Katalyst Music Collection - Where Music Meets Art

At Kulture Shop, we believe in the power of collaboration.

Kulture Shop in association with KOOVS.COM is proud to present Katalyst Music, Kulture Shop’s super fan collection of limited edition music genre tees (150 qty) and art prints (100 qty), in collaboration with today’s leading Indian musicians that are breaking rules and pushing new ground. We paired our Kulture Shop artists with Karsh Kale (World), Monica Dogra (Indie Pop), Arjun Vagale (Techno), BLOT! (Electronica) and Scribe (Metal). What we got back was a pure explosion!

TECHNO

Founder of Jalebee Cartel and bossman at Unmute Agency, Arjun Vagale has been preaching the word of techno around the world for years now. After being featured on Vice Thump, Beatport and a host of other accolades. This is Aniruddh Mehta’s artistic expression when he listens to Arjun’s techno soundscapes. Using his graphic minimalist style, Aniruddh created a geometric layout experiment with hidden references to the heaving hypnotic club world. Look closely and this clean design is made of 8-bit cubes leading to rooms through portals that takes you on a journey much like Arjun Vagale’s live sets. It’s almost like a gritty blueprint of a Superclub, where you are lost and controlled by the DJ as you groove to the lasers piercing the haze.

WORLD

Multi-instrumentalist Karsh Kale and Meera Sethi are like two sides of the same coin. Their work speaks about identity, tradition vs modern, cross-pollination of cultures and migration. Meera goes back to her traditional studio style through this work, with a flat block printing hand-painted style and colors, while collaging the various elements with her graphic sensibilities. She has aptly hand-painted Karsh as a nomad traveling musician, with a stickered bag in his left hand representing his influences and on his right a tabla wedged securely under his arm, holding onto his roots. Karsh’s music is much like the confluence of these two worlds which makes us revisit our musical heritage in a more modern context. Meera too has used a similar approach with traditional Indian patterns and references designed with the modern pop culture into a sleek artwork. The tee is a simplistic graphic design representing the marriage between electronic music and the classical Tabla.

INDIE POP

While performing on stage as Shaa'ir, Monica Dogra has a captivating stage presence matched with elaborate costumes and exuberant dancing. Her music is about the courageous exploration of possibilities, and this makes her a perfect muse for Jasjyot Singh Hans. Much like Monica's lyrics, Jasjyot's art is about overcoming human vulnerabilities, and their collaboration promises to be a heartfelt ode to Monica the person and not the persona. The girl is in a halo of quiet reflection in the midst of turbulent waves of emotion and the outside world, holding an envelope close to her heart. Monica, who is highly influenced by urban culture and her content is based on personal experiences coded into lyrics shared with the public, shown as bottles with messages, going out into the expanse of the world. Water, a theme in her latest video (Run Up and Run) is referenced in this work. It’s a work that reiterates the journey of staying true to who you are amidst the chaos.

METAL

Indian metal legends Scribe are known for the cheeky humour they pair with their sonic assault. They work with illustrator, fellow musician and long-time friend Gaurav Basu to celebrate the band's latest release, Hail Mogambo. The album tells a story about a dark, ominous entity that operates out of his lair and sends robotic clones made of 90's pop culture references, cult classic movie posters and old Indian comics. Taken from the artwork is a SWAT Cat like clone and placed on the tee, making us question if we are all duplicates and if the race for natural resources has already begun. Typical to Scribe, this artwork is very Indian yet global.

ELECTRONICA

Gaurav and Avinash of BLOT! (Basic Love of Things) have a penchant for pushing the envelope on multimedia collaborations, which has manifested itself in projects spanning audiovisual performances, immersive installations and recently, video game design. Reminiscent of the rich, vibrant and colourful Kerala culture, Reshidev seamlessly incorporates elements from the experimental gaming project by BLOT! giving it a new quirky context. Much like the temple architecture of the south, this artwork is layered with motifs, taking his personal style to the next level. The tee takes the instruments worn on the ears and is mirrored in a vintage Kerala goldish colour. The jasmine flowers, trippy traditional figurines and the bright colours make you want to run away and attend an Electronic Dance Festival in the Backwaters.