Saturday, 8th November 2014, is pretty much a day almost 700+ people will remember for the majority of the rest of their lives. It was a day Mumbai experienced gorgeous, luscious music in a setting never done by anyone before. It was the day Regenerate, one of India’s leading promoters of underground music, celebrated 1 year of its existence. And they decided to do so, in the most spectacular way. They put together a splendid showcase of wonderful music, gorgeous art and mouth-watering food in one of the most picturesque locations to have ever existed amongst the confines of Mumbai’s bustling cityscape.

It was quaintly called By The Pier, primarily because it took place at the gorgeous pier of the prestigious Bombay Presidency Radio Club. The following is a modest attempt by our team at capturing what exactly went down that day, but trust us when we say this, you had to have been there to experience everything we had experienced. We personally feel there aren’t too many words in the English language to adequately describe the goings-on that day.

The Venue

It is common knowledge that the pier at the Bombay Presidency Radio Club is one of the city’s most breath-taking venues ever. It has played host to numerous grand occasions, from weddings to celebrations of other auspicious events. But no one had ever dared to host a festival at that divine location, least of all one that celebrated the joys of Deep House. Naturally, when our team first heard of the concept, we were taken aback. Our anxiousness to see how things would turn out, and to experience all of this first-hand, was very evidently out of acceptable bounds. Needless to say, we were still taken by surprise by seeing what we saw when we entered the venue. It was all that we expected and so much more. The warm tones of the gorgeous bassline wafted out and drew us in, as a seductive temptress would. The phenomenal lay-out with everything equidistant from the dance floor was commendable, not only did it make everything within a few steps of reach, it also lent enough space to marvel at the beauty of South Mumbai’s eastern skyline and the Arabian Sea ahead of us, dotted with the masts of the various yachts nearby and ships in the distance.

As you entered, you were greeted by the overpowering yet deliciously hypnotic smell of the blend of various cuisines of food. From Chinese to Good Ol’ Barbeque. All the Food & Beverage counters were right at the start, to ensure that you wouldn’t have to wander too far from the dancefloor if your throat was dry or your stomach was grumbling

The simplicity of the DJ console was it’s greatest strength. There weren’t any dazzling visuals or loud light shows. For that immensely heavenly vibe, the console was set against a backdrop of the majestically historical Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, and the stupendously iconic Gateway Of India. It was lit up by a very dim yet colourful array of light bulbs, none of which dared to shine bright enough to even remotely steal the attention from the gloriously lit city skyline behind it. Nature had her own little art show too, that day. The sky was turned into a canvas of some of the most mesmerizingly stunning colours, as the warm November Sun set to a cool, refreshing November night. It seemed as though Mother Nature changed her tones as if to complement each track, each set, to further amplify the hypnotic effect of the music, as though she herself, was one big visualisation.

Toward the end of the pier was the art gallery, adorned on either side by some of the most spectacular art the younger generation of Mumbai had to offer, curated by the lovely people at Homegrown, one of India’s only urban youth lifestyle media company. And right at the edge, near the end, was an observatory deck of sorts, for one to just look out and take in all of the wonderful grandeur of the Arabian Sea. At night, spotlights that encompassed the semi-circular end of the pier shone their brilliance toward the night sky, with each beam intersecting at the center, somewhere in the sky above us, as if to indicate the presence of something far more divine than anyone present there.

The Artists

Regenerate has always had a penchant for the finest electronic music. The artists on its roster are the finest examples of that statement. The entire line up included some India’s best deep house artists, all of whom not only kept the vibe alive but also added to it, with their own unique styles. Kicking things off was incomparable Blurry Slur who also happens to be Techno whizkid Lynston D’Souza’s second project, and his Deep House alter-ego. His first project is the phenomenal Tech/Techno project Qwiver. Perfectly kicking things off in the November sun with a melodious yet groovy set, that ticked off all the requirements for what a good afternoon set should be.  Hitting warm tracks like Mihai Popoviciu’s Blur which was groovy enough to get everyone present dancing away in the sun. Its really melancholic bassline eased its way into everyone’s head, and the warm summery vibe by the chunky piano chord work fitted perfectly into the sunlit, sea-breeze kissed acoustics of the pier.  Not to mention the super calypso, almost carribean vibe of Deephope’s Some Good Times, that was a just a pure spectacle of the gorgeous sound on offer.

Coming up second was Nicky Ramnani, representing the famed Regenerate duo, Orbs & Zen, building on just where Blurry Slur left off, laying down the grooves as he came about. Showing some love to Albanian Artist Society Of Mind, he had dished out two of the Albanian’s most phenomenal tracks, Terra Cotta Red & Walk With Me. The Nu-Disco-esque vibe of these tracks with their oh-so-funky guitar licks and super groovy bass-lines was hard to stand still to. Even if you didn’t want to dance, there’s no way this set would have let you stay still.

Following suit were Pune natives Oozeundat, who are usually well known with their dark, brooding Techno/Tech-House sound. Not to stray too far away, they incorporated that very sound into their Deep House set, playing some of the most mesmerising tunes of the evening, upping the ante as the sun began to set. Amidst their set was the familiar guitar riff of AFFKT & Thomas Gandey’s Lost In Process, later followed by the its very own sinister synth hook.  Things got a little more sinister as they faded in to the stupendous Vivid by Re.You & Lazarusman. Getting everybody’s feet firmly rooted to the dancefloor, these two Pune wizards trapped us in time with their phenomenal set.

Taking the stage up next were Bangalore natives Twokid Wickid, bringing all the fire from down south with them. By the time they went on, the sun was almost near the horizon, and the sky was converted to a plethora of colours. Keeping up with the nocturnal vibe, they had dropped DAVI’s entrancing, middle eastern themed Anunnaki, which went supremely well with the dimly lit venue. Taking the vibe back to the mellow side of things, they included the beautiful crystalline melodies of Taras Van De Voorde’s Chasing Winters in the Pitto “Without A Country” Remix.

Next up was the spectacular Gaurav Malaker, representing B.L.O.T! guiding us into a spectacular set, right before the headliner, Kevin Knapp. The sun had already set, and the night sky was lit up by the refraction of the city lights. Easing us into his set, we were gently drifted away, almost to another dimension, with Dauwd’s ethereal Saleh. Everyone present drifted deeper and deeper into that heavenly state with nothing but the music to guide us. As things progressed we could find the dark synth horns of the Maceo Plex remix of Gus Gus’ Crossfade, spread it’s magic over everyone present on that dancefloor. Perfectly grooving to the music as if controlled by invisible strings.

Finally, we had the headliner for the night, Kevin Knapp, who’s set was served as perfect finale to this grand event. From Deep, to G-House, to Indie-dance, he had carefully weaved a wide plethora of sounds into his masterful set. Woven into his set was Gel Abril’s glitchy Chemistry which ironically enough was the best way of describing everything in the air that time. Pure Chemistry. Further moving on, we were treated to the splendors of Quantum & Lad’s Ithaca. Right about then, a full, gorgeous moon was rising over the Arabian Sea, and formed a perfect companion for the night. And as the moon rose, so did the collective joy of every person present, all reveling in the invisible waveforms thrown at them by the speakers. It was as if we were bathing in sound. And to put to an end to it all, Kevin played a track that was so perfect for that moment, it was as though it was composed exclusively for the event. It was the beautifully moving Speaking To The Night by A.W.O.L. and Jape.

The Vibe

We don’t know where to begin for this section. We don’t even know if the words we use could do justice to the actual vibe. It was too much to take in. The beautiful sun, reflecting on the gorgeous surface of the Arabian sea, the boats that surrounded us, the warm, friendly, beautiful people, the delectable smell of delicious food, the stupendous artwork, and the skyline of Mumbai. All of these had elements had amalgamated to give the event one of best backdrops the city had ever seen. The production was extremely simplistic and that was the beauty of it. Everything relied heavily on the beauty of Mumbai city, and the city, almost as if in gratitude, was at its finest, most graceful, most enchanting self.

The weather conspired with the city too, as Mumbai experienced one of the coolest, most breezy evenings in the longest time. The atmosphere was electric, yet warm with the most familial vibes, as is common place with all of Regenerates gigs. The warm, soft glow of all the lighting, made sure that our attention was directed only toward the awe-inspiring beauty that surrounded us. From start to finish, from day to night, from brightness to the dark, we were carefully escorted and guided to another world. A world where the only thing that mattered was our love for the captivating music that we were in the presence of. It seemed as though everything came together and conspired along with the Regenerate crew to give us an evening we would never, ever, ever forget. An evening that Mumbai had never seen before. An evening of pure nirvana.

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Here’s to alot more evenings like these, and congratulations to the Regenerate crew for pulling off such a spectacular event. To a hundred more years!

Review by: Shule Puri