An inconspicuous side gate and a plain corridor conceal the eclectic entrance to musician and artist Montry Manuel’s house in Banaswadi. There are comfortable seats made of old tyres, neon metal alphabet hanging off the rafters, clocks made of beer and wine bottles, cup holders made of cycle spokes and car filters, drums made of paint buckets and beautiful artwork from other recycled materials. A huge flex movie poster serves as a waterproof roof above the attic, forming a mezzanine that overlooks the madness.
And this is before you even enter; inside, there are lampshades everywhere, made of T-shirts and wood, kurtas and plates, twine and fairy lights.
Montry’s claim to fame is as drummer for the band Swarathma. Now, trying to create his own unique sound, he doesn’t label his work. “I’m a creative person, I don’t know how to describe what I do. There are no limitations. I’m not only a musician, not only an artist or a graphic designer.”
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He works with guest artists, product designers, painters, videographers and choreographers for his creative collective Thaalavattam, using ordinary objects and waste material to create extraordinary music, art and experiences. Born in Kochi, Montry learnt to play congas and breakdance at a young age. Not being interested in studies or a regular nine-to-five job, he dropped out of school after the 12th grade and joined a local company as an office boy. Flitting from one job to the next, he learnt desktop publishingand design software, nurturing his musical side all the while by learning the keyboard and drums .
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After four years of this, he got bored. “It was too black and white for me. I wanted some colour in my life,” Montry reminisces. He moved to Bangalore, and after a couple of years of experimenting with music, playing with different bands and moving from DTP centres to ad agencies, he met Raghu Dixit and his brother Vasu. That’s when the Swarathma leg of his journey began.
They won a Radio City contest and things took off from there. “Two albums, international tours to the U.K., Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Morocco. It was good stuff. But I started getting very monotonous with my music. I got the best drums wherever we went and we recorded at the best studios…but I was still looking for some kind of unique sound,” he recalls.
Jamming
Now his sound comes from his own instruments — drums, shakers and didgeridoos made from PVC pipes, pet bottles and more. Thaalavattam has park jams in the neighbourhood where kids play music, street jams as well as corporate and club shows.
Leaving his comfort zone in Kerala and starting from scratch in Bangalore has been hard, says Montry. He shifted homes every six months before he moved to Banaswadi almost two years ago. “I love to stay here. It’s a beautiful small place, which I’ve made mine, myself.”
Place is essential to Montry’s art. “This is music for everyone, no? We’re inspired by our surroundings. It doesn’t have to be a big studio, but the ambience, the vibe, is important. The people around are very important because I don’t compose songs and play. They are on-the-spot creations. That is the high that we get from Thaalavattam music.”