Unbound: How Sanjeev T embraces the raw energy of live music on his new album 'Comfortably Dumb'

Sanjeev T’s Comfortably Dumb, releasing on September 8, brings together two ideas that have shaped his career: independent music and the creative energy of playing with other people. Recorded live at Aura Studios, Chennai, the album brings musicians into the same room, giving them space to listen, respond and retain the spontaneity of a live performance. At its heart is a belief in human connection, trust and what happens when musicians are fully present with one another.

That idea can be traced back to Rainbow Bridge, the Chennai studio and music collective Sanjeev founded in 2004. It grew into a space where musicians and artists could work together across genres, becoming an important part of his development as a guitarist, composer and producer.

In 2005, an unexpected call from A.R. Rahman changed the scale of his career. Recommended by Sindhu, an engineer at Rahman’s studio and a friend of Sanjeev’s, he was invited to play guitar on “Vote for the Taj Mahal”. Sanjeev went to the studio the following morning, beginning a decade-long association that saw him tour internationally as Rahman’s lead guitarist and contribute to films including Delhi-6, Rockstar and Endhiran.

His independent work continued alongside these experiences. He released Freewill in 2012, Epic Shit in 2013 and St. in 2018, while also working across composition, production and playback singing in South Indian cinema. Sid Sriram, with whom Sanjeev has worked across recordings and live performances, joins him again on Comfortably Dumb.

The album features Tapass Naresh, Laxman Arvind, Kenneth Gerald and Amith Venkataramaiah, with guests including Sid Sriram, Baiju Dharmajan, Rithu Vysakh and Mylai Karthikeyan.

Comfortably Dumb arrives at a time when music can be created, edited and consumed without people sharing the same physical space. Sanjeev’s answer is a record that makes room for listening, instinct and human presence in full. Its imperfections are part of its point. The album asks what music can retain when musicians give each other the freedom to simply play together.

Catch Sanjeev T live at The Humming Tree, Bengaluru, on September 5 for the album launch.