In an age where algorithms dictate what we listen to and how we feel, a group of Delhi musicians has carved a rebellious space with India’s first free improvisation orchestra — creating spontaneous music that can’t be replicated or packaged.

Anirban Ghosh of the Dilli Improvisers Orchestra (DIO) says their aim is simple: to break the rules of music itself.

The ensemble took shape in 2024 after a five-day free-improvisation residency that focused on forms that exist outside traditional structures of genre or notation in Delhi by W.I.P Labs. It was mentored by saxophonist Raymond MacDonald of the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra.

The workshop brought together musicians from varied traditions — classical, experimental, electronic, and folk. The residency culminated in August 2024 with a three-day debut performance at Delhi’s Khirki. “After the initial performance, we thought of turning it into an ensemble — India’s first free improvisation orchestra in South Asia,” says Ghosh.

Now, with a new core team, the group is preparing for its performance at the city’s Max Mueller Bhawan, following a residency and show in Dharamshala this November. The current lineup features Ghosh on bass and electronics, Vaibhav Batra on modular synth, Rahul Singh on noise box and sampling, Abhinay Khoparzi on code and electronics, Dhruv Samrat on synth and vocals, Agambir Singh on modular synth, and Pranay Verma on guitar and noise.

Breaking the score

DIO defies traditional expectations of what an “orchestra” should sound like. While MacDonald becomes the conductor, the lineup looks nothing like a classical ensemble. “We’re not rejecting tradition, but pushing boundaries without confining ourselves,” Ghosh clarifies. “We follow some rules from orchestras, like creating sections for range and balance. But we’re constantly rewriting what those sections mean.”

While the word improvisation may evoke images of New Orleans jazz clubs, Ghosh points out that the practice is deeply rooted in South Asian music traditions. “We’ve always done structured improvisation. In Hindustani music, for example, you still stay within the framework of a raga. But free improvisation is different — it doesn’t follow any genre or set of rules. It’s not about perfection; it’s about process,” he says.

For Ghosh, free improvisation is also “liberating” — a way to move beyond the rigidity that often defines music spaces. “We get trapped in genres and forms while making or enjoying music,” he says. “The larger philosophy of improvisation is to live in the moment. Whatever we create exists only in that moment — it will never be repeated. This approach frees both musicians and audiences — every performance is something new, fresh, and original.”

As a multidisciplinary artist who has worked on puppetry, composing and sound design, Ghosh says the process involves unlearning everything one knows. “Everything I knew about music had to go,” he says. “It’s like learning a new language — you unlearn to build a new vocabulary of sound.”

Anti-algorithm

In a world where Spotify algorithms and Instagram trends dictate what we listen to, Ghosh sees DIO as resistance against what he calls “the McDonaldisation of music”. “Algorithms homogenise everything. They tell you what’s popular based on old data — six months ago, a certain sound worked, so now everyone is told to make that sound. But by then, culture has already moved on,” he notes.

For Ghosh, improvisation is the antithesis of that. “AI isn’t creating music but hallucinating. It’s remixing what already exists. But what happens when there’s no library left to draw from? AI can’t create something from nothing. We can. Every show is new. There’s no past data, no reference point, no prediction possible. We don’t know what will happen. It’s completely off the grid.”

Music for everyone

One of DIO’s striking goals is to take their experimental sound beyond elite city spaces. Their recent performances working with Jagori NGO in Dharamshala brought their work to an entirely new audience. “We performed for children who had never seen a modular synth before. But they were glued to the music,” says Ghosh. “One woman told me she just closed her eyes and the music transported her. That’s the magic. You don’t have to understand the form — you just have to listen.”

For Ghosh, that accessibility is crucial. He’s clear that DIO doesn’t want to be confined to “elite urban spaces.” “Experimental art is often trapped in galleries and city clubs. But everyone can experience music. You just have to close your eyes and listen. We want to take this to Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns — to people who’ve never heard this kind of sound before. Hopefully, artists from those regions too will become part of the orchestra.”

Alongside their Delhi performance, the ensemble is also preparing to fly to Scotland to take stage at the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra Festival later in November. The group also plans to open more residencies and workshops for those interested in exploring their instruments beyond traditional limits. “We want to build a larger ecosystem through more residencies,” says Ghosh. “This isn’t outcome-driven — it’s about process. Many who’ve attended go back completely rewired.”

The Dilli Improvisers Orchestra will perform at Max Mueller Bhavan, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, on November 8 at 7 pm

(Written by Aditi Reena Ajith of The New Indian Express)