Shalimar Gardens

Morriarchi has been somewhat of a staple producer in the UK’s underground hip-hop scene for over a decade. More recently his focus has shifted to his record label Group BraCil and working with different artists in a plethora of collaborative albums that have defined the label and its sound. Shalimar Gardens is the latest instalment and so we caught up with Morri and the emcee for this project, fellow Sheffielder, Immi Larusso to discuss the project. 

What made you pick 70’s Lahore as the kind of setting for the project? 

Morri: I like to make music with a theme or location in mind , whether it be daft shit in the form of a How To Use Video about Microwaves (Microwave Cooking 2000 - Clbrks) or actual destinations like the English countryside (Geography of Peace) , placing it in a time and place is really important for me.

As a place what does it mean to you? 

Immi: There is a call to the east in both the sound and lyrics and there are references to this part of the world scattered throughout the project. 

Morri: Immi suggested we call it Shalimar Gardens after the famous paradise gardens in Lahore and that idea of an enclosed utopia really spoke to the project. It’s got that earthy texture to it.

Pakistan in the late 1960s and 70s, Lahore in particular, had some really interesting artists and musicians working there as well, along with the desi movie films of the era it inspired us a lot to make it sound the way it does.

Film plays a big part in the production, what sort of influences are at play here and on the mic?

Immi: The beats mirrored the content I was writing and the content mirrored the beats

Morri: Like a lot of films or B-Movies at that time , the old desi films have that vibrant mix of characters, over the top villains, high stakes and cheesy romance- that sort of stuff is great for rap projects, you can enjoy the ‘roles’ each ‘character’ or feature plays then.

How was working together, being the first collaboration of yours? 

Immi: We already were plugged into each other’s sound; we’re from the same city and know each other so it was a natural process. The concept for the project came together early on in the process- It felt like the right time to cook something up.

Morri sent me the Oven Mits beats and we did that first, the rest followed very fluidly.

Morri: Yeah very easy, we both have similar tastes and thoughts about music which really helps the process.

Geographic locations can play into that too for sure. Being able to actually make it together was something of a blessing taking into consideration the stuff last year.

With any artist I like to tailor the sound a bit, which can be tricky when there’s lots of different styles but this one came very naturally. 

How does this fit into Group BraCil’s discography?

Morri : Its definitely a continuation in a certain production theme I’ve been on recently and the horticultural vibes are always at home on Group BraCil.

Immi: I enjoy working with Group BraCil and I feel at home with the other artists on their roster. 

Shalimar Gardens is out everywhere of note now and features past Group BraCil collaborators Verbz and Clbrks, as well as fellow debutants Jet the Shadow and Dango Forlaine.