Over the course of the next few posts, we will explore the independent music scene in Mumbai, specific to electronica, touching upon the various elements that make it what it is including the artists, the live spaces and the brands/labels/media involved.
As a genre of live, and even recorded music, represented predominantly in English, electronica perhaps finds the most takers in Mumbai. Over the last decade, a large number of establishments have been opened all across the city that feature regular live DJ nights. Socialising in Mumbai often means heading to one of these pubs/clubs/discos to have a drink and enjoy some live electronic music. The situation however, is perhaps best summed up by this quote from an interview with Varkey Pandit, head of international labels at Times Music (a record company), in TimeOut Mumbai.
“People like this kind of music and the response in clubs is phenomenal. But ironically they don’t know what is playing or who is playing.”
While it is true that a majority of electronica listeners are unaware of the specifics of the sound, the genre has perhaps the most vibrant sub-culture in the city. This is also due to the fact that, by definition, the genre is technology dependent. Therefore, anyone can create remixes or new sounds right from the comfort of their homes and the tools on their computers. Bedroom DJs are a growing phenomenon in the city, and more skilled professionals find it easy to take their work to a live setting as there are a variety of venues open to electronica.
Contemporary electronic acts very often make use of Bollywood samples in their music. For one, this endears them to their audience, while at international events, it makes them seem kitschy. Which is not to say that their music is an exercise in pretension; just that Bollywood easily finds its place in electronica.
Some of the prominent electronic acts in the city are listed below.
Bhavishyavani Future Soundz
BFS is one of Mumbai’s oldest electronic acts. Though they broke through only in the mid-‘00s they have been around since the ‘90s spinning beats at venues both large and small. They have grown from being just a couple of DJs, to a collective that now includes French DJs as well. The band is known for their energetic live sets and their kitschy artwork. The artwork is a take on pop culture in India that has its own unique style and sets the band apart. The collective has successfully performed in venues outside the country as well, and are Mumbai’s answer to New Delhi’s popular electronic act Jalebee Cartel.
(some of the bands flyers and art)
DJ Nikhil & DJ Pearl
DJ Nikhil is the nomenclature assumed by MTV India VJ Nikhil Chinappa when he gets behind a sound console. Chinappa was not always a DJ, but started playing parties sometime in the early ‘00s. His status as a popular VJ helped him score bigger gigs and by the mid-‘00s he became one of the most wanted DJs in the country. DJ Pearl, his wife, has had a far more ‘orthodox’ upbringing in electronica. A regular clubber, she started spinning at small functions and soon honed her skill. She is today one of India’s top DJs purely on the basis of merit and has a massive following in Mumbai and the rest of the country.
Medusa
Medusa used to be a progressive rock band in the mid –‘00s. Their lineup, then vastly different than what it is now, even independently produced and released an EP titled, ironically, Survival of The Fittest. After that, the lineup got an overhaul and the band was stripped down to a three member act. Soon the band started using electronic loops and a MIDI player at gigs. They began carving a niche for themselves playing live shows that featured healthy doses of electro-rock. In 2008, legendary British producer John Leckie (Radiohead, The Stone Roses) selected them as one of four Indian acts who would have the opportunity to spend three days (each) in a recording studio with him. The activity was part of a British Council project titled Soundpad which will see these four artists also play in the UK in 2009.
(Medusa in studio with John Leckie)
Func International
Func International is the pseudonym of Randolph Correia. Correia is also part of two of India’s biggest bands – Pentagram and Shaa’ir + Func. He started Func Internatonal in the mid-‘00s spinning DJ sets at local clubs in Mumbai. As the popularity of the acts he was associated with grew, Func International too began to take off. Correia is one of the most entrepreneurial musicians in the country. He has played several international shows taking his brand of dub-funk-house to people across the globe.
FUNCinternational LIVE@ZENZI, OCT,2005. LINE
(Func live at Zenzi, a club in Mumbai)