Music is an experiential art form that has the power to put people in its embrace, and unite them in dance and celebration. When it comes to music, language/age/region or individual preferences don’t matter, as long as we are truly one and united with the music. Last Saturday, many such emotions were invoked in us through the mystical talents of Tube & Berger with fellow German Paji, alongside some of the brightest talents of the city. The deep house & electronica lords were on an India tour which included the enigmatic stop over at Goa but not before casting a spell on the Mumbai crowds.

Hosting the event at the brand new venue TILT All Day was a good move, as it further enhanced the excitement of being part of a unique, unpredictable and exciting experience. The beautiful venue lent an overall relaxed vibe, much like the forthcoming music, and is sure to host some major events in the near future as well.

The night began young, as #Bang1n Bash headliners These 2 Guys were on opening duty at around 8:30 pm. Warming up the early comers to a deep and melodic first hour, Jai and Nikhil showed their versatility behind the decks as they drifted from their usual harder electro-set-structure into a more calm and progressive mode, in tune with the night! Following them was Mumbai based AK Vinagretta aka Akanksha Krishnani. Perhaps just like the Balearic, the sounds from her set had a moving and emotive spirit, as she smoothly transitioned between tracks such as ‘Arp Song’ by Van Rivers  and others by Nico Pusch, Patrick Oliwka and Talul & Lexer . Her eclectic track selection sure bought a fresh wave of energy, as it carefully caressed our dance palettes with a fine assortment of Mediterranean delights!

At around 10:15, another Mumbai based DJ took to the decks in the form of Nanok aka Jai Vaswani . His track selection was versatile as well, to say the least! Starting with a much harder tech-infused ‘Breathe’ by Anna Lunoe, he turned the screws down with tracks such as Destiny’s Child‘s ‘Say My Name (Cyril Hahn Remix)’ & the innovative twist on ‘Get lucky’ by Fire The Mob. Diversity was the motto for the night and Nanok sure did deliver, as he ended his set bringing the BPM much lower than when he started with a more minimal and down tempo soundscape to welcome Qwiver onto the decks.

Mumbai based DJ Lynston recently acquired his techno alias Qwiver, and is known for his melodic and progressively curated sets. Along with some crisp tech tunes through which an electricity could be felt in the air, we often stumbled upon some groovier tunes in the course of his set, such as Guti & Fosky‘s ‘La Casa’ . A talent behind the decks, he kept the momentum of the building crowd consistent, with a fine balance between all the varying facets the wonderful soundscape of Underground sounds can offer. Tracks like Dusky‘s ‘Careless’ and ‘Gotham‘ by Ten Walls further enticed the crowd into some hapless dancing. At round about midnight, Tube accompanied by Paji came forth on the decks taking over the steering wheel of a fantastic melodic drive that would only end in the wee hours of the morning!

Beginning their set the same way they started their January After Doom Mix with their collaboration with Milan Euringer called ‘Lovebreak’, Tube got the capacity crowd immediately swarming to that mighty bassline. Pumping fists and bouncing feet, shook the venue’s ground below us, as the melodic riffs were flowing through us uniting us as one. Another collaboration with P.A.C.O. called ‘Greyjoy’ followed and a storm swerved up the dancefloor! Indeed, Tube (minus Berger) got the crowd restless, but nothing prepared us for the emotional ride to follow.

Fusing live instruments with electronic music is no easy task. But Paji took to the challenge effortlessly, as he spontaneously curated some euphoric and emotionally melodic breakdowns, that were masterfully layered over some palpable electronic synthwork. While playing the violin, he would frequently send the audience into a trance, which would see them in a warm embrace with each other or arms raised and smiles that could brighten the room all by themselves!

Music was being created as we danced away to the magic unfolding before us. Tube held the journey together with some dancefloor vibes through tracks like Kris Menace & Anthony Atcherley‘s ‘A Love Song For Those Who Love Songs’ & KANT ‘Hold you (Going Deeper mix)’ . Paji meanwhile continued to orchestrate the happiness quotient of the night, all with a controlled discipline as he often would get deeply engrossed into the next transition.

Throughout the night the merry crowd cheered on the German masterminds as vociferously as they could. They greeted tracks like Sonic Future‘s ‘Waiting For’ and ‘My House’ by Purple Disco Machine with much cheer and applause and they stomped the hard concrete floor when the absolutely brilliant Tube & Berger Ft. Juliet Sikora‘s ‘Set It Off’  made it difficult for them not to!

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The night unfortunately did end and we were suddenly snapped out of our trance only to learn that the clock had struck 3 and we were still in the company of most, if not all the people who started our journey with us! A thunderous applause awaited the two German pioneers as they greeted eager fans and exchanged pleasantries with everyone around. We exited from the venue, a little dazed, with aching legs and backs, but a deep hunger satisfied through the magical spell binding night we had encountered!

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Special thanks to Power Struggle for orchestrating a night with such amazingly gorgeous music. It was  a night of complete aural ecstacy.

Review By:  Hamed Khalidi

Edited By: Shule Puri