‘I’ve always been a blues-loving rock guitarist at heart, but I love so many different forms of music… all of it filters in!’ Indian guitar legend Warren Mendonsa discusses his latest Blackstratblues album, the inspirations that shaped his musical journey, and the path ahead. By Karan Madhok

Harish Raghavan’s work is the first full-band application of Indian classical concepts in jazz that sound and feel natural. Dhani Muniz explores the band’s music and deconstructs Indian flavours in jazz.

Delhi-based artist Mocaine’s ambitious multi-disciplinary project The Birth of Billy Munro is a dark and nihilistic narrative of music, prose, and film. While an imperfect patchwork of borrowed inspirations, the culmination is still unlike anything else in the Indian indie scene. By Karan Madhok

Often called ‘The Indian Bob Dylan’, singer-songwriter Deepak Peace from Pune challenges and confronts listeners with contemporary political issues, turning music into a call for revolution. By Hunardeep Kaur

The music of the Kudiyas from Coorg (Karnataka) is a melodious celebration of the gift of the forests. Sravasti Datta explains how an artists’ collective is helping to promote the indigenous music and stories of tribes across the state.

Superpower 2020, the new album by Indian genre-bending artist Lifafa is an instant classic, a creative mishmash of techno and Bollywood classical, all packaged tightly in a musical vision of defiance, a satire of a national superpower gone wrong. - by Karan Madhok.

In their latest live release Grugs Are Dood, Mumbai band Punk on Toast present a melodic, controlled chaos, a politically-charged sound of young Indians in musical rebellion. - by Karan Madhok.

“We intend to only make people realise that they can only change themselves before changing the world.” Multilingual Indian hip hop crew Swadesi discuss their inspirations, their place in India’s music scene, and sparking a revolution through rap -by Karan Madhok.

The ‘magic of sound’ has an inherent healing power. Akhila Damodaran reports why many Indians are seeking music therapy to cope with the stress of a particularly painful year.

Kochi-based multilingual pop-folk band When Chai Met Toast discusses their first Hindi track, upcoming album and connecting with fans amid the pandemic - by Barkha Kumari

S.P. Balasubrahmanyam’s iconic voice and plethora of soundtracks marked the multilingual singer as one of the most essential artists of his time. Jamie Alter recalls the impact of the crossover artist in the Hindi film industry.

While India’s musicians take the show online, the unsung heroes of live shows—technicians, backstage coordinators, tentwallahs and more struggle to make their ends meet since the lockdown. Some in the events industry have united to give back. - by Barkha Kumari