19 August,2016 08:33 AM IST | | Shraddha Uchil
DJ couple Nikhil Chinapa and Pearl, who will team up for a gig at blueFROG as it folds up, talk marriage and music
DJ Nikhil Chinapa and Pearl
Q. You've been married for 10 years. What's it like to be a couple in the DJ circuit?
A. Pearl: It's not very different from being a couple in any profession. You understand each other well, but are also pulled in different directions, but that's healthy. We're each other's sounding boards and support, and also each other's best, most honest critics. We love sharing music and plans with each other. Most importantly, we understand this industry's challenges and support each other during tough times. It's quite another feeling to be able to share a moment at a club or a festival with your partner, without having to say a word. He just knows.
DJ Nikhil Chinapa and Pearl
Q. How often do you DJ together? And how different is it to play alongside with the person you're married to?
A. Nikhil: We used to play a lot of gigs in the beginning and we both created our own space, without stepping on each other's toes. We're professional with each other in the console; something Pearl was particular about right from the start. At the console, she's first the DJ, then my wife. To be honest, I've always aspired to be the kind of DJ that Pearl is, and I think I've managed to up my game in the past few years.
Pearl: He is too modest; he's a brilliant DJ. We still play together sometimes, but not very often.
For many years, we've had different tastes in music and also entirely different ways of presenting that music, like any two DJs. We still manage to share special tracks, but we both will play it at different times of our sets. We work well as a team, whether on the creative or the organisational side of things. Nikhil is naturally skilled with people, and I trust him implicitly when he's next to me in the console. He knows exactly what to say and when. We needed that in the beginning, especially when we were trying to educate people about this music and spread it to different cities.
Q. How much has the music scene changed since you started out?
A. Pearl: The great thing about the music scene is that it's in a constant state of flux and this is even truer of dance music as it thrives on mutation and evolution. Our scene's changed a lot since we started - from the format we play music on (vinyl when we started, to CDs, and now USBs or laptops with controllers) to people's tastes in music and what is perceived to be "in" (mainstream sounds) to what is inherently cooler and more hip (underground music). Historically, these two have always been cyclical. We're hoping that once current, new audiences get introduced to the mainstream, they will want to explore quality music, and then we will again have a thriving clubbing scene like we did about a decade ago. The great thing for India these days is that we're seeing a diversification of taste and there's now strong support for various sub-genres of dance music, which only augers well for its future in our country.
Q. How do you feel about blueFROG's moving out, and this being your last set at this venue?
A. Nikhil: The Frog has been an iconic music venue for Mumbai, and I don't think we're the only people saying we'll miss it terribly. We've had some incredible gigs there and some of the finest musicians and artists from across the world have played here.
Q. What about the nightclub culture? How has that evolved?
A. Nikhil: We've seen an explosion of smaller venues over the years, which has allowed for more artists to perform and also for more genres to proliferate within our scene. On the flip side, its become more difficult for medium and large size venues to pack in crowds regularly, which is a problem that affects us all - clubbers, promoters, artists and people who work in the industry infrastructure. It would be great to see support as far as club timings are concerned. This way, more artists can perform, clubs can do better business and more people will venture into this field. There will also be more jobs for the hundreds of DJs interested
in joining our fold every year.
On August 20, 10 pm onwards
At BlueFROG, Mathuradas Mills Compound, Lower Parel.
Cost Rs 600
Call 65186518
