Premiere: Watch Dastaan LIVE’s Trippy 360-Degree VR Video for ‘Mat Ro Bachche’

Earlier this month, New Delhi art-rock band Dastaan LIVE released a poignant music video featuring shadow puppetry to depict conflict with their debut single “Mat Ro Bachche.” Inspired by the poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, the band’s psychedelic twists and turns also indicated that it’s a different beast at their live shows.

The slow built, sculpted style of rock (bearing some hints to the darker side of fusion giants Indian Ocean) on “Mat Ro Bachche” is now presented in 360-degree Virtual Reality (VR) video format. Shot and conceptualized by filmmaker Vaibhavi Kowshik (who also co-edited it alongside Anuj Chopra), “Mat Ro Bachche” sees Dastaan LIVE go from distanced calm to full throttle jamming in a whirling, twisted visual layout.

Bassist and co-founder Anirban Ghosh says the video “seemed to be the ideal bridge” between their live shows and recorded material. He adds, “Now we are giving listeners the opportunity to peek through the window into our live show, wherever they may be.”

The 360-degree VR format for video is a rarity amongst Indian independent artists and Dastaan LIVE claim to be the first to have shot and uploaded such a music video. Guitarist Sumant Balakrishnan says they began testing 360-degree footage during their shows at New Delhi venue space Oddbird Theater in April. He adds, “We did six shows during that run, performing in an outward facing circle and it provided a completely different aesthetic and feel as compared to any of our previous shows. During these performances, we met up with our collaborator Vaibhavi Kowshik, who has been experimenting with VR for some time now. She wondered what the performance would look like from inside the circle, with the performers facing inwards (at the camera). We did a test shot immediately at the end of our last show and that was the moment we knew this was idea worth following through on.”

Watch the 360-degree VR video for “Mat Ro Bachche” by opening the below video in your YouTube app. Tap on the video title or YouTube  logo.VR headsets/cardboard headsets recommended.