Here’s an important release to put at the top of your Bandcamp Friday purchase list — The Marigold Mixtape: Art for Mutual Aid is helping Boston-based artists raise money for COVID-19 response efforts in India.
Curated by Nina Bhattacharya and payal kumar, the new compilation bundles songs donated by South Asian musicians to raise money for Hasiru Dala, a Bengaluru-based organization that supports waste workers across three states of South India. Featured artists include The Kominas, Awaaz Do, Prateek (pictured above), Ava Sophia, Why Try?, Agney, Barefoot Chandy, and Anju and Uliya.
The tape arrives at a critical time, as COVID-19 infections continue to spike in India; as of print time, there have been over 21.4 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, and over 234,000 deaths.
“As diasporic artists, we wanted to create an intervention to both harness our skills and contribute to direct financial aid on the subcontinent,” reads the tape’s description on Bandcamp. “This compilation amplifies the voices of South Asian musicians and poets with ties to so-called Boston (Wampanoag, Pawtucket, and Massachusett land), bringing together talents from across genres into one collaborative mutual aid mixtape. Like the sun-soaked petals of a marigold, we hope this project can be a beacon towards brighter days — ones we are actively pushing towards in solidarity and struggle.”
Grab a download below.