With the party scene in the country getting bigger, the local DJs now have more sets to play for the pack than ever. By Jigyasu Joshi
This may be the biggest year yet for the Indian electronic music. Most of the leading international names have played to packed houses on our shores. However, the scene has recently been dominated by independent local producers looking to carve their own identities into the electronic music scene. With the party scene in the country getting bigger, the local DJs now have more sets to play for the pack then ever.
Anushka+Agent are no strangers to party institutions. Before they came together as a genre-defying duo, Anushka Menon and Smita Singh spent years on the other side of the console -organising, curating and attending gigs. The better-half of the duo Anushka+Agent, Smita Singh aka ‘Agent’ is also a designer, entrepreneur and co-founder of Magnetic Fields Festival. “I like calling myself ‘Agent’ as I’m doing so many things and it feels like all that work is going through me. I’m a channel to all my work. More or so like an agent. Hence, the name,” she said.
Although both of them excels in their respective roles behind the scenes, their transition to the spotlight was a natural progression. “We once met in a party and did a gig together, which we really enjoyed. So it was then we decided why not play together more,” said Smita. Talking about the stereotype of women being a DJ, she said that this profession is less about the music and more about the appearance when it comes to a female DJ. “It is unfortunate that this happens but with us it was a bit different. We mostly got the response for the music we played. But yes this stereotype prevails and it is unfortunate,” she said. Beyond the bass and beats that they play in their sets, they're into retro funk, hip-hop, R&B and all sorts of other genres. Sharing one incident when the duo was performing in Goa, Smita said, “Once we were performing in a club there, after some time we saw an old man who started dancing on our track. He kept on dancing as long as we played and at the end said that he didn’t understand the lyrics but still connected with what we were playing. It was the best feeling for me to hear that.”
Delhi-based DJ, Karanvir Singh aka Kerano is another ace in the deck of talent. He is not one to fuss over hitting number one on music streaming service Beatport’s progressive house chart. “I’m happy that the track was on the top but at the same time it makes me feel awkward that people were happy because it was an Indian DJs’ track. I don’t like labels as such,” said Kerano.
Adding about what he enjoys the most, he said, “I enjoy the music I create. And today when music has become so easily accessible and so quickly consumed, I want to create something that stays and not fade away quickly.” He believes that the country’s disc jockeys have the ability to make a splash internationally, provided we start to value homegrown talent. “We have very talented DJs in India. Their originals are just amazing. But we do a lot of comparison with the West. This should be stopped,” said Kerano. “I think that Budweiser with What’s Brewing is doing its bit to entitle the Indian artistes and that is encouraging for all of us as artistes,” he added. The DJ, who dabbles in progressive house have played at grand festivals like Sunburn and Enchanted Valley Carnival.
“We look for the right kind of vibe while playing a set. Mostly it depends on how energetic the crowd is. If the crowd is loud, we play louder,” chuckled Sunny Sharma from Progressive Brothers, an Indian electronic duo band from the capital. Sunny believes that being carefree and responsible at the same time is what youngsters do now. “It should be like this. Party hard but be responsible,” he added.
Performing at India’s biggest electronic music festivals like Sunburn and VH1 Supersonic, they believe that in India, music lovers are more into commercial or popular music tracks and enjoy less of other stuff. “For us, music is a language. If we connect with our listeners through the music we create, it’s the best as an artiste we can ask for.”
Progressive Brothers have shared the stage alongside the famous artistes like David Guetta, Tiesto and Martin Garrix and also have been named India’s Best Trance DJs for 2012-2013 by Myfavdj Awards.