In a city where dancing has been outlawed, it’s surprising that Electronic Dance Music has a huge fan following. From techno to house, electro, trance and more — the entire spectrum of the genre has become popular with Bengalureans. A fact proven by the number of international artistes like Nadia Ali, Dave Seaman, DJ Nymfo, Sander van Doorn and more, coming down to perform. We speak to party insiders about this trend.

According to Vivek “Phoenix” Suri, a popular EDM DJ, “Bengaluru is at the forefront of the EDM scene in India.” Phoenix, who plays in Goa and Bengaluru, adds, “In Goa the party scene is seasonal but here, there are always takers for EDM. As an artiste, I believe that’s not going to change, despite the dancing ban. EDM is here to stay.” “Queen of Clubs” Nadia Ali, who is best known for her single Rapture, says, “It’s good to see people embracing the whole electronic dance music culture.” The Grammy nominated singer/songwriter, performed in the city recently.

Though the dancing ban is a big turn off, it’s not going to kill the music scene, agrees Rafi Pasha of Plugg Fashion. He states, “Bengaluru has been getting pretty much all the international artistes who come to India because there is an audience for this genre. The rules certainly narrow down the options in terms of venues, but they won’t stop us having such events.” Rafi, who handles marketing for events like the Dave Seaman and Sander van Doorn parties, promises, “We have quite a few artistes coming down so there’s a lot more lined up for EDM fans.”

Event organiser and restaurateur Himesh Arora seconds him, saying “There is a whole new generation of EDM fans. It’s a pity that so few places in the city have a discotheque licence. Bengaluru is the laughing stock of the country because of this ridiculous law against dancing. EDM lovers may be a deprived lot but it’s a trend that’s only going to grow.”