Get Lost in the Psychedelic Sounds of Mumbai With The Burning Deck

This past August, I set up shop in Bangkok – a self-imposed residency if you will – doing a little research, filming some interviews, and taking in the sights and sounds. It was my first time there not as a freewheeling tourist and I loved it all the more for that. During my stay, I bumped into plenty of bands and musicians, most memorably Kuru Circus – a delirious psychedelic noise improv group from India that feeds off the crowd whilst mixing in electro kabuki, fire pop, and other entirely made-up genres to create an atmosphere of utter insanity. At one point, some random dude took out a buzz saw and starting saw through a metal pipe. These cats were no joke.

One of the members of Kuru Circus was Sandeep Madhavan (pictured right, above, with the magnificent hair) – an award-winning bassist/film score composer/electronic artist also known as The Burning Deck. Based out of Mumbai, with influences that span everything from '70s prog-rock and jazz fusion to the Bristol sound of the '90s, as well as plenty of hip-hop, dubstep, and drum 'n' bass, he dabbles in soundscapes lush with detail and global flourishes. Besides having collaborated with a whole host of Indian and international artists such Jeet Thayil (Still Dirty) and Matteo Fraboni, he has produced for both international artists like Heems (Das Racist/Swet Shop Boys) and homegrown heroes like Smokey the Ghost and Ragged Skull.

Now, Madhavan is touring on his new EP, Viscera, across China and Vietnam, starting this week in Beijing where he’ll be collaborating with some of Beijing’s creative forces – first on Oct 25 at Modernista, then Oct 27 at Fruityspace, and finally on Oct 28 at Temple Bar. Below we caught up with Madhaven about traveling, collaborating, and what it's like to be a musician in bustling Mumbai. 

The last time I saw you was in Bangkok where you were playing with Kuru Circus. I described the gig to people as 'an unhinged psychedelic dream house noise ensemble’ and I imagine that it's pretty far down the spectrum from what you play on a regular basis. How many different projects are you involved with at the moment?
Unhinged is the word! That’s what I love about the Kuru Circus, every gig is a different experience, not just for the listener but for the player too. It will get intense, but it never gets old.

On a regular basis, I’m usually stuck in dark studios in Mumbai making music for film, advertising, and television, so my live projects are where I get to let loose. Apart from the Kuru Circus and my solo project, The Burning Deck, I’m also a part of H.M.T (Hollis/Madhavan/Thayil) which is an improvisational project that layers sounds, beats, and words into melody, feedback, and poetrification, where I soundscape the words of the poets of the subcontinent.

What was your musical upbringing in India? Was playing professionally something you always aspired to do? 
I started off playing bass in funk and jazz-rock bands in the early 2000s. But I only took it seriously when I quit my job as a writer in advertising in 2012 and dived into music full time. Which is also when I started getting interested in producing electronic music.

You seem to enjoy collaboration. Is that based on your background, or was it something that you developed over time? What's one of the key ingredients to making a collaboration work on stage?
I love collaborating with other artists because it gives new life to my music, and I love seeing how they try and find a little niche within it to occupy and make their own. I also spend overtly long periods of time creating it and listening to it over and over again, so it starts to feel new when someone adds a new layer onto it.

The key to collaborating on stage is to just keep an open ear and listen. There are a million different ways an idea can travel, and one must not get stuck to a particular process just because it’s tried and tested.

From what I gathered, traveling plays a big part in how you craft your sound. What’s your touring schedule like these days? How exactly does travel influence your music?
I love traveling and the experiences that come along with it. Who doesn’t? Most of my tunes are distilled memories of being in a faraway place at some point or the other. A lot of sounds I collect while traveling make it on my albums, footsteps turn into snares, insect drones become synths, as I try my best to carry along the sonic footprint of the area forever. For example, "Lightbulbs on Wet Sand on Deluge" is about sitting on a beach during the monsoons in Phu Quoc, Vietnam and watching the waves throw up a whole load of strange debris onto the sand.

I’ve just got off tour with the Kuru Circus last month. We did 18 gigs in one month across Southeast Asia. It was so hectic yet so much fun that it prompted me to release an EP that I had been holding onto for way too long, and go on tour again. 

Some of your recent work has been scoring films in Mumbai where you are based – what’s it like to be a part of one of the world’s largest film industries?
The Mumbai film industry is massive and crazy. It’s good to be in rooms around so many creative people doing extremely cool things and that rubs off on you. Bollywood music on the other hand, even though it’s everywhere, isn’t my cup of tea. I sample it, on occasion, but it’s not integral to the music I make.

The film music I compose is dark and noir-influenced, but I’ve also made music for a rom-com, so anything goes, actually. That’s the best part about making music for film in India. You can go from a lullaby to a full deep throated metal roar, all in 60 seconds.

Continuing on that note – what’s the music scene like in Mumbai these days? Would you say it’s healthier in other parts of the country particularly for someone whose musical interests are looser? 
The music scene in Mumbai is interesting but isn’t as forward-thinking as it should be. There’s a lot of people making music that rings of nostalgia. And as always there are few venues that stick their necks out for experimental/alternative music. There are a few people out there creating spaces like The Listening Room Sessions but those are few and far between. 

What can we expect during your stay in Beijing? 
I love Beijing! I was there last in June when I was traveling in China for a month, and it was wonderful to just wander around, eat amazing food, and get lost in the hutongs. This time around, I just want to play and collaborate and get people to listen to my music and have a good time. And finally, have that Peking duck!

The Burning Deck will play on Thursday, Oct 25, at Modernista, Saturday, Oct 27, at Fruityspace, and Sunday, Oct 28, at Temple Bar.

Never miss a gig: here is our huge list of live shows in Beijing, updated daily.

Photos courtesy of The Burning Deck