With a rising economy comes an excess of money that people are willing to (and want to) spend on various things, one being events. Festivals, gigs and club nights are on the rise but as it’s such a new scene with little history, it seems the more commercial EDM style is the preferred taste – but that is not to say there isn’t demand for more underground sounds.
Commenting on the growing scene in India, Jaideep Signh from VH1 Supersonic states “Today’s youth are well aware of the developments in the global music scenario”. Signh is a very prominent Indian promoter, putting on some of the biggest festivals, club events and tours in the country, with some of his most recent work bringing Skrillex to India for the first time. “So, whilst commercial music still covers a major space when it comes to popularity, the underground music scene is also emerging with a strong fan following. The range of talent found in India in the form of independent artists, musicians and filmmakers is growing in India”.
The issue in India right now is that the demand outweighs delivery, with there being a shortage of media specialising in dance music. The mainstream media that already exists is reluctant to feature such music which in turn makes it hard for upcoming talent to have a platform to build on. “We at LIVE pull out all stops to ensure that we get some of the big names in the underground music space to satiate the musical cravings of many who yearn for that kind of that music”.
VH1 Supersonic festival takes place between the 27th and 30th of December in the popular western resort of Goa. The festival is in collaboration with Live Viacom 18 who do a vast amount of the organisation behind the festival. The lineup is very impressive and meets the needs of all tastes, with UK giants Disclosure headlining alongside Axwell & Ingrosso, plus other EDM acts such as Nervo and W&W. On the more underground side of things they have brought Drumcode head honcho Adam Beyer, along with Ida engberg, Joris Voorn, plus Defected hot property Franky Rizardo. They are also joined by Bart Skils, Don Diablo, UK hip-hop and later dubstep legends Foreign Beggars, Breed, Luigi Madonna, Nic Fanciulli, Paul Ritch, Kölsch and many more.
“The music festival offers music lovers an unparalleled, immersive experience coupled with great music across popular underground electronic music genres,” says Signh. “We have been working tirelessly to put together a fabulous lineup of artists who will draw lots of attention from the Indian audience”.
Signh, as well as making the festival a platform for India to see international artists, also wants it to be a breeding ground for domestic talent. With this in mind many of the support acts are from India. “There are a number of Indian artists and DJs who are doing exceedingly well but not necessarily known,” Signh reports, ”so, whilst they have their finger on the pulse in terms of music trends and developments, they lack exposure. The festivals that we curate at LIVE have a strong local focus, thereby creating a platform to nurture and promote some of India’s best DJs on the same stage as international artists.”
With the way the Indian economy is going, and in turn the dance music scene; with people like Signh leading the way and fuelling the fire, it only looks onwards and upwards for electronic music in India.
Rob Chadwick Jukebox PR
