from SPIN Earth Asia

(www.spinearth.tv)

By pbafna
Sep 10, 2009 in Leh, India, Asia

Genre: Cultural/Heritage, Rock/Indie/Alt,

Jazz

Set high up at 3,500m (11,500 feet) at the banks of the Indus river, the Ladakh
Confluence ’09 took place from August 28-31 celebrating music, art, heritage,
culture and nature in one of the highest, driest inhabited regions of the world.

With an impressive lineup of global musicians playing percussion, folk, fusion,

acoustic and experimental styles, as well as workshops, cultural events and exhibits,
children’s activities and a strong focus on
environmental awareness and sustainability, the first installment of the much-
awaited annual festival did create quite a stir with people all around the world

While the festival started off with teething troubles on the first day, with changing
line-ups and the main performance stage having been erected fully just in time
before the performances started off, followed by the electricity generator giving in on
the very first day, but all was handled very well and the performances resumed soon
enough considering the remote location and the speed with which the organizers
ensured all was fine.

The first day saw Gyomo Nakamura, the founder of the Shanti Stupa, Vedanth
Bharadwaj on with his unique Bob Dylan tribute, and Talvin Singh - the tabla/electro
exponent jamming with the Santoor Maestro - Rahul Sharma & Mahesh Vinayakram
with his vocal prowess for the closing act of the day (the only one the main stage
saw) giving out some stellar performances that re-affirmed the Confluencers faith in
a good way.

By the second day, the festival had righted itself in many ways, sparing the
occasional line-up changes. The Solar-powered Film Tent - the only covered tent at
the Confluence was showing a veritable collection of movies and documentaries.
Elsewhere, the local Ladakhi tribals put on a show bringing out the diverse culture
and curious festival goers reveled in the celebrations. Davide Swarup the Hang-drum
maestro jamming with Ortal Pelleg bringing in the sunset was an absolutely
delightful treat to watch, with the performance ending on a serene note. Followed by
a surprisingly charged and immersive experience by the talented folk group -
Rajasthan Roots who got the crowd onto their feet and dancing to the folk rhythm
and percussion - by far one of the better acts to have graced the Confluence '09.
Quickly followed up by an energetic electro-pop performance by Shaa'ir & Func with
poetic overtones. The night ended with the Portuguese group Terrakota unleashing
their brand of hi-energy reggae and roots along with the dramatic performances by
each of it's band members, ensuring a memorable and immersive dancing
experience for all those present.

The third day saw a more diverse offering by way of Shaa'ir & Func playing an
acoustic set at the Nyima stage and by evening, the main stage saw an absolute
stellar performance by Soulmate - a true blues band coming out of Shillong, India
riding on the release of their first album, the vocalist Tipriti 'Tips' unleashing raw
bluesy vocals that instantly reminded one of Janis Joplin both in mannerism and
voice yet with a distinct tinge of soul. The guitarist Rudy Wallang another
accomplished musician playing out a flurry of leads that sealed the Soulmate
experience as a band to watch out for in years to come. 'Gateways' a true
representation of the Confluence spirit followed next boasting of an ensemble that
merged Gujarati folk/Afro-tribal music with Swiss Jazz was an act to behold, seeing
how seamlessly such diverse elements blended into making great music resounding
in the hills. Unfortunately though, the mellow and refined cultural sound for a closing
act didn't go down well with majority of the populace especially the Ladakh local
crowd that usually gathered in their revelrous state every day for the closing acts.
The result - Gateways cut short their act and good music was lost to what could be
seen as a strategic error with positioning the act.

The final day of The Confluence saw a completely different scenario. Unexpected
continuous rains coupled with the absence of much sunlight led to the Confluence
grounds wearing a deserted look right up until evening, when the organisers shifted
the main stage to the more accesible acoustic - Nyima Stage and hordes of people
bore the muck land that was a throwback at Woodstock in a way. Only colder. And
made their way for the final performances. Which started only very late in the
evening, post sundown. Vedanth Bharadwaj came up for a brief but fitting
impromptu acoustic session while the organisers struggled to get the generator going
yet again, and then came on the closing acts of the night. While there was four acts
lined to finish the night originally. Only two actually played - Suchet Malhotra, the
one man band with his 'Stories Through Sound' journey worked up the crowd very
nicely, playing a very large number of various instruments of different ethnicities
from the Darbouka to the Didgeridoo into building his sound and had the festival
goers jumping and warmed up just right to welcome the closing act - The Austrian
Beatboxing Quintet - Bauckhlang who unleashed a powerhouse of a performance,
even jamming improptu on two occasions with willing festival goers and ending with
showcasing each one's prowess in a delightful medley of sorts. A mean feat
considering the altitude and the limitations it imposed on one's breath.

The festival ended on a very high note, overcoming many of the shortcomings that
plagued the very first Confluence, which by then had already made history in many
ways, from the eco-drive to the bringing in of top-notch musicians from both India
and the World in a setting as nascent; whilst affording one, beautiful sights of the
great Ladakh terrain. Ending with promises of coming back next year as well as
being handled and organised in a much better way and furthering the 'Happy Planet'
initiative, giving visitors a chance to experience the warm and comfortable Ladakhi
hospitality that was found in abundance from the hotels and resorts to the more
intimate little guest houses and home stays. A truly unique experience paralleled to
none, brought people from all around the world as musicians, volunteers and festival
goers who all interacted throughout various ways in such harmonious settings with a
sea of memories to take back home.

Update: Videos Added!

The Copyright of All Photos & Videos featured in this article lies with the author,
Prmod Bafna