pause.dxa

pause.dxa is an experimental music and sound project duo by Sahitya and Harsh based in Auroville, India. Our work brings together our individual practices of Dhrupad, a form of Indian Classical Music and Electronic sound synthesis. As our moniker suggests, we spend time in creating long form ambient listening experiences, which are a combination of structured and improvised music. We lean towards steady, subtle sounds and envision creating a sense of slowing down while listening to our music.

Sahitya practices Dhrupad (a form of Indian Classical Music) and is a disciple of Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar in the Dagarvani Tradition. Her practice is grounded in the philosophy of Dagar Gharana with a focus on Alaap — vocal improvisation and the subtlety of vocal sound. Harsh creates electronic soundscapes with modular synthesis techniques on VCV Rack and field recordings. He is also researching and actively creating installations based on cymatics. As a duo, one of their projects is focused on audio visual performances with live cymatics visuals and music. pause.dxa has performed and shared sound across India and internationally over the last 3 years. Some of their notable performances include Ozora Festival (Hungary), Sanctum of Sound Series MaHalla (Berlin), Magnetic Fields Festival and Nomads, GAIA Festival, Serendipity Arts Festival, G5A Warehouse, Oddbird theatre and more. Other significant projects include creating a four-part sleep audio series for Jnana, an online platform offering Eastern Philosophy classes and Yoga ; sound design for a solo theatre production ‘Garam Roti’; background score for an independent film ; Cymatics installations for a Sound Garden, Science Gallery; curating a listening focused venue opening soon in India.