The very mention of Electronic Dance Music, better known by its abbreviation EDM, brings to mind a club or fest with disco lights, thumping music, and revelling dancers. Many will swear by it saying it’s the best way to unwind. And the popular music genre took Bengaluru by storm last year with every music festival and venue dedicating time and space for the sound Bengalureans had embraced so willingly. However, has time changed? Have we reduced it to just another genre in a city riddled with everyday music ventures? Has our love for the bass drops, energy and dance groves dumbed down? MetroPlus finds out.
What started with the ‘Goa Trance’ after the hippie era taken up by native music lovers who created the new genre influenced mainly by EBM (Electronic Body Music), Bengaluru specifically emerged as the EDM base in the early 2000s with a growing number of club gigs, open air events and agencies booking international artistes to perform.
Sumukh Mysore aka DJ Smokey the Ghost says: “In my perspective, EDM did take over the music loving crowd in the city extensively. The recent Skrillex and Above And Beyond concerts are proof of that since packed audiences turned up at the venues. The crowd is genuinely appreciative here.
In fact, Bengaluru has been the cradle of dance music for the last 20 years with the music scene setting a benchmark for the rest of the country to follow.” However, he admits that in recent days, there has been a decline in the number of EDM concerts and its hype has decreased.
Vishal Gaikwad, a DJ teaching in Beat Sensation explains: “What is ruining EDM is the fact that a number of ghost producers are being hired to write music. So they end up penning music and lyrics that some other artistes perform. There is a growing trend to mix-and-match, which decreases the pleasure of hearing them. There is also a clear lack of originality nowadays that adds to the crisis.”
DJ Ivan, with a career spanning over 20 years, has seen plenty of changes in the genre “EDM is shifting more towards house music. It used to be lot of big room music which was quite noisy, but now it is shifting towards a soulful and melodic vibe. So EDM is definitely going through a change and obviously, this has contrasting effects on the audience’s reception.”
He admits: “EDM is already on its way down and evolving into something else. It is definitely not the biggest, at the moment, for sure. It will mutate into something else but definitely will not be as big as it was.”
Several music lovers in the city point out that EDM’s over-commercialisation and the West’s influence are the major reasons for its downfall. “The choices we make on what we listen to keep changing with the influence of fresh sounds and technology. We can attribute that fact to the DNA of dance music,” believes Abhishek Mathew, a former EDM devotee who has transited to progressive rock now. “With the confluence of so many music styles and technology, music lovers in Bengaluru have so much to choose from. Traditional dance music forms like reggae, with its Jamaican roots, is among many new styles the youth are picking up,” says Anurag Bharadwaz, a student and follower of various genres.
‘EDM will bounce back’
On the bright side, Nikhil Chinapa, who is credited to be the pioneer of EDM in India, says: “People end up listening to something new that eventually pushes EDM back underground. However, traditionally, that has always been good for dance music. I have seen dance music’s downfall on two occasions in my life. It just won’t stay down and bounces right back!” In reality, EDM hasn’t taken over anything, he adds. “The numerous college students that make up the bulk of Bengaluru’s nightlife and music scene have ensured that the city has space for all genres of music. We have deep house, rock, indie music, hip-hop, bass music among several others. The scene is just getting bigger every day.”
Popular EDM city acts
Nikhil Chinapa, the frontrunner of EDM in the country
DJ Ivan, the foremost names in the industry
Thermal Projekt, ranked #1 in the city
DJ Vishnu, a popular club entertainer
DJ Swing, the official Storm Festival DJ
DJ Vilas, resident DJ at a host of venues
Genres it has morphed into
Pop
A lot of typical EDM is getting pop-oriented and the crowd seems to love it, which is evident in a range of recent music awards. The trend is still evolving.
Drum and Bass
Also called hard metal with measured BPM (Beats Per Minute) 174 is also blending into EDM
