Classic Rock. Bass beats. Or New Age. We hit popular music hangouts across the city to figure which genres of music are drawing in the crowds
EDM high
Weekends witness maximum crowd come in because it’s a weekend, but we see serial clubbers come in mid-week on Wednesdays.
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Hip-Hop, R&B and Trap are popular on Wednesdays; as for the weekends it’s EDM. People want to let themselves loose on weekends, which is also why upbeat music works. EDM has taken over the clubbing scene.
— DJ Dash, resident DJ, Trilogy, Juhu
Pop rocks here
Since our audience is primarily 25 years and older, genres ranging from Retro, Pop and Rock from the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s work best. Customers love familiar music that they can groove to and sing along. We see upbeat old-school dance hits making a come back. Rock and its various forms are popular across diverse age groups.
Over the weekends, we build the tempo starting with Classic Rock moving into old school Retro dance hits, Hip-Hop and R&B, and eventually, move towards popular Commercial music that the clientele across age groups loves.
— Chetan Rampal, partner, Monkey Bar
Retro rules
Retro still remains a popular choice — music from the 1970s through the early ’90s. Also, New Age music, Funk and Jazz have takers. Weekends generally do well as far as crowds go, but it depends on the music genre and the artistes performing.
— Sameer Bhatia, marketing and communications manager, Indigo
Different day, different genre
At High Street Phoenix we have seen diverse genres like Alternative Rock, Indian Folk, World Music, Electronic, Jazz, Blues and Instrumental, among other genres.
It’s not just the day but the time of the day that matters as well. Music is entirely dependent on the listener’s mood and on the kind of activities he/she would be likely to indulge in. A slightly older, more discerning age group would prefer Hindustani and/or Carnatic classical, Sufi, Ghazal, Qawwali, Western Classical, Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock and old Hindi classics. Yet, there is a substantial chunk of young listeners who are actively following Jazz, Blues and Classics.
— Rajendra Kalkar, senior centre director, The Phoenix Mills Ltd, Lower Parel
Hip-Hop and Jazz notes
The genres that we have seen grow over the years include Retro, Hip-Hop, Commercial, and Jazz. Music from the 1980s and ’90s remain all-time favourites.
However, we have concentrated on music genres like Jazz and Hip-Hop. Our acoustic nights are something that receive great response from the audiences. The day of the week plays a big role in the selection. Mondays and Tuesdays can be Classic Alternative Rock since it’s the start of the week. Wednesdays can be up-tempo Retro as its midweek; on Thursdays our options have to be open as it’s close to the weekend. Fridays and Saturdays can be Pop, Commercial and Hip-Hop as it’s the weekend, and people are looking to party. Sunday’s can be about classics again.
Karaoke in Mumbai still has a fan following, but the problem is that today there are venues everywhere, which has in turn affected revenue as footfalls have declined.
EDM and House are popular between 16 to 30-year-olds. Hip-Hop clientele is also in the same bracket but not as large. However, Hip-Hop is returning; Rock and Retro has a huge fan base too. Jazz is appreciated by the older clientele, but a very select few.
— Siddharth Jain, marketing and sales head, Out of the Blue, Khar and Powai
It’s the time to Nu disco!
Nu Disco, Mainroom House and Hip-Hop are popular. In clubs, the debate is usually between House and Hip-Hop. Requests usually are the cheesiest Commercial tracks and Bollywood. The age group would be 25-35.
We determine the kind of artistes we get in based on Soundcloud sets, reputation, experience and social media following.
— DJ Madoc, resident artiste, Li Bai, Palladium Hotel.
It’s all about the Bass
We have seen all variants like Bass music, Techno and Deep House that work.
On weekends people want stuff which is familiar but also has beats and is less abstract; on other days all other genre’s and styles are accepted by people. We have karaoke nights at Bonobo every Monday. I do not think karaoke will ever fade out; people will always want to emulate their musical heroes. Also, because it’s more interactive, certain people are more drawn to it.
— Sahil Timbadia, co-owner of Bonobo (Bandra) and Cafe Nemo (Worli).
Enter the New Age
The most popular genres are New Age — Techno, Deep House, Chill Out, Drum ‘n’ Bass and Nu-disco. This is also giving a few hole-in-the-walls monopoly on Rock and Roll, Hip-Hop, basically, old school scene.
The music that one plays on weekdays is what defines the place and sets it apart, since weekends are dominated by House and EDM in most places.
— Bhuvan Narang, partner, The Little Door, Andheri
Deep House in the house
We decided on our Friday Frisco property where we play Deep House and Tech, to build our own following. It is one of our most popular nights. On Saturdays, we have EDM and House. For us, it was more of an image building exercise and it has worked as people drop by for our kind of music.
However, we can’t forget that we are a diner too. Therefore, weekdays, we plays Retro, Classics, and Karaoke on Wednesdays, this helps the positioning of the restaurant. The music has to complement the place as people look forward to a holistic experience.
— Abhishek Goyal, partner, Boveda (Andheri)
Mid-week is for Karaoke
At Hard Rock, it is the artistes who bring in the crowds. This varies for Andheri and Worli. At our Worli outlet, we have more of Retro and Rock cover bands, in Andheri, genres such as Grunge, Alt Rock are more popular. Bollywood is also in demand at Andheri. We have Commercial Dance Music nights once a month. At Shiro, House and Deep House rule. The day of the week matters as on Mondays you are getting over the blues and by Wednesday, energy levels are higher, so Karaoke works.
— Rohan Gandhy, assistant general manager — events, JSM Corporation (Hard Rock Cafe and Shiro, Worli)
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