Delhi Indie Scene: Bands, Rappers and Labels

A sourced guide to the Delhi indie scene: Indian Ocean, Parikrama, Peter Cat Recording Co., Bloodywood, Seedhe Maut and the labels behind them.

Key facts

Indian Ocean: Formed in New Delhi in 1990; pioneers of fusion rock in India
Parikrama: Formed in Delhi in 1991; toured with Iron Maiden in 2007
Silk Route: Formed 1996 with Mohit Chauhan; debut album Boondein; split in 2002
Euphoria: Formed by Palash Sen in Delhi in 1998; seven studio albums released DIY
Advaita: New Delhi rock band formed in 2004

Delhi's independent music has never belonged to one genre. The capital gave India its best-known fusion rock band, one of its longest-running rock acts, a pop-rock group that went DIY early, the band that took Indian metal onto the Billboard charts, and a hip-hop scene with its own labels. This guide to the Delhi indie scene goes through it decade by decade. It names the artists who matter, explains how the scene's business has changed, and gives you a listening path. Every claim about an artist is sourced at the end of the page.

How Delhi's scene is built

Three things set Delhi apart from India's other music cities:

It is a college town as much as a capital. Many of its bands formed among students and played campus circuits before anything else.
It is a genre melting pot. Fusion, classic rock, pop rock, ska, alt-rock, metal and hip-hop have all produced nationally important acts from the same city.
It has moved toward independent ownership. Several of its biggest acts have left label deals behind or started their own.

The 1990s: fusion and rock lay the foundations

Indian Ocean (formed 1990)

Indian Ocean formed in New Delhi in 1990 and is widely recognised as a pioneer of fusion rock in India. Wikipedia describes its style as experimental: ragas and Indian folk songs set against rock guitars and drums. One critic called it "Indo-rock fusion with jazz-spiced rhythms." Founding members Susmit Sen and Asheem Chakravarty shaped the early sound. After Chakravarty died in December 2009, Tuheen Chakravorty and Himanshu Joshi joined, and Sen left in 2013. Rahul Ram is now the only member who appeared on the band's debut album. Since 2010 the band has worked outside the record-label system, according to Wikipedia. Read our profile of Indian Ocean.

Parikrama (formed 1991)

Parikrama formed in Delhi in 1991 and is known for high-energy live shows. Wikipedia records that it toured internationally with Iron Maiden in 2007 and played the Download Festival in England. In 2014 Rolling Stone India included its 2001 song "But It Rained" in a list of the 25 greatest Indian rock songs. Lead guitarist Sonam Sherpa died in February 2020, and that October the band re-released "But It Rained" with his full solo. Read our profile of Parikrama.

Silk Route (1996–2002)

Silk Route formed in 1996 with Mohit Chauhan on lead vocals and guitar, Atul Mittal, Kem Trivedi and Kenny Puri. Its debut album Boondein came out two years later, and the band split in 2002. Chauhan went on to become one of Hindi cinema's best-known playback singers, a path from Delhi band to film that many musicians still follow.

Euphoria (formed 1998)

Palash Sen formed Euphoria in Delhi in 1998, while he was a medical student. Wikipedia notes that the band has released seven studio albums and 16 singles using a DIY approach, and that the Indian Recording Arts Academy inducted it into its Hall of Fame in 2012. Its satirical side includes "Item," a 2011 song that mocks Bollywood's love of item numbers.

The 2000s: experimentation

Advaita (formed 2004)

Advaita is a New Delhi rock band formed in 2004. Its formation date puts it in the generation that took Indian Ocean's fusion idea into new directions.

Menwhopause

Menwhopause is a Delhi rock band. Its guitarist Anup Kutty co-founded the Ziro Festival of Music in Arunachal Pradesh with Bobby Hano in 2012, according to Wikipedia. It is a good example of a Delhi musician building infrastructure that helps the whole country.

The Ska Vengers

The Ska Vengers is a New Delhi band that mixes ska, dub, punk, jazz and rap. Wikipedia lists a line-up that includes Stefan "Flexi" K, the vocalists Delhi Sultanate and Begum X, and the late drummer Nikhil Vasudevan.

The 2010s: alt-rock, metal and global reach

Peter Cat Recording Co. (formed 2009)

Peter Cat Recording Co. is an alternative rock band from Delhi, founded in 2009. Its five members are vocalist and guitarist Suryakant Sawhney, drummer Karan Singh, bassist Dhruv Bhola, keyboard and trumpet player Rohit Gupta, and multi-instrumentalist Kartik Sundareshan. The band is in this page's cover photo, taken at The Roundhouse in London in July 2025.

Bloodywood (formed 2016)

Bloodywood formed in New Delhi in 2016 as a parody band that posted metal covers of pop songs on YouTube, then moved on to its own songs. Its style is mainly nu metal with elements of folk metal and metalcore. Wikipedia says it is India's first metal act to chart on Billboard. For more heavy bands, see our guide to Indian metal bands.

Delhi hip-hop: from pioneers to label owners

Delhi has produced some of the best-known names in Hindi hip-hop. A few of them show how the scene has grown.

KR$NA

KR$NA (Krishna Kaul) was one of the first rappers to emerge in Indian hip-hop in the mid-2000s, first under the name Prozpekt. Wikipedia says he is widely credited in desi hip-hop with bringing new poetic depth and lyrical complexity to the genre. He also appeared as himself in the 2019 film Gully Boy.

Raftaar

Raftaar (Dilin Nair, born 1988) is a rapper, lyricist, producer and TV personality who works in Hindi, Punjabi and Haryanvi.

Prabh Deep

Prabh Deep (Prabhdeep Singh, born 1993) is a rapper, songwriter and producer. His debut album Class-Sikh entered the iTunes India albums chart at number 2 and reached number 1 by the end of the year, according to Wikipedia.

Seedhe Maut

Seedhe Maut is a Delhi hip-hop duo, Calm (Siddhant Sharma) from Nainital and Encore ABJ (Abhijay Negi) from Pauri Garhwal, formed in 2015. The two signed to the independent label Azadi Records in 2017. After releasing Lunch Break with Azadi in 2023, they left and founded their own independent label, DL91, in 2024. Their path from indie label to their own label is one of the clearest examples of artist ownership in India. For more names, see Best Indian Rappers in 2026.

Where the music happens

Delhi's gigs have long been spread across South Delhi neighbourhoods, college festivals and arts venues. Hauz Khas, the South Delhi neighbourhood built around the medieval Hauz Khas Complex, has seen a growth in shops and nightlife that Wikipedia notes. Venues open and close quickly, so check current listings rather than relying on any guide's list. Rolling Stone India's gig calendar is a good place to start.

For the permits, fees and logistics behind live shows, see our explainer on Indian indie live gigs, venues and permits.

Lessons from Delhi for independent artists

Own your catalogue when you can. Indian Ocean moved away from labels, Euphoria went DIY with its singles, and Seedhe Maut founded DL91.
Start where the audience already is. Bloodywood built its following on YouTube covers before releasing originals.
Give back to the scene. Anup Kutty's Ziro festival shows how musicians can build platforms for others.
Genre doesn't limit reach. A ska band, a fusion band and a metal band from the same city have all found audiences beyond India.

A starter listening path

Indian Ocean, for the foundations of fusion rock
Parikrama's "But It Rained"
Silk Route's Boondein
Peter Cat Recording Co., for alt-rock
Bloodywood, for metal
Prabh Deep's Class-Sikh
Seedhe Maut, from the Azadi releases to DL91

FAQ

Which bands started the Delhi indie scene?

Indian Ocean (formed 1990) and Parikrama (formed 1991) are the two best-documented founding acts. Silk Route and Euphoria followed later in the decade.

Is Delhi a hip-hop city?

Yes. KR$NA, Raftaar, Prabh Deep and Seedhe Maut are among the rappers linked to the city's scene, and labels such as Azadi Records and DL91 have released work from it.