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Following a trio of successful singles, guitar player and composer Vinay Kaushal is all set to release his second EP, “Duality” on the 8th of January 2022. Always experimental with his music, Vinay pushes boundaries once again as one of the few indie artists in the country using Spatial Audio, the new game changing Dolby Atmos-powered audio technology. The EP features two songs:

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• Mind Games – A mesmerising instrumental track featuring multiple guitar layers and the awesome saxophonist Shirish Malhotra

• A Twisted Lullaby – A dark slide guitar-based blues tune featuring Yamini Lavanian on vocals.

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​The songs were mixed and mastered in Spatial Audio by Ronak Runwal at Gray Spark Audio, Pune.

The EP will also be accompanied by an AR filter especially created by Fuse.ar for fans.

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The instrumental first track Mind Games is made up of moments of light-hearted guitar lines coming in in layers giving the song a nearly electronic vibe. A dreamy saxophone melody guides listeners through the ins and outs of the guitar layers. The song stems from the time in the lockdown when band rehearsals or gigs were impossible. Each guitar layer is meant to emulate another musician stepping on to the stage. Vinay laughs saying, “The hardest thing about the lockdowns was not being able to play and create music with other musicians in the same room. My looper was my entire band for a period of time, kind of like Wilson from Castaway”. Just like any band’s dynamics, the song has moments of tension and reaches a powerful orchestral crescendo as things fall into place and tensions resolve. The song is an immersive introspection into life and the Mind Games it plays with us.

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Vinay collaborates again with Uma Athale for the lyrics of the second tune, ‘A Twisted Lullaby’. A dark blues tune that makes for a completely different immersive audio experience, this modern take on old lullabies talks about how the real world today works, and how it’s important to be true to who you are if you have a passion to follow. Drawing heavily from Vinay’s love for the blues, a low-tuned slide guitar is the backbone of the tune with Yamini Lavanian crooning the words, “There is no boat that’s gently rowing down the stream. There’s no boat that’ll take you to your dream”. A Twisted Lullaby is also Vinay’s vocal debut, singing baritone seconds in the song. 

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Although mixed in spatial audio, the songs are devoid of any gimmickry with the mixes designed to give listeners a feeling of ‘oneness’ with the music. Ronak Runwal explains, “Duality was a great way for us at Gray Spark Audio to foray into doing mixes in this new format. We really enjoyed working on these songs which are a breath of fresh air in a sea of music that is being released. The EP feels like it’s been written for Spatial Audio and this new format brings out all the nuanced details that the songwriter intended.”

While the two tracks may seem poles apart when it comes to genres – Vinay’s instantly recognisable sound flows through both tunes binding them together to show different sides of the composer. 

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Vinay sums the EP up succinctly, “Duality is about embracing the dynamism that makes up every individual and celebrating it.”