The Carnatic hip hop wave is rising, and the mridangam is at the centre of it

Catch the wave of Carnatic hip hop, fuelled by the rise of virtual spaces, and set to the beat of the mridangam, ghatam and kanjira

In the musical world, Scarborough conjures up images of Simon, Garfunkel, and those four most melodious herbs. Across the Atlantic Ocean, its lesser known namesake, a Toronto neighbourhood known for its confluence of Asian cultures, inspires a serenade in Tamil music producer Yanchan’s newly released EP, Scarborough Beat Tape. With 10 instrumental tapes, Yanchan immerses hyperlocal details of his Canadian hometown in a decidedly Tamil flavour — through the soundscape of freestyling mridangam and ghatam. Seen as a traditionally Carnatic instrument, the mridangam is having a moment in hip hop and rap. What we see then is a chemistry between a genre that has historically sought to rebel against the establishment and one that is very much the establishment.