Sometimes you might see him making a sign to the DJ. Occasionally, however, you may catch him banging out the beats with just one hand, the other reaching out to the tangled mass of sweaty limbs and smiling faces below.

"Sometimes I play with only one hand... the other hand I reach out to the crowd. This is thanks to God's blessing," he said.

Maniam's beats are a union of East and West, old and new. They fuse the modern aesthetic of electronic dance music with the centuries-old tradition of tabla rhythms.

While his playing follows in the tradition of fusion artists like Ravi Shankar, it is also deeply rooted in spirituality, thanks in part to his training in classical Indian music. The origins of classical Indian music is usually traced back to the Vedas, a set of ancient Hindu writings that date from at around 2500 BC or earlier.

The Vedas contained, among other things, hymns that were sung or chanted. Over thousands of years, this practice evolved into classical Indian music as we know it today, characterised by instruments like the sitar and the tabla.

"The tabla was actually meant for playing spiritual music in temples as well as classical Indian music. It has been respected throughout the world as a musical instrument on its own.

"I started playing at the age of 16 learning classical Indian theory and practice. When I was young, I was already performing for TV stations and so on... my fame used to be among the Indians. I couldn't even go to Serangoon Road (home to large ethnic Indian community in Singapore) to eat a thosai in peace!" he said.

Soon, he was providing the beats to local artists like jazz singer Jacintha (famously divorced from composer and singer Dick Lee). This gradual embrace of popular Western music turned out to be his gateway to a world of self-indulgence, unbridled hedonism and loud, repetitive electronic beats.

"Nine years ago I did a show for Jacintha's album launch in Zouk. The boss saw me playing ethnic percussions like tablas and congas, so he said 'not bad ah, can play tabla with Western music and all'

"So the entertainment manager approached me and asked if I was interested in playing at Zouk. At first I refused... it wasn't my line, but later I decided to give it a shot.

"They called me in for an audition at 3pm on Friday with the boss, entertainment manager and (then-resident) Jon Yeo.

"So OKlah, I started playing.. after less than four minutes, I saw the DJ make a thumbs up to the manager. After that, they asked me to come back that night itself," he said.

These days, he shuttles between Bali, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore performing at various events and functions -  sometimes encountering over-enthusiastic fans.

"Jakarta is a wild place. The girls there... I tell you!" he said with a hearty laugh. "My shirt nearly koyak OK! One girl even came up to me and said she wanted to kidnap me. But I don't think my wife would be too happy with that.

"Nowadays, I can't even sit in Starbucks for a peaceful coffee. Once I was sitting there minding my own business when out of the corner of my eye i noticed some teenaged girls staring at me and pointing.

"Finally, one of them came up to me and asked 'are you the tabla man that plays in Zouk?'

"When I said yes, she let out a scream and all her friends rushed over to join her! I was so embarrassed," he said with obvious delight at this instance of 'Tablamania'.

Maniam was also a well-received guest at the last Regenerate party of 2002 in Cyberjaya, a series of events organised by his long-time associate, Gabriel Chong of Tempo event management. 

"Actually I had finished my set already, but then Gabriel started playing and I really couldn't stand it anymore! I wanted to jam so I went back on stage," he said. "The people at Regenerate were so happy... so I went all out for them,"

A true entertainer, Maniam feels most at home on stage beating out booty-shakin' rhythms on his trusty tabla, even though he is equally adept at playing Chinese, Malay, Arabic and African instruments and is a partner in an artiste management company.

"Frankly, I prefer to be on stage. That's where you can see the love of the people. Whenever I play, I just have to take a glance at the crowd, and I can see it," he said.

Again, he shows his spiritual understanding of music and performing: "Just lately, about a year and a half ago, I got the idea that I want to heal the people with my music. Bring them happiness. Fame is one thing, but the love the people have for you... you can't buy.

"I've never made a single mistake while playing. That is because of my guru's blessings. I'm not playing alone. Before I play, I always meditate. My guru moves my hand, I am just a puppet,"

Given this intense state of concentration, how does he work alongside a DJ?

"The DJ plays whatever he plays. I concentrate fully on him once I'm on stage. You can even bring Miss World in front of me in the nude!" he said.

Besides the Zouk residents he regularly plays with, Maniam also counts names like DJ Pippi, Paul Oakenfold and Sasha among those he has played a set with.

"All the DJs I've played with have their own style and mood. I have no complaints. I'm happy with all of them, but especially the Asian ones, because their music has an Asian flavour. The understanding and eye contact is there. Local DJs are my brothers, we came up the same way.

"Jon Yeo (now a resident at Milieu with another ex-Zouk DJ, Marvin Kam)is a good man. I clicked really well with him," he said.

Apparently, German trance merchant Paul van Dyk even asked Maniam to work on a track with him after a visit to Zouk one day.

With so many musical influences, what's does he listen to at home?

"I don't listen to house music at home... only in clubs. Now I'm listening to more Spanish and Mexican stuff, Latin stuff, and the latest Indian beats, like bhangra," he said.

Like his eclectic music tastes and hybrid beats, Maniam represents a fusion of tradition and cutting-edge modernity, combinations that reflect the multi-cultural identity of Singapore - and today's club culture.

  -joon, March 11 2003

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