BLOT Premieres Three-Hour Set Tonight in Mumbai

For all the times DJs and electronic music producers are ridiculed for an apparent lack of “performance” of songs on stage, we have New Delhi’s BLOT aka Gaurav Malaker to disprove that notion. Over the last decade, BLOT has dabbled in audio-visual sets and very specific live experiences for clubs and festivals, including a six-hour set at Magnetic Fields Festival, Rajasthan in 2015.

Malaker counts it as one of his most memorable performances, perhaps crucial in the creation of his latest set Paradise Lost, which comes to life on November 2nd at Famous Studios, Mumbai. Even with this set, there’s no time to rest. He says, “It’s very much mind on and often there isn’t any time to think about anything but the immediate moment. That is something I really enjoy about this profession as I tend to ruminate and day dream a lot in regular life.”

Ahead of debuting Paradise Lost in its entirety ”“ which features music he will release in parts in the coming year, Malaker talks about putting the show together, his past as a legal expert and more.

You’ve played lengthy sets before, but nothing that involves this much hands-on concentration throughout, I assume? How is the prep going on for it? 

That’s a great question, I think my ambition far exceed my skills at this point. I guess that’s a good thing. It’s going to be nerve wracking and exhausting. It’s also a bit scary because I’m putting literally everything I have out there. I hope it goes well. I’ve prepared as much as I could.

You mentioned this showcase set is almost six years in the making. What kind of feeling did it give you back in 2012, when you began working on it? 

I never set out to make a show in 2012 but circumstances and situations in my life have sort of framed it into being this way. I think I’m quite happy with the body of work I have now. I feel I have come a long way but I do miss the nonchalance and the joy that came from the innocence of a random process back in 2012.

Will Paradise Lost also grow into a recorded release? Or have you already been putting it out in bits and pieces? 

A lot of this music will find its way to releases over the course of the year. I just haven’t had time or the mind space to plan a consumption path for it beyond the live show. It will all be out soon.

As someone who’s been in the legal profession and more in head-hunting, does that seem like a different lifetime to you now? Or do you still draw inspiration and lessons from those years?

It’s a totally different life/lifestyle and in my case a lifetime too. Basic life skills are industry agnostic and to say that I haven’t learned a lot from slaving it out behind a desk would be incorrect.

You mentioned in an interview that you’d like to set up a live band at some point. How is that coming along?

The old school musicians (like actual musicians who play an instrument) are far more talented and skilled than I can ever be with an instrument. My instrument is my studio and the privacy within which I make the music. For me it’s really the other way around where I hope I can match up to the musician of my choice.

What else is coming up through this year and later in 2019? Will Paradise Lost travel to more cities?

Paradise Lost will happen in all the cities that have been very nice to me, where I have made incredible connections and lasting relationships. Purely through my performances. I’m also really excited about my show called ‘Natural Selections,’ with pianist Sahil Vasudeva that will debut at Magnetic Fields later in December. I have a lot of plans but all I can think about is the live set tomorrow.

Event details here.