Sumitabha Saha Roy, for that is his name, makes music and is from Agartala. His single ‘Saaz’ is done in one uninterrupted take where he walks from instrument to instrument, creating parts and thus layering them into a song (video below). It’s a bit wild how live looping, just like so many musical trends, had this huge moment when it was popping up everywhere… and then it just became completely normal and part of the culture. There were so many artists who gained popularity through the form in the 2000s and 2010s (most notably some pop singer who would, like, hit his guitar to loop rhythms; his name was Ed Sheeran or something, but most of you have probably never heard of him), and for good reason. It’s satisfying to watch, and if you have actual musical ideas behind it, it results in a good listen too. Like here.

So what’s the song? Well, it starts off as what is in essence a mellow pop tune in the ‘modern’ style, with elements like warm chords, piano and the now-customary groovy bassline. Over this, Sumitabha puts some Hindustani classical-ish vocals (purists might notice that these are more pop-ified than the strictest of traditions) and a short little rock-inspired guitar solo. And after this is established, he veers completely off into maximum-theatrics-Bollywood, of all things; it’s a left turn replete with big drums and strings and a synth-choir and impassioned singing. But it’s over the same base of chords and piano, so even though it’s a complete shift in vibe, it still sounds familiar. Hell, there’s even a short spoken-word thing over this arrangement to end the track. ‘Saaz’ is five minutes long and does experiment with structure quite a bit, but it’s a cohesive tune. Oh, and it’s all live-looped, of course; you will completely forget about that part, and that’s the correct way to display talents like what Sumitabha has.