Eashwar Subramanian is a renowned ambient music composer and producer from Bangalore. The prolific artist released an album Across the River earlier this year and now he is back with this six track ambient EP called “Random Hues”. The atmospheric EP’s goal is to provide a calm and soothing ambiance and environment for its listeners, whether they are engaged in the drudgery of daily chores or gazing at the rain drops with a steaming cup of filter coffee in the evening.
Ambient music is one of the great tools for finding a sense of balance amidst the unpredictable chaos and punishing grind of the day. And as far as chaotic and unpredictable situations go, what’s a better example than the times we are living in right now? Let’s delve into the EP.
The six track “Random Hues” took longer than usual for Eashwar Subramanian to write. During his previous songwriting process, he was able to compose tracks every two days. Contrastingly, each track on “Random Hues” took almost a month to be completed. As a matter of fact, the project was planned as a three song EP, but the sudden onset of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown led to a change of plans and luckily for the listeners, Eashwar Subramanian composed three more tracks for this ambient wonderland.
As is the case with good ambient music, “Random Hues” lends itself to a story running in a listener’s mind. Great ambient music doesn’t tell a story, it enhances the story in your mind. Analyzing the tracks individually isn’t really an ideal way to assess “Random Hues”, it’s supposed to be enjoyed as a whole and at just over 23 minutes long, it can easily survive this grand age of distractions as well.
Imagine sound as architecture: beautiful structures interspersed with gorgeous natural beauty, full of light and colour and warmth. That’s kind of what “Random Hues” is. Yes, there are individual elements with their features, but their true beauty really shines when you observe and absorb the entire scenery.
“Random Hues” doesn’t as much as go from track to track, it floats. All kinds of atmospheric nuances emerge from the silky synths, serene strings and even Tibetan bells among other layers of instruments. Where Eashwar Subramanian really excels is in the manner in which he builds the tracks.
Beautiful intros lead into pulsing middle sections which follow a beautifully woven path to a serene ending. “Random Hues” is devoid of the music climbing to any dizzying peaks which might make you stop doing what you are doing and take notice, and that’s the entire point. These are not songs for you to sing or hum, these are musical pieces to enhance your ambiance while you do just about anything.
Verdict: Shimmering, calming melodies with a tantalising hint of mystery.
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