The silent disco is back in Mumbai. And this time, it's even bigger. The concept, which has thrived on the dance floors of Goa, seems to be getting its share of fan following in the Maximum City
If you walk into Cross Maidan tomorrow night, unsuspectingly, you are most likely to spot hordes of people dancing enthusiastically sans the sounds of music. Before you jump to any conclusions about their mental frame of mind, be forewarned. After all, you have walked into a silent disco party. It’s a space where people dance to music that they can hear thanks to separate sets of wireless headphones. If you like the idea of a party where you can dance to your heart’s content without missing out on your favourite music in an extremely noisy place, head to this interesting event.
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Silent disco, which is a concept that’s extremely popular in Goa, is slowly catching on in Mumbai too. At this party, you get a pair of wireless headphones so you get to groove to the tracks of your choice. The person next to you could be dancing to something completely different but you can still enjoy partying together, without stepping on each other’s shoes.
The silent disco evening, which will take place on Friday and Saturday at an open-air stage, has been organised as part of the Indo-German Urban Mela. The evening will see many DJs dishing out different tunes including DJ Daniel Haaksman, who will be performing his first gig in the country. Talking about the concept of silent disco parties, he says, “My first impression was it’s impossible to do it as it lacks the experience of the bass component, which is sensed not only through the ears but the whole body. Eventually, I was surprised to see that even without the physical body experience of bass, people can dance to my music.”
We couldn’t skip asking this Berlin-based DJ of his choice of music for Mumbai’s crowd: “I’ll play a few of my new tracks and upcoming remixes. It will be an eclectic range of music from all over the world, but with a special Berlin treatment,” he shares. Mumbai, are you ready to groove?
How music impacts a city
While you are there also catch the discussion between Vijay Nair and German DJ Ralph Christoph on city music. The discussion, which will be held today, looks at music as the driving force for the development of any city. “Music stands representative for youth and culture, but also as a major part of what is nowadays called the Creative Industries,” explains Christoph. “At the discussion we will be looking at music as a big economic factor and the perspective role for the suitable development of a city’s constitution. Both Vijay and me have travelled and discovered other parts of the world than our home countries. The overall question is, how to transfer the western knowledge and experiences about music/culture to a country like India, without dismissing the Indian culture and history. But that’s just one aspect,” he adds.
On: April 20 and 21
At :Cross Maidan, Karambir Bhaurao Patil Road, Marine Lines.