‘Easy Wanderlings’ suggests breezy, carefree abundance. The name captures the spirit of the band’s music and its members. It’s no surprise that the music band has found resonance among listeners across age groups and backgrounds. Touted as one of India’s most exciting bands, their musical journey began with ‘The Most Promising Debut of 2017’ award by A Humming Heart. It then won Best Independent Song Recording – IRRA (Indian Recording Arts Academy) Awards 2018, and Chill Song of the Year – VIMA Music Award 2019, to live up to the promise. IRRA 2020 Runner Up award for the song Madeline further cemented Easy Wanderlings’ position. Malay Vadalkar, the band’s sound designer and bass guitarist talks about the growth of Easy Wanderlings, plans for the future, and how FLAME is the common thread connecting most of the band’s members.
If curiosity is the key to excellence in an artistic pursuit, then the seeds for this highly passionate and now successful endeavor were sown at the campus of FLAME. It makes Malay exclaim, ‘Thank God for FLAME!’. We realize that it’s the place where most of the members of the music band came together. But what is the role of the university in their journey beyond it? ‘The most important lesson learned at FLAME: you should always try to know more. It encouraged me to learn more. I learned to play tennis, and drums on campus. I could also become a better guitarist while studying there,’ he shares. While pursuing BBA – Film / Cinema / Video Studies at FLAME, he also learned the art of film-making, which helped him set up his Sound Design studio later.
Malay attributes his love for cinema to the foundation laid at FLAME. It was on the encouragement of his faculty members at FLAME that he enrolled with Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute to pursue his passion. He hasn’t looked back since blending his love for music, movies, and technology in different forms. He has worked as Freelance Sound Designer at Ultrahuman, a wellness app, where he experimented with 3D sounds. His credits include YouTube shows Yogalates with Rashmi and Artup with Suniti. Meanwhile, he has also set up his media firm Ca Li aC Productions, and teaches sound design for fiction and non-fiction films.
According to Malay, his multifaceted career is the result of the opportunity to explore diverse career paths at FLAME. It not only allowed him to work out the next steps of his musical journey but also honed his varied interests. He believes destiny played its part by putting the band members in each other’s path on the campus. Prod him deeper about what makes Easy Wanderlings tick, and he says, ‘There is no secret formula or recipe to succeed in this industry. You just have to keep coming up with good content and, most importantly, believe in yourself. It is very easy to get demotivated as one does not see the results immediately. But you just have to keep at it.’
Easy Wanderlings has come a long way already, and Malay informs us that the band has big plans. ‘We always have big goals and we work towards them, irrespective of whether we achieve them or not. Right now we want to release as much quality music as possible. Once you have good content, everything else follows,’ he shares. Besides working with the band, he produces music for other artists who need professional help. He has already worked with several Indie artists as a producer/engineer. To promote the Indie music scene, he has resolved to produce one artist every year without charging them anything. Music is clearly where his heart lies. But he is equally comfortable talking about AI and Blockchain Technology, and their role in his industry. Now that’s a management-trained musician for you!