Six editions on, it’s baffling to believe the journey that Magnetic Fields Festival has had. With an almost Burning Man-esque artistically driven growth story, anecdotes from the festival prove why it is the flagship event in the Indian Music Festival calendar each year.
Held at its mainstay location from December 13-15, 2019, at Alsisar Mahal, Rajasthan, this edition of Magnetic Fields bore testament to not just how far the festival has come but also to how much the music scene just in India has grown. 5,000+ fans flew in from all over the country & the globe to dive headfirst into the premier exhibition of world class musicians, artists, performers, and more.
The Sherp was witness to the experiential wonder first-hand, amidst the biting cold that had taken over the desert. The experience was put together by Budweiser 0.0 India, with no stops on ensuring that we soaked in the festival’s offerings in the best of spirits (pun intended!).
With artists like Maribou State, Ross From Friends, Daniel Avery, PALMS TRAX, Blawan, HAAi, and more, the artist lineup across all 3 days was nothing short of stellar. Lining up toe-to-toe were some fabulous artists with both local & international accord who also are some of India’s finest musicians, such as, The F16s, Lo! Peninsula, Spryk, KOHRA, MADSTARBASE, and more.
With much to go on about and laud about the magnificence of the 3-day experience, we’ll let you have a glance of it through the top highlights that summed it up for us. Check it out:
- Maribou State redefining the LIVE music experience
UK-duo, Maribou State, comprising of Chris Davids and Liam Ivory, certainly brought a party to unleash at the unassuming crowd at the Budweiser 0.0 presents BUDX South Stage. The keys, percussion, bass, instrumental quartet was further amplified by the vocalists leading the tunes for the duration of the set, while many a times drawing the audience in to join in a raucous chorus. Definitely one of the defining experiences at Magnetic Fields 2019!
2. Riffing it the F16s way!
Chennai-band, The F16s were quite the genre-breaking act on Day 2 of the festival, as they belted out a series of rock-heavy music to convert the dance-floor stompers to a head banging-crazed mob. Their set saw them perform songs from their album ‘Triggerpunkte’ as well as the latest numbers from their 2019 EP, ‘WKND FRNDS’.
3. A Dream Collab – ‘ASRAR’
A specially curated, Magnetic Fields 2019 commission, ASRAR – ft. Mumbai harpist-vocalist Nush Lewis and producer Riatsu, was quite the spectacle and we can only hope they bring this around the country for more cities & audiences to experience.
4. All Senses Engaged with ‘APEX’ by SPRYK
Mumbai producer, Tejas Nair aka SPRYK had quite the audio-visual treat for the audience on Day 1 of the festival. Techno music followed by layered jazzy electronica beats did the trick to have the audience raptured in the act while a projected dreamy aura of visuals played out the rest of the magic that made this commission, a forward-thinking highlight of the festival.
5. HAAi brings them all to the yard
HAAi, aka Teneil Throssell, had a treat of sounds for all the techno, electronica aficionados. Her sound which infuses a range of heavy bass lines and percussive elements, was just the recipe to the get the crowd in the groove at the BUDXYARD.
6. The one with Ross From Friends
Well, there’s a pun to kickstart it for you Friends-geeks reading this. Aside from the obvious quirk and the self-anointed Friends moniker, Ross From Friends definitely stood out for putting on a stellar set at Magnetic Fields 2019. They were one of the few acts that the Sherp had the chance to interview, which you can read more about here.
7. Kicking it Yung
A rather unconventional highlight, yet one of the most impressive sets to have made an impact without being in any of the headline slots, has to be that of Yung.Raj. Originally, Raj Verma, Yung.Raj is an exceptional young talents who is known for his beat-boxing as much as his proficiency with music production.
Overall, Magnetic Fields 2019 was an overwhelming experience that will definitely have us coming back again! Here’s what we thought of the experience: 10/10!
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