Bass-lined bibliophiles rock on at Jaipur Lit Fest

Every year, a wide range of artistes from India and across the world representing an eclectic mix of genres, gets together to make magic after day-long, heavy-duty sessions of literature and inquiries into politics, science, arts, technology and more.

This year’s line-up was nothing short of astounding, as Mahesh Vinayakram, Usha Uthup, Midival Punditz, Dub FX, Soulmate, Sahida Apsara and Jasbir Jassi offered audiences a glimpse into their musical geniuses in a wonderfully wintry ambience at Hotel Clarks Amer.

Chennai’s very own Vinayakram indulged the attendees with a genre-bending jugalbandi involving Dub FX, an Australian musician who has made a name for himself globally as a street performer. While the Indian percussionist relied on a finger-bass setup, Dub FX, who goes by the real name Benjamin Stanford, opted for a badass loop station and a guitar effects pedal, that looked straight out of a cyberpunk novella. The boys got off to a rocking start from the word go and riffed off each other for every beat and every hook — throwing the audience into a tizzy of aural ecstasy. As Vinayakram peppered the performance with hyper sped vocals and percussive notes, Dub FX beat boxed away to glory.

On the other end of the spectrum, Midival Punditz virtually knocked on heaven’s trapdoors by dropping basses so loud, audiences were compelled to double-check if it wasn’t a tremor. A case in point is when the Punditz decided to, no prices for guessing, break into bhangra. And when something as traditional as Padharo Mhare Desh assumes the urgency of a rave bassline, you know you’ve had a good time. Soulmate, the blues rock band from Meghalaya brought the proceedings to a trippy close with their sultry and spirited performance. Lessons from the evening — drum and bass works with everything. We really mean everything. And percussion makes life better. Until next time.