Tarun Balani on His Recent Seasonal Affected Beats Audio-Visual Tour and New Material

Contrary to what might be a widespread assumption that things have bounced back following the pandemic lockdowns, New Delhi artist Tarun Balani says putting together concerts remains challenging. The producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist doesn’t place the blame on venues or promoters, though. “They may all like our music and they may want to have a concert, but there has to be a promoter or there has to be a brand and other things involved,” he says.

That said, Balani did manage to take his project Seasonal Affected Beats – along with visual artist and photographer-filmmaker Parizad D – to different cities in March and April. In December, a prior performance took place at Magnetic Fields Festival in Rajasthan. From clubs to black box auditoriums to festivals, it’s been a work in progress that’s slowly unfolded and evolved. He says, “I think, because the message in the visuals is deep in the way where we’re talking about climate change, it makes it very difficult [to present].”

Performing at the recently opened Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC)’s The Cube in Mumbai and the mainstay Bangalore International Centre (BIC), they were more suited for Seasonal Affected Beats’ message about eco-conservation to be transmitted in the most immersive manner. “Then I play differently as well. We take time with certain movements and Parizad does as well. People came up to us and spoke about it, so I think that was the goal. I think, ‘Maybe we’re beginning to scratch the surface a little bit.’” Balani adds.

Going from club shows in Hyderabad and New Delhi to smaller, intimate venues such as NMACC and BIC (which was incidentally where the first Seasonal Affected Beats show took place in 2019) meant that the shows became “very focused.” Balani says, “There’s pin-drop silence, every note matters… you want to hold the room with one note on the trumpet. It was super exciting and scary at the same time.” It helped that there was a considerable amount of buzz around the NMACC when Seasonal Affected Beats and Parizad’s performance took place during launch week.

Photos: Harshit Prabhu, Gigclick

Balani laughs at some of the ridicule that NMACC invited (like its lengthy name) with its over-the-top launch but understands some of the criticism. “I think we should take it in a positive light. When conglomerates don’t do anything for the arts, we complain. And when they do something for the arts, then we complain. I think it doesn’t hurt to have another alternative space, which is other than a club, where a different format of presentation of live music can happen,” he says. There’s added praise from the musician for the venue pricing the ticket at ₹250, which Balani says perhaps made it more accessible to different audiences.

On the recently concluded run of shows, Balani was performing Season Affected Beats’ new single “Frozen North,” along with other unreleased material like “Locusts Are Descending” which is slated for release as part of an album in September. There’s another single expected in June, according to the artist. “The idea is to probably do a live record. I’m looking for that correct space or a studio where I can actually have an audience and I want to play live, because I know that mild anxiety and perspiration that sometimes leads to the wrong notes, also leads sometimes leads to certain things that cannot happen in the studio,” he says.

Outside of Seasonal Affected Beats, Balani took his place behind the drumkit once again with New York-based act Dharma in October last year. Their album is slated for release later this year. “I never got to do a Master’s in music. I feel like this is my Master’s [degree], every time I go to New York… just go check out concerts, go hang out with people, meet some older musicians and just soak in all the knowledge from them. That’s the only way to learn and progress,” Balani says.

Listen to “Frozen North” below. Stream on more platforms here.