The electronic Tabliya

Dubbed as one of the biggest names who helped develop the Asian Underground music scene in the UK, Talvin Singh is equally known for playing the tabla and dabbling with Electronica. He has worked with several big artistes such as Madonna and Björk and of late, has been making several visits to India as well. We caught up with Singh, who recently performed at Contemporary Indian music festival Groove Temple Live in Goa.

Talvin Singh

"I have had a cultural base in India since 1986. The late '90s was a very exciting time and a beginning of eclectic music in India. We were showcasing the groundbreaking Anokha Sessions in Mumbai, Delhi and Goa. This was the introduction of many artistes such as Medieval Pundits, Karsh Kale and many others," recalls the London resident.

We ask him about the current state of music in the country, and whether he sees any genre or style emerge as a frontrunner: "India enjoys a musical diversity and is constantly growing new styles and the most interesting music places itself between two or three genres.

At his gig in Goa, recently, Singh performed a set titled Tabla, Bass and Deep Space, "a relationship between human and machine." Singh was also a part of the Dumru Festival curated by musician Bickram Ghosh. As for visiting the city, Singh says that he will be performing a three-hour set at the Kala Ghoda Festival and is also curating the Alchemy Festival, an annual multi-arts festival in the United Kingdom.

Besides, the multi-talented Singh is working on an album and EP - he intends to announce the release date sometime in February 2013.u00a0