2013 seemed to be a year for new, unexplored horizons in terms of the Indian Dance Music scene. There have been an advent of a number of festivals, events, and properties for all us dance music fans to look forward to. But one festival took hold of our curiosity the most, right from the point we had heard rumors about it at the beginning of the year. We heard, what seemed like fables at the time, of a festival with majestic pomp & grandeur that would be held at Aamby Valley City, a reserved township way, way out of the outskirts of Mumbai.
As more light began to be shed on this festival, our anticipation and eagerness grew even more! To add to it all, they even had a stellar line-up and camping at the venue which is more than what all of us were looking forward to.
Eventually the day came and The Bangin Team packed all of our necessities to be taken on an enchanted ride for 3 days. We were in indescribable amounts of anticipation to see what the venue would look like and what kind of an experience camping on-site would be. After about a 3-odd hour journey by road, we reached the venue and we were absolutely blown away by the set up. The entire festival was set between the hills of Lonavala and the atmosphere was just phenomenal. It was easily one of the most beautiful venues we’d ever been to.
The good people at White Collar Hippie were in charge of the camping village and they had set up a spectacular experience for anyone who had braved to camp it out for 3 days. There was a plethora of activities, ranging from poi spinning and dream catcher workshops in the day, to sing-alongs, barbecues and bonfires at night. The village could have just as easily been a festival in itself with guitar players, didgeridoos, and mouth harps. But that wasn’t even the main focus. What we were looking forward to was to be blown away by 3 days of some of the most spectacular music we’d heard in the longest time.
Day 1
After setting up our tent, and unpacking, we had entered the main festival area by around 7 pm, to find the entire festival spread over a size-ably large patch of land just beyond the airstrip. The decor was incredibly carnival spirited, with quaint little windmills spread around that lit up at night. There were tents made of vibrantly joyous and colourful cloth streamers that provided shelter from the unforgiving sun in the day, but what really took our breath away were the 2 hot air balloons bang in the middle that also doubled up as a joyride for many who’d want to experience what being in a hot-air balloon was like. From that point on, we could feel the wide-eyed happiness and unadulterated joy that a child would feel while visiting the local carnival.
Lack of choice was one thing this festival didn’t have. If anything we were spoiled for choice with so many good artists from a variety of genres at each stage, we didn’t know where to go. Music wise, the festival was phenomenally rich with some of the biggest talents in the dance music industry. As far as the acts go, we found bass maestros BBC at the stage dedicated to homegrown talent. We walked on to find Claudia Cazacu raising quite a storm with her hard hitting electro/progressive trance set at the main stage, and Indian Techno superstar, Ankytrixx laying down the law with really hitting hard basslines on Stage 2.
Since we’re major Trance fanatics, we decided to stick on the main stage to catch Hungarian trance duo Myon & Shane 54. Meanwhile, Umek and Sound Avtar were closing down stages 2 & 3 respectively. Masters of the crafts of their own respective fields, the first day had something to cater to everyone’s specific taste in dance music.
Myon & Shane 54 threw down a lot of today’s progressive hits like Above & Beyond’s deeply moving “Mariana Trench“, Arty’s unforgettable Flashback, and a host of spanking new Andrew Bayer tracks including Perth and the club mix for Need Your Love. But what really got everybody to lose it was when they played their spectacular collaboration with Seven Lions, Strangers, and their progressive trance bootleg of Daft Punk’s One More Time.
At the end of day one, we were highly impressed by what we had witnessed and couldn’t wait to see what day 2 & 3 had in store. Though we thoroughly enjoyed the loud music, the sound clash between the music from the Mainstage and Stage 2 was evident to all. By the time we walked to our camps, there was a bit of a nip in the air, but the good people at the village had already accounted for that. There were warm bonfires and barbecues set in the leisure tent area, that had people crowd around, just to get a little warmth. These bonfires also served to be great community spots where one could engage in conversation with another fellow festival goer, and thereby make new friends.
Day 2
The sound check on the 3rd stage woke us up on day 2. We could hear Indian Ocean practice for their performance in the evening. There was yummy breakfast waiting for us at the campsite, along with hot cups of tea and coffee. At that temperature, a nice warm breakfast was just what would hit the spot. Additionally, the view of the sun peeking through the hills around us was breathtakingly ethereal. It was almost as if Mumbai was in another country.
Day 2 had Anjunadeep curator, Jody Wisternoff on Stage 2, electro sensations TV Noise on the main stage and Reggae/Moombah collective Reggae Rajahs on the Live Stage. Jody Wisternoff seemed as though he was spending a casual Sunday evening, playing for his friends. His demeanor was that casual and fun. It was a pleasure to watch him pick and play some of the finest deep house we’ve heard off late.
A small walk to the main stage gave us Rishab Joshi doing a Back2Back set with Goan native, Anish Sood. Their set, as usual, was filled with high octane energy, as displayed by the both of their antics on stage and the choice of tracks they played. What we couldn’t wait for though, was the act next in line. It was none other than German duo Cosmic Gate performing with the very alluring Emma Hewitt.
The crowd at the main stage was swelling with trance enthusiasts, and we couldn’t wait to hear their fabulous set coupled with Emma’s sensational voice. They started off with a beautiful mash up of Touch Me by Rui Da Silva & Cassandra Fox with Under My Skin by Jerome Isma Ae & Ilan Bluestone. They went on to play many of their own greatest hits like Over The Rainbow and Be Your Sound, with the lovely Emma Hewitt giving backing vocals. Emma even began to do her rendition of Iio’s iconic Rapture, along with her wonderfully moving original Colours. Who could forget the sheer energy when they dropped one of their biggest festival hits So Get Up, along with reworked versions of their classics Fire Wire and Exploration Of Space.
Having already been pushed to the limits of our threshold, we couldn’t wait for trance legend, ATB to get on stage. Though most of us Trance faithfuls would have preferred ATB’s original sound, we couldn’t denounce his effort to include some of today’s mainstream hits like Alesso’s If I Lose Myself, Hardwell & Amba Shephard’s Apollo and an edit of Empire of The Sun’s DNA into his set and still somehow include that original Trance touch that we know and love him for. What really tickled us beyond belief, however, was the way he included a hint of the signature riff from 9pm(Till I Come) right before the drop on almost every track towards the latter half of his set. Till he finally played what many regard is Trance’s foremost anthem, the original mix of that very song, instantly sending us back into waves of nostalgia. Most of us were thrown back to memories of us growing up listening to that song on 8track and cassette players, or watching the video on MTV.
The second stage closed with Chicane performing a live set. It was one of the most surreal performances we’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing. The stage set up, the lights, the weather and the atmosphere somehow conspired to make us feel as though we were transported to another world. He played a plethora of his most beloved hits ranging from Popiholla to One More Time to A Thousand Splendid Suns. The heavenly synth work, coupled with the vocalists own unique spin to each of these genius productions sent shivers down our spine. We literally had our hair stand on end through each casual transition that Chicane took us on. What really took our breath away was his rework of his classic collaboration with Bryan Adams on Don’t Give Up, and the live performance of his eternal hit Saltwater.These sent us to a whole new dimension of ecstacy and euphoria.
The pyrotechnics, Co2 sprays and confetti amplified the experience to an extent where it’s difficult to put down in words. Yes, these effects are commonplace at festivals and concerts, but when coupled with music that really touches your soul to the extent where you can feel butterflies in your stomach and chills up to your extremities, the effect is indescribable.
After being completely blown away by the spectacle we had just witnessed, we sheepishly walked back to the village, still in a state of awe. The temperature was much cooler than the day before and we couldn’t wait to have our own little after party in the campsite.
Day 3
We woke up on day 3, again to the familiar sound of a guitar being tuned on the soundcheck for the live stage. Today was a day special to the lot of us, as most of the acts we’d been aching to see were scheduled to play, primarily Pryda Friends, Jeremy Olander & Fehrplay, and electro wunderkinds, Martin Garrix & Bassjackers.
In addition, there was also headliner hip-hop act Taio Cruz who spun a DJ set, Anjunabeats’ Starchild Jaytech, distinguished Finnish progressive trance duo, Super8 & Tab, and progressive house duo Gabriel & Dresden.
We headed directly to stage 2 and just managed to catch the final bits of Jaytech’s set and one of our favourites, Inception. Even though the sun was overbearing, none of us actually cared because we were all swayed by the wonderful music. Following Jaytech was none other than the much awaited Pryda Friends: Jeremy Olander & Fehrplay who were set to play a back 2 back set. It was truly a once in a life time experience, watching them play while the sun was settting behind the hills that surrounded us. Fehrplay started it off , and from then on was a continuous journey into the depths of deep sounds, delicious melodies and infectious grooves.
We got to hear a plethora of delectable tracks ranging from Indigo to Phantom to I Cant Stop It. We were even made privy to Jeremy’s newest Bandersnatch and his dazzling rework of LoveFlight. Not to mention a few Pryda tracks thrown in like Fehrplay’s remix of Everyday. The joys of hearing such luxurious music against a sunset was something way beyond what we had expected. Between the both of them, they had the audience captive in some sort of musical wizardry that made us groove to their tunes like zombies.
These musical wizards were followed by Tab (Janne Mansnerus) representing Super8 & Tab. What a prime progressive trance set, perfect enough to fill the appetite of every trance enthusiast present. His set comprised of a vibrant mix of originals, and remixes especially the very famous and emotionally driven Your Secret’s Safe, their remix of Surrounded by BT, the very famous entrant in the Anjunabeats 10 compilation, LA, as well as the very popular Ilan Bluestone Remix of Mat Zo’s Lucid Dreams. Of course no trance set could be complete without Above & Beyond’s Mariana Trench and Arty’s Flashback. We’d probably heard the last 2 tracks in almost every headlining progressive trance set at the festival.
Meanwhile on the main stage, Martin Garrix dished out a powerhouse set, with track after track oozing with energy. Of course we got to hear the mastermind behind Animals play that one track that put him on the dance music map. This obviously followed by a glut of festival hits that form a part of almost every arena set, including Knife Party’s Antidote, his collaboration with Jay Hardway on Wizard, W&W’s Jumper and Dada Life’s Kick Out The Epic Motherf**er. Also, not to mention the incredible use of the “Put Your F**kin Hands Up” sample throughout the set.
Back on Stage 2, Tab was followed by US based progressive house geniuses, Gabriel & Dresden, who had played one of the most emotional, goosebump-inducing sets we’ve heard. It was as though each one of the tracks they had picked had some kind of melody or groove or beat or lyric that was designed to send chills down your spine. The soundscaping of the entire set comprised of heavenly crystal synth work, other-worldly piano melodies and sublime trance riffs. The sheer ingenuity by way of their mash-ups was something we rarely ever get to see. Mash-ups such as Booka Shade’s Mandarine Girl with Lana Del Rey’s Young & Beautiful, the time travel inducing Human League classic Don’t You Want Me with Pryda’s Allein. They even played the unbelievably sublime Kent Vs Jeremy Olander production Petroleum, their remix of Andain’s beautiful Turn Up The Sound, their bootleg of the enchanting yet very dark Breathe Me by Sia.
The entire journey that they took us on had culminated in one of the most enchanting 8 minutes to be experienced. What started off as a dark, gloomy beat followed later with a haunting guitar riff, which we at once recognized as their collaboration with Armin Van Buuren on Zocalo. Each and every individual present at that stage just stood their in silence, entranced, as if each of them had no control over their bodies. Almost as if it was an out of body experience. Everyone had their eyes closed, and a look of pure contentment on their faces, as though everything at that moment in time, was perfect. At the bridge we could hear Chris Martin’s vocals pick up as the familiar words from Coldplay’s Fix You came on. To define that moment in this paragraph would just be an insult to the immaculacy of it. The bright blue lights on stage, the blasts from the Co2 cannons, and the envelope of confetti that surrounded us made that moment so pure, it was as though no hate, negativity, diversion ever existed in that space. The overbearing emotions of positivity, contentment, love and happiness was superfluous. For us, at The Bangin Beats, it was one that will forever be engraved in our beings. It was one that defined the epitome of every objective the crew at Enchanted Valley Carnival wished to achieve.
Gabriel & Dresden ended at around 09:30 pm and the festival still had about 30 minutes to go before it was finally over. Moving over to the mainstage, we were pleasantly surprised to find Martin Garrix & Bassjackers perform a B2B set, playing massive arena tunes such as Wizard, A Remix of Zedd’s Clarity , Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike’s tribal themed Wakanda, and finally ending it with a mash up more than apt for the occasion, Calvin Harris’ Flashback with Tommy Trash, Sebastian Ingrosso and John Martin’s Reload. Along with this there was a dazzling array of fireworks that went off in the distance that accompanied all the pomp and show from the main stage. At this point, it was beyond clear that the good people behind Enchanted Valley Carnival really pushed the envelope when it comes to ace festival experience.
That rounded up one of the best festival experiences we’ve had all year. It was very evident that unlike most festivals, Enchanted Valley Carnival was very experience centric. The line up itself ensured that patrons could get to watch the best artists from each respective sub-genre of dance music. It seemed as though everything that the festival comprised of was intensely mulled over, all the way down to the nitty-gritties. What’s more, the amount of positivity, happiness, good vibes and love was simply over-bearing right from start, all the way to the finish.
Ultimately that’s what a music festival should be in our opinion. A place where individuals can come together, bond and each share a sense of oneness in music. A place where a sense of community develops irrespective of where you come from or what you do for a living. A place where all restrictions and divisions imposed by an otherwise totalitarian society is completely shed. And that’s exactly what three days at the Enchanted Valley Carnival did for those who decided to attend the wonderful festival.
A huge thank you goes out to the people behind the Enchanted Valley Carnival, especially its founders, Shoven Shah, who also happens to be the director for Twisted Entertainment, and Shaju Ignatius, for putting together an experience that is always going to hold a special place in all our memories.
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Written By Shule Puri
Edited By Kabir Uppal
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