Open Tracks
GQ India|October 2016

On the tropical island of Bali, Nidhi Gupta discovers a new way to holiday. Have you tried the make-cation yet?

Nidhi Gupta
Open Tracks

I think we have it,” exclaims Damian Saint, his nose stuck to the Mac screen, with a triumphant slam of the spacebar. “I might even sell this song!” It’s a summer afternoon in Bali, and W Seminyak’s music curator has taken it upon himself to squeeze some actual music out of us, a ragtag bunch of Asians and Australians who’ve signed up for his masterclass. We’re chilling inside the hotel’s brand new recording studio, the Sound Suite. Saint has handed us kalimbas, djembe drums, calungs, flutes. And instructed that we “just play with them” into a mic, one by one. Last up, he ordered me to the Monome – the 40H version – a milky white, minimalistic hardware controller. “Just hit some buttons, man,” Saint nudges.

“We keep complicating stuff,” Saint continues in his clipped British accent, as he chops, loops and stitches samples of all that we’ve recorded. “But it’s the really simple notes that always work. It gives you space to mix things up.” With some digital wizardry, courtesy Ableton – a nifty piece of software – all those isolated twangs and bangs come together and begin to sound like music. Part gamelan, part new-age electronica: Our song’s turned out pretty damn exotic.

The Sound Suite is a professional-level recording studio. Three rooms, one each to record, write and relax in, with soundproofed walls and graffiti throwbacks to a Seventies Coca-Cola ad campaign. The equipment is drool-worthy: Native Instruments gear, Moog synths, Pioneer turntables (the DJ-spinning kind), percussion and wind instruments of all kinds. But why is all this here, inside this swanky resort in Bali’s posh expat outpost?

Esta historia es de la edición October 2016 de GQ India.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición October 2016 de GQ India.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE GQ INDIAVer todo
The 30 Best Watches Of 2024
GQ India

The 30 Best Watches Of 2024

Rounding up the best shapes, materials, complications and sizes from this year's horological novelty treasure chest.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
October - November 2024
Wes Lang's Heroes of Love...
GQ India

Wes Lang's Heroes of Love...

Last month, LA-based artist Wes Lang unveiled The Black Paintings, a monumental series of works that play like storyboards to a raucous midnight horror movieand a spiritual quest. Here, GQ collaborates with the artist on a fashion story that brings his stylish characters off the canvas.

time-read
8 minutos  |
October - November 2024
The Miraculous Resurrection of Notre Dame
GQ India

The Miraculous Resurrection of Notre Dame

In 2019, a fire nearly destroyed the crown jewel of France-and the nation set a breakneck five-year deadline to bring it back from the ashes. This is the story of how an army of artisans turned back centuries to restore Notre-Dame by hand, and wound up reviving something even greater than the cathedral itself.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
October - November 2024
"IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING PERFECT. IT'S ABOUT BEING REVOLUTIONARY."
GQ India

"IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING PERFECT. IT'S ABOUT BEING REVOLUTIONARY."

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter talks business, legacy, art, and family

time-read
10+ minutos  |
October - November 2024
The Wedding Singers
GQ India

The Wedding Singers

Madboy Mink's dynamic duo, Saba Azad and Imaad Shah, redefine festive style.

time-read
5 minutos  |
October - November 2024
A Watch Is More Than Just a Pretty Face
GQ India

A Watch Is More Than Just a Pretty Face

As collectors look to make their grail watches stand out, they're turning to unique vintage bracelets and paying thousands on thousands for straps on the secondary market.

time-read
3 minutos  |
October - November 2024
The Fluidity of Cartier
GQ India

The Fluidity of Cartier

Why Gen Z stars are obsessed with this historic maison.

time-read
2 minutos  |
October - November 2024
A Princess with Passion
GQ India

A Princess with Passion

From restoring monuments to reviving hereditary crafts, Bhavnagar's Brijeshwari Kumari Gohil has her sights on the future.

time-read
6 minutos  |
October - November 2024
THE FUTURE SOUNDS LIKE AT EEZ
GQ India

THE FUTURE SOUNDS LIKE AT EEZ

The Coachella-slaying, multi-language-singing, genre-obliterating members of Ateez are quickly becoming load-bearing stars of our global pop universe.

time-read
10 minutos  |
August - September 2024
DEMNA UNMASKED
GQ India

DEMNA UNMASKED

He's the most influential designer of the past decade. He's also the most controversial. Now the creative director of Balenciaga is exploring a surprising source of inspiration: happiness. GQ's Samuel Hine witnesses the dawn of Demna's new era, in Paris, New York, and Shanghai. Photographs by Jason Nocito.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
August - September 2024