Mumbai-based producer-bassist Harshit Misra began making songs for the EP in 2020, drawing from Brazilian music to disco-funk, synth-pop and more
Anurag Tagat
Aug 02, 2023
Hashbass aka Harshit Misra. Photo: Meghan Katti
We’ve all seen the “They Don’t Know” meme gain popularity online, but you certainly may not have expected it to be the basis of New Delhi-bred, Mumbai-based artist Hashbass aka Harshit Misra’s new EP Solo At Your Party. Created by visual artist Aaquib Wani, the cover art for Solo At Your Party reinforces exactly the collection of songs Misra wanted to put out – the ones that are for solitary creatures who don’t always fit in at part
Understandably enough, Misra says he’s often the kind of person who might be open to a social gathering but finds far more solace being on his own. He adds, “[In] the trade I’m from, being social is a must but it’s always [such that] you meet people and then they move and then the day gets over and you are back home to your thoughts and space. That’s where I feel most at peace, like myself.”
Written in 2020 – an outcome of the pandemic’s start and stop graph in terms of free movement – there’s a bit of escapism, nostalgia and house party groove to Solo At Your Party across six tracks. It starts strong with dancefloor infectiousness on “I Need U 2 Listn,” goes into a wavy, shoegaze-meets-electronic territory on “Gave You My Love” and samples Latin percussive elements like congas and bongo on “Fallin Fallin’.” Misra digs into funky disco sounds on “Airplane Mode” and although “Nxo Worries” opens a bit ominously, it becomes a warm song of reminiscence. Often pictured behind his trusty synth-bass alongside his bass as a session artist or in his Hashbass sets, Misra puts all that into the mix on “Everybody.”
In terms of songwriting, Misra says sometimes, basslines come last, whereas the percussions sometimes come first. “I feel the beat is everything and the basslines do the groove,” he says. He’s not thinking in terms of particular elements necessarily, likening it to creating a painting but “knowing nothing of what you want to do” at the outset. He adds, “I love to work quick and when an idea is laid down, at least for me, the mind and heart quickly reacts. I go by the gut and basically go on making the art.”
Songs off Solo At Your Party have also been a part of the Hashbass live set for the last year and a half. Misra hints that in the process of road-testing the songs, we might just get a sequel to the EP as well.
In the meantime, Hashbass remains as in-demand as ever, performing with Indo-American artist Sid Sriram, session work with the likes of singer-songwriter Ankur Tewari and lyricist Swanand Kirkire. “[I’ve] been finding myself in such amazing, different places,” he says. As a producer, he’s also cooking up beats for hip-hop artists ranging from Arivu to Riar Saab to D’Evil, Spitfire and Pho.
Listen to ‘Solo At Your Party’ EP below. Stream on more platforms here.
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