The weekend at the newly launched plush watering hole Olterra in Park Street had a different vibe altogether. The Greek-themed address hosted Russian mixer DJ Hanna Shine, who had the eyes and ears of party peeps right from the start of a refreshing evening.
A regular performer in India, since 2016, Hanna adjusted her finely manicured fingers over the console and rolled out a memo that caught up with the crowd from the very first beat. Ditching the usual black for a pastel shade, the stylish composer presented a multi-beat set to the Indian audience. She says, “I like a well-built, modern melody and powerful bass in beautiful English. That’s why I try not to play sets with only Russian songs or Indian ones. I like to use different beats for one set. I love it when the set sounds varied.” So, while she can play JLO in Tech House, she can mix Fergie with equal finesse in a Trap processing. Hanna’s love for the underground genres — techno, deep house and dub-step made an explicit show on the playlist and she points out that India knows how to swing to underground beats.
With a bright and catchy visual by VJ Kuldeep flashing on the colossal LED screen, Hanna played non-stop for over two hours. Talking about the natural connection between Kolkata and Moscow, Hanna who has headlined many prestigious music festivals tells us, “I keep coming back to Kolkata and have performed at many venues here. Here, I have had the chance of working with professionals at the highest level. And I feel that the music vibe here is on a par with Moscow’s RnB parties. And that’s why we connect so well.”
Performing for the last seven years, Hanna produces music under her label Shine Productions. She has also featured in a Russian film, Friday, in 2016, where she played a deejay. Talking about her ‘unexpected’ tryst with making music, she avers, “My history in music goes deep into my youth when I studied piano at a music school. I was a talented child and often performed on stage. Initially, it seemed to me that I was just a performer and making music was not my cup of tea. But I kept growing with continuous exposure. The music that got into my heart created the Hannah that you see now.”