Melting Pot of Sounds

Walsh and Singh have known each other and played together for 15 years. Singh,who has trained in India under musician Aneesh Pradhan,describes their rhythmic partnership,”We have worked on several projects together like The Circle of Rhythms and Groovelands Soundsystem. For our duet in Pune,Ben will play the drums and I the tabla. Yet the sounds will be rather different to what is expected.” Though he will use the Indian traditional language of the tabla,the music isn’t confined to any Indian taal . “Take all the different styles and forms of music,put them into a melting pot and stir and blend them. What you get is what we play. It represents the multi-cultural diversity of Australia,” explains Walsh.

In Australia,Walsh has provided platforms for artists and musicians to unite and present their talent to the world at large. He has a hip-hop circus group with acrobats,beatboxers,scratch artistes. “I’m the drummer and the ringmaster,” he says. He also does scores for films,has the Orkestra of the Underground and is into electronic music,drum and bass,and dubstep. “I’m also a DJ,” he adds,”I do all of this because I believe in the beauty of music as a whole.”

Taking this to a higher level,Walsh has also built two instruments – the Kotoor and the Drumming Wheel. The Kotoor is made with a piece of wood from Australia and different types of string. “It’s the Australian version of the santoor and the Koto of Japan,” he says of the tuned percussion instrument. The Drumming Wheel is what’s creating a buzz among music lovers. To add to it,Walsh built one in Pune in the last one week that he has been here. The parts for this ‘junk percussion’ instrument were sourced from the city’s Juna Bazaar. The instrument essentially has eight drums in the shape of a huge wheel. “My arms move like a pendulum as I play all the drums. It’s a high speed visual drumming form as it combines drums and dance,” Walsh describes.

Walsh and Singh transcend the boundaries of genres with their mastery over the instruments. “But fusion is not always good. Racial,spiritual and cultural borders exist. One needs to respect religion,colour,history and ability of musicians when you play together,” Walsh points out. On his part,he has the utmost respect for Indian classical and folk music. “They are so rich and inspiring. I’ve performed in India earlier,with Shubha Mudgal,Aneesh Pradhan and Bobby (Singh). It has changed my life. Sharing stage with Indian artistes has inspired me to do better in my own field,” he says.