India's evolving music landscape has caught the fancy of one too many International acts, so much so music fanatics here have had the opportunity of experiencing live shows of their favourite artistes ranging from Progressive Rock group Opeth and the gods of metal, Iron Maiden to R&B maestro Akon and Hip Hop star Pitbull. With chart-topping hits like “When Love Takes Over”, “Gettin Over You”, and “Sexy Bitch”, it's now the turn of Grammy Award-winning artiste/producer/DJ David Guetta to wow his Indian fans with his music.
Guetta will perform in India for the first time at the second edition of Eristoff Invasion which is set to be held in Delhi, Pune and Bangalore on March 9, 10 and 11 respectively. The festival is organised by Only Much Louder in partnership with UKNY Music, a leading UK-based music and events company in association with UTV Bindass. As he gets set for this tour, David Guetta speaks about his upcoming performance, his journey so far, music, sound, et al.
You're going to be headlining the Eristoff Invasion in India and it's your first time here. What are you expecting and looking forward to the most?
I have wanted to play in India for a long time; but it was just not possible with my recording and touring commitments. I have heard that my records have reached your shores before I have though. It's great that I'll also be able to perform live on my first visit. I'm really looking forward to bringing my music and festival to a new audience.
How did your tryst with music happen?
I have always been obsessed by music. When I was 12, there was ‘pirate radio' and it was the beginning of FM radio in France. At the time it was like club DJs who'd come in and mix music; it was the 80s and it was funk. There was no “directors of programmes”, it was just DJs playing what they liked and I went crazy for this. I had no one in my family who was a DJ or working in a club, and of course since it was ‘pirate radio', there was something forbidden, which was exciting to a teenager. You could almost compare the community that was interested in pirate radio to what the internet is today. I wanted to be able to mix like those guys, so I started to train everyday after school and then when I was 18, I discovered house music. It was the very beginning and I was one of the first DJs in France to play this kind of music. I went to London and saw Danny Rampling centre stage at Shoom; this changed my life.
Over the past few years you have segued from being a DJ to producing for other major artists. How challenging has it been to make that switch?
My mission was always to create a bigger platform for electronic music. I am one of the producers who represent this. My personal goal was for EDM to be as big and respected as hip-hop or rock and we have come a long way in the last few years.
Dance music is always evolving. How do you manage to always update your sound?
I'm working on many projects right now. I am always creating. I play Ibiza every week during the summer and am constantly touring. I make music as I travel. Your latest album saw you add a Rock flavour to dance music on some of the tracks. The great thing about my last album – “Nothing but the Beat”, is that it bridges the divide between electronic music in Europe and urban music from America. This album is something I'm very proud of and it's been very well received in both the urban and electronic worlds.
Tickets for the Bangalore gig are priced at Rs. 1,950. For further details visit >www.eristoffinvasion.in
