Electronica on the BOILER

A limited 300 people who aren’t there just to be seen, thrilling homegrown artistes in tow with their songs that rarely get played in a club – the debut of Boiler Room in India was apparently nothing short of a night to remember.

Of the four musicians on the lineup that included contemporary British electronic artiste, Actress and Mumbai-based Sandunes, two of them were our own Bengaluru stars - Ketan Bahirat aka Oceantied and Rahul Giri (_RHL).

Now back home with heads still buzzing from excitement, they take us inside the self-proclaimed online home of the underground and pitch in on what this means for the Indian scene.

True to its nature, both of them aren’t quite sure how they landed the opportunity, but are ecstatic that they did. “I got an email from Boiler Room London… and that was it,” explains Rahul Giri, who is also one part of the electronic duo, Sulk Station. Obviously there was going to be nerves because, one of Rahul’s favourite artistes, Actress, was on the same lineup as him.

“That and it (the set) was going to be streamed live and archived. It would stay on YouTube FOREVER,” he quips. “But once the show started, it was like any other gig. You just get involved in the process and the whole live stream, camera on me, ‘OMG Actress is playing after me’ thoughts fade away,” he says, commending the crowd for being patient and open minded. Rahul is honest about not remembering when he stumbled upon the concept first.

“Boiler Room has many aspects in terms of being a concept. But for me it’s purely about music and being able to see musicians/DJs that I normally don’t get to see. And not just online only,” he smiles.

For him, it heralds great things for the Indian music scene. Like opening up our music to the world, for instance. “But a lot will also depend on what happens next. If it’s going to be an ongoing thing, it will do wonders for Indian producers/musicians in terms of getting their sound/music out to the world. It could probably lead to more international bookings, more record label deals etc.,” he weighs in, as he juggles new talent as part of his record label, Consolidate, preps for upcoming gigs and looks to focus on his band’s new album.

Ketan, on the other hand, tells us that his first tryst with this movement was probably three years ago. “It always seemed like an intriguing concept and it happened to be one major way for me to find different kinds of artistes and music from around the world. I haven’t ever attended one abroad but I’m glad I was at the first-ever one, here in India,” he says. Known for experimenting with his music, he believes this was a great gig simply because scores of people from across the globe watch these sets online and that changes the game.

“This will hopefully show the rest of the world that India has a strong scene brewing here, and this will definitely boost the confidence of younger producers to keep going at it and work harder. The force is still nascent but so strong,” he says, working on newer collaborations and a brand new live set to welcome 2017.