A four-song EP connects electronic music, an original oil painting by An Huynh, and Indian classical dance, while opening up possibilities for an immersive live experience.
For Avanti and Gil sm, “Finding Light” has become the foundation of a wider creative world. Its origins lie in an electronic production by Gil sm, first played at Meadows in the Mountains in Bulgaria five years ago. After the two artists met in New York City and began working together, that initial track grew into a four-song EP, bringing music into dialogue with painting, movement, and performance.
Their collaboration draws on distinct but complementary musical backgrounds. Gil sm’s experience spans DJing, UK dance music, and the Brighter Days Family collective, whose approach centres on soulful electronic music and community. Avanti, a Mumbai-born singer and producer, brings a background in Indian classical dance and music, alongside electronic production, ethereal vocals, and experimental sound design. These influences meet in music that shifts between the energy of the dancefloor and quieter, more atmospheric listening spaces.
Visual art plays a central role in the project. The artists collaborated with An Huynh, whose original oil painting provides the EP’s cover artwork. Its handmade texture creates a counterpoint to the music’s digital sounds and layered production. Conceived as part of the release’s identity, the painting gives “Finding Light” a presence beyond its recorded sound and digital presentation.
The project also finds expression through movement. A visualiser combines Indian classical dance with images of New York City, connecting Avanti’s rhythmic foundations with the city where the collaboration developed. The dance offers a physical interpretation of the music, drawing attention to the rhythms and energy within it.
These connections extend into Avanti and Gil sm’s developing approach to live performance. Their interests in spatial sound, live vocals, synthesis, and immersive listening are shaping explorations of how the EP might take on a more expansive form onstage. They aim to move between club energy and close listening, allowing audiences to engage with the music’s visual and spatial qualities as well as its sound.
The EP’s second single, “Red and Jade,” is scheduled for release on 6 November, followed by the full EP in December.
From a track first heard in the Bulgarian mountains to an ongoing creative partnership in New York, “Finding Light” reflects a collaboration built over time. Across four songs, it brings sound, painting, and movement into a connected artistic world—one that continues to leave space for new possibilities in live performance.