My husband dusted off his headphones last Friday night to be a guest DJ at Wink, at the Taj President hotel in south Mumbai. The night was arranged by the Bombay Elektrik Project (or should that be the Mumbai Elektrik Project? The Shiv Sena wouldn’t be pleased), an exciting new venture that promotes cutting edge electronic music, as well as arts and culture.
When my husband started his career as a DJ in the early 1990s, upstairs at the infamous Leopold’s Cafe in Mumbai, music was played on cassette tapes. Each song was cued by winding the cassette with a pencil. At the time, there were only a handful of DJs in the city. DJing was not an honourable profession, but music was what my husband was passionate about. His family were horrified. They wanted him to become an interior designer.
Gradually, DJing evolved to turntables and records provided by the club, then to CDs. Now, it’s gone high-tech with laptops and controllers. Visually, it may not be as appealing, but apparently the special effects are better. My husband was particularly excited about getting to try out his new piece of equipment the other night — a Behringer BCR 2000 controller for his laptop.
From this... (CDs)...
To this!
My first experience of India’s nightlife was in 2002. I went out to Athena (now the rather exclusive Prive) in Mumbai. The interior was slick. Popular Euro trance was playing. I remember thinking I could’ve been in a nightclub anywhere in the world, except every fifth song was interspersed with a Bollywood number!
Indeed, Bollywood music isn’t easy to get away from in India. I must admit, I quite like it myself. However, its popularity isn’t such a good thing for those who are serious about music. DJs rue the fact that they’re required to play it to keep the crowd happy. Nights dedicated to a particular genre of music have, until recent years, been difficult to come across.
When my husband worked at Tantra, at the Park Hotel in Kolkata, the music for a typical Saturday night would start with hip-hop, then progress to Bollywood, house, and psychedelic trance. It was like clockwork. My friends and I used to joke that it was 1 a.m. — time for “Gasolina” to be played. My husband’s specialty was the 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. psychedelic set. People who avoided the club and its more commercial overtones up until then, all came just to hear that type of music. We had some crazy times.
Initiatives such as Submerge and the Bombay Elektrik Project are doing great work in providing people with interesting alternatives to ordinary nightlife in Mumbai. Their success shows that people are open to new ideas, if encouraged. In addition to concept-based DJ nights, Bombay Elektrik Project have regular poetry nights, and screenings of local films. New bars and clubs are also popping up all over Mumbai, including fabulous live music venues such as Blue Frog, which hosts different genres (including electronica) every night. India has rock bands. Renowned international DJs are coming to perform in India as well. It becomes difficult to decide where to go out!
Yet, despite the fact that there are now more venues and genres of music to choose from, many people will say that the heyday of Mumbai’s nightlife was more than a decade ago. Bars and clubs (except for those in five star hotels) are now forced to close at 1.30 a.m. Entry charges are exorbitant. Police often raid parties looking for drugs. The situation isn’t much better in other major cities. Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad all have 11-11.30 p.m. curfews. Dancing at nightclubs has even been banned in Bangalore. Kolkata remains the only city not to have a curfew, but people complain that the choice of venues is limited.
Hopefully, the diversity of nightlife options will continue to grow in India. Tonight, I’m heading out to Daddy’s Windsong Wednesdays, at il terrazzo bar delItalia, next to Mocha opposite Juhu beach. This weekly event with live musicians has become legendary, so I’m expecting good things!
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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting article. I’ve never been to nightclubs in India :-/
Sharell,
I have never seen the kind of wild dancing in night clubs in India like what we see in the West. Its quite a prudish affair I think. Your thoughts?
Are there live music venues in Mumbai? Are they good? i would just love to see live local music if it exists…sorry for the naive questions.
This was very interesting to read I like the equiment that your husband has to work with looks fun. I would like to go to club in India sometimes just to see what it’s like
Interesting read…looks like a fun musical evening is in store for you guys tonight!! Enjoy
Here in the bible belt, clubs close at 12:00 PM on saturdays and 1 PM on weekdays, Sunday is mostly a dry day and you are whining about curfew timings in India, that too in a city/state where shiv sena is uber strong.
PS: no need to approve my other comment.( used my univ id
)
Actually I mean to ask if there are more live music venues….and where they are
I’m really tired..
My husband and I went underground clubbing in Bangalore in a hotel. I was prepped beforehand that the club might get shut down with the cops coming…it didn’t happen. It was fun to go and although I don’t remember Bollywood songs being played I do remember the crowd was buzzed. Good times, good times.
I must have heard your husband play then
. I use to frequesnt Leopold’s cafe back then 
. It’s been ages since i’ve been inside a night club in India. The visit to India are mostly with family or maybe I’m growing a little old for the loud noise and late nights 
Here you go Reenu, I have just the thing for you.
http://goindia.about.com/od/nightlife/tp/mumbailivemusic.htm
Just call me “A” – wow, a blast from the past. I would’ve loved to have been in Mumbai to see what it was like back in those days! Apparently, Leopolds used to get really packed upstairs. And there was dancing too? I’m not too fond of loud noise and late nights either these days!
PGB — now I’m whining about dry days as well!!!
And why the need for a dry day on Sunday in the bible belt. Jesus turned water into wine didn’t he? All these stupid laws are ridiculous.
Thanks Sharell…Im def going to try to get a group together and go..I’ll email you if i do so you and your hubby can join us if youre up for it and available.
Sounds good! Do let us know.
Version 1 from a Church going friend: So that church going public is not intoxicated, otherwise the good Lord would be offended
.
Version 2 from a cop: It helps to come into work monday morning without a hangover.
Goodness me! There they all are pretending to be good Christians, when in fact they can’t trust themselves to exert good judgment and make decisions freely. Don’t they take their religion seriously enough to be able to go to church sober without alcohol being banned? Any person who had any respect for their religion wouldn’t go to church intoxicated!
The policeman is equally as amusing, but in a different way.
board of aldermen, who are elected representatives, decide on behalf of the county, so cannot say it is undemocratic. End of the day local culture is reflected in the laws framed.
Jack went up to the Priest and asked, “Father, may I smoke while I pray ?”
The Priest replies, “No, my son, you may not! That’s utter disrespect to our religion.”
Max goes up to the Priest and asks, “Father, may I pray while I smoke ?”
The Priest eagerly replied, “By all means, my son. By all means. You can always pray whenever you want to.”
Kolkata remains the only city not to have a curfew, but people complain that the choice of venues is limited.
This is the line i was looking for……
Yeah Kolkata is good in that respect.
“This is the line i was looking for……
Yeah Kolkata is good in that respect.”
now for good ol’ flame bait.
What else can you expect out of God less Commies.
*runs away*
Hahahahahahahahahaha!
You could try looking up the “Times Nightlife Guide” for Mumbai to check out the options, if they exist. In Delhi, I simply look up the “Whats Hot” booklet in Friday editions of Times of India, to find if there are any gigs in the city. A similar something might exist in Mumbai as well.
This depends on the place and the type of clubs you visit in India. I visited places in Delhi that hosted quite ‘wild’ nights, but again they have reserved guest entries and quite expensive cover charges.