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Krunk Live BassCamp /  by Aman Sridhar

I remember one thursday evening, I get a call from the guy who I'm usually in touch with over any gigs. 

He's the go to guy for any and all good underground music events in the city, and in many ways is the guy who's my closest contact through all the gigs I've done over the past year plus. 

Thursdays for me usually are brutal. I'm home late the night before after covering a Boxout Wednesday gig; usually back around 1:30-2:00 am. By the time I'm ready for bed it's 2:30. 

The next morning (Thursday), I'm up round 9, and out the door latest by 10. It's a struggle. I have a cup of coffee in hand, jump into the car and drive off for work. 

My day job is very different to my night one. In many ways, it's very ordinary, but when you're handling two or three different jobs like I often do, it's extremely taxing. 

Thursdays for me feel like fridays for everyone else. It's just a day I have to get through. Usually fridays are reserved for editing and the gym, both of which I can do on my own time. 

Regardless, it's a thursday night, and I get a call from this guy saying that there's an event that's looking for a photographer. I considered how tired I was. 

My face felt broken, I was wheezing from all the pollutants that I inhaled the night before, and my brain was barely functioning. 

But without a thought I said yes. 

Begrudgingly, I got into a taxi and went over to the venue, unable to imagine what the gig would be like and constantly worrying about how long it would be on for. 

As soon as I stepped in though, it felt like I had been reborn. I remember being at ease at the bar; I just had to play a waiting game. As soon as the drunk folk hit the dancefloor, I would swoop in unnoticed, do my thing, and then dip.

I'm like Batman of the club. 

The night turned out to be a lot of fun - music a lot heavier than my brain could handle - and I was able to swoop in and get some good shots. 

Working with Krunk was fun, and would definitely do it again...maybe, when I'm slightly better functioning, though. 

Check out the shots here - 

Boxout Wednesdays 049 /  by Aman Sridhar

As the 50th week of Boxout Wednesdays got closer, the crew at Boxout FM pulled out all the stops. 

There were some frighteningly good gigs around this time, and 49 was no different. Check out the shots below:

Boxout Wednesdays 048 /  by Aman Sridhar

I know I'm miles of my Boxout Wednesdays schedule, but here's the highlights from week 48. 

Weirdly enough, week 48 marked a huge turning point for me. It was my first Wednesday working with my new camera and it led to some phenomenal pictures. It allowed me to experiment with many different features including shooting without flash. 

Week 48 with Rohan Kale was an absolute monster, and is a week that will in my eyes be a turning point in shooting music gigs for me. 

Check out the pictures below - 

RedRoom Sessions /  by Aman Sridhar

The months of April and May were absolutely packed for me. Event after event popped up, and I was loving every second of it. 

In a way, it showed me that my technique and craft was improving, which led to more people in the industry hearing about me. It also re-confirmed to me that I do genuinely love the work. Shooting gigs and music is the closest I can get to that dream I used to have of being a musician/performer/rockstar. 

Shooting with RedRoom Sessions, India, was another one of those gigs that reaffirmed my passion for photography. 

During these months, it seemed like every gig I was getting was overlapping, and my collaboration with RedRoom was no different. 

It was scheduled for Saturday night, but I had a shoot earlier in the morning for a corporate event. 

I had to be really economical with my use of energy and time, which meant that when I got home after the first shoot, I couldn't waste any of my free time. 

I transferred the pictures, got in touch with my contact at RedRoom and let the rest of the day play out. 

Eventually, things turned out quite smoothly, and I got to listen to some kick ass techno that helped massage away the soreness of the day. 

Check out the pictures below.  

Sub-z Bassmndi 3.0 /  by Aman Sridhar

I was in the taxi on my way to the venue when I looked outside for the first time. It was unrecognizable. 

I was in the middle of nowhere. Broken down houses, burnt trash, unkempt shrubs all over. The cab guy pulls over and I get out. 

I have no idea where the fuck I am, and I'm certain, I'm going to get stabbed and robbed. 

Google maps points to this crack in the wall, through which I enter. Inside is a shady looking hotel/wedding hall. There's a few people in there and some food being cooked on the side. 

After saying my his to everyone, I step further in and set my stuff down. The next hour and a half has me waiting around like everyone else, hoping that sooner or later there's going to be a crowd that turns this place upside down. 

To be fair, once the music kicked in I couldn't think anymore. 

Bass so loud that every bone in your body vibrated. Beers flowing all over the place; behind the stage in the 'VIP' area, there were buckets of ice with beers overflowing onto the floor. On the dance floor, hot rocks from joints were flying around, ash and smoked filled the room as more and more took the term "lit" more and more literally. 

I've worked enough of these gigs at this point to know how to make myself invisible, work my way through the crowd, get the best shots and also deal with the crowd in a cordial manner. Taking pictures is my job, but I'll never do a good one if I'm not enjoying the music, and being completely free while doing it. 

That's what the Bassmndi did really well. Hour after hour flew by until I realized that it was close to 6 in the morning. I hadn't had much to drink, but I had another gig the same day in the afternoon and I had to sleep before that. 

Eventually I stumbled home and slept on the floor (I didn't have a bed), before I made my way to the next gig the next day. 

It was pure, adrenaline filled madness and it's something I will definitely be keen on covering again. 

Check out the pictures below.

(Click on the pictures for a full-size view)