SOUNDS OF THE SOIL

DJ and music producer Hamza Rahimtula of Delhi has taken up the challenge of creating India's own house music that will cater to a global audience. He has collaborated with Rajasthan Folkstars, a band of folk artists, to create his latest album, Origins.

- AKASH CHATTERJEE

HOUSE music enthusiasts often say 'House' isn't just music, it's a feeling that consumes you.

Originating in Chicago's underground club culture of the '80s, house is dominated by hightempo beats and electronica and matched with localised musical elements; it has tran scended borders and won the hearts of millennials and Gen Z something that Delhi-based DJ and music producer Hamza Rahimtula has witnessed closely while studying in the US.

"After globalisation, the concept of house music changed significantly. It literally came out of the warehouses, and many communities in the US started producing their own house music. It became famous because it did not have words and was primarily based on beats. Beats that made people dance," Rahimtula says.

The Rajasthani connection

With an intention to create India's own house music, Rahimtula returned to India in 2006; in 2007, the visit to Rajasthan's 'Virasat Music Festival' changed his life forever.