.
First, a quick chit-chat with the electronic man.
The Cal vibe
Calcutta is one of my favourite cities to play in. The energy here is next level!
The NH7 Weekender experience
My first time at NH7 weekender was back in 2011 or 2012, I can’t remember exactly. I was really impressed by Mutemath in 2013, what an amazing band! Also Reggae Rajahs are always a fun act to watch and groove to. In recent years, Gully Gang was a hit last year and I extremely enjoyed the sets played by SBTRKT and Flying Lotus as well.
Bass Rani to Raja Baja
For me as a producer, Bass Rani was a great learning experience and I’ve tried to improve on a bunch of things with Raja Baja. I’ve also taken a slightly different approach with this album in terms of its release. Instead of putting out the whole album in one go, we’re going to release one track at a time and let each track have its own limelight.
The response so far
With Raja Baja, we’ve put out two tracks till now and both have received amazing response so far. The next track is out soon, so fingers crossed!
Music for headphones or stadiums
That’s very important. If a track can be enjoyed on your headphones, as well as live, then you’ve struck gold.
Smriti Choudhary, the gal in his life and arms
Smriti (wife) and I are equal parts of Nucleya and she’s been there always. We met many, many years ago, when both of us were in college. When I’m producing, I always like to share my music with her and get her take on it.
A normal guy who turns DJ at night
For me, my family comes first and I would leave anything in the world to be with them. Since my work involves a lot of travelling and staying away from home, I make it a point to spend as much time possible with them, whenever I can.
His critic… son Guri
He just turned five last month. For now he just finds it very loud, ha ha ha.
When Udyan Sagar (yes, that’s his real name) was five
Honestly, I don’t remember the music I heard when I was Guri’s age.
Gadgets and gears on stage
Ableton Push, Novation Launchpad and Macbook Pro.
What: Bacardi NH7 Weekender Express in association with t2
When: Saturday, September 24, 5pm onwards
Where: Aquatica
EXPERT OPINION
The two songs are amazing and he takes it up a notch this time. Take Me There is one of Nucleya’s first tracks to use English lyrics rather than his usual Hindi or regional language lyrics. It sounds more hardstyle to me. It’s definitely one of those mad jumping tracks with a mixture of beautiful-sounding vocals by Kavya Trehan. With Bhayanak atma we get the vocals by Gagan Mudgal who has already lent his vocals to a few Nucleya tracks earlier. This is totally made Nucleya-style which is more like desi bass... Hindi vocals and desi beats make this track perfect for Durga Puja visarjan.
— Rahul Indoria, resident DJ at Privy
Nucleya is a rage in India and he is slowly taking the global market by storm with his Indian electronic music. Of the two songs that have released, I personally love Bhayanak atma more than Take Me There. The former is full of drum and bass with catchy vocal sample and high on energy while the latter is very jungle... hard bass. Even the guests in the club have received Bhayanak atma better than Take Me Down though it’s too early to comment since the tracks are new. I cannot wait for the full album.
— DJ Immrran, resident DJ at Nocturne
T2 FANGIRL
After the kick-ass Bass Rani, it’s only legit to say how eagerly I am waiting for the entire album to come out! And the first two tracks have only raised my expectations from Baja Raja. The two tracks perfectly fit my varied moods. While Bhayanak atma grabs attention from the introduction that talks about “bhoot preyt” to the opening beats that demand comfy shoes since you do not have an option of NOT dancing to it. It is a perfect groovy song that will not let you stand still. Take Me There is a fine blend of soft melodious vocals and heavy bass. Nucleya to me is like wine, getting better with time!
— Pramita ‘Nucleya’ Ghosh
Mathures Paul
Nucleya is the dance floor king because.... Tell t2@abp.in
