Neti-Neti is the New York City-based duo of Amirtha Kidambi (voice/electronics) and Matt Evans (drums/electronics), the two coming together to create what they have described as “lo-fi ritual music” and “sonic mediations on grief.” Arriving in composed form from an improvisational template, Neti-Neti’s music radiates energy and intelligence. Their second album, released on vinyl October 10 by Dinzu Artifacts in an edition of 100 copies, is Echo of Being / Grace in Rot, a powerful assemblage of sound that’s not easily comparable to anything else currently on the scene.
To expand a little, for Echo of Being / Grace in Rot, Neti-Neti is Amirtha Kidambi on voice, feedback and effects and Matt Evans on drums, feedback, SP404, small bells and pitch pipe. The seven pieces that shape the album were recorded in a single day, January 24 of 2024 to be exact, with producer Nick Zanca and engineer Sarah Galdes.
“Sonic mediations on grief” might lead some to the conclusion that the music of Neti-Neti (the name translates as “It is not this, it is not that” from the Sanskrit) is a bum trip, but that’s not the experience of this writer upon time spent with this new recording and its predecessor Impermanence, a live recording released on cassette (sold out) in September 2022.
Not a bum trip at all, but to elaborate, Impermanence emerged after the duo came together through shared experiences related to the deaths of loved ones, so it is accurate to say that Neti-Neti is serious business. There is a clear discipline in the music making that is related to the specificity of the union, but also to their broader musical background, with Kidambi having collaborated with Mary Halvorson, William Parker, Darius Jones, and Luke Stewert, amongst others. She has also lead the protest group Elder Ones.
Evens has collaborated with Deerhoof, OHYUNG, and Ayano Elson, along with playing in the bands Tigue and Bearthoven and notably the ensemble Big Spin, which features Kidambi on saxophone and vocals.
Opener “Echo of Being” hovers and shimmers as the controlled feedback, while intense, largely avoids piercing peals. When Kidambi’s voice enters, it’s in a whisper that echoes and mingles with the instrumental textures that surround it. “Every Word is a Weapon” explodes forth with a clamor of drums as Kidambi’s vocal flutters and skitters like a blend of Patty Waters and Ellen Christi.
It’s here where it becomes clear that Neti-Neti is not fucking around. “Memory in Veil” shifts gears, as tones pulse and throb and Kidambi floats above until later in the track when her voice becomes heavily pitch altered. “Alive in the Belly of a (Green) Bird” hits upon that tribal atmosphere as Kidambi roves around and never gets stuck, and “Devoted Light” cultivates a gradually building tension.
“Grace in Rot” rolls into rhythmic groove territory as Kidambi stretches out and “Shraddha” delivers the album its close. Echo of Being / Grace in Rot stands as one of 2025’s best surprises.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
