Halloween is the day for partying, grooving to funky music and not taking umbrage when the make-up artist applies colours of her choice on your countenance. Thankfully, there is more to the pagan festival than visitors greeted by ghoulish characters, with one of them escorting them inside the dark scary interiors which makes them feel being in the middle of forest. Or trying exotic European delicacies and beverages, which make you gourmet and familiarise with cuisines of Celtic-speaking countries.
Now things are fast changing for the good. DJs are taking vacations abroad to master spooky music to give customers value for money. And not to be left behind imported costumes of witches, wizards are being obtained to give each visitor a frightening look.
DJ Sebastian stayed and mastered this genre in Berlin – the place famous for its dark underground music. The reason being, he wanted to give Delhiites a taste of the emerging genre. And he chose it because it is for mature audience, accustomed to visiting musical events. This means, giving Punjabi rock or a remix version a miss when he will perform at Pamphilos on October 31.
“People in Delhi have a fondness for Punjabi music but you cannot imagine ghosts listening to traditional folk music. Visitors would not be satisfied if we just concentrate on making the ambience and beverages look scary. They need the novelty factor and what is now slowly becoming a trend. Moreover, it adds to the vibes where people are dressed as apparitions. Techno, which is played at 110/120 beats per minute, has become a trend in the West and is now catching up here. It is supposed to give the listener suspense, a kind of creepy feeling. It is like the background music in horror films.”
Though people in Delhi enjoy listening to electronic dark music (EDM), Sebastian is desisting from playing it. “Every kid listens to EDM these days but it is loud and harsh. On the other hand, techno is subtle, minimalistic. Beats in techno are slower vis-a-vis EDM. And this is where it scores. The beats in techno are progressive. Normally, listeners get confused between the two. So, I will first play the slow music and gradually build the atmosphere for fast moving music which brings everyone on the dance floor.”
Like Sebastian, Zorawar of Reggae Rajahs stayed in the Caribbean for two months to fine-tuned his skills in Jamaican music instead of exploring breathtaking beaches. These West Indian islands have their own peculiar music which brings infuse fresh energy into listeners. “I have mastered Jamaican, Trinidadian music. Beach songs, which the people in the Caribbean specialise in, are slowly gaining popularity. The idea is to make people overcome their inhibitions and dance, ” says Zorawar.
Scary look
Meanwhile, stylist Devika Bhargav has derived inspiration from “American Horror Story”, a popular anthology famous for its varied scary characters, a witch coven, a house with a murderous past and an insane asylum. Devika’s job is to decide the look of each visitor to Tabula Beach Cafe. The makeup will be gory and scary with blood and wounds. . The costumes and makeup at the event will be according to characters of the series.” Models representing the characters will take over, the moment the guest is welcomed by bellboy, sporting a horror look. “So we are importing make-up material and false teeth from London. Colours would be white, black, red and green, all of them skin-friendly,” informs Devika.
