East India Youth

East India Youth, the alias of producer William Doyle, links Krautrock, ambient soundscapes, Bowie’s Berlin period, and club rhythms through the industrial landscape of London’s Docklands. The artist first attracted attention in 2012 when he passed a demo directly to John Doran, an editor at the U.K. online music publication The Quietus, during a live show. The intricate material so impressed the site that it launched its own imprint, the Quietus Phonographic Corporation, to issue his recordings. Originally from Bournemouth, Doyle had previously played in the indie outfit Doyle & the Fourfathers, a self-described “tweedy” band whose guitar-based approach eventually lost its appeal; electronic and dance music instead became his focus, prompting him to leave the group and begin solo sketches. In 2013 the Hostel EP appeared on the newly formed label and earned widespread praise, spurring Doyle to ready his first full-length effort, Total Strife Forever. Issued in early 2014 by Stolen Records, the album received a Mercury Prize nomination and positioned him among the year’s most compelling crossover acts. That autumn an expanded edition followed, appending his nearly hour-long score for the 1916 silent film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which he had composed and performed live at the Isle of Wight’s Bestival the summer before. One year after his debut, the electropop album Culture of Volume arrived on XL Recordings.