Echoes of Earth, positioned as ‘India’s greenest festival,’ is kicking off its two-day music and lifestyle celebration this weekend in Bengaluru. See our writeups on the earlier Bengaluru and Goa editions of the festival, which featured outstanding art installations in addition to a diverse musical lineup.
The festival aims to educate attendees about pressing environmental issues and create awareness about nature conservation. This year’s edition includes a solar-powered stage, art installations made from recycled waste, children’s workshops, and a curated flea market featuring organic, natural, artisanal, and handmade products.
This year’s festival theme, Symphony of Seasons, celebrates the seasons with sections of the festival grounds designed into four seasonal zones – summer, monsoon, spring, and winter. Each zone will feature seasonal flora and fauna, artistically represented through innovative waste-to-art installations and stage designs.
“Right from the inception days, we knew that there is an audience in India who would love to explore different kinds of music. Music discovery is a huge subject for us, and that exploration has made us look for these unique music acts and experiences,” Roshan Netalkar, Festival Director of Echoes of Earth and Managing Director at Swordfish Events & Entertainment, tells World Music Central.
This year’s wide-ranging artist lineup includes Ghatam Udupa, Hamza & Rajasthan Folkstars, Shubh Saran, Yīn Yīn, Cobblestone Jazz, Modern Biology, Mount Kimbie, Satori, French 79, Kid Francescoli, Recondite, SVDP, and Excise Dept.
Ghatam Udupa is a global ambassador of South Indian carnatic classical music, and has collaborated in world music, jazz and fusion lineups. He is also an educator and entrepreneur, and has founded the biannual Udupa Music Festival (see our writeup of the 2024 edition here). His inspiring journey as a percussionist spans over three decades and 50 countries.
Hamza and Rajasthan Folkstars combine traditional folk heritage with contemporary beats. Tamil-Canadian artist SVDP blends contemporary hip-hop with his Tamil roots. Excise Department, a collective from New Delhi and Mumbai, channels social commentary, satire, and creative frustrations into a diverse range of genres, from hip-hop to experimental sounds.
Shubh Saran fuses progressive rock with classical Indian music. Tarun Nayar’s Plant Biology project even uses plant bioelectricity to create ambient soundscapes, evoking deep connection to the natural world through music.
Yīn Yīn pushes new frontiers of Thai psych-rock, with innovative use of traditional and modern instruments. Cobblestone Jazz fuses electronic and jazz influences. Mount Kimbie merges electronic music with post-rock influences. Sartori’s electronic music weaves in global cultural influences.
“Music is one of the only things that can bring people from all sections of society under one roof to celebrate life together despite their differences. No matter what your religion or caste, skin colour, political affiliation or any other viewpoint, on the dance floor we are all united and we feel the same thing at the same time,” says Hamza Rahimtula.
The group Excise Department is working on a few collaborative tracks with some of their favorite artists across India. “We are also working on an EP that will move away from hip hop and focus on folk, ambient, experimental and classical composition,” they explain.
Shubh Saran will be performing a set of new music, celebrating the release of his new EP Being Anybody Else. “The whole set is louder, heavier and more groovy. For this tour, I’m joined by my US band – Angelo Spampinato on drums, Julia Adamy on bass, and Brian Plautz on alto saxophone,” Saran says.
Modern Biology also comments on the state of the music industry. “It’s harder than ever to make a living from art. Quality and consistency over time is the winning formula. Talent is important – but showing up every day is more important,” he advises aspiring artists.
Author: Madanmohan Rao
Madanmohan Rao is an author and media consultant from Bangalore, and global correspondent for world music and jazz for World Music Central and Jazzuality. He has written over 15 books on media, management and culture, and is research director for YourStory Media. Madan was formerly World Music Editor at Rave magazine and RJ at WorldSpace, and can be followed on Twitter at @MadanRao.