This yearβs Johnnie Walker The Journey boasts of a gravity-numbing artist,Β post-rock giants, an ambient wizard, a synth pop legend and a cinematicΒ masterpiece. And, that’s just the beginning.
After the brilliant turn with trip hop genius Bonobo and jazz virtuosos Snarky Puppy,Β Johnnie Walker The Journey is back with an even more promising lineup this year.Β Clearly setting the bar for all Indian cultural festivals to follow suit, JWTJ is back withΒ some of the most iconic names whether itβs contemporary music, performance art orΒ cinema. With legendary synth icon Giorgio Moroder post-alternative crusadersΒ Explosions in the Sky, downtempo ambient producer Tycho, performance and theatreΒ whiz Leo for their very first performances in India, along with the compellingΒ documentary βListen to Me Marlonβ on the life and times of the great Marlon Brando, toΒ be premiered in India for the first time, 2015βs Johnnie Walker The Journey is qualityΒ on the go.
We look at the five artistes deserving of your presence at JWTJ on December 12 andΒ 13 at Mehboob Studios, Bandra.
Giorgio Moroder
(Source: Officialcharts.com)
If youβre a fan of synth, then look no further, for you have Giorgio Moroder to thank.
Also known as the father of Disco, Giorgio Moroder has made his mark as an influentialΒ Italian producer, songwriter, performer and DJ. If you remember queen of disco, DonnaΒ Summer sauntering to Hot Stuff, then you have obviously had a long standingΒ association with Giorgio Moroderβs retrogressive tunes. If you havenβt, then hereβs aΒ better picture. Remember the era of disco that you now love courtesy Daft Punk? Yes,Β Giorgio Moroder was probably one of the first few pioneers of it. The winner of 3 Oscars,Β 4 Grammyβs and 5 Golden Globes has seen it all β from Donna Summerβs late 70s discoΒ hits, to having produced for artists such as David Bowie, Janet Jackson, Blondie, andΒ Bonnie Tyler to his new age dance productions with pop sensations like Britney Spears,Β Charlie XCX, Mikky Ekko and Sia.
The godfather of modern dance technology as he is most popularly known will swingΒ some serious nostalgia at Johnnie Walker The Journey this year. If you call yourself aΒ connoisseur of the genesis of the electronic music revolution prevalent today, GiorgioΒ Moroderβs an act you absolutely cannot skip.
Explosions in the Sky
(Source: billions.com)
If music could expand to spatial measures, sounding both symphonic and innate,Β scopious and indigenous, then it would probably sound like the kind of musicΒ Explosions in the Sky are adept at. The post-rock group, in their 15 year-long career,Β have managed to create a distinctive, experimental sound that screams out theirΒ uniqueness from the depth of their mellow rhythms and exuberant instrumentals.
Have you ever had a pop song tap into your attention in the very first listen, makingΒ catchy repetitions in your playlists? Explosions in the Sky achieves just that, with mereΒ instrumentals. By holding your feelings with emotionally stirring harmonies, the bandΒ needs no words to fill any gaps. Synchronously, the bandβs furtherance into popularΒ culture can be attributed to their OST presence on numerous shows such as FridayΒ Night Lights (including its prequel film with the same name), One Tree Hill, and CSI: Crime Investigation, along with movies like TheΒ Kite Runner, Foo Fighters: Sonic Highway and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.
With six voluminous albums behind them, the band is likely to perform an all-inclusiveΒ set at Johnnie Walker The Journey, from songs like Your Hand In Mine from theΒ constantly evolving The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place to Let Me Back In, from theΒ extremely skillful Take Care, Take Care, Take Care. With Explosions in the Sky, theΒ chasm of instruments remains unmissable.
Tycho
If you found yourself overjoyed at Bonoboβs presence at Johnnie Walker The JourneyΒ last year, then this year, fans of Β a similar kind of down-tempo electronic beats will beΒ satiated with the music of the ambient genius, Tycho aka Scott Hansen. Music headsΒ that find music in visual stimulation will be duly rewarded with Tychoβs perceptiblyΒ expansive compositions.
The ambient sounds with experimental techno find the perfect fit in Tychoβs often largerΒ than life musical pieces that seem to transport the audience to another world. FromΒ performing to large scale festivals such as Coachella, Firefly Music Festival andΒ Hopscotch, to smaller, more intimate venues, itβs music that is as adaptable as it can be.Β Having had his albums continually feature in the strongest electronic pieces, hisΒ workmanship with music is bound to leave fans of ambient musicΒ in awe; right from hisΒ ability to dive right in when the timeβs right, to his ability to play along the fringes, itβsΒ music that fits in comfortablyΒ with the mood.
Leo
(Source:Β arts.byu.edu)
In the last several years, physical theatre has been gaining prominence with its ability toΒ transfix the audience; if not with just words, then with the mere movement and illusionΒ capable with the human body. Of them, Leo, the gravity defying performance theatre actΒ stands tall. Leo, a transfixing stage piece is one where an ordinary manβs life is foundΒ suddenly altered with change in gravity, causing him to persist at a 90 degree angle. TheΒ piece has performed to sold-out shows at numerous iconic venues such as the SydneyΒ Opera House, as well as wowed audiences and critics alike at New York, Melbourne,Β Berlin, Moscow, London and Hong Kong. This origamic, mind-numbing physicalΒ theatre is one that is not just awe-inspiring but tizzying to say the very least. ExperienceΒ acrobatic magic in the most wonderful ways with Leo.
Listen To Me Marlon
The documentary, βListen to me Marlonβ, offers a fascinating look at the inner life ofΒ Hollywood icon Marlon Brando, told in his own words. While the screen legend BrandoΒ may be the most famous and iconic movie actor that ever lived, he may also be the mostΒ misunderstood. Award winning British film director, producer, editor and writer StevanΒ Riley has charted Marlon Brandoβs exceptional career as an actor and his extraordinaryΒ life away from the stage and screen through exclusive access to his extraordinary unseenΒ and unheard personal archive. The documentary utilizes hundreds of hours of audioΒ that Marlon Brando recorded over the course of his life to tell his story, revealing a manΒ more humane and compelling than anyone could have ever imagined.
Johnnie Walker The Journey, a cultural confluence
While other festivals allow audiences to watch artists perform live, and only that,Β Johnnie Walker The Journey wows audiences with an extraordinary experience. FansΒ and enthusiasts get to engage with the performers in an interactive session, bringing toΒ the fore an engagement of the most candid and informative kind. So when we sayΒ Johnnie Walker The Journey is truly a one-of-a-kind experience, we mean it.
You absolutely do not want to miss this incredible lineup! Grab your tickets for JohnnieΒ Walker The Journey here.
