This weekend Indias biggest metropole Mumbai will experience A Day of sLick! with international artists like Jeremy Olander, Nora En Pure, Magdalena and several of the best upcoming talents and superstars of the Indian dance music scene. The day long affair promises back to back Dj sets going well in to night time sessions, in a non stop breath-taking showcase slated to be held at two of the best party spots of India, the Blue Frog and Cafe Zoe
If you think of India you probably have thousand other things in mind. You think about Bollywood, spicy food, travelling and Goa. But the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people has a scene on the rise. The scene has grown significantly over the last few years, spanning from commercial to exciting underground efforts and attracts a wide scope of international artists. Amsterdam’s very own Bram Fidder even did a tour across the country this year.
After having mini festival appearance in cities such as Bangalore and Pune, sLick! is now ready to take over Mumbai with their flagship event. India’s biggest city with its natural flamboyance, energy and multiculturalism sounds like it’s the perfect metropolis for this concept. sLick! is known for being pioneers in the indian House and Techno scene and already hosted other big names like Guy J, Dubfire, Pleasurekraft, James Zabiela and John Digweed. This time Jeremy Olander, Nora En Pure, Magdalena and many well known and talented names of the Indian scene will guarantee a good Saturday.
With the Blue Frog, often recalled as one of the best live music and party venues and the Cafe Zoe, the festival found a spot in one of the biggest metropolis of the world. Both venues are located in one of the most cosmopolitan neighborhoods of the city, which supports the approach of being a premier contemporary music show-case with an artistic concept.
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We shot some questions in the way of the organizers to get to know them a little better, and even found out that they have had two sLick! showcases during ADE in the last two years.
How should I see the Blue Frog and Cafe Zoe in this? Are these the two spots where the festival is taking place or are they co-hosting and is there a separate festival grounds?
Blue Frog & Cafe Zoe are 2 of the hippest spots in Mumbai. Blue frog since it’s inception has been the prime hunting ground for major dance music gigs and is a foremost name when it comes to clubbing brands in India. Cafe Zoe, which is right next to the Frog as we call it, is a gorgeous all day restaurant and cafe with delicious food. However we are turning it into a raging rave venue for this event, which will be a first for them too.
Even though the city is huge, is there a close network of influentials, artists etcetera in its underground dance music scene, much like you’d see in Berlin or Amsterdam for instance?
That is correct. For example I started sLick! 4 years back when most people were doing the same old mainstream sounds. As a party goes I was bored. And I had a lot of friends who wanted to experience something new. In the Begining there were very few if us but now a lot of new promoters are pushing the underground it’s great to see that. Nowhere close to Berlin or Amsterdam but slowly and surely we are getting there. The bots is being driven by the right captains for sure.
Regarding the upcoming event, did you book international artists with the eye of introducing visitors to new artists from abroad, or are these names, like Uner, already widely known by the clubbing crowd in Mumbai?
No, we always always look at introducing new talent to india. Whole point of sLick!cis to introduce our crowd to newer sounds. sLick! In it’s early days – we used to do a lot more progressive house and techno – such as tours with John Digweed and a debut tour for Dubfire to name a few. Slowly since our reach and support from the crowd grows – we are in a position to introduce newer sounds which you can see from the lineup at A Day of sLick! Sharam Jey, Magdalena and Nora en Pure are all making their India debuts. Jeremy Olander, who’s been on three previous tours with us, is already a certified legend in India.
Even though the dance music influence came from the US and Europe, what is typically Indian about dance events in your country? (Meaning what makes visiting a party there different from visiting one here, maybe the attitude of the people, atmosphere, things like that )
One of the first things which will strike you about a party which is going off the charts in India – is the sheer passion for dance music. It’s new here, well relatively newer than Europe or USA. And the young people have embraced it with open arms. They really go for it. Give them the right artist, great venue and the energy levels are shooting off the Richter scale. it’s a lot of fun!
