Image Credit: digginginindia
New Delhi record store Digging In India is launching a new label, led by Indian music archivist Nishant Mittal. The label aims to release contemporary, recent, and vintage Indian music in physical formats. The first release is a cassette drop of experimental hip-hop trio EXCISE DEPT’s record SAB KUCH MIL GAYA MUJHE VOL 1, which the group shared in August 2024. Cassette releases of Bangalore-based artist Aniruddh Menon’s 2017 downtempo record Lovesongs and Delhi-based musician D80’s upcoming debut album are also planned. Mittal hopes to start releasing vinyl by the end of 2025, with a special eye for “funky Indian tunes” from the 1970s and 1980s.
Mittal opened his record store in February 2024, primarily using stock from his personal collection. The one-room store’s selection spans Bollywood and Tamil film soundtracks, disco, ghazals, qawwali, Hindustani classical, Carnatic and Bengali folk, and rare groove records from Japan, the Middle East, Africa, and Singapore. Since opening, the store has hosted listening sessions, workshops, and more.
Digging In India Records is dedicated to releasing great contemporary, recent, and vintage Indian music. The first batch of tapes limited to 100 copies includes a cassette only bonus track. Nishant Mittal, a Delhi-based music archivist, DJ, and vinyl record store owner, started the label as a blog to share rare musical archives from India and South Asia. The record store is inspired by nostalgia and the Indian street aesthetics & colors, offering records ranging from desi disco to Indian classical to jazz and rock n roll.
