Brooklyn-based duo MEMBA recently released their new EP, UNI(*)N, an EP touched by remarkable artists like EVAN GIIA, Party Favor, Elohim, pluko, Biicla, VinDon, Chitralekha Sen, and Baauer, all representing a host of countries – the United States, UK, India, Jamaica, and Russia.
MEMBA explains, “This EP is filled with a melting pot of genres, styles, and cultures – like mixing Indian folk with UK garage – just the way we like it. Collaboration at this level, across the entire planet sending files back and forth, wasn’t possible even a few decades ago – it feels exciting to be able to make any sound, anywhere, with anyone from any country. We feel like we learn the most when writing with other people.”
Made up of Ishaan Chaudhary and Will Curry, half of the six-track UNI(*)N EP has already been released as singles – “BACK ONLINE” with pluko, Biicla, and vocals from EVAN GIIA, “JIYO,” featuring Chitralekha Sen, and “Apply The Pressure” with Party Favor and VinDon.
MEMBA uses their musical projects as a means to flesh out their universe further. 2018 saw the release of SAGA-I, an EP based on a fictional planet. In 2019, MEMBA released SAGA-II on ODESZA’s label Foreign Family; the EP story was told through an audio-visual short film that showcased another planet in their universe.
Along with performing at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, Ultra, Holy Ship!, and Glastonbury, MEMBA has shared the stage with ODESZA, Jai Wolf, Hermitude, and Clozee. Their song, “For Aisha,” a tribute to Ishaan’s sister, written for a Bollywood film entitled The Sky is Pink, charted globally.
Highlights on UNI(*)N include “Skybender,” which opens on swirling tones topped by the unforgettable voice of VinDon.
Speaking about “Skybender,” MEMBA shares, “We sent it to VinDon and he sent back a fully written song – but there was this vocal moment that changed everything. It was really the line ‘Just to see you smile, watch me bend the sky.’ We took that little part, sped up the tempo, and wrote some new chords under it. That set us off in a completely new direction.”
“Apply The Pressure” rolls out on filtered vocals riding industrial house flavors, followed by flowing into a thrumming electronic tune dripping with shattering, droning accents traveling on a potent rhythm.
“JIYO” blends elements of Indian folk music with UK garage, projecting a delicious of exotic surfaces, decorated by the captivating, mobile vocals of Chitralekha Sen, a Rajasthani-based folk singer.
Innovative and oh-so-imaginative, UNI(*)N is an extraordinary work of sonic art, delivering electrifying dynamism and textures.
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