Vachan Chinnappa

Playing a collection of tapes at small venues in a small town doesn’t sound like a career plan, but that was how his musical career first began, then morphed into a full-time profession and became his raison d’etre, so to speak. A small-town boy from South India, he had already shocked the family and opted out of the mainstream when he picked being in a hard rock band called Z Axis over a conventional career.

For five years, he sang covers of 1980’s heavy metal bands at small gigs, and had a great time doing it till, like most other garage bands, the financial crunch did them in. He hung up his (salvaged and home made!) leather bands but not his love for music, which is what kept him looking for other ways through which he could explore sound, and this led him to deejaying.

In the 13 years that he has been spinning records, he has held court at some of the country’s best clubs and happily, provided the aural memories to many celebrations. And in many ways he thinks he has his short attention span to thank, he moved on quickly from playing the funky house music that he began with to electronic music, when he felt like he was over it, and more importantly, he felt his audience was as well. When House music began to feel a little stale, he moved on to electro house much before anybody else did, then onto some hard techno way and more recently, ever since that’s become ubiquitous, he has begun playing more Drum & Bass and dubstep and it’s been the same ever since.

Being quicker to introduce people to something new, and having a diverse, open format while playing have defined the trajectory of his life in music. That and practicing what he sees as the lost art of crowd reading; there is a lot to be said for being able to play music that people like and not just what he likes. Once he thought he got a finger on the pulse, he used the music to tell stories, build moods, communicate with a crowd, take them places and every now and then, surprise them.

He does his research, works at thinking a set through and building it right, and when he plays he considers it just his own tiny contribution to the massive world of good music.

Masta Justy

Floating amidst textured layers, musician Jatin Vidyarthi a.k.a Masta Justy’s sounds are interlaced with elements of surrealistic sensibilities. As an artiste, he claims to have set forth on a journey towards the vast spectrum of sonority in order to explore the intersection of sound, rhythm and atmosphere with mood. Although his soundscape thrives on the playful merge of sci-fi, funky and experimental cadences, the dramaturgy of his music unravels vignettes of orchestral tones with a subtle hint of cinematic drama.

For Jatin, making music is synonymous with communicating with the unknown or the divine. He believes in the beautiful phenomenon of human beings, regardless of status or stature, uniting to create something that benefits mankind in its entirety. Quoting from the book ‘Music of the Spheres’ , he says, “Music is supposed to have a role which is far more important than just being an art form or a form of entertainment… It is an integral part of our quest for knowledge and is a far more serious matter than most believe.” – BorderMovement

Sundaze ft. Shreyas_ + Arkitek at The Tao Terraces, Bangalore

This DJ/Producer duo is based out of the dance music capital of India – Bangalore. Having known each other since the age of 15, their passion for music has literally evolved with them over the years.Habeeb moved to Sydney in 2007 and in 2010, he began his career with music production and DJ-ing from DJ Warehouse (Sydney). Shruthdev on the other hand, practiced music production at the Beatworks studio and began his career as a DJ instructor at the Audio life studio.They learnt and performed individually but the same, shared passion and interest in the selection of music brought them together. They decided to amalgamate their distinct ideas. Combining forces led them to playing together at some of the best venues in India. This has offered not just wide exposure, but numerous opportunities to perform alongside some of the finest talent in the industry. And it has opened their minds, helping them understand various genres.

Mental machines was a project kickstarted in late 2013. Both Habeeb and Shruthdev have been deeply inspired by the sets & sounds of legends such as Kink, Ian Pooley, Krink, NTFO, Fur Coat, David August, Konstantin K, Mind Against, James Gill and Adriatique. National artists – Kohra, Arjun Vagale, Praveen Achary and Audio Units. They have found their home ground on the deeper sides of house & techno.

SOUNDCLOUD – https://soundcloud.com/mentalmachines
FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/mentalmachines

Jack Daniel’s presents Jack On Tour featuring DJ Roane Acey.

Dance to Pop Hits spun by DJ Roane as you enjoy 2+1 offer on select Jack Daniel beverages.

GANZ (otherwise known as Jordy Saamena) was born in The Netherlands in ‘89 with love for hip hop and electronica. After his critically acclaimed debut “Purple Cwtch E.P.” dropped on Terrorhythm in 2013, GANZ has been on somewhat of a global takeover mission. Besides producing and being a label owner, GANZ has been touring all over the world with his DJ & live sets. His shows are a blend of Electronica and and Hip hop, with a majority of originals of himself. Support for his records have come in from the likes of A-trak , Mr Carmack, Gilles Peterson, Eclair Fifi, Slugabed, Flume, Djemba Djemba, What So Not, Lido, Disclosure, Rustie, Hudson Mohawke and more.

Gurbax
Kunaal Gurbaxani aka Gurbax is definitely one of the freshest DJ/producers to watch out for in the Indian bass music scene. From metal-head to bass-head, his journey started in the city of Bengaluru where he played guitar in punk rock and thrash metal bands. Moving to Atlanta for college was like a blessing for him since it was there that he discovered his love for bass-music. A self-taught DJ and Ableton-certified producer from Dubspot School of Music Production in New York City, he has played shows in and around Atlanta and NYC and is now looking to catalyze the bass music movement in India.

ATune
Crashed into the scene in late 2013 serving blow-after-blow of quality Electronic Dance Music to the Indian Clubbing Circuit.

Kampai brings the world of bass music into life with quirky sets and music which will leave your head popping up and down. Being influenced by a wide range of sounds and genres of music, Kampai is always up for experimentation in his sets. Primarily a Future Bass and Trap enthusiast, Kampai is aiming to push boundaries in the Indian electronic music scene by introducing the Future Bass sound through his DJ sets. His Influences are San Holo, Rustie, AWE, Hudson Mohawke, Flume, Graves, Alison Wonderland, Pusher, BeauDamian, G Jones, Jai Wolf, MR Carmack and Sam Gellaitry to name a few.

Epic Empire has built up a formidable reputation for his meticulously structured sets and bass heavy, hip-hop influenced electronic productions. The beatmaker was also recently nominated as Best Newcomer at DJ Mag Awards (France).

Delcambre was previously known for his work with StereoHeroes before venturing out solo in his more groove-focussed avatar. His work as Epic Empire sees him manipulate elements of trap, R&B, hip-hop, downtempo and more.

Supported by: RAKA