When 24-year-old rapper Yashraj Mehra spotted a shiny cheetah-print shirt in his father’s collection while looking for hand-me-downs last year, it naturally called for a moment of mutual banter. “Papa later told me about how Mumbai once had disco haunts where you could wear these to, and dance your heart out. I wondered what that would’ve felt like,” the rapper recalls. After a glitzy ’80-themed pre-launch party of his new disco-rap EP, Meri Jaan Pehle Naach, last weekend in the city, we’re sure Mehra would’ve finally found out.

“The EP is a time capsule to the peak of disco music in the ’80s. Everything from the sound selection, to the compositions and vocal style is a throwback. People showed up in the best costumes, danced along, sang my verses and just had a great time overall,” the artiste tells us over a call after his performance; a phase that he calls ‘a mix of post-show blues and pre-release excitement’.