Dance till you drop

It is that time of the year when you let your hair down, tap your feet and cheer aloud as the seventh edition of one of the premier Electronic dance and music (EDM) festivals, Sunburn 2013 kicks off today. Packed with flea markets, dazzling lights, exploding sounds, beautiful stage designs, bar arenas and stunning visuals, the festival will host a galaxy of globally renowned electronic dance music names. The Indian audience is not pretentious and our youngsters are far more engaging and inclusive, believes Shailendra Singh, inceptor of Sunburn and joint managing director of Percept that organises the fest every year since 2007. Singh puts forth, “Sunburn 7 is radically different from the other editions in terms of stage and line-up. ‘Only live, love and dance till you drop’ is our message to the fans. Sunburn is the face of dance music in Asia, so importing the best of DJs and musicians is the focus of the festival. We have always chosen dance music as the primary focus of the festival since dance music has no lyrics, which means that everybody can understand and enjoy. Such kind of music brings people together to celebrate, regardless of where they live or what language they speak.” Dash Berlin, one of the top ten DJs who has won several awards in the past, is a major highlight of the fest. He says, “It’s inspiring to play outside in the open air, under the stars. Such arenas have a capacity of accommodating larger dance and music enthusiasts, usually with a lot more energy. It gives us more liberty to play with visuals, lights, lasers and makes it an exciting experience.” Dash, who plays progressive trance, feels that India is opening up to becoming a hot destination for EDM fests. The DJ is also looking forward to meeting Indian artistes. The multi-talented sister duo, Miriam Nervo and Olivia Nervo, have made it to the covers of Vixen and Covergirl magazines and their dressing sensibilities along with the rocking stage performances have created a stir. The twins have opened for Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj on the Femme Fatale tour. So ladies, put in a few extra minutes before getting ready to see them perform at Sunburn. “It’s the first time we’re performing in India. Our popular Grammy Award-winning single, When Love Takes Over, The Way We See The World are one of our breakthrough records that will surely be liked by the Indian audience,” says Olivia. Apart from the international artists, the festival boasts of a carefully chosen line-up featuring some of the youngest DJs of the nation. Anish Sood’s hit single with Ramona Arena remains one of the most popular dance stompers. Having shared consoles with several popular names such as Gareth Emery, Steve Aoki among others, DJ and producer Anish Sood is an artist to watch out for. Sood says, “EDM has extended its reach beyond metros and attracts the young age group between 16 to 25 years. Over the last few years, there has been a dramatic rise of EDM in India due to its higher energy level as compared to rock, hip-hop or any other music genres.” DJ Rishab Joshi and Prayag Mehta were 18 and 22 respectively when they signed their first music contract with Black Hole Recordings ((DJ Tiesto’s record label). The duo, one of the most formidable EDM producers in the country, is set to rock at the fest. “Our performance highlights will comprise songs from Music for # Generation, older singles and exclusive edits. People come with an open mind at such fests and don’t mind experimentation. As far as our sound is concerned, it’s groovy bass lines, energetic yet moody outros with a hint of tech elements,” concludes Mehta.

The festival kicks off today from 2 pm at Galgotias University, Campus 1, Greater Noida