Gacha Bakradze: ring in the summer with this Georgian producer’s blissful beach-ready sound

With the third edition of Georgia’s GEM Fest fast approaching, it’s hard not to get excited about the delicious month-long offering of dance music that’s about to descend on the Black Sea shore. Among the 500 artists scheduled to perform in the beachside town of Anaklia is one of Georgia’s very own exciting talents, Gacha Bakradze. Gacha’s sound is one best served hot on a sandy beach in the height of summer, though it’s definitely not for the mid-afternoon fist-pumping, sun-seeking festival revellers. He first made waves in 2012, with a down-beat debut EP entitled Remember. Since then, the Georgian producer has released music under R&S, Apollo Records and 2nd Drop, among others, and produced work under the aliases of Winter Flags and Bakradze.

What they share is Gacha’s own brand of feel-good that’s more soothing than outright indulgent, like the first rays of sun on your skin after dancing into the early hours of the morning. Drawing on influences from greats such as John Cassavetes and Samuel Beckett, his LP Restless, released in 2016, is a lesson in capturing that sweet state of near euphoria and making it last forever. His latest EP I Can Still See You, released on the label he co-runs with two friends and fellow Tbilisi-locals, is yet another reason to wonder just how and why the artist isn’t much better known. His next release will drop on 18 August — you can preview the first track below.

Text: Liza Premiyak