The 2022 IMS Business Report had one pertinent takeaway, suggesting the electronic music market reached a stagnant valuation of $6 billion! Techno, a subgenre of EDM (Electronic Dance Music), is gaining prominence in India after a successful stint in European and American markets. Men and women alike are drawn towards club houses where techno is played. Techno music offers various subgenres, from hardcore to minimal, melodic to hypnotic, depending on the BPM (beats per minute). Metropolitan cities are becoming new destinations for techno music, and they are thriving unprecedentedly. Pinterest, a social media company that has a traffic of over 400 million people each month, released a report titled “Pinterest predicts 2023”, suggesting that rave culture (a culture where EDM is played at warehouses, clubs, underground, public, or private venues) will thrive unprecedentedly in 2023.
There’s not an iota of doubt that techno is thriving and becoming one of the most popular forms of music across the globe. Interestingly, many people from different professions are learning to DJ and becoming full-time music producers and playing techno music. This interesting trend was solidified by our research and conducting a one-on-one interview with such artists. In our curiosity to learn more about the surge in techno music in India, we interviewed artists and learned about what made them switch to becoming techno artists. Below are some techno artists who we rendezvoused with.
Nina Shah: The next big thing in EDM!
Nina Shah is a half-Indian, half-British DJ! Her unique style and YOLO attitude have helped her spread the EDM culture in India. A highlight moment in her career was opening for a favorite artist, Coldplay, at the Global Citizen Festival and closing the set for Jay Z. Her collaborative single, ‘Never Let You Go, garnered over 20 million impressions worldwide!
Nina’s unique style of fusing vocal house and tribal tech beats sets energy on the dance floor. Her style of music falls under the subgenre of melodic technology. “As a kid, I grew up listening to 60’s music, which was an amazing foundation. Later on, I kept evolving through different types of genres, and eventually, through this journey, I started playing vocal tech house. The music I play is very fun and groovy, which resonates with me personally. I have a great time connecting with people and love bringing them together to release their energy on the dance floor. It doesn’t matter what you’re going through; you always feel great when you dance! I also plan to start producing very soon,” said Nina BFH about her journey as an artist and her future prospects.
Jiheersha: A psychologist turned techno artist!
Jiheersha (stage name: WADJET) is a techno artist gaining prominence in Delhi and the NCR. She plays the raw, deep, and hypnotic subgenres of techno and is edging forward with her passion. “For me, music is everything. After having a difficult childhood, I was drawn towards music early, and it became my coping mechanism.
Eventually, I started attending music festivals and knew that this is what I want to pursue as a profession,” told Jiheersha to BFH. BFH also asked her what made her switch professions and where she learned djing, to which she replied, “I worked at a rehab as a psychologist for some time, but I always wanted a creative boost and not just a 9-to-5 job. With music, I never felt alone, and I started learning DJing at Mashter’s Pro DJ Academy in Gurugram.” About her future goals, Jiheersha told BFH,” I am learning to produce music, and in the future I want to create music of my own. I believe in educating the listeners in India about forming a community with like-minded individuals for growth.”
DEF: A lawyer turned journalist—who is making house and techno music popular in Northern India!
Darshan-stage name DEF, hailing from Rajasthan, is a journalist. Early on, DEF began clubbing, and house music had a big influence on him.Def plays the electronica, deep house, tech house, minimal/deep tech, etc. subgenres of EDM. He started hanging out with the other DJs and organizers and
started playing music at the age of 16. “Early on in my life, I was infatuated with hip-hop music and eventually house and techno music. I learned DJing myself and started producing house and techno both,” told DEF to BFH as to how he got into house and techno music. DEF has played at many famous places with artists of international reputation and has been playing for 11 years! When asked about what his real passion is—journalism or techno—he replied, “Well, my real passion lies in DJing and producing house and techno music. In the future, I look forward to collaborating with like-minded people, evolving my music intellectually, and trying to make it more popular across our country.”
Extended Drop: A lawyer turned full-time techno DJ!
Siddhant Gupta (stage name: Extended Drop) has a master’s degree in law and has also been a practicing lawyer. Born and brought up in Delhi, Siddhant got inclined towards music while traveling around the globe and listening to different styles and genres of music. Siddhant also curates techno events and heads TechnotakeoverIndia, an event organizing company. Siddhant successfully curated 999999999, an international duo artist event, at Habibi, Khubani, and New Delhi, which BFH also covered. “For me, techno is not just a form of music; it is a lifestyle. Techno is being massively promoted and targets a niche audience globally. In India, techno has suddenly seen a rapid growth in terms of its listeners, and I feel in a year or two, techno will be the new commercial,” said Siddhant to BFH on the prospects of techno music thriving in India. Siddhant plays the hypnotic, peak-time, psy, tech, and melodic subgenres of techno.
Take Two: A Doctor and a Businessman duo gaining recognition as techno artists throughout the Country!
Dr. Sahildeep Bange and Ekansh Kumar Mago (stage name: Take Two) met through mutual friends and went on a trip together to the hills. They wouldn’t have wondered if this chance encounter would lead to a lifelong partnership. Both discovered their love for techno, decided this is what they want to pursue, and started learning DJing. Together with other colleagues, they co-founded Middle, an electronic music event organizing company that hosts electronic dance music events by hosting artists of various subgenres. The duo is quickly gaining recognition and has already been performing all over India, as well as with internationally recognized artists like Stephan Jolk and Rafael Cerato. The duo has also been performing at music festivals such as Namascray, held in Goa.
“To be honest, it’s a task, but I guess when you really want to do something, you find ways to make it happen. So it’s very tiring, and it’s not always easy to balance, but I don’t have a choice. I don’t want to leave either one of the two, so I just make it. “I don’t want to leave either one of the two, so I just make it happen,” said Dr. Sahildeep to Best for Him, who is a practicing general physician, as to how he balances being a doctor and a techno artist simultaneously. The duo has been transcending different subgenres of techno and playing diverse forms of it. When asked about what he plans to achieve in the future with techno, Ekansh Kumar Mago, who founded multiple startups and runs his own business of auto parts and also founded Sanitization Experts, which provides hygiene services to the World Health Organization and is an official partner of the Indian Premier League, told BFH, My aim with techno is to create music that millions of people relate to and love. The satisfaction of seeing people dance in front of you is what keeps us going, so, naturally, the end goal is to become one of the largest acts that techno has seen. As Sahil and I always say, To the moon!”