‘Retro’active revelers
Golden oldies and pop tunes are fast becoming the go-to music of many party spots in the city
By : namita gupta
Update: 2015-06-01 00:28 GMT
It’s time for retro rewind in the city. Retro nights are back and how. The penchant for unwinding over music from the yesteryears is gaining popularity. While in the recent times, young party peeps were seen dancing to EDM and new-age tunes, there’s now a growing set of hipsters who’re heading out to popular hotspots for a retro night.
They’re fun to jive to and one can relate to the words, instead of simply shaking a leg to lyric-lacking loud pulsating music infused with techno beats. Popular DJs who spin retro in the city are Anoop, Ivan, Gladwin, Vachan, Praful and Joy and the popular hotspots are Shiro, Hokey Cokey, Blistering Barnacles, Watsons and others.
DJ Joy who works at an MNC by day and is the king of the console by night, says, “I play retro and funk at Hokey Cokey on Friday and at Watsons and Puma Social Club on other days. Everyone loves retro dance music. YMCA is one of the famous tunes in the retro circles.” DJ Anoop adds, “Modern day music is losing its sheen because it’s done to death. It has begun to sound monotonous and lacks the simplicity that the retro classics had. Most youngsters are now opening up to yesteryear classics as they sound fresh and have a sing along vibe to them.” DJ Vanshi who plays at Olive Beach (Friday) and Monkey Bar (Saturday) states, “I play soulful house retro that reminds you of rhythmic music watching a sunset in Goa. Everyone loves the tracks like Stayin’ Alive and No Eyes.”
Serious about old school tunes is Dekyi Yangtso Chawla, director, Reward360, who was at the Olive Beach night this week, says, “The music and songs I grew up grooving to are now in the retro category. My friends and I love retro nights, especially at Shiro. We enjoy singing along and shaking a leg and in the interim losing calories over epic music! My all-time favourites are Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics and all of Michael Jackson’s songs. The decibel goes higher when Queen’s I want to break free comes on! The list is endless!”
Known to host rocking parties in town for the expats, Viren Khanna also hosts one retro night every month. He admits, “All those in their late 20s and 30s grew up listening to these popular songs from the 90s. It’s fun to dance to tunes you can jive to, than just stand in front of the DJ looking at him and shaking like a maniac.” In pace with the pulse of the city is Karan Virwani, co-partner Sanchos and Singkong who has retro nights at Sanchos almost every Saturday. “DJ TT and DJ Yon play retro that takes you back in time. Either we have grown up listening to those tunes or our parents have played those numbers giving us a feel of fun and nostalgia.”