One of the prime reasons that’s its so adored worldwide is because Dance music inherently provides its listeners with an out-of-body; out-of-mind experience. It simply teleports you into a vortex of surreal experiences and images, transforming everything you love into awe-inspiring images. This past week The Smirnoff Experience at NSCI provided its patrons with infinite such moments owing to the power-packed & high-octane performances by its stellar lineup.
Headlined by Australia’s Global Ambassadors for diversified Dance Music Knife Party alongside Italian Powerhouse performer Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo aka The Bloody Beetroots, alongside some sizzling local acts such as Kris Correya, Dualist Inquiry, Sandunes & Sound Avtar . While the turnout wasn’t definitely record breaking, the event itself rose in magnitude owing to its magnanimous stage setup. One of the best that Mumbai or India has seen, the sheer volume of the stage production engulfed the crowd into a non-stop continual experience that only seemed to conclude when the lights dimmed past midnight.
With the Indian acts of Kris Correya & Sandunes warming up the decks for their foreign guests, Sahej Bakshi aka Dualist Inquiry got the ball rolling with his phenomenal live & DJ ensemble. Known for his electrifying stage presence and charming performances, Dualist Inquiry got the crowd up and running in no time, which steadily seemed to grow with the passing of each act building up towards its crescendo. That was followed by a tasteful set by Sound Avatar, who’s emphatic set fused elements of DnB and Electro serving as the perfect starter to what was about to arrive shortly.
He paved the way for Italian Meta-performer SBCR. Coming on stage as part of his Bloody Beetroots alias, he took the energy onto a different realm with his highly sonic topography. Blaring speakers and pulsating floors could not contain his energy nor his sound as he literally danced with the crowd on every track! Repeatedly walking up to the crowd, insisting on sing-alongs and enticing them to give it their all, SBCR certainly proved to be everything billed against him – a man of sheet passion and relentless energy. He leaped and jumped to tracks such as ‘Nasty (Onen Remix)‘ by The Prodigy and Dyro X Loopers ‘Jack it up‘ as the crowd may have actually found it hard to keep up with the mans motions! A power performer, he quite definitely elevated the energy in the venue for the final performers of the night.
Enter the veterans and globetrotting Australian superstars Gareth McGrillen and Rob Swire. The duo known for their association with larger act Pendulum gave lease to their collaborative project Knife Party back in 2011 with a string of hot releases. Over the years, the iconic duo have gained superstar status owing to their electrifying performances. NSCI was no exception as the power team entered a stage of dry ice and lashing red lasers and uplifting synth melodies. From then on, they took the hapless crowd into a controlled adventure through progressive house to electro and finally towards trap and the new age Knife Party sound.
Dishing out hit after another, from their latest album Abandon Ship, McGrillen often took to the mic to entice the crowd arousing thunderous roars and applause to the anthems they dropped. Swire meanwhile kept to his DJ duties and only the once acknowledged a passionate young fan waving the Indian flag pegged on his friends shoulders. With tracks like ‘Rage Valley‘, ‘Resistance‘ and ‘Red Dawn‘, Knife Party kept the energy soaring and escalated temperatures inside the arena to match those of the sweltering heat outside that the rest of the city would have been experiencing.
They reignited some nostalgia with the timely playback of the iconic remix of ‘Save the World‘ by Swedish House Mafia and their massively popular collaboration ‘Antidote‘. Winding the clock backwards, they even played their hits like ‘Internet Friends‘ and ‘Bonfire‘, Over the years, the duo have diversified their sound as their set provided a rich palette of sounds and styles ending into the tumultuous sounds of Trap. Turning the arena into a large sweltering mosh pit of sweat and blistering fist-pumping, Knife Party changed the complexion of the arena in their final moments before returning for an encore with their album single ‘Begin Again‘.
Certainly a night to remember for one and all, as the phenomena stage production and electrifying performances transformed the arena into a fantasy dancefloor which was only limited by the extents of your energy and capacity to give in to the music. To more nights such as these, we can’t wait fot the Smirnoff Experience to hit us again!
Review by: Hamed Khalidi
Image Credits: Mitsun Soni
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