He's done it over and over again, but Salim Merchant still describes the experience of hopping aboard the stage as one that's as enthralling as it is for "a young boy to head to a birthday party".

Means to consume music, the composer admits, are ample in this day and age, yet, few enable listeners to "experience" it. "What we [along with his musician brother Suleiman] create is a feeling that the audience can retain. We know what listeners want because we've experienced a variety of audiences, including those at colleges, private events, stadiums and concerts," he says. Evidently then, we seek to understand what goes behind creating the gigs that almost always play to packed rooms.