For homegrown music, a boost

Hyderabad: Frustrated by the demand for international artistes, a group of music enthusiasts, producers and technicians came together to create a platform for Indian talent, and more importantly, local ones. And, the city of Hyderabad was chosen to implement the plan this March and with a packed venue, Reset was a big hit.

Artiste management agency, UnMute, along with Hyderabad-based Phoenix Live, is now not only back with the second edition but is also planning to travel to other cities, Bengaluru, Chennai and Pune.

But the frustration wasn’t just limited to the “lack of opportunities for Indian artistes”. Artiste manager and director at UnMute Agency, Dev Bhatia, says, “We were fed up with the number of low-quality artistes who were being brought down for tours etc. only because they were ‘international’.”

What UnMute and Phoenix Live do is simple: Bring out the best of the local talent alongside the big national names. “The line-ups focus on techno for now and will feature DJs and producers from across India,” he adds.

Another highlight of Reset, for music fans, is top-notch sound quality, courtesy a Funktion 1 sound system. Reset is the only event in India which uses this sound system, currently in use by some of the world’s best clubs. “For best sound, we got in touch with Bharath Varma of Phoenix Live and his crew who helps us in acquiring the system for our shows,” says Dev.

And Varma, managing director, Phoenix Live, shares the same vision of promoting homegrown talent in an international setting. “Indian talent is just as good as any international artiste. Our forte as a company is producing events that are original, with exceptional production standards. And with Reset I think we’ve been able to do that. Hyderabad gave us the ideal venue to kick-start the process and we’re glad to bring it back,” he adds.

Popular city DJ Murthovic, who is part of the line-up, says that Reset is also a great way for artistes to mix skills.

“One gets to share the stage with various artistes from different backgrounds yet with similar pursuits. Hence, there is a lot of cross pollination of skills and ideas between individuals, which is beneficial for all the artistes involved.”