The magnificent Jayamahal palace in Bengaluru which earlier played host to one of the most magical nights in Indian EDM history, The Trance Around The World 450 (TATW450) venue by Above &Beyond also opened its gates for what was proposed to be Bengaluru’s very own music festival ‘Cirkus Indigo’ on 1st and 2nd March 2014.
The hardworking happy people at Radio Indigo (91.9 F.M.), India’s first and finest English radio station furiously worked away for months to make Cirkus Indigo happen. Led by Rohit Barker and Nikhil Chinapa, they vowed to take on the mighty task of ensuring a dance music festival for Bengaluru and indeed they did exactly that by promising an impressive lineup comprising of Justin Prime, Stefano Noferini, Norman Doray, Daddys Groove, Alvaro spread across the weekend. This impressive line up along with the anticipated visuals from VJ KayCee, Cirkus Indigo had become the most important calendar appointment for music lovers across the city.
Day 1
As we opened our hearts and minds to another addition to the EDM family and trotted our way to Jaymahal palace on 1st evening, we realized that this would be a defining moment in the lives of many of Bengaluru’s finest EDM lovers. A single handed mission laid ahead of us as we looked at Day One’s line up which included the talented Dance Republic, Justin Prime and the fearsome headliner Stefano Noferini. The mission was to dance till every bone in our body was beaten black and blue and go home to return with full force the next day.
As Dance Republic fired up the stage we were dumbstruck by the sheer beauty of the location, set up, the lighting equipment and the gargantuan space given for people to dance and make merry. What added as a bonus point to this was the amazing weather. Soon the music took over and the crowd began moving their feet to the familiar tunes played by Dance Republic which included famous hits ‘Feel Like Home’ By Nervo, a mash up of Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and the all favorite Armin Van Burren ‘ This is what it feels like’.
Next up, the crowd had only picked up the pace, when Justin Prime pounced onto the stage with a festival hot favorite ‘Booyah’ by Showtek. The visuals were every bit of sensational delight as expected with an interplay of colours, lights and Indian motifs all syncing with the music perfectly. Justin Prime sedated the crowd into a ‘dance trance’ with infamous hits like Calvin Harris ‘Undercontrol’, ‘Flashback’ and Hardwell’s ‘Dare You’. As he dropped Martin Garrix’s ‘Animals’ the sky opened wide and the rains began to pour creating an atmosphere of pure magic and love.
The crowd went into an absolute frenzy at this point and Justin Prime egged them on with his very own collaboration with Showtek called ‘Cannonball’.
A surge of pride coursed through us, as we witnessed an amazing turn of events at Cirkus Indigo. The ever green party people of Bengaluru stood their ground and dance away as Noferini took to stage. Within seconds of him going on stage, we heard thunder and lightning, as though the very gods of weather were against us and were determined to spoil the show. But despite the heavy rains, true to form the Cirkus custodians, Nikhil Chinapa and Rohit Barker instructed the crowd to the After Party Arena to witness Stefano Noferini’s act. Every single raver in Bengaluru who was at the venue that night, trudged his way to the ‘After party tent’ which was within the Jaymahal Palace premises.
The crowds gathered inside the warm tent and despite soaked to their very bones immediately started dancing as DJ Kid Crème warmed the crowd up literally! Around 9.45 p.m. Stefano took to stage and the most beautiful unification of ravers occurred as every single one of them swayed to the music like enchanted creatures. The elusive producer who came to India after much persuasion, churned out all his club favorites and completely channeled a whole new energy into the crowd with his music. Although the visuals were compromised due to rains, the no nonsense turntable master played a phenomenally groovy set. When he concluded his set, it became absolutely clear that we were indeed in the presence of divinity of music, as the crowd screamed and shouted and requested for him to spin his web once more. The most humbling thought we left with on the first day was the fact that an incredibly talented and veteran producer in the techno space made absolutely no fuss about the torrid rains or the change of venue or the lack of visuals. He remained calm,cool and composed and was the knight in shining armor for Cirkus Indigo.
Day 2
We regained our vital nutrients and geared up for day two with full force. With umbrellas tucked under our tow (the forecast was that it would rain yet again) we walked in with guns blazing for day two’s line up would require every ounce of energy we could muster with acts like Daddys Groove, Norman Doray and the progressive and electro house giant Alvaro.
The crowd seemed bigger and more enthusiastic as though they returned with renewed determination and energy to challenge the rains if they decided to commence on us. On came the twosome of the ‘Unbelievable’ fame, none other than Daddys Groove. As they thundered onto the stage, they made us go back in our minds, to festivals alike with tracks such as Krewella & Nicky Romero’s ‘Legacy’, Axwell’s ‘Centre of the Universe’ , and Avicii’s ‘Hey Brother’ and their very own brand new track ‘Surrender’. As they closed the show, they blew kisses in the air and made us all nostalgic with ‘Reload’ by Tommy Trash.
Up on the stage came, the sexy hunk, Norman Doray who was welcomed onto the stage by screams of girls chanting ‘Take off your shirt, Norman’. The producer matched his caliber of good looks with sexy mixing skills as he belted one number after another. The visuals comprised of speedy roller coasters, mesmerizing Indian gods in neon green colours and beautiful intricate motifs. All the while, we looked around to see the crowd in a completely new light, only to realize that indeed the fans were throwing their hands in the air, screaming their lungs out all the while matching their feet to the tunes of Norman Doray. His track list consisted of Hard Rock Sofa’s ‘Rasputin’, Krewella’s ‘Live for the night’ and his very own collaboration with Arno Cost, ‘No Matter What’. We also took a walk down memory lane, when he pulled out the infamous ‘Don’t you worry child’ by Swedish House Mafia and Otto Knows Million Voices. As the crowd grew nostalgic and teary eyed and Nikhil shouted ‘Lets go back in time and take a walk down memory lane’ Norman concluded his show with a signature sign off.
Most of the crowd was waiting with a big smile and a dance upon their heart when Alvaro got onto the stage. It seemed as if the universe stood still as the magnificent man walked onto his show with a regal gate a tune to ensure the crowd went absolutely mental. His never ending mix list comprised of Markus Schossow’s ‘Wild Child’, Alvaro & Joey Dale’s ‘Ready for Action’. As the levels of dance-dom ascended at Cirkus Indigo, the speakers grew terribly low and all together died down. At this moment, Nikhil Chinapa, Rohit Barker and Alvaro showed in absolute solidarity what it takes to build a festival of this magnitude by continuing to keep the crowd entertained by asking them if they are having a good time, making them sing along. While on the other side, the crew worked away to rectify the problem on an immediate notice. They tackled the problem head on and Avicii’s Wake Me Up blasted our ears with full force and Alvaro got back in the gear in full swing.
With no signs of stopping he churned out ‘Stay the Night’ By Zedd, Calvin Harris’ ‘Undercontrol’ and Krewella’s ‘Alive’. The night concluded with Alvaro playing ‘Tsunami’ by DVBBS & Borgeous as his last track.
We walked back home from Cirkus Indigo amazed at the resilience of the Bangalore ravers to withstand rains and mind blowing performances of the artists and not to forget the unbelievable leadership and commitment exhibited by Rohit & Nikhil which stood out till the very end through and through.
We’d like to thank the two colossal personalities that make up Dance Republic, and the super-human crew at Indigo 91.9 FM for making this super fun, almost unreal festival possible.
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Review by: Akshatha Hegde
Edited by: Shule Puri
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