International musician Talvin Singh on performing in India, his latest album and more.
It is for just reason that London-based Talvin Singh is known as the father of modern Asian electronica music. As an accomplished Tabla player, electronic musician, music theorist, record producer, visual practitioner and DJ, he has had an interesting career trajectory. His first recognition was as a Tabla percussionist in the 1980s. This is also when he arrived in India to be mentored by Acharya Pandit Laxman Singh, a Master Tabla maestro from the Punjab school, which cemented his love for this art form. Over the years, he collaborated with Indian classical musicians such as Ustad Sultan Khan, Rakesh Chaurasia, Ustad Imrat Khan and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan among others.
Singh is also known for his experimental music collaborations beginning in the late 1980s, with Sun Ra and Courtney, which helped to popularize the burgeoning Asian underground sub-culture movement. He has also worked with international stars Bjork, Blondie, Sioux & the Banshees, Madonna, DJ Spooky, The Master Musicians of Jajouka, Jay Z and Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Apart from his musical career, Singh pursued several artistic ventures such as creating the seminal London club ANOKHA, performing at the Tate Gallery in London, creating a sound installation at the Frith Street Gallery in London and composing music for various experimental dance, theatre and film projects. He also created the Tablatronic in 1990, which is a hybrid electronic/analog instrument which allows the player multiple sonic-processing possibilities. His immense contribution to music led to him being awarded the OBE in October 2014 by the Queen of England for his service to the music industry and the Ivor Novello award for innovation in composition.
On a recent visit to India, Sunday Guardian caught up with the talented artist. Excerpts from an edited interview:
Q: When and how did you first discover your love of music in general and Indian classical in particular?
A: I think I owe it to my Sikh upbringing in London. My grandfather built our local gurdwara. That was my first spiritual intimacy with music, especially the Tabla. This is what I hear from my family – when I was a boy, I would be in the gurdwara, sitting on my grandmother’s lap and just playing Tabla on her knees, while watching the Tabla player.
So, I started playing by observing others. I collected records, listened to them, and imitated them. But my ‘Hath Rakha’ with my Guru happened in Punjab – it was with Jaini Hamdard ji, a great learned man from Punjab when I was very young and it was a huge blessing. Then I learnt from many Tabla players till I found my Guru dev at the age of 15, and he stayed my Guru till he passed away at 96, just a year and a half ago. It is said that when the guru leaves his body, the transition happens to the student. I’m going through that now, my busy days in India are just beginning and I’m enjoying it. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I keep his advice in mind. He told me to tap into myself wherever I was because the Guru is within me. That had such a huge impact on me. He asked me to put thehrav in my sangeet and to not be in a rush at all times.
Q: You have had a long and prolific career. What would you say has been the biggest change between the performances of the 90s and now?
A: I think what’s changed is understanding space in a kind of minimal way, inspired by technology. I find you can have more space in minimalism, and since music is now recorded in data or numbers, that is easier to do. For example, if you leave in blank spaces now, they can be completely silent spaces. Back in the day, you had a microphone, and you were recording on analogue, so there would necessarily be some sort of background noise. That is beautiful too, but a different kind of beauty.
Q: You’ve said in the past that Delhi appeals to you as a creative hub. Why and how?
A: Delhi has produced a number of major composers and visionaries, while the working musicians were more from Goa, Maharashtra, Bombay and Calcutta. It’s wonderful to see this creative strain in Delhi. They have the time and inclination to learn and create new things. Often their career takes them to Bombay, which leaves a creative drain in Delhi. So, I feel more needs to be invested in terms of infrastructure, venues and recording studios in the capital. Delhi deserves more. It’s also the city of archives, you can access any recording from here. The bureaucratic side of the cultural industry is in Delhi, so it needs to be given more importance. This is why I’ve decided to set up a studio here. It will be a state-of-the-art analogue studio for everything from acoustic to Indian classical and pop.
Q: Let’s talk about your upcoming album. How would you describe its mood and what was the process of working on it like?
A: It’s a very eclectic and diverse piece of music with a cohesive thread running through it. It feels great to have completed it, and I’m still just about letting go of it. Feels like I’ve birthed it – kind of like how a mom feels when she lets go. It’s only just about ready to be presented to the world.
Q: You have been honing your surbahar skills for the last few years. What would you say this instrument has added to your musical repertoire?
A: The Surbahar has had an impact on my Tabla. It’s speedier which is beautiful but not necessarily healing. Also, the Table is a mantric instrument, but the sitar is a tantric one, so it has a particular technique that it must be played with, which is different from the Tabla. I think it teaches you a lot of discipline, and that goes for both the vocalist and the instrumentalist. Constantly learning new things, concepts and instruments is a way to remind myself of the architecture and the nature of my work.
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com.