Trailblazing a new era of electronic music in India!
The first ever BUDx which was held in New Delhi was a holistic event like no other with insightful panel discussions, lectures, and masterclasses in addition to Boiler Room sets by the likes of OmarΒ S and Marcellus Pittman. The unique event has made its mark and has been embraced dearly by the electronic music community in India.
Marking a monumental step towards the reshaping of electronic music in India, BUDx was a 3 day meet of visionaries and experts in the field from all over the world, from 6-8 December, in Delhi. As we work towards setting the vision into reality, let’s take a look at some of the most important take-aways from the event.
1. Steven Appleyard from Boiler Room explains the brand & the vision for the future
2. Tej Brar, Kerano, and Lost Stories enlightened us about the electronic music scene in India
Rishab Joshi, one half of Lost Stories, reflected on the duo’s meteoric rise to fame after being signed to Tiesto’s Black Hole Recordings which kickstarted their career. They revealed that until that happened, people weren’t as willing to work with them until they got signed. Tej Brar, who is Nucleya’s manager, spoke about building Nucleya as a brand.
He explained the importance of always having leverage 0ver anyone you are negotiating with. His logic was simple, work hard enough to reach a point where you can walk into a meeting with an agent or promoter knowing that you don’t need them and they need you. Using that approach with Nucleya, it reached a point where even international agents couldn’t ignore the impact he had been making in India.
3. Teebs explained how to create a unique sonic identity in his production masterclass
4. The humble beginnings of Boiler Room in South London and how they expanded to reach over 160 million people monthly
Boiler Room was conceived in London in 2010 and operates with the vision and mission of exposing the world to the most underground and unheard of sounds ranging from UK Grime, House & Techno, Rap & Hip Hop, and even live music such as jazz. In the short span that Boiler Room has been running, it has garnered massive outreach and a loyal fanbase, with over 400,000 viewers tuning in to their streams.
5. Omar S and Marcellus Pittmann brought Detroit to New Delhi
Boiler Room selected two legends from Detroit to close out the first ever BUDx. Omar S and Marcellus, have been integral contributors to electronic music and they treated the crowd to two hours of soulful, energetic Detroit styled dance music.
6. BLOT! stole the night with his closing set on the second day at BUDx
BLOT! really shone in his hometown of New Delhi that night as he seamlessly blended together a number of lush, melodic records. There was an unignorable sense of euphoria in the room towards the end of his set while he had the crowd swaying to tracks like Kollektiv Turmstrasse’s Jupiter Sunrise. With over a decade of being one of the most amazing contributors to the electronic music movement in India,Β BLOT! never fails to captivate and impress.
7. Rocking it out with Drum & Bass legend, DillinjaΒ
Credits: Camille Blake
Drum and Bass pioneer, Dillinja’s highly anticipated nineties jungle set brought the crowds into the Main Room to a mellifluous and beckoning sound zone.
Thousands of fans over the globe tuned into the Boiler Room stream of the event to watch the Drum and Bass legend unleash his tunes.
8. Screenings of enlightening documentaries
BUDx had an almost hidden, cool little room in which people kick back on a bean bag and watch enlightening films on the culture and history of electronic music like Maestro and High Tech Soul.
9. Kindness’ lecture
Credits: Camille Blake
Adam Bainbridge aka Kindness is an English singer/producer, and had us thinking about representation of diversity across the music industry. He had us thinking about the Indian representation in UK, and even touched on topics of LGBTQ and cisgender males being represented or signed in the industry.
10. The Art of Artist Management and discovery
Sohail Arora (KRUNK), Nirmika Singh (Rolling Stone), Mayank Bhat (Social Offline), and Srikant Seshadri (Saavn), dived deep into the talent pit in India, and how each of them managed to sign or represent different artists in India.
11. Inga Mauer was an absolute beast!
Credits: Camille Blake
BUDx was where Inga made her debut in India before proceeding to play in Mumbai. The Russian DJ’s set was as explosive as it was entertaining. The energy in the warehouse was frantic as she unleashed some killer acid bass lines accompanied with pounding drums.
12. Arjun Vagale’s origins
13. Pampered by BUDx for our duration in Delhi
BUDx ensured a truly hospitable stay for us while we were in Delhi. The Sherp was ensured a fabulous relaxed time at The Courtyard by Marriott and Le Meridien hotels in Gurugram.
All the ‘Dilli-sardi’ had us famished and craving warmth. The Budweiser lounge and brunch made sure we were well fueled and satisfied to go on with the day’s proceedings!
What’s more, we even got to keep souvenirs from the trip in the form of the loaded gift bags we were given! BUDx will remain a dear memory for long!
14. We need another BUDx very soon.
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