Eat Sleep Rave Repeat!
This slogan has been doing the rounds for quite sometime in the dance music community. So, when I arrived in Goa this December. I came with the a list of dos and don’ts, keeping those 4 words in mind with no clue that there was a major correction to take place by the end of 5 days of this festival.
Dec 26th 2013, the sands of Candolim went Supersonic for the first time as Nikhil Chinapa and Viacom gave birth to Goa’s newest EDM Festival: Vh1 Supersonic.
When the moment of glory finally arrived for the team, what I saw was nothing short of Β a #SuperView.
The ticketing counters were well spread out. There was enough room to park vehicles. Right from the time you hit Panjim to the venue at Candolim, there were giant billboards all over the city in an effort to get every travelling festival goer pumped up. It worked wonderfully. I was #Superpsyched.
All in all #Super again!
This festival showcased three exhilarating stages – the massive Sub Sonica, the futuristic Laboratoire Supersonique and the brilliant, LED-packed Spectrum. Walking in to the venue, looking at the line up , searching for familiar faces and smiling at new ones, I couldn’t help but accept that this festival in it’s very first edition had unarguably nailed the infectious #SuperVibe aspect.
Well, it’s unfair to talk about the vibe and not mention the #SuperVenue. Each one of us at the inaugural day of this brand new festival had been for weeks day dreaming about dancing to the tunes of our favorite artists at #Supersonic, set with the back drop of this beautiful beach. And no venue of any other festival beats the birthplace of this #SuperFestival.
Having said that, let’s throw the spotlight on the #SuperLineup. The word limit restricts me to mention each and every #SuperAwesome act but here are a few that one couldn’t have missed. The first timers to India, Goldfish + Blink who had an energetic-mashup-filled set, Henrik B‘s banging Swedish house music. Alvaro‘s signature big-room beats had the crowd asking for more. On the other hand, two of India’s finest acts, Helium Project and Audiogramme, reminded the grooving crowd why the country’s psychedelic trance scene is the finest in the world. Pulse and Tristan took the energy to new, explosive heights. If all of that wasn’t enough then there were the progressive trance superstars Max Graham and Protoculture, India’s bass music icon Vachan Chinnappa, electronica pioneers Midival Punditz. Sanjay Dutta who showed everyone why he is called the ‘Beast from the East’ forever now. Norman Doray with his signature electro assault kept the energy level high.
And if you thought that was all, then here’s more #SuperMusic in-yo-face by the mighty Mohawk man – Albin Myers, Jerome Isma AeΒ andΒ explosive set, Β BT doing it the #SuperWay with right amount of cheese in music. #SuperYummm
Ferry Corsten reminding us who is boss with that spotlight set.
J00F proving yet again the legend he is. Airwave tranci- fying us to the extent we saw no return from (And we are not complaining!). Praveen Achary dropping some #SuperFrisky tunes ( Geddit geddit?). Tuhin Mehta and his full techno takeover #SuperForce with vibes bouncing off the stage. BenassiΒ and his mass scale murder spree by dropping a bomb after bomb. Β Hoping on seeing him sometime soon again!
Well if you think that was all? Take a deep breath, because here’s who the crowd couldn’t help but #SuperMove to. Day 4 had a whole bunch of acts straight from the tech house directory – Edu Imbernon, Booka Shade, Yousef. Drum & bass, tech house, deep house, electro. You name it and they had it!
For me personally the act that stoodout was Funkagenda. He definitely knows how to do it right even with a commercial track. That mix of concrete angel was nothing less than legit. And I still remember how everyone erupted into cheers when he dropped L(Y)CKA.
If it were a war of artists I wonder who would have won, whileΒ Felix Cartel shook the stage left and right with his killer set, Feenixpawl definitely played some classy tracks to set the mood right with the setting sun! ( Who doesn’t want to kick back with a beer in hand and dance to some favorite tracks?)
The last day had to be about these two acts. Even if my legs had given up, I still couldn’t help but move to the #SuperGroovy tunes from Pearl’s set. From one tune to the other, she definitely had a story to tell and we all kept craving more even after it ended!
Like they say, the best was actually saved for the last. When Above and Beyond took over the console, it was nothing less than a #SuperPacked venue with #SuperMemories to be created with #SuperFriends all around.
Right from the moment Tony took over the console to the times when the screen shone with lines like, ‘It’s nice to be home’, ‘Nothing like you and me on a beach’ or ended with ‘Life is made of small Goan moments like these’. Every bit of those 2 hours was a journey that each one of us has carried back home.
I still fail to understand how they manage to connect with their music every single time. Life gets better with just the sight of those colorful ribbons making the Group Therapy knot and no matter how many times you’ve read the lines, about the story of India being their ‘birthplace’ or how ‘Anjunabeach’ is close to their hearts, it still makes the strongest of hearts melt a little.
Some #SuperMemories scribbled in my #SuperDiary13 are..
#1 That sight of watching so many artists together on one stage. I think this calls for declaring it a record. Day 4 when Funkagenda was playing and BT, Nate, Max, Felix Cartel, Nikhil Chinapa, Rohit Barker, Ramona and so many more I can’t even recall who stepped into the crowd to dance with the rest. Literally living upto the phrase of ‘dancing like no one is watching’.
#2 That incredible view of watching a sea of smiling faces jump at once when I ‘Pushed The Button’ to Sun and Moon.
#3 The #SuperAfterparty of day 3 which had the legends J00F, Airwave and Pearl take us on the best musical journey ever.
#4 The respect and love that was openly showcased, be it on stage or off. Be it BT taking over the CO2 sprays at every possible chance or Tony playing a brand new track and getting all cheeky mentioning Nikhil on the screen or Albin Myers breaking down when the festival ended. #Supersonic was definitely a festival by friends, of friends and for friends.
And now I’m depressed about how fast those days have gone by. Sigh! It’s been a week after #Supersonic13, Β the sand is out of my feet, clothes and hair but the music still refuses to leave.
And what made this festival even more close to my heart is the fact that the whole supersonic restored the very reason why dance music festivals started in the first place, as a party for friends.
Those 5 days wasn’t about genres. It wasn’t about how many top Djs from a magazine poll were on that line up. And it most definitely wasn’t about hearing those same bunch of tracks over and over again. It was about unifying people who had gathered at Candolim to celebrate their genuine love for music.
Right at the end , when Nikhil asked the crowd, “You don’t wanna leave, do you?”. Everyone frozen to their spots, screamed ‘NOOO!’ And I was one of them.
And while the last words were said on that mic, “We will see you on the sands in 360 days.” I was gave myself a tearful nod promising myself that i will go #Supersonic (next year) under the Candolim sky to lose myself to nothing but music. And so will the thousands around me.
The birth of this festival changed my slogan and I’m glad it did.
Eat Sleep #Supersonic Repeat, it is!
( Written by The girl who pushed the button – Monisha Mishra)
(Images courtesy : Vh1 Supersonic)