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Sit-down electronic set at Goobe’s. Photo Credits: Anagha.M

Bookstore Gigging: A celebration of music and written word

Goobe’s Book Republic, a tiny basement library in downtown Bangalore, has been a niche and artsy place since its inception, and its owners recently hosted a book reading cum music event. A narrative reading and interactive session by renowned journalist CK Meena was preceded by an ambient “library gig” of sorts by Six Flying Whales. An extremely interesting concept of live electronic and acoustic sampling that reverberates in the background while you peruse a stack of books was the vibe put out in the event’s promotion, and this was bound to pique some curiosity.

6 Flying Whales Gig Poster

Musicians in the city are increasingly becoming more versatile. Playing in a jazz troupe doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t breakdance, sample electronica, or sing opera. Such multi-tasking is now pretty common in Bangalore, with most active musicians involved in at least two or three projects. Mayur Nanda, under his solo moniker Six Flying Whales, is one such example. Drummer for the very unorthodox local metal act Orchid, his solo stuff focuses around electronic and acoustic sampling, using the world famous Maschine as the basis for his sounds and an extremely advanced interface.

The store had an extremely unusual setup. A table made of books essentially filling in for a dais, surrounded by the crowd squatting on sheets on the floor, made for a very hippie setting. An area of the store had been cleared out, giving just about enough space for the dozen-odd people sitting on the floor right next to the speakers. The kind of sounds emanating from the music wasn’t one that had the regularity of a disco beat. Instead, subtle grooves, creeping in amongst strange sounds, seemed to be the general dynamic. An extremely soothing blend of ambient noise, and incredibly minimalist beats. Light glitch sections and native sounding synths filled in here and there as the owner of the bookstore turned off the lights and Six Flying Whales belted out tracks for most of an hour, including a psychedelic bootleg of the song “Travelling”.

CK Meena, spiritedly reminiscing away on early 1980s Bangalore pub culture, and its relevance to some sidey character in her novel, seemed almost a natural shift after having listened to the Six Flying Whales set. Mayur Nanda, who will also be drumming for restarted post-rock group Stuck in November, has also collaborated with electronic artist Avilente.

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