There was a time when a newly bought album or an EP by Pink Floyd or Mohiner Ghoraguli would be enjoyed from side A to side B in one sitting. Most music lovers would happily sit and listen to music for hours on end, dissecting every note and analysing every lyric. With changes in the way music is produced and distributed, the way it is understood and read is changing, too, and underground and electronic music curated by DJs have come to rule the party scene in Kolkata.
Uncovering underground music
In the past few decades, ‘party culture’ has had a significant impact on the way we listen to and understand music. Music has become an integral part of the party or clubbing scene, with people using music to create a mood, set a tone, and express themselves. Currently, and for a while, one of the leading genres to boost this feeling in city clubs is underground and electronic music.
At par with Bollywood and hip-hop, underground music takes a turn away from what is commercial. Although the genre comes with its hits, it can range from techno to experimental to industrial to psy-trance and all the other subgenres in between. And when it comes to underground music, Kolkata has been upping the game with gigs by a number of international and national DJs like Artbat, Innellea, Jerome Isma-Ae, Avalon, Guy J, Ankytrixx, Anushka, Kiss Nuka, Kayan and more performing in the city.
L-R: Kayan and RishiBoy performing at different venues in Kolkata TT Archives, Instagram
Know the vibe
A good party starts with good promotion. This is when keeping tabs on the social media profiles (or offline mediums) of local music event curators comes into play. Clubs dedicate different days to different genres to strike a balance and feature all kinds of music. Phoenix at The Astor Hotel on Shakespeare Sarani hosts karaoke, hip-hop, commercial and techno nights curated by the DJ trio RishiBoy, Roxanne Peterson and Rudra. Roxy and Aqua at The Park Hotel on Park Street host events with commercial music, and progressive house and techno after-parties. The Golden Parkk in the Park Street area is a venue that features all kinds of music during the weekends with five clubs hosting different scenes simultaneously leaving you #SpoiltForChoice.
Artbat at their first gig in Kolkata TT Archives
Tapping into the sound
While the setting of the club hosting the different styles matters, it is the plans of the event curators that bring the scene alive. Kolkata features event curators like Sanyam Gupta Associates and Monataurus Hospitality, who hosted Artbat for the first time in the city, Kliq Entertainment by DJ Kunal G, The BPM Theory by Aamir Ali Nawaz, Code Red Experience by Arcane, and Offline co-owned by Sonu Agarwal.
Although the music is less focused on lyrics, avid listeners are there to understand the sound. The beats, melodies and most importantly, the bassline, is what keeps the audience moving. At these gigs, most of the audience almost always faces the DJ rather than clustering in groups of their own. Instead of singing the lyrics, they wait for the build-up and drop, and the suspense in the different sets keeps people engaged. Sometimes an artiste will leave in the lyrics and tunes of well-known songs into a set, but that is just to give the audience a boost and a sense of familiarity after which the DJ takes the music through a different path.
A DJ with UV accessories and clothing performing at an underground gig Shutterstock
Dress code
It’s not that a lot of people dress differently at underground gigs, but there are a few unique fashion features that can be spotted at these scenes. Because of the flashing lights, most people like to wear sunglasses (yes, in the dark!). Some people see this as a space to express themselves and dress exquisitely or over the top. A few might dress “filthy”, which means they dress in a way that is unconventional or avant-garde. Techno parties often have a culture of self-expression, individuality, and boundary-pushing, so attendees may choose to dress in a way that reflects these values. This could mean wearing clothes that are distressed and accessorising with body paint, or other unconventional elements. One of the trends that has picked up worldwide and even in India, but is making a slow foray into Kolkata, are neon and glow-in-the-dark ensembles.
Although considered niche, underground music is booming around the world, with major events taking place every weekend. This wide genre is understood differently, with minimal lyrics and maximum melody. The driving bass lines keep the flow of an underground music night going and the listeners who vibe with it find their own expression within the sound.
