‘Melodies in Slow Motion’ uses field recordings and live music to transform microscopic biological movements into ‘ear cinema’
After two successful shows in Mumbai, the production now travels to Chennai as special immersive headphone experience for a run of four shows over two evenings later this month.
Buy tickets here
May 2026 – Over the last decade, composer and sarod virtuoso Soumik Datta has established himself as a voice at the intersection of art and activism. Following the success of Jangal and Songs of the Earth, Datta returns with his most ambitious project yet, Melodies in Slow Motion.
The show – which premiered in Mumbai on Earth Day in April – is a sonic exploration of the planet’s fragility. It centers on the concept of “trophic cascades”, the domino effect triggered by changes in ecosystems, and seeks to make the invisible rhythms of survival audible to the human ear.
It now travels to Chennai as a special immersive headphone experience for a limited run of four shows over two evenings, on May 21 and May 22 at the Offbeat Music Ventures, Chennai.
Accompanied by an ensemble of young masters Sumesh Narayanan (mridangam/percussion), Sayee Rakshith (violin), and Debjit Patitundi (tabla), Datta decodes the natural world’s hidden architecture. By integrating field recordings of intertidal zones and insect choirs recorded by musician and sound designer Rahul Nandkarni, the performance stretches the flutter of a wing or the pulse of a cell into a cinematic, slow-motion journey.
The audience will be further immersed into the music via headphones provided to each member – transforming a performance into a sensory experience as the audience engages through live music, perfectly mixed audio, and projected visuals. The immersive experience is presented by Soumik Datta Arts in partnership with ProMusicals and Universal Audio Digital.
From the choir of cicadas to the underground mycelial networks that link our forests, the ensemble reveals the invisible threads that connect human life to the broader ecosystem. The show pulses with the internal metronome of the planet. Where the sarod syncs in and out of circadian rhythms, the Carnatic violin traces the soaring, microtonal shift of birds in murmuration, and the rhythms of the tabla and mridangam capture the architectural dance of honeybees.
“We often treat the sounds of nature as background noise, but there is a complex, urgent dialogue happening just out of our earshot,” says Soumik. “By using biofeedback and slowing down these field recordings, we’re trying to sync the sarod with the earth’s own internal clock. But there is a haunting subtext to this music as we witness ‘trophic cascades’ – where the loss of one species unravels an entire landscape. I wanted our music to reflect that instability. It’s a reminder that if the rhythm of one species fails, the rhythm of the entire ecosystem collapses,” he adds.
A trophic cascade is an ecological phenomenon where triggering changes in the population of a top predator or keystone species causes a domino-effect impact down multiple trophic levels, affecting everything from biodiversity to the physical structure of rivers and soil.
A visual layer adds further depth to the performance. Projected above the musicians, a collage of sketches by children from Pratham Creativity Clubs animate the geometric patterns of nature, portraying a shared vision of balance and interconnectedness. Over 100 students from around Maharashtra were taken on a structured multi-day programme to explore forests and parks to learn and observe nature through a creative lens.
“I want the audience to leave feeling like they’ve developed a new sense,” hopes Soumik, adding, “Our perception of the ecosystem is often limited to what we see on a human scale, but the real magic – and the real danger – is in the microscopic. By bridging the gap between a child’s uninhibited imagination and the precision of music making, we hope to challenge the viewer to see the environment not as a resource to be managed, but as a living, breathing collaborator that we are currently out of sync with.”
Billed over a two-night run, Melodies in Slow Motion will be performed twice a day on May 21 and again on May 22 at the same venue. Tickets for both the shows are available here.
This run of shows marks the finale of Datta’s eight-month national tour. From performing in unusual spaces to collaborating with young musicians across India’s four corners, Melodies in Slow Motion represents the culmination of a cross-country dialogue on heritage and habitat.
About Melodies in Slow Motion
Melodies in Slow Motion is conceived by Soumik Datta and commissioned by British Council, co-produced by Soumik Datta Arts and G5A, and supported by Teamwork Arts, Pratham Foundation and Earth Day Network.
