<p class="bodytext">Bengaluru-based Joel Sakkari has been making music for the past 15 years. But it was only two years ago that he struck out on his own. “It dawned on me that my sound had evolved to a stage where it warranted an identity of its own,” Sakkari says. Thus, Sakre was born. The lo-fi electronic hip-hop act is essentially experimental yet boasts a vintage soundscape.</p>.<p class="bodytext">At a time when electronic music is primarily composed on a computer, Sakre relies on old-school samplers and other instruments to produce sounds that have a nostalgic edge.</p>.India's Gen Z went where the music took them, literally! .<p class="bodytext">“The SP-404 is one such sampler device from the ’90s and it was used widely in hip-hop music that emerged from America’s east coast,” he shares. A guitarist, he often incorporates live guitar into his sets.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This month, Sakkari will debut his latest album ‘Bangalore Sonic Archives’ at BLR Hubba. It is a representation of the sounds and places of Bengaluru that one often overlooks, <br />he explains. “For instance, I live in J P Nagar and I often hear nadaswaram players. So one day I followed the sound, found the player and asked him to play something for me while I recorded it. I then chopped the recording and have used it in one of the tracks in the album,” he shares. The album features both audio and visuals. In another <br />track, the bare old-school interiors of India Coffee House serve as the backdrop for his music, which falls under the category of ‘retro futurism’. The ficus trees of Bengaluru, some over 200 years old, are the subjects of another of his tracks from the album. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The album was born out of a social media art project. “A Dubai-based art organisation, called Alserkal Avenue, chose me to take over their social media page for a week and I was expected to populate it with music that represented my home,” he says. When the response he received was better than he expected, he decided to turn it into an album. A few more tracks were added and a seven-track album was created. The album also has samples of Upendra dialogues, an actor Sakkari admires. “In his films, he often promoted concepts that were way ahead of their time such as deep philosophy, secular values and scientific temperament,” he states. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Sakkari, originally from Dharwad, grew up listening to south Indian film music. Later in life, he discovered that jazz music truly resonated with his sensibilities. “So my musical sensibilities are a mix of the cinematic heritage of south India and jazz music from different parts of the world,” he says.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Bengaluru-based Joel Sakkari has been making music for the past 15 years. But it was only two years ago that he struck out on his own. “It dawned on me that my sound had evolved to a stage where it warranted an identity of its own,” Sakkari says. Thus, Sakre was born. The lo-fi electronic hip-hop act is essentially experimental yet boasts a vintage soundscape.</p>.<p class="bodytext">At a time when electronic music is primarily composed on a computer, Sakre relies on old-school samplers and other instruments to produce sounds that have a nostalgic edge.</p>.India's Gen Z went where the music took them, literally! .<p class="bodytext">“The SP-404 is one such sampler device from the ’90s and it was used widely in hip-hop music that emerged from America’s east coast,” he shares. A guitarist, he often incorporates live guitar into his sets.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This month, Sakkari will debut his latest album ‘Bangalore Sonic Archives’ at BLR Hubba. It is a representation of the sounds and places of Bengaluru that one often overlooks, <br />he explains. “For instance, I live in J P Nagar and I often hear nadaswaram players. So one day I followed the sound, found the player and asked him to play something for me while I recorded it. I then chopped the recording and have used it in one of the tracks in the album,” he shares. The album features both audio and visuals. In another <br />track, the bare old-school interiors of India Coffee House serve as the backdrop for his music, which falls under the category of ‘retro futurism’. The ficus trees of Bengaluru, some over 200 years old, are the subjects of another of his tracks from the album. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The album was born out of a social media art project. “A Dubai-based art organisation, called Alserkal Avenue, chose me to take over their social media page for a week and I was expected to populate it with music that represented my home,” he says. When the response he received was better than he expected, he decided to turn it into an album. A few more tracks were added and a seven-track album was created. The album also has samples of Upendra dialogues, an actor Sakkari admires. “In his films, he often promoted concepts that were way ahead of their time such as deep philosophy, secular values and scientific temperament,” he states. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Sakkari, originally from Dharwad, grew up listening to south Indian film music. Later in life, he discovered that jazz music truly resonated with his sensibilities. “So my musical sensibilities are a mix of the cinematic heritage of south India and jazz music from different parts of the world,” he says.</p>