Baalti - MELB - Howler

Astral People & Kerfew Presents...
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Baalti
February 1, 2026 - Melbourne - Howler
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Baalti arrive in Australia following a rapid ascent built on rhythm, pressure and deep listening.

Over the past few years, the San Francisco–based DJ & producer duo have carved out a singular space in contemporary club music, reframing Indian-laced house and UK bass through a distinctly South Asian lens. Their sound functions as a cultural mosaic, connecting the physicality of global sound system traditions with the forward momentum of modern club music.

While studying Dek Bass — music made for West Bengal sound systems — the extremity and raw force of the sound left a lasting impression. That influence now sits at the core of Baalti’s work: bass-heavy, groove-driven and rhythmically dense, reimagining familiar found sounds into abstract, floor-ready forms. There’s an organic looseness to their productions, an unassuming rawness that lets rhythm lead and culture speak without overstatement. Functional yet emotional, rooted yet restless.

Their latest EP, Mela (2025), released via Steel City Dance Discs, takes its name from the Hindi word for “festival” — a place of gathering. The record distils Baalti’s ethos: communal energy, percussive movement and an openness that invites connection on the dancefloor. It follows a growing catalogue of standout releases that have earned co-signs from Ahadadream, Nikki Nair, DJ ADHD, Chloé Robinson, TSVI, Tom VR, Maribou State, Jamz Supernova and Sarah Story.

Baalti’s rise has been mirrored across stages and airwaves worldwide. Festival appearances at Glastonbury, Dialled In and MELT have sat alongside sets on NTS, Rinse FM, The Lot Radio, Beats In Space, Kiosk Radio and Refuge Worldwide. In 2025, they supported Disclosure on their North American tour, shared stages with Four Tet, and continued to build community through their own event series, Baalti & Friends.

Known for their driving, high-impact sets, Baalti bring a vault of unreleased originals into every performance — many already familiar through constant ID requests. Their music is tactile and physical, shaped by sound systems and lived dancefloors, carrying a deep sense of shared experience.

Presented in collaboration with South Asian creative collective Kerfew, the tour is shaped with intention. The support lineups are carefully chosen to sit within Baalti’s world, amplifying its rhythm, weight and cultural resonance, so each night unfolds as a shared experience rather than a standalone moment.

With Mela as the foundation, Baalti’s Australian debut invites audiences into a space where bass, rhythm and cultural memory move together.
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We pay our respects to the Turrbal & Yuggera people, and acknowledge their custodianship of these lands and waters; their culture and language; and their elders – past, present and emerging.