04.

EXCISE DEPT

Formed by Rounak, Karanjit Singh, Andrew Sabu and Siddhant Vetekar, audiovisual collective EXCISE DEPT emerged in the wake of the nationwide lockdown in 2020. Their diverse output of hip-hop, folk & experimental music, narrated through multilingual lyrics, bold visual pieces and raucous live performances, has quickly made them a singular presence in the South Asian landscape.

As one of the collective’s chief architects, Rounak’s role extends across creative and film direction, composition and communication. Key projects include the group’s debut album SAB KUCH MIL GAYA MUJHE VOL 1 (labelled as “internet-fried surrealism” by Vogue India), EXCISEDEPT.COM, an interactive virtual environment made of analog and digital artworks, and several docu-fiction and experimental video works.

EXCISE DEPT released their sophomore follow up, SHOPNOBHUMI, in October 2026 after signing to UK’s Dialled In Records/Island-EMI. They have appeared live at India Art Fair, Serendipity Arts Festival, Lollapalooza India, Dialled In Festival London, Reeperbahn Festival Hamburg, and many more.