As he leads me down the stairs into his studio, Balabhaskar says apologetically, “You might find the room cluttered. I was not at home for a few days…” But the ambience of “the room” makes you oblivious to the clutter. Built a floor below the ground floor of his house near Vijayamohini Mills, Thirumala, this room is what Balabhaskar calls his space. Cool interiors and soft lighting set the mood.
“When the house was built some five years ago, I was very particular that I needed a space for myself. But I was not serious about it for a long time and kept on postponing it. It was singer Rakesh Brahmanandan who convinced me that I should go ahead with it. My friend and keyboard artiste Ashwin Johnson guided me since he is into studio acoustics,” says Balabhaskar, all at home on a bean bag.
Spacious, the studio’s comfy seating arrangement add to the ambience. Speakers, woofers, sub-woofers, microphone, analog mixer, a television, …everything is in place in the sound proof room.
“I wanted it to be a cosy place to relax. So it was my idea to have bean bags. In fact I am planning to remove the chairs and add more bean bags. The more relaxed you are, the better you will be able to work,” says Balabhaskar, who burst into the music scene as a child prodigy at the age of 12.
What catches your attention is the lighting. “I have mood swings. So I have used all kinds of lights here…dim, bright, hidden. Depending on my mood, I choose the lighting.”
It is also the space where he jams with his band, Balaleela. An “instrumental fusion” band, it has seven members who regularly get together for practice sessions. “Earlier I used to do my violin practice in a room on the top floor. Now I do my vocal practice and sessions on my electric violin in this studio. Whatever experimentations I do on my violin are done here. I watch videos of music productions by other musicians. In fact, my inspiration has been the challenges thrown at me and such videos give me that challenge,” he says.
At present, he is working on the first Hindi album of his band. “We chose Hindi for a wider reach. All of us will be singing. Four songs are ready. I am also doing an Onam song. In addition, we are bringing out cover version of a few songs that will be uploaded on the band’s website...,” he says.
(A series that explores the workspaces of creative people in the city and its suburbs)
