Following the roaring success of its previous editions, ZLB23 at The Leela Palace Bengaluru returns with Magnetic Music Season 4, a week-long celebration of sound and storytelling. This year’s edition is themed Planet Earth, offering a multisensory experience that draws inspiration from the natural world. Set in one of Asia’s top bars, the season promises intimate performances, genre-bending acts and a deep connection to the rhythms of nature. Fusion band Rajasthan Roots performs today as part of the music festival and we get chatty with them to talk about Rajasthan folk music, how their sound connects with nature and so much more!
Your sound is rooted in Rajasthani folk traditions. How do you see your music reflecting the elemental forces — earth, water, air and fire — as the theme of this season suggests?
Our music is deeply connected to the elements — not just in spirit, but in sound and material. The dotara, carved from mango wood and stretched with goat skin, the bamboo flute and khartal — all are born from the earth. Songs like Panihari tell stories of women fetching water in the desert, reminding us of our bond with water and the need to protect it. Air flows through our flutes, our morchang and our vocal alaaps, carrying emotion and memory. And fire lives in the morchang, forged in flame and in the intensity of our rhythms. These elements shape every note we play — grounding us in tradition while speaking to the present.
Many of your instruments are organic and ancient — like the khartal, morchang and kamaicha. How do these traditional sounds connect us to the earth and our origins?
These instruments are not just tools — they are extensions of the earth. The kamaicha, for example, is made from mango wood and goat skin — it sings with the voice of the land. The morchang is metal, forged in fire and played with the air of breath — a perfect blend of elemental force and human expression. The khartal is either hard wood or bone with its sharpness and drive. When we play them, it’s like remembering how music began — before microphones and mixers — when a man and the desert had only each other to talk to. These sounds take us back to that conversation.
What can audiences expect from your performance at Magnetic Music Season 04?
Rajasthan Roots covers a wide repertoire of musical genres — from sufi and folk to vedic mantras, Naga blues to classic rock and roll, yet rooted and organic. You might hear a 500-year-old bhajan rise over a rock groove or a traditional melody woven into a blues song. The desert is eternal, but it also evolves — and this set will reflect that evolution.
A lot of Rajasthani music is inspired by desert life, rains and local traditions. Are there any stories or songs from your region that feel important today, especially because of the changes happening in nature?
Rajasthan’s culture celebrates a timeless connection with nature. Songs like Kesariya Balam welcome the traveller with warmth, evoking a deep sense of belonging to the land. Jhir Mir Barse Megh, sung in praise of the monsoon, carries the joyful anticipation of rain in a dry land — a reminder of how nature’s rhythms shape our lives. These songs continue to inspire a sense of harmony with the environment. They carry hope, resilience and a deep respect for the natural world — values that feel more meaningful than ever today.
As traditional musicians performing on a modern stage, what does it mean to you to bring the voice of the desert into an urban, electronic setting like ZLB23?
ZLB23 is an intimate, upscale speakeasy which has featured some of the top artistes and food and beverage experts of the world. Bringing the voice of the desert into a space like that is like lighting a campfire in a velvet room. The contrast is powerful. The raw textures of our music — the breathy tones of the bamboo flute, the twang of the morchang, the pulsating rhythms of the khartals and the melancholic vocal alaaps — meet the sophistication of the setting and something unexpected happens. It’s not about preserving tradition in a museum — it’s about letting it live, breathe and surprise you in the most unlikely places. Even in a quiet corner of the city, the desert can sing.
Entry free (reservation required). August 1, 8 pm onwards. At Old Airport Road.
Email: alwin@newindianexpress.com
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