A kadhai of music

Meet India’s only techno-handpan artiste, Mihir Chandan who is playing his set every week at a Mumbai restobar

It was 7.30 pm on a Thursday when this writer arrived at Silly in Khar for their weekly music gig night. At a restobar, in the Bandra-Khar area, one expects an acoustic experience with a musician singing soft love songs, guitar in hand. On the other hand, clubs tend to lean towards electronic dance music, and can be overcrowded, with patrons coming solely to dance. 

Silly tries to strikes a balance. With a capacity of around 135 people, within 15 seated at the bar, the proprietor Karan Nohria hopes patrons enjoy being able to roam around with their drinks, as the music plays on.

Their Silly Thursdays feature Mihir Chandan, India’s finest handpan musician. Chandan opened for the German live act Monolink, who is also an electronic dance music producer, during his multi-city India tour this year in April. This writer reached early and was able to witness the place fill up and groove to Chandan’s amalgamation of soothing handpan and techno dance music.

The artiste has been a drummer for various rock bands since 2005. “I came across a handpan in London; a busker was playing it at Marble Arch. I was immediately drawn to its vibrations,” he says. Since it is a fairly new instrument played by a very few, Chandan is self-taught.

This writer knows a few people who play the handpan but many of the patrons at Silly didn’t. At first glance, it resembles an upside down ‘kadhai’. Chandan says that most first-timers are awestruck by it. “People are more open to new experiences than ever before,” he says. “Slowly and steadily, there is a growing audience and I am happy to be a pioneer in creating this space.”

Getting your hands on the instrument can be tricky, says the Mumbai-based musician as it is not easily available in the country and often needs to be imported. The sound gear required to capture its mystical sound is one big experiment. “I have used over 20-30 models of mics from condensers to dynamics and pick-up, and still feel they don’t capture the essence,” Chandan says.

As a music producer too, he loves experimenting in the techno, house and folktronica space. “I love adding natural elements to electronic production,” he says. As a rhythmic, melodic instrument, infusing the handpan into electronic music felt most natural to him. “It also takes my music to a wider audience,” he says. “[It is] something like a mad scientist experimenting and discovering a breakthrough, as the aggressive sounds of electronic music and techno get balanced by melodic sounds of the handpan.”

WHAT: Silly Thursdays
WHERE: Silly, Khar
WHEN: Every Thursday, 8 pm to 10 pm

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