Here's all you need to know about VH1 Supersonic Takeover Hyderabad

With Bass Raja Nucleya as the headliner, the second edition of popular music festival VH1 Supersonic Takeover promises to bring the roof down this Saturday. 
Nucleya
Nucleya


Come this April 14 and the city’s happening pub, HyLife Brewing Company, will reverberate with the tunes of country’s Bass Raja, Nucleya, the headliner of VH1 Supersonic Takeover, an offshoot to the bigger festival held in Pune last year. Organised by the Unscripted x Recreation Continent, the second edition of the music festival aims to raise the bar with a rather energetic line-up curated by DJ Nikhil Chinapa. Filling the night with their groovy beats will be – SickFlip, Siddie Boy and local favourites Kookie, Gaurav and D Magnetic. 

For the uninitiated, Nucleya (aka Udyan Sagar), who started as early as 1998 with the Bandish Projekt with musicians Mayur Narvekar and Mehirr Nath Choppra, is a pioneer in the Indian electronic music scene. His signature sound of blending Indian elements with power-packed electronic tunes makes him an instant favourite. While his debut EP Koocha Monster (2013) did garner him a following, Nucleya created a niche for himself by taking his distinct sounds to the world in music festivals including Glastonbury (UK), Electron Festival (Switzerland), Electric Daisy Carnival (Mexico). In almost two decades of music producing, the Ahmedabad-born artiste has opened for DJs including Major Lazer, Diplo, Skrillex and Flux Pavilion. 


We catch up with the King of Bass on the music festival and his unique brand of music. Excerpts: 

What can we expect at VH1 Supersonic Takeover Hyderabad? 
I like to throw different styles into one set, so there will be some moombahton, trap and hip-hop influenced tunes and my releases, which are percussion heavy. 

Tell us about your previous experiences with the music festival. 
I have watched the festival grow over many years, from it’s initial years in Goa to its new home in Pune. They bring some great acts even in their tours like Major Lazer and Skrillex, both of whom I supported in India. 

How important is it for you to be the main act of a festival? 
Not important at all. I’m happy to play at 4 pm also, I don’t really get tied up in the headliner space. For me, it’s just about playing music and making sure everyone is having fun. 

What do you think about the growing indie music scene? 
In the late ’90s, when I was a part of Bandish Projekt, there was nothing like what it is now. I think people’s tastes will continue to develop, and more niche genres will find its audiences. We are already seeing this happen with techno and deep house. 

Indian music is often associated with Bollywood. Do you think our home-grown sounds are now going international with more opportunities for new musicians? 
Absolutely. It’s been great to see Indian acts like Arjun Vagale, Parekh & Singh and Sandunes touring internationally. I think it’s just the beginning and more Indian acts will start to travel abroad and get good responses internationally. 

Your songs have a mix of every day sounds like street music in Street Boy and Chennai Bass. How do you work on bringing together such tunes? 
These are sounds that exist around us in everyone’s lives. What I do is take those sounds and then reintroduce them in a new context. Most people are not used to hearing these sounds in a club or as part of a concert, so when they do hear them there, the connect is automatic. 


What kind of musical research does it take to fuse tunes from all over the country? 
I like a lot of different types of music, so I produce what comes to me naturally. It can have a Punjabi melody or a South Indian rhythm. I am obsessed with drum sounds from all around India, so I like to listen to different styles of folk music to see how they use those drums in a traditional manner. I was born in North India, but in my heart, I am a full South Indian.

Tell us about your documentary, Ride to the roots
Misha Ghose, the director, and I have known each other for a number of years. When Redbull approached me about the documentary and I found out it was Misha, I was definitely happy to move forward. Misha is an understanding person and was happy to work around my schedule and my family time. 

What are your future projects? 
I am currently working on my next full-length album which will be released in October this year. I will also be launching my own show on the BBC Asian Network over the summer. 

Look out for: 

SickFlip
Mumbai-based Sarvesh Shrivastava is the man behind popular EP, The Ladakh Project, released in 2014. Known by his stage name, SickFlip, Sarvesh composed five tracks bringing together travel and music into an elaborate conceptual audio-visual showcase. Musically, SickFlip has an indefinable mix of calm and melodic vibes to contrasting bass-heavy festival smashers. The contrast as a mix of these sounds gives the ‘flip’ side its resonance. 

Gaurav Lalchandani
If you’re a regular at the HyLife Brewing Company, you’re sure to know Gaurav Lalchandani, the man behind the console playing the best of hip-hop and dance music.  Graduated from PATSAV School of Sound Hyderabad, this city-based DJ has been in the music circuit for more than four years. Resident DJ of the brewpub, Gaurav is a believer that the power of music is greater than any other connection that exists.

Gaurav
Gaurav


DJ Siddie Boy
City-based Poodari Siddharth, popular as DJ Siddie Boy, turned to DJing when Hyderabad’s music scene was in its nascent stage. Eight years since then, this model-turned DJ has made a mark for himself as one of the city’s finest hip-hop artistes. “It’s the third time I’m performing for VH1 Supersonic and Nucleya. This time, my set will include special Billboards Top 40 songs,” he shares.

DJ Siddie Boy
DJ Siddie Boy

At HyLife Brewing Company. 
On April 14, 8 pm onwards.

 

Related Stories

No stories found.
Indulgexpress
www.indulgexpress.com