Kapil Seshasayee

British-Tamil guitarist, songwriter and multidisciplinary artist Kapil Seshasayee is a critically acclaimed innovator carving out a radical space between South Asian classical music, electronic music, UK garage and political art. Championed by Pitchfork, VICE and The Guardian, Kapil has performed at SXSW, Latitude Festival, The Roundhouse and Dialled In Festival, alongside artists including Talvin Singh, Tinariwen and Sarathy Korwar. Drawing on Carnatic ornamentation and improvisation, he transforms the electric guitar into a distinctly South Asian melodic voice, combining virtuosity with experimental electronics and politically charged songwriting. A pioneering Desifuturist, Kapil’s work confronts caste, nationalism, migration and cultural power while challenging what contemporary South Asian music is allowed to sound like. His debut album "A Sacred Bore" (2018), confronting caste and caste privilege in India and its diaspora, prompted Pitchfork to write that “listening is like watching a play unfold”, while VICE said it tackled caste “in a way that hadn’t been done before by anyone in the diaspora”. The Guardian called it “one of the most promising debut albums… in recent years”. His second album, "Laal" (2022), pushed that vision further into nationalism, censorship, queer representation and cultural power. Seshasayee’s ongoing project "Selected Carnatic Works 19-56" showcases the diversity of his influences and expanded musical explorations over 2024-2026.