A Discussion With Travis Beard

You’d be forgiven for thinking, on cursory introduction, that the Australian Travis Beard is simply a photojournalist – that, after all, is how he’s bound to introduce himself.

Although he initially began his journey into Afghanistan as one, however, this job description only scrapes at the tip of his relationship with the country. Beard, who has been a constant fixture (in one form or another) of the erstwhile expat-driven alternative scene of Kabul, has also previously written about his experiences hosting Sound Central, the first rock music festival in the country for BorderMovement. …

After a powerful exhibition at Max Mueller Bhavan in New Delhi earlier this year, photography quarterly PIX is back with another call for submissions. The PIX team has chosen yet another expansive but relevant theme for the forthcoming special issue on Pakistan: ‘Surge – Deluge, Growth, Outbreak, Rupture’ will aim to explore within the realms of photographic arts the changing paradigms and structures of a country that is undergoing a tumultuous process of transformation. …

Karachi’s Forever South Collective (FXS) have not been wasting time, resting on past merits. Having intrigued Internet music-prospectors with mixes and releases, they are now ready with their new compilation. Following the 20-song tableaux of experiments they released in 2013, they’ve been conducting some fine alchemy in their beat labs. The relatively short EP contains 7 tracks that represent some of the most compelling craft coming out of their scene at present. The compilation includes tracks by DynoMan, Rudoh (who uploaded an FXS mix for NH7 late February, including tracks by the terribly gifted sm▲x), TMPST and Toll Crane. …

Floating amidst textured layers, musician Jatin Vidyarthi a.k.a Masta Justy’s sounds are interlaced with elements of surrealistic sensibilities. As an artiste, he claims to have set forth on a journey towards the vast spectrum of sonority in order to explore the intersection of sound, rhythm and atmosphere with mood. Although his soundscape thrives on the playful merge of sci-fi, funky and experimental cadences, the dramaturgy of his music unravels vignettes of orchestral tones with a subtle hint of cinematic drama. …

Asfandyar Khan’s portfolio is a revealing measure of his evolutionary scale as a musician. He displays a newfound directness with his electronic music project – TMPST – by using 2-step garage and ambient as anchoring points for his debut EP, Serpentine. Crafting the 4-track EP helps him delineate his own sounds and aspirations within the rubric of experimental music in Pakistan, and marks another example of his musical influences fusing together to deliver an effort that greatly expands on the promise of his ambient work. …

This year’s Pettah Interchange party in Colombo will have a stronger emphasis on visuals than ever before. From the 27th July to the 3rd August 2014 Border Movement will be hosting Video Lab Colombo,  a hands-on media art, club visuals and digital video image processing workshop which will be led by the Berlin-based visuals crew Pfadfinderei. …

Last month, The Goethe Institut hosted a very special gig at the Max Mueller Bhavan Auditorium in Kolkata. The gig was an ambitious vision realized by Amyt Datta and Jivraj Singh, both leading lights in the Kolkata music scene. Ambiance de Danse is an experimental music project conceived by Datta which was then expanded with the help of Singh but its intensity and unconventional approach made it seem quite unsuitable for a live performance; the gig at Max Muller Bhavan in late April changed all that. …

A much needed platform that shines the light on India’s burgeoning youth. And they know curation. I caught up with Mandovi Menon, one of the co-founders of Homegrown on her inspiration, discoveries in the alternative music scene and the vision for Homegrown. …

Sound engineers from the country talk about their journey, experiences and the future of sound engineering in India.

The drums build an ecstatic progression, the bass vibrates right in your chest and the singer’s chant reel the crowd into a hypnotic trance; a journey that people remembered well after. When Pink Floyd performed in Mumbai in 2007, it took the audience to a place that transcended boundaries. The experience stayed with the crowd. The band was perfect and the people responsible for the delicate and highly specialised sound that night made the gig special. From crafting a band’s sound in the studio to bringing magic to a live show, a sound-engineers’ work is invaluable. …

A Skype call from Mumbai to Kabul was something I didn’t see coming on Thursday afternoon but I knew it was a call I really wanted to make. It turns out that dancehall MC Delhi Sultanate had found an opportunity for an international collaboration that was too good to turn down. On my computer screen, Delhi Sultanate was beaming about a very fresh project that he had just begun work on. He had managed to make it to Afghanistan with fellow SkaVenger Begum X to work with musicians from Afghanistan and Pakistan for a local TV program. “It’s a program that transcends the borders and it’s so great that I can work with so many people from this part of the world!” …