The Sherp’s Guide To Bacardi Enchanted Valley Carnival’s Eclectic Lineup

BEVC is bringing  a tasteful blend of electronic artists to Aamby Valley next month. This concise guide to the BEVC roster will get you in the groove for the festival.

This year’s Bacardi Enchanted Valley Carnival lineup is one of the vastly inclusive ones, with something for every music enthusiast. From Hardstyle – headlining the Main stage on day 1 for the first time – to Techno with the Sci-Tech stage, and a massive treat for trance aficionados with the Armada and Full on stages. Couple that with some of the biggest names in the electronic music scene, and you have an undeniably fulfilling musical weekend. If you’re looking forward to the fourth edition of BEVC, here’s a day-wise guide with hand-picked artists from the extraordinary lineup.

DAY 1

1. Noisecontrollers

Noisecontrollers, a hard-dance act run by Bas Oskam, is a great example of a rare breed of pure creativity that has thrived in the world of Hardstyle for almost a decade. Originally from the Netherlands, the fearless and fiercely passionate aura of Noisecontrollers is what grabbed attention of Hardstyle enthusiasts in the mid-00s. Noisecontrollers has gained success quickly and in abundance in the last few years, even ranking #27 position in the DJ Mag in 2012.

2. Thomas Gold

Thomas Gold is a DJ/producer from Berlin, signed with several prominent record labels such as Spinnin’ Records, Armada music, Axtone, etc. Since storming onto the scene in 2006, the German artist has emerged as one of the most widely admired producers in modern dance music. Famous for his remixes, especially the one of Adele’s “Set Fire to Rain” which garnered over 15 million hits on YouTube, Thomas Gold is an incredible addition to the BEVC lineup.

3. Avalon

Leon ‘Avalon’, is a psy-trance/electronic artist from London. Signed with Nano Records, Avalon gained a vast fanbase sharing stages with massive artists at some of the biggest international music festivals, such as Glastonbury, Ozora, Boom, Tomorrowland, Sunburn, UMF, etc. With a new album coming out in 2016, Avalon’s BEVC set is much anticipated. Listen to some of his music below.

4. Nucleya

Famous, and very much beloved for incorporating desi influxes in his electronic music, Nucleya (Udyan Sagar), is an Indian electronic artist from Mumbai. Having just released his new album Bass Rani, there’s no better time to hear Nucleya in the flesh. Listen to some tracks from Bass Rani below to prep for his set at Bacardi Enchanted Valley Carnival, and read his interview with the Sherp here!

5. Dhruv Visvanath

Dhruv Vasvanath is a singer/guitarist from New Delhi, who calls himself a “solo percussive acoustic guitarist”. He’s known for his distinctive guitar techniques and earthy, acoustic sound. Vasvanath was named one of the world’s 30 Great Guitarists Under 30 – Acoustic Guitar Magazine (USA) and has been a passionate musician since childhood. He also makes a quietly wonderful addition to the already stellar lineup.

DAY 2

1. Fatboy Slim

Norman Cook, pseudonym Fatboy Slim, is a record-breaking English DJ. Cook has been prevalent in the electronic music scene for a decade; from popularizing the genre of big beat in the ’90s to his typically eccentric stage presence at massive music festivals over the years, such as Bestival, UMF, Glastonbury, etc. Fatboy Slim is set to take on Bacardi Enchanted Valley Carnival with his inimitable high energy show this December.

2. Far East Movement

Far East Movement, known for their hit “Like a G6”, is a hip-hop/electronic group from Los Angeles. After gaining immense popularity thanks to the aforementioned single, the group released more genre-fluid music that garnered attention worldwide, as well as TV shows and movies like Entourage, Gossip Girl, and the third The Fast and the Furious film. Since then, their ever growing catalog of music has been supported by celebrated artists such as Skrillex, Diplo, and Afrojack.

3. Ferry Corsten

Ferry Corsten is a Dutch DJ who has been a relevant part of the electronic music scene for over a decade. He has been featured on DJ Mag’s Top 100 Poll numerous times and been a part of many electronic collaborations and projects over the years. Listen to his track “Hyper Love” below to prepare yourself for his BEVC set.

4. Oliver Heldens 

Oliver Heldens is a Dutch electronic music producer, who’s probably best known for his chart-topping hit “Gecko”, featuring Becky Hill. His attention-grabbing style has been called everything from future house to big room house and bass house. It was this single that caught the attention of Tiësto in 2013, and he went on to sign Heldens to his label. Another single “Koala”, went on to become the second most internet-searched song at Amsterdam Dance Event. He’s since performed at a number of huge electronic music festivals. Here’s some of his music.

5. Shpongle

Shpongle is an electronic music project that surfaced in the late-90s and has been an integral part of the psychedelic/electronic music scene ever since. With a distinctive psychedelic/ambient sound and textural sonic undertones, Shpongle is as incredible through headphones as it is live. Consisting of Simon Posford and Raja Ram, Shpongle has played several music festivals, including Ozora. Listen to some of their music below.

6. Kanishk & Kavita Seth

Kanishk Seth is a homegrown indie vocalist who emerged in the music scene relatively recently. 19 years old and practicing music for over six years, Kanishk spent four years working on the album that presents Amir Khusrow’s 800-year-old poetry with a unique blend of trance and sufi music. Kanishk and his wonderfully talented mother Kavita, who herself is a sufi veteran and playback singer, will be lighting up the second day of Bacardi Enchanted Valley Carnival. Listen to some of their music below.

7. GMS

Growling Mad Scientists, GMS for short, is an psytrance/electronic duo from the Netherlands as well as co-founders of Spun Records, the first psy-trance label in the US and Ibiza. Formed by Shajahan Matkin (also known as Riktam) and Joseph Quinteros (also known as Bansi) in the city of Amsterdam, located in the west of The Netherlands, the duo has attracted a large international fanbase over the last decade. GMS will be bringing their incredible otherworldly aura to BEVC so make sure you check out their music below.

DAY 3

1. Tiësto

Tiësto hardly needs any preamble. The Dutch DJ/producer is one of the most famous international electronic artists today. Having played and headlined massive festivals such as Tomorrowland, Coachella, UMF and more, Tiësto will be headlining BEVC this December. Listen to the trance/prog house veteran’s music below.

2. Dubfire

Ali Shirazinia, popularly known as Dubfire is a Grammy winning Iranian DJ who has taken the world of dance musc by the storm in the last decade. Known for his catchy techno beats and divergence from progressive house, Dubfire is one of the most sought after festival performers today. With over two decades of experience in the music, Dubfire is known to push the envelope with every new release. Listen to some of his music below!

3. FuzzCulture

FuzzCulture, a fledgling outfit, conceptualized in 2012, is a duo from New Delhi. Creating live electronica and spreading their flamboyant vibe around the country, FuzzCulture has played over 100 shows in the last few years. Signed to Contrabands, a three way partnership between Universal Music india, VH1 & Hard Rock Café India, FuzzCulture have played most major festivals in India including Bacardi NH7 Weekender, VH1 Supersonic, City of M, etc.

4. Faridkot

Faridkot is an indie duo from New Delhi, that emerged in 2008. Named after the small city in Punjab, Faridkot’s music is essentially pop, with infusions of notable percussion and bass. Easy to like and pretty catchy, we think Faridkot makes a good addition to the BEVC lineup. Faridkot is working on their next album currently, so it would be wonderful to hear some new material during their live set.

Buy your tickets for Bacardi Enchanted Valley Carnival here.