Echoes of Earth’s Conscious Curation Sets a Worthy Benchmark for Music Festivals

In a time of growing festival frenzy from corporate brands and promoters alike, Echoes of Earth could have easily been swayed to think bigger in terms of curation or offerings, but the recent eighth edition is proof that there’s nothing wrong with staying the course.

The eco-conscious Bengaluru festival, which took place on Dec.13 and 14, 2025, demonstrated a healthy amount of ambition and commitment at a time when festivals are proliferating all around, competing for space and attention.

True to creating an escape from city life, the festival set up upcycled installations as décor but also for a bit of a zoology lesson around the theme called “Nature’s hidden intelligence.” While the King Claw stage had an ominous presence with a vulture overhead, the Octo Jones stage was an octopus built with discarded e-waste (tentacles wrapped around the speakers for added effect). An orb weaver spider was the inspiration for The Orb stage, ever popular with the electronic fans, as it was deep inside the festival woods.

Flameback woodpeckers, the lion-tailed macaque, and the immortal jellyfish all had trippy installations, while chill zones featured hammocks beneath paper jellyfish and elsewhere, there was a massive Indian roller installation, all making for the weekend’s most popular photo spot.

The festival’s infrastructure remained as thoughtfully executed as ever, showing how imagination and execution within the same space can go a long way.

Day One: Focus in Freedom

Echoes of Earth 2025 opened with Bengaluru singer-songwriter and R&B artist Rudy delivering a set that struck a balance between structure and spontaneity, sounding more focused yet still maintaining the improvisational freedom that defines the artist. Jazz favorites Derek & the Cats, with Anurag Naidu coming in on synth (and trumpet later on, for Chennai act Jatayu), played from their new album People To Meet, Places to See and closed with “Techno Police” and a jam that worked in “Delilah (Pull Me Out Of This)” by Fred Again.., showing how Indian acts are increasingly in conversation with global electronic trends.

But it was Manu Delago’s return to India after eight years that offered one of the weekend’s most captivating performances. The Austrian percussionist, surrounded by three hang drums, created a sonic landscape that felt perfectly suited to the forest setting. His ability to seamlessly switch from hang drum to drums mid-set, giving the performance an alternative edge, showcased a bandleader completely in control of his vision. With violin, upright bass, and occasional piano in the mix, Delago’s performance on “Royal Mile” delivered the kind of light, enchanting music that felt tailor-made for Echoes of Earth’s natural environment, with another surprise onstage collaboration with Bengaluru folk hero Raghu Dixit.

At the Big Tree stage, DJ-producer Chris Tofu and vocalist Debbralee Wells brought unprecedented energy with their versions of classics—”Praise You,” “Whole Lotta Love,” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine”—reimagined for a festival crowd ready to lose themselves in familiar melodies.

Jatayu‘s performance became even more wondrous with the addition of a horn section. Playing from their new EP Jewel Tones, the six-piece iteration of the Carnatic-informed act also brought staples like “Mood Swings” that set up rhythmic possibilities for konnakol, “Chango Tales” that was aptly dark for the King Claw stage, and by the time “Shringara” closed their set, the crowd was grooving.

As Hungary’s live electronic act Earthjam raised the tempo at the now-illuminated Octo Jones stage, Chennai-based indie rock band The F16s chose a different path. Eschewing elaborate visuals for a light show, the band delivered their signature massive sound. Between making hentai jokes at the octopus’s expense and dealing with a broken string and sound issues, vocalist-guitarist Josh Fernandez maintained the band’s characteristic chaotic charm. Their performance of “Little Mama’s Boy” from their new album All Dogs Go to Heaven showcased their evolution, oscillating between disco vibes and angsty punk before building to their now-signature instrumental jam that rightly descended into reckless abandon.

Belgian electronic act Stavroz closed the Octo Jones stage on day one, on the back of Australian producer and synth artist Harvey Sutherland bringing the heat to the King Claw stage. With the saxophone, guitar and synth and electronic setup, Stavroz built up and released a lot of mind-bending tunes, exactly what you’d expect from the final act of the day at a festival like Echoes.

Day Two: Local Pride and Global Ambition

At the top of day two, Mumbai-origin alternative act Long Distances made their Bengaluru debut with a wall of sound that accentuated bleak winter atmosphere in the festival grounds. Playing a mix of unreleased material as well as songs off their debut EP How the Mighty Will Fall (2024), songs like “Response,” “Trustfall” and “Empire” demonstrated the band’s command of mood, with vocalist Aarifah Rebello’s animated stage presence and Karun Kannampilly’s energetic playing adding warmth to the melancholy. Their newer material suggested an evolution toward more urgent, surprisingly cheerier territory.

If Long Distances brought introspection, Indian-origin DJ-producer Anish Kumar delivered its antithesis. His indefatigable disco and funk set at the Orb stage had everyone moving, dust rising from the collective movements as Kumar clearly relished every moment in the early evening.

Over at the Octo Jones stage, Varijashree Venugopal brought soulful fusion to start the day, performing in Kannada for her fellow Bangaloreans. The hometown crowd showed up in force, confirming what festival veterans know—Bengaluru audiences have a special connection to their own. “One Note Samba” became “One Note Sambar,” a Brazilian standard transformed into something distinctly local with contributions from keyboardist/synth artist Vivek Santosh, violinist Apoorva Krishna, and drummer/percussionist Pramath Kiran. The slowly built melancholy of “Teardrop” and the emotional depth of “Harivaa Jhari” demonstrated why the fusion artist commands such reverence.

At the King Claw stage, Madame Gandhi‘s performance kind of divided the crowd. With an ISL signer on stage, she was joined by Mumbai-based hip-hop artist Krantinaari for “Anushasan” before performing “The Future is Female,” “Let Me Be Water,” and “Take Your Time” with DJ Benkii as well as drummer Priya Andrew. Her direct manner of addressing femininity, environmentalism, and empowerment aligned perfectly with Echoes of Earth’s ethos, though not all attendees were equally engaged. When she performed “Bad Habits,” the boys in the crowd perked up, many recognizing it from the FIFA 21 game soundtrack—a reminder of how video games have become unlikely tastemakers, which Gandhi was more than happy to capitalize on.

Much like Modern Biology offered music from mushrooms at past Echoes Of Earth editions, Indonesian duo Bottlesmoker offered a palate cleanser with their spacey synthesizer experiments, hooking their gear up to plants and also showcasing collaborative contact, where sounds emerged every time they touched. Their decision to take their plants into the crowd made the performance interactive in ways that felt organic (pun unintended) rather than forced.

U.K.’s Submotion Orchestra marked their return to India after nine years with a penultimate set at King Claw that proved they remain a major draw. Their slick downtempo tunes, starting just as the sun descended, created a hypnotic journey. Between songs like “Prism,” “1968,” and “Angel Eyes”—which they noted playing at their first Indian performance—the band joked about not wanting the bass to make the vulture’s head fall off.

Lithuania’s Vilnius Jjazz Ensemble brought a different flavor with their jazz EDM fusion, though their punchy trombone over distorted beats and glitchy synth proved too shrill for some tastes. New Delhi electronic artist Sublime Sound countered with high energy at Big Tree, while Monolink closed the night at King Claw with a crowd-pleasing set. Having flown in from Dubai and nearly missing the show, the German producer made sure everyone in Bengaluru danced, delivering on his considerable reputation with songs including “Father Ocean” (the Ben Bohmer remix that had everyone singing), “Sirens” and more.

Elsewhere on day two, U.S.-based duo Bedouin turned the Orb stage into an escapist fantasy, with the soundtrack being resolute house bangers. Accordionist and electronic artist Grayssoker brought high-energy to close the Octo Jones stage as well, throwing in everything from The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” to Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water” to Darude’s “Sandstorm” for a nostalgic yet dancefloor-ready set.

Staying True

What Echoes of Earth continues to understand better than most Indian festivals is that consistency doesn’t lead to stagnation. The festival’s visual identity seen in the eco-friendly installations to the thoughtfully named stages provides continuity, while the lineup consistently surprises. They trust their audiences and the audiences, in turn, trust the festival to curate adventurous lineups.

In an era when Indian festival-goers are spoiled for choice, with new events launching every season and established brands expanding their footprints, Echoes of Earth are keeping their environmental messaging and sonic ambition in focus.

As the Indian festival circuit becomes increasingly crowded and competitive, Echoes of Earth is finding a way to remain a beloved mainstay in everyone’s gig calendar. By refusing to rest on its laurels while staying true to its founding vision, the festival has carved out a space that feels both timely and timeless, which is as good a reason as any for people to keep coming back.