Electronic Dance Music (EDM) is the talk of the town!
A few years ago, the City was known as the rock capital but now, it looks like EDM has taken over.

With the likes of Tiesto, ‘Swedish House Mafia’, Above & Beyond, Avicii, Armin van Buuren, Hardwell and more recently, ‘Deadmau5’ burning the stage in the City, it wouldn’t be a surprise if soon namma Bengaluru earns the title of the ‘EDM capital of India’.

Youngsters love listening to EDM.

In fact, catchy tunes, minimal lyrics and fast beats make people of all age groups groove to this form of music. 

With the recent extension of deadline on the nightlife in the City, one can probably say that there will be all the more EDM concerts.

Metrolife interacted with a few college students to find out what do they like or dislike about the genre. 

Black tickets!

Ramona, second-year PUC, Bishop Cotton Women’s Christian College, enjoyed the ‘Sound Awake’ concert at the Supernova.

Yet she doesn’t like the high cost of the tickets.

“Earlier, one would hear of movie tickets being sold in black. But now, even for EDM concerts, a lot of black marketing happens. A few hours before any concert, you can see people putting messages on Facebook saying they are selling tickets."

"Some stand outside the venue and sell them for double the price! One can actually do so much with that money. It’s a sad state.” 

Progressive growth

Franklin, second-year BBM, St Joseph’s College of Commerce, is a DJ himself and is extremely passionate about EDM.

“EDM is all about celebration. I became a fan of EDM thanks to ‘Deadmau5’, who I have been listening to from the time I was a child. In the recent times, I have not missed a single concert in the City. With so many of the world’s best acts coming to Bangalore, we can safely say that India is improving big time,” he says.

Preferred destination 

Varun, final-year BBM, St Joseph’s Evening College, says, “I’m completely into EDM and have been observing the trend for many years now. Earlier, no EDM artiste ever used to come to Bangalore but now, you can see every well-known artiste performing here. The music is soothing and has a positive vibe."

"EDM songs don’t have much lyrics so anyone can enjoy them. Yes, I understand it’s a money-making business but it’s ok as long as it’s done sensibly.” 

Intelligence in music?

Karthick Paul, second-year diploma, Baldwin Polytechnic College, is another DJ.

“EDM is a way of life for me. If I’m happy, I listen to EDM. If I’m sad, I listen to it too. Now, you have another form of EDM called IDM, which stands for Intelligent Dance Music. 

This means making music using various elements. ‘Deadmau5’ falls under this category,” he says.

However, he feels there is one drawback to EDM concerts. “Some people, who come for the concert, don’t enjoy the music. They just come for the sake of it!” he adds.

Indian DJs rock

Priyanka Urs, fourth-year LLB, University Law College, “Though I like EDM, I can’t listen to it all the time. I need my dose of Hindi music. But I love the Indian DJs especially Praveen Achary. His music is really refreshing. It’s not just the same old songs. I can chill with that type of music. I even studied with it once.”