Max HeyraudWe premiere new music from Toronto based modular synth artist and DJ WeTurnToRed also known as Shamanta Chandran. We premiere ‘Deeper High’, an electro bumper that see’s the Canadian based artist nod her head to Detroit influences while intertwining her Syrian roots.
WeTurnToRed (a.k.a. Shamanta Chandran), a Toronto modular synth artist and DJ, gears up to release her latest EP Rogue Planet, a new offering that highlights that reflects her early life experiences as a South Asian immigrant who traveled from the Middle East to North America. Taking its title and leading theme of otherness from her late nights tuned into Youtube space channels, it spans ‘90s electronica, dub techno and an experimental nod to South Indian classical music featuring her aunt’s vocals. Coming via Toronto label Cosmic Resonance, it follows her inclusion in Planet E’s Detroit Love compilation series, MSTRKRFT’s ORO Records, and Detroit imprint PITS.
A Syrian-born, Tamil-Canadian, Shamanta recalls often feeling like an outsider in Toronto and while briefly living in New Jersey in her teens. On carrying this into her EP, she says: “Rogue Planet is about feeling like an “other”, like a planet ejected by its host planetary system. I’d watch these foreign Youtube channels to fall asleep, but they spurred me to dig deeper and I related to how rogue planets drift untethered and don’t belong to a planetary system. The EP is a reflection of my childhood, constantly changing environment to ultimately find my own. In these new environments I had to find acceptance, build my confidence, resilience and fearlessness, nurture my womanhood, and define my own orbit.”
We premiere ‘Deeper High’, one of the more dancefloor focussed tracks on the release, as WeTurnToRed turns her head to Detroit style aquatic electro. The track showcases moody basslines that play off complex atmospheres and jarring percussive rhythms. ‘Deeper High’ is nestled in between forward facing Drexcyian style grooves and up-tempo & in-your-face electro clash flavour.