Glass Beams

Glass Beams

Glass Beams are a Melbourne group active since 2021 and centred on Rajan Silva. Their music draws on a cross-cultural mix of influences, shaped in part by Silva’s childhood memories of his father’s record collection and by watching the 2002 tribute concert Concert for George, which brought together Western rock figures and Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar. That intersection of styles becomes a key part of the group’s self-produced work.

Style and influences

The group’s sound combines Western musical forms with traditional Indian music, alongside elements associated with psychedelic rock, neo-psychedelia, folk, instrumental music and funk. The reference points named in their background include Indian artists such as R.D. Burman, Ananda Shankar, and Kalyanji-Anandji, as well as blues musicians B.B. King and Muddy Waters and Bollywood vocalists including Asha Bhosle and the Mangeshkar family.

Releases and reception

Their debut EP, Mirage, appears in 2021 and brings them wider attention through social media, streaming and word of mouth. Vinyl copies sell through quickly through record store support. The group then performs the Mirage material live, often adding around 20 minutes of unreleased music, and early clips of those performances circulate widely online. A later record titled Mahal follows from music recorded at their home studio after touring.

Recording and presentation

Glass Beams present their work as a blend of live instrumentation and DIY electronica, and their visual presentation is described as part of the act’s identity. The project is issued on Research Records.