The Mayan End of the World Year saw a whole host of new things coming to picture on the Electronica music front in the country. Intrinsically connected with the nightlife, clubs and dance music culture Electronic music which encompasses a whole gamut of styles wherein there exist sub style in some, is becoming more organized, professional and good music is being released too making helping to balance against the counter mechanism of commercialization.
A whole range of new artists have come to limelight this year on the electronic front. Those who made it big last year still continue to present what they know to present best with the same support they enjoyed and more. India this year officially got a place on the Electronica world map with industry bigwigs from House, Electronica, Techno, Psychedelic Trance making an appearance in the country. What has brought about this change one can only guess. The fans of these virtuosos got what they could dreams of.
Even indian origin producers/djs are beginning to find the love and respect they deserve. Bandish Projekt, Nucleya, Dualist Inquiry, BBC, B.L.O.T, Sandunes, Hydropanic are some of the artists that caught attention this year. Psytrance Circuit saw a number of label coming up in the country namely Vantara Vichitra Recs. , Tribal Mutant Recs. and Jatadharya Recs. catering not only to music but also organization of events, decor and other related activities.
CDs does anyone buy them anymore. With the number of releases going up, it is likely that releases today would not hit massive record sales as they have historically. However, the opening of new avenues like bandcamp and flipkart has provided some relief at least to lesser known labels and independent artists to also be able to get providence for their efforts.
This year has been festival galore for various music styles. The major music festivals working on previous success have raised the bar of what music festivals in India could offer. The festivals have provided a platform mainly for Electronica musicians/producers to play their music in different setting allowing audiences to gain different experiences from the music which has otherwise been mainly locked to the club/pub/discotheque circuit. Remote locations are growingly being accepted and even celebrated by the music loving audience. Locations such as Coorg, North-east India and Rajasthan have been pinned on the map this year for possible party locations.
Nightlife in the country continued to remain in turmoil this year. It is unfortunate that many officials and media use events as a target board for gaining temporary success in their respective careers without considering the consequences of their actions on the entertainment industry as a whole. Except for crippling rules and regulation of various government based authorities, things have got a better in some cities and towns. Bangalore even though having strict regulations in place when it came to night time partying, has seen a hoard of events this year. Pune is becoming increasing popular for events. Various new venues have come up in various cities catering to events. It is hope that this encourages other venue owners to be more aesthetically considerate.
A number of internet radio stations too have been initiated this year catering only to electronic music. www.tenzi.fm is one such radio station. Various such initiatives are trying to showcase the beauty of Electronica and make it more accessible.
The buildup of niches is another phenomenon seen this year. Considering the magnanimity of the mainstream be it via Indian pop or bollywood, it is very difficult for there to be a parallel scene that works along similar lines at least when it comes to sponsorship, promotion and audience reach. A number of small groups have been getting together to build and support certain scenes that are dear to them. The ability of such groups to do this effectively (Ctrl Alt Del) has been a highlight of the year. Also however, many of the Indian youth have been bombarded with a whole bunch of Electronica which evolved in the west for over half a century, Such bombardment has made many stick to their specific styles rather than exploration of the variety out there.
Production quality of music has become top notch in the country. Many producers have undergone certified training to make this happen while some artists choose to outsource their material to international mastering studios. One expects the scene only to grow from here, it would be interesting to see how and which styles will rise to prominence. Currently in Electronica, House music dominates most of the nightclubs with Dubstep and Techno trying to get there. Psychedelic Trance has always been a fifty-fifty scene when it comes to love for the genre. A number of successful events has made the scene look a little less grim for those involved.
As we reach 2013, Electronica is likely to be part of any music junkie’s playlist. It is hoped that the regulators would lift some rules to support the movement and have better quality music.
