Ever danced till you couldn’t feel your feet anymore? Prepare for one such affair this afternoon as India’s largest travelling electronic dance music showcase cruises to namma city! Bursting with both budding underground DJs like The Sine Painter, Shash & Chaz and seasoned producers like Pearl and Praveen Achary from Bengaluru, RESET is going to be nothing but the beat and celebrating our very own, homegrown talent at a star hotel today.
In a climate where music festivals are locking horns to bring in the hottest international act to headline them, this homespun extravaganza comes as a breath of fresh air. “There’s nothing wrong with international acts headlining it, but Indian acts are on the list as a support system. We have enough and probably more talent within our country who deserve the right platform to present their sound,” says 28-year-old Praveen Achary, a popular name on the city circuit who juggles many musical hats, pushing the boundaries of progressive, deep, tech house and techno music. With artistes believing that the EDM wave hit the city hard, this edition organised by UnMute and Phoenix Live will see performances by the prolific Arjun Vagale, Kohra, Blot!, Murthovic;Oozeundat, SHFT, Pearl and local favourites – Vinayak^a, Gokul, Praveen Achary, Shash & Chaz, Audio Units and The Sine Painter.
Aside of the sound system — Funktion One, what these artistes are kicked about is how, “It’s a fantastic opportunity for all of us to go out of our comfort zones in terms of sound. It also brings a great sense of unity amongst the fraternity and a sense of cohesiveness amongst the artistes’ fans,” say the house and techno duo Ashwin and Ashrith Babu Rao aka Audio Units. The house and techno duo Shash & Chaz agree. “The idea of artistes playing B2B in such a showcase is quite fascinating, as it aims to infuse the artistes’ different musical styles. This brings about a new edge and dynamic to the entire performance.”
While those like DJ Pearl know their way around the decks, what’s inspiring the newer breed to take to EDM is people their own age spinning some solid tunes. Take 23-year-old Jayanth Ramachandra aka The Sine Painter for instance. Having recently been chosen to represent the country at the prestigious Red Bull Music Academy in Paris, he believes that if your art is good, heads will turn. “I like how the DJ contest wasn’t reduced to a voting and popularity contest but was actually based on talent and musical awareness of the participants,” he says about JAJA and 17-year-old Deep Obnoxious – two city artistes who have won a chance to share the stage and play alongside some of their main influences. With this, “Great things are happening in the underground scene here in India and we feel it’s only a matter of time before India takes its place on that map!” say Shash & Chaz.
