[Cover photo of L-R: Anish Kumar, Hagop Tchaparian, credit to Yushy Pachnanda]
Anish Kumar, the DJ and Producer known for blending the musical influences of his South Asian heritage with an array of Electronic styles, has joined forces with Hagop Tchaparian, the British-Armenian Producer who released 2022 debut album Bolts, which mixes techno with field recordings of his travels through Armenian and Mediterranean culture. Their 2-track EP is called Kino, and is being made available through Kieran Hebden’s (Four Tet) Text Records.
Kino was mixed by Pearson Sound, and is available via their own Kino imprint, after roadtesting the new music at various warehouse venues and festivals. There’s also a limited run of white label vinyl which will be available in selected record stores and online.
Anish Kumar shares:
“A couple years ago I was shown Hagop’s debut single ‘GL’. I remember having my mind blown and thinking to myself “Jesus, I didn’t even realise you were allowed to do this.” It’s so tense, so instantly gratifying and unashamedly bold. We texted some ideas back and forth for a while and soon got to meet in person at an insanely rammed show in Brixton – Four Tet, Skrillex & Fred Again were playing. I was surprised and excited to see that Hagop had bounced a version of one of the ideas on his phone. It was like “oh man, he actually wants to do this. I’m gassed.” From there we continued to work on the tracks whenever & wherever our paths seemed to intersect, whether it be in Dalston or San Francisco. We started to test them out around festival season, at our first back to back together at Glastonbury and then at a packed Airbase stage at Lost Village.
It was nerve-wracking to take on these slots but doing it together made it feel epic. Playing out the tracks allowed us to know where to make changes in mix & arrangement. Coming off the back of Lost Village we finished the tracks and were very fortunate to have the tracks mixed by Pearson Sound. It was around then that Kieran (Four Tet) started playing Part I (the first track) out and gave us his valuable feedback on the mix, which was relayed to Pearson Sound for some final adjustment. We both independently got to witness Kieran drop the track at massive warehouse venues – Hagop at Portola in San Francisco and myself at Drumsheds in London. We both were texting each other whilst losing our minds about how incredible it was to hear the tracks in that scale of a venue, it had a real cinematic quality. The sense of awe and vastness transpired into the release and gave it its imprint: KINO.“
Hagop Tchaparian comments:
“It started as a chance text exchange via a mutual acquaintance and we first met properly in a packed Brixton rave. This first conversation couldn’t have been in a better context and amid the bass and bodies, it was clear that Anish was different. What sets him apart is a rare combination: humble/thoughtful with deep musical knowledge paired with genuine openness to new ideas, all underpinned by the technical ability to bring these visions to life. His distinctive style permeates everything he touches, from production choices to visual aesthetics. Our collaboration evolved organically, and a natural exchange of ideas began. It was exciting to start to collaborate but also laid back and comfortable to such an extent that I totally lost track of who had created which parts of the tracks we were making together, demonstrating that we were completely on the same wavelength.
The collaboration morphed into Anish and I playing back to back at some festivals that were really fun and vibey even emotional at times. We had some special moments and were also able to give our tracks their first proper public airing. The project took shape through late-night conversations – in pubs, during long drives after shows, and even while wandering through the Science Museum and even when I invited him back to my house and he ate all my bread. As momentum built, others began picking up on the tracks, and having them mixed by Pearson Sound felt like the final piece falling into place. The project evolved into something neither of us expected and seeing the reaction when it was played at Drumsheds and Portola festival almost felt like it wasn’t our track.“
