KSHMR is one of electronic music’s most recognized and influential producers. He now reveals Mirage, his debut album under the alias TEJA, created in collaboration with Ampermut and Gobi Desert Collective. The album represents both an exploration of a new creative direction and a significant personal statement from an artist who is fully stepping into a sound he has been quietly developing for years.
The Evolution of TEJA
TEJA is the name KSHMR has chosen to distinguish this body of work from his main project. The alias draws from a meaningful personal source: the middle name of his late younger brother, Tej. While KSHMR is known for creating euphoric, high-energy productions, TEJA takes a more spacious and considered approach. It is defined by organic house music with room for instrumentation, groove, texture, and the kind of slow-building emotion that rewards careful listening. It is a parallel identity that will have its own live presence, releases, and artistic journey.
“I fell in love with organic house some years ago and started this album, not knowing where it would lead. I didn’t know how it would fit with my past music, but exploring this sound gave me a newfound passion for creating – it’s fresh, exciting territory.”
The style has been visible in KSHMR’s work for some time, with unreleased IDs and demos surfacing through his Rickshaw DJ set filmed in Mumbai. The partnership with Ampermut and Gobi Desert Collective began with a chance connection after KSHMR featured their work on a Dharma Radio show. A shared style and mutual creative curiosity turned a single collaboration into a sustained exchange of ideas, demos, and finished music that eventually grew into a cohesive album.
A Deeply Immersive Experience
Mirage is an eight-track collection of deeply immersive, sophisticated sound. From the opening warmth and exotic strings of ‘Oasis’ through the deep moods of the title track, the album flows into the wavy grooves and intoxicating melodies of ‘Nigaaro’ and ‘Rosh’ featuring Mir Iqbal. The project reaches an expansive center with ‘Aquarius,’ a six-and-a-half-minute journey of summery, airy melodic escapism, before concluding with the melancholy of ‘Sundial.’
