Pep up your nightlife with this electronic and dance music festival in Mumbai

A new groovy series hopes to spark off discovery of cross cultural sounds, immersive technology and a holistic experience to change the city’s soundscape

For those already complaining about the end of the music season in the city, there are a few surprises in store. The four-city tour of Ultra Soulflyp that arrives in Mumbai on February 18 promises to pep up the city’s nightlife with a touch of international electro and dance music.

With its mix of immersive technology, international and Indian artistes, the event will be a celebration of culture and community, says Munbir Chawla, co-curator of the fest. The line-up includes South African DJ and gqom pioneer, DJ Lag, and the Manchester-based IAMDDB, who will travel across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Goa and Delhi over two weekends to collaborate with Indian artistes — Nariki, Sickflip, Discokid, Lush Lata and Electroson among others.

“Soulflyp is primed to bring a breath of fresh air to the events space, to signal how nightlife and live music can be improved upon — it is not just about listening,” Chawla tells us. The highlight on February 18 will be the sounds of gqom (a genre of electronic dance music; pronounced ‘igqomu’) to the Maximum City. The term takes its roots from the Zulu word for drum hit, and came to the fore in South Africa during the 1990s.

IAMDDB

Lwazi Asanda Gwala aka DJ Lag is a pioneer in the genre. From creating beats that were shared with taxi drivers in Durban to global tours, the producer has come a long way. “Gqom is a sound of different types of drum beats, that is the essence of the music,” the Durban-based producer informs us, adding, “To this,  we add chants and melodies influenced by different genres such as hip hop, house music and electro. The gqom sound is made for dance floors.”

Having debuted in India at the Magnetic Fields festival in 2019, he says his hometown Durban had already familiarised him with Indian flavours and sounds. This is the cross-cultural soundscape that the series seeks to build. With her roots in Angola, Lisbon-born and Manchester-based rapper and singer, IAMDDB, is another example. The singer will bring her touch of urban jazz and rap.

DJ Discokid at her console during a performance

Chawla explains, “DJ Lag’s gqom or IAMDDB’s urban jazz aren’t just pushing styles, but charting new stylistic territories. Artistes like Lush Lata, Nariki or Sickflip are similar — whether it’s Sickflip’s collaborative approach to merging styles, Lush Lata drawing from the music she grew up around, or Nariki showcasing breaks and disco with an Indian narrative.”

The platform is an attempt to combine these musical experiences with an experiential technological layer. Chawla reveals that a bespoke stage will interact with movement and sound at the events. “Our digital installations are designed to come alive with movement in spaces around them,” the curator tells us.

Munbir Chawla. Pic Courtesy/Naman Suraiya

But the makers have larger ambitions. Chawla says that the effort is to galvanise the community to create an art collective. “We’re hoping to make it a space for a 360 degree collectivisation of art — a place that offers a full view of the country’s contemporary culture and its future,” he remarks. For now, the promise of a new sound experience is exciting enough for us to test.

On: February 18; 9 pm
At: Great Eastern Mills, Dr Ambedkar Road, Byculla
Log On to: ultrasoulflyp.com
Cots: RSVP/First come first serve

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