Spotlight on EDM

Saurabh Chadha

India’s flourishing Electronic Dance Music, aka EDM, traces back to the 1980s, beginning with a trance movement in the city of Goa. Since then, it has evolved upon a wider spectrum of club driven sounds and now rivals many of its European and American counterparts.

The music scene in India has never been this healthier with more and more international artists performing here. Several leading names have toured the country in the last few years, and the EDM scene has recently been dominated by independent releases from Indian talent, looking to carve their identities. With thousands of artistes building a name for themselves in the country’s local scene, a growing number of DJs and producers can now boast of fans all over the world.

The local acts represent an evolved music scene that promises to become an influential market for the global movement, including Anish Sood, KSHMR, Argenil, Arjun Vagale, DJ NYK, Shaan, Zaeden and Sound Avatar & Kerano. Delhi-based artiste Sartek has opened for international stalwarts like Martin Garrix and Paul Van Dyk at popular electronic music festivals. His internationally acclaimed Back to the Future was, in fact, premiered by stalwart French DJ David Guetta on his radio show. Another independent music artiste, Nucleya, put India on the world EDM map by enthralling music buffs at IIFA Stomp in Madrid.

A multi-dimensional music experience, EDM combines the most thrilling production and sound design that are known to overwhelm fans with its scale. In India, the genre has taken over and is now the main routine of millions of music lovers in a Bollywood-centric country. 

Interestingly, EDM explosion has also corresponded well with the growth of the Indian middle class and one of the world’s youngest populations. According to 2011 census, 140 million Indians are in the 15-35 years age group and an almost identical number between the ages of 25-49. To top it, the middle class in India has a 22.6 per cent share of the country’s wealth, with the higher middle-class share about 64 per cent of it. If you belong to this group, you are the perfect EDM audience and can afford one of the Sunburn, VH1 Supersonic or Enchanted Valley Carnival tickets ranging from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 20,000. Swedish House Mafia selling 18,000 tickets in Mumbai at a whooping premium of Rs 4,000 clearly explains the change.

For travellers and music lovers alike, this eclectic mix of music festivals whether on the beach, in the hills, under a banyan tree or inside a palace are worth travelling for. We’ve collected a small portion of these significant festivals, but to truly get a grasp of what they have to offer, experience it firsthand.

Sunburn

Sunburn, brainchild of Shailendra Singh, is India’s leading electronic music brand hosting Asia’s largest three-day electronic music festival in Goa, various city festivals, arena gigs and club tours across the country since 2007. Sunburn introduced Sunburn Arena in 2011 bringing some of the world’s best DJs like Afrojack, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, Dash Berlin, Armin Van Buuren, Krewella, etc. to India in an exhilarating arena format across all major cities. From a humble 2,000 attendees in its inaugural year, Sunburn grew 11-fold in 2009 with over 22,000 festival goers. Since then, Sunburn has transformed into an extravaganza of epic magnitude. Even the move from Goa to Pune hasn’t dented their efforts towards bringing in the tenth year with a monstrous line-up spanning over four days. Flea markets, camping, helicopter rides, yoga, ferris wheel rides and pretty much every activity you can think of is a part of the package. No wonder, CNN had ranked Sunburn as the 9th Best Festival in the World.

Magnetic Fields

A festival initiated by Abhimanyu Alsisar, the scion of the royalty of Alsisar in Rajasthan, Magnetic Fields has now become the country’s definitive EDM festival. Held in a 16th-century haveli in Rajasthan, this three-day celebration of music, food, art and bohemian spirit brings together some of the best Indian artists as well as sought-after international underground talent. It has featured artistes like Dream Koala, Monica Dogra, Dualist Inquiry, Nischay Parekh, Jiver, Curtain Blue, Bass Foundation Roots and others, but what really puts this festival on our list of must-attend music fests is the magnetic pull of the striking Alsisar Palace. Attendees can stay at the royal palace suites, which promise spectacular views and an old world charm or go in for a more earthy experience by staying in a tent. A vital part of the experience is the interactive art installations scattered throughout the festival grounds.

Supersonic

Music, surf and sand are the moto for this electronic music haven. Held in Goa, the festival is curated by Nikhil Chinapa, one of the headlining DJs in the country. The festival hosts some of the biggest DJs from across the world as well as the most influential names from India’s electronic music scene. A half decade in, it’s already had much success, thanks to a consistently incredible lineup, including Axwell, Zedd, Disclosure, Paul Van Dyk, Arjun Vagale, Ash Roy and Nervo among others. With nearly 2,00,000 revelers descending upon the beaches, this is a massive party that’s only certain to grow in acclaim. Grammy award winner Zedd is set to headline Vh1 Supersonic Pune 2017.

Electric Daisy Carnival

America’s biggest electronic music tour promoter, Insomniac Events, brought its flagship property, EDC to India, partnering with independent music agency Only Much Louder. Each area contained within the festival grounds represents a distinct union of technology and nature. In some places, fire rules absolute, and in others, the elements of air and water provide the inspiration. One of the biggest productions Indian fans have ever witnessed, at a scale that needed to be seen to be believed. Take the kineticFIELDS main stage for instance. Two incredibly large owls with personified faces are prepared to take flights next to a pensive looking cathedral. Its line-up is equally top-notch with EDM heavyweights like as Dutchmen Afrojack and R3hab, Alesso from Sweden and Steve Aoki from the US.

Sulafest

Sula Vineyard’s day-long annual wine and music festival in Nashik has become quite the draw for concert-starved folks. This two-day annual event is a mix of electronic music, Dubstep, Reggae and the likes with a dose of wine, fashion, leisure and enchantment. Sulafest’s first edition was held in 2008 to celebrate the wine company’s 10th harvest. Since then, the festival, with its colourful awnings, has consistently grown with performances by Midival Punditz, Pentagram, Jalebee Cartel and Something Relevant. 

Bass Camp

Founded in February 2010, Bass Camp is India’s first and only bass heavy electronic music festival, promoting cutting edge electronic music like dubstep, drum n bass, drumstep, glitch hop and much more. The festival has garnered a huge following in a short span of time and has covered all the major Indian cities.