What happens when Carnatic ragas share a city with punk basslines? Or when centuries-old temple architecture gets a futuristic digital mix? This June, Chennai’s music scene is opening its doors, making sure there is something to discover every weekend. Starting with Digital & Analog, the city’s edition of Fête de la Musique is presented by Alliance Française of Madras in collaboration with Omnivoid Labs and Deejayphani.

On June 20, Espaces 24 at Alliance Française will be transformed into an immersive playground of sound, light and motion. Titled Cerebral Soundscapes in Paradoxical Realms of the Future-Past and presented by Omnivoid Labs, the experience combines live music with audio-reactive visuals and interactive installations inspired by both Tamil and Franco cultural confluences.

“We have used 3D-mapped temple gopurams, finials, columns and symbolic sculptures of Tamil architecture, alongside Parisian landscapes and European monumental inspiration using generative AI art as well as visual tools like Unity, Blender and TouchDesigner; thus blending elements from both cultures into one immersive environment,” says Roy Dipankar, founder, Omnivoid Labs. 

The line-up mirrors the spirit of crossover, bringing together artistes such as Geography of the Moon (band by Virginia Bones and Andrea Rubbio) , Chennai-based film music director Jhanu Chanthar’s new indie project Nila, electronic acts like Hanging Wave and homegrown talent Difffrekt, as well as globetrotters Elsewhere in India , who are well known for blending motion-captured Bharatanatyam, 3D-scanned cultural artefacts, game-engine technology, and classical-inspired original music with AI. 

The virtual landscape has been brought to life from concept to design by Dhavalya Sagar from Chennai’s homegrown Kalaki Collective in collaboration with Television Dust; a Chennai-based new media art duo who use code and tech to reimagine the real world, ably supported by Naad labs from Mumbai, who will be using visual tech tools in an attempt to produce motion and audio-reactive visuals. Ninad Palandurkar and Krishnamurthy Ramesh (Ableton certified trainers) will also be conducting workshops on French contribution to electronic music during the day at the library of Alliance Francaise of Madras on June 20.

“We believe in presenting fresh perspectives by independent musicians,” says Roy. “The programming brings together local and global artistes working across classical, electronic, post-punk and experimental aesthetics.”

If the first half of Digital Analog is about futuristic music, Grooves N Gain is a love letter to the past. Opening on June 27, at AF Madras, the 10-day showcase curated by DJ Phani Kumar aka Deejayphani tells us to step away from algorithms into the tactile world of vinyl records, gramophones and cassette players. 

“Primarily, it will be vinyl records, turntables and old gramophone records. People will get an idea of how music was heard in the 50s, 60s and 70s,” says Phani. The event will also feature workshops where people can learn how turntables work and even try playing records themselves. “A lot of people have only seen records and have no idea how they work. We want them to come, touch them and understand the whole history behind them,” he says. There will be a ‘Bring Your Own Record’ session, where collectors can share music from their personal archives. 

Beyond playlists and algorithms, Mothertongue Music’s latest listening session is a trip back to the golden time of music. Returning for its third edition on June 28 at Vinyl & Brew, the series will take a deep dive into ‘Fresh’ (1973), the landmark funk album by Sly and the Family Stone. Hosted by musician and composer Tenma, the evening is less a lecture and more an interactive exploration of the music, the politics and the cultural moment that shaped the record. 

“The idea behind these sessions is to get people to discover music the way we used to — by hunting for interesting artistes and albums, not just through algorithmic recommendations,” says Mukesh Amaran, founder and arts manager, Ma Medai. 

This time, the conversation turns to Sly Stone, whose music became a powerful vehicle for social and political commentary. “We want to talk about why protest music is important and why younger musicians should know there are people they can look up to for that tradition,” adds Mukesh.

From immersive digital worlds to the crackle of a spinning record, Chennai’s music calendar this month invites audiences to listen differently.

Fête de la Musique will be on at Alliance Française of Madras from June 20 to July 5. Cerebral Soundscapes in Paradoxical Realms of the Future-Past is on June 20, at 5pm. Grooves N Gain is from June 27 to July 5, 6pm onwards. Entry is free. Mothertongue Music’s listening session will be on at June 28 at Vinyl & Brew at 7pm and is priced at ₹500 on fanpit.in