Last Saturday, The Bangin Beats headed over to Blue Frog, Mumbai with complete confidence to enjoy the night thoroughly and we had more than enough reason to justify that statement. We had Nifra completing the final leg of her India tour in Mumbai and Anish Sood going Back 2 Back with Lost Stories, something we had seen and loved before (You can click here to know more about that.)

It always leaves us content and satisfied when we know a gig is being held at Blue Frog. Mainly because Blue Frog are exceptionally professional at their work and stand out from the rest of the clubs in Mumbai and that’s why they are one of the hottest places to be in Mumbai.  

After a small wait it was time for Nifra to hit the decks and boy did she work up a storm. By then the club was packed and we were looking at a full-house. This Slovakian trance deity dropped some really massive trance tracks. Easily one of the best trance sets we’ve heard in a very long time. Furthermore it paid justice to her original style; which a lot of DJ’s have recently compromised. Nifra doesn’t appreciate anything too cheesy & bouncy and her set managed to reflect exactly that.

From start to finish it was just a pure electronic frenzy that was just dark enough to make the audience really feel and experience the music and yet dance to it at the same time.

Here are some of the tracks Nifra played:

• Ummet Ozcat – The Box
• Nifra – Dark Harbor
• Ferry Corsten – Stella
• Ellie Goulding – Lights (Elevation & Grube & Hovsepian Remix)
• Signum – First Strike (Juventa remix)
• Emma Hewitt – Rewind (Mikkas Remix)
• Tiesto – Love Comes Again (Hardwell remix)
• Markus Schulz – Nothing Without Me (Beat service remix)
• Delirium – Silence (W&W vs Jonas Stenberg remix)
• Fisherman & Hawkins – NightShift
• Heatbeat – Rocker Monster

After Nifra’s stellar set, we had Anish Sood and Rishab Joshi from Lost Stories head up to the stage to play a B2B set. If you’re new to a B2B set or haven’t heard it before, it’s a new project that Sood and Lost Stories have created, that drives to bring some heavy electro sounds to the venue, with heavy showmanship and stage presence. Venturing too much on the commercial side, these boys were all about the showmanship of it. Watching them perform on stage really got the audience pumped. They started off with brilliant mash ups and then towards the end, played some really nice underground tech. A lot of their focus was on very heavy drops; Which is very common to a lot of commercial sets these days. They’re set had simply one thing to say, ‘Have a great time and lose yourself on the dancefloor.’

Here’s the complete tracklist of Anish Sood’s & Lost Stories B2B set:

• Justice vs. Simian – We Are Your Friends vs. Right Here Right Now
• Skrillex vs. Mylo – Breaking A Sweat vs. Drop The Pressure
• Adele vs. W&W – Rolling in the Deep vs. Lift Off!
• Zedd – Spectrum
• Steve Aoki – Ladi Dadi
• Swedish House Mafia vs. Sebastian Ingrosso & Tommy Trash – Save the World vs. Reload
• Avicii – Fade into Darkness
• Nero – Innocence (Feed Me Remix)
• Qulinez – Troll (Sick Individuals Remix)
• Swedish House Mafia vs. Coldplay – Antidote vs. Paradise (Tiesto Remix)
• Zedd & Lucky Date – Fall into the Sky (Feat. Ellie Goulding)
• Zedd – Clarity
• Porter Robinson vs. Coldplay – Language vs. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall
• Arno Cost – Head Up
• Nari & Milani vs. Avicii – Atom vs. Silhouettes
• Aston Shuffle vs. Tommy Trash – Sunrise
• Nirvana vs. Angger Dimas & Bassjackers – Smells like Teen Spirit vs. Ria
• Alesso vs. Adrian Lux – Clash vs. Teenage Crime
• Coldplay – Clocks
• Temper Trap vs. Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso vs. Paul van Dyk – Sweet Disposition vs. Calling vs. Nothing But You
• Hook N Sling vs. Nervo – Reason
• Sktzofreniz & Jeff Doubleu – Rushin’
• Savage Skulls – Top Dog
• Bones & Nom de Strip – Shake and Bake
• Dog Blood – Next Order
• Cirez D – Mokba
• Filterheadz – The Game
• Joe Brunning – Let Me See You Work
• Swedish House Mafia – Don’t You Worry Child

All-in-All, we had a great night. Two brilliant sets by spectacular artists where all we could ask for on a Saturday night in this busy city. We’d like to thank Trance For Infinity, Power Struggle and Blue Frog for assisting us through the night. Keep ravin’ little ravers!

Team Bangin Beats also managed to catch up with Slovakian trance producer, Nifra after her stellar performance at Blue Frog this week! Read ahead to know more about her, her music, her beginnings and what she has to say about female Producers & DJ’s in a male dominated industry.

TBB: Hey Nifra! Its your second time around in India. How has it been?

Nifra: Yeah, it’s the second time and the first tour was really great and I was expecting the same kind of thing to happen now, so I’m really happy.

TBB: You toured 3 cities across India going to Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai? Which city did you like the best?

Nifra: Yes! All gigs were great but Mumbai was the best! The show was sold out and it was incredible vibe in the club!

TBB: We attended your show in Mumbai, it was a great set and was really packed! Moving on, have you tried any Indian food this time?

Nifra: Umm, I Just had the Vegetarian Burger (laughs). I’ve never had a vegetarian burger anywhere else, only here so….but the last time I had biryani and it was a little too spicy for me. (laughs)

TBB: As always for anyone who’s from abroad. Ok so, we know at the age of 16 you started dabbling in music production, and then you stopped. And then you started again in 2007. What made you get back into the whole music scene?

Nifra: Well, back when I started, I was just like the only girl in my home country who was trying to make music. I had no internet, it was just me trying to learn it myself. And then later when I got a normal pc and stuff, I started to make it again but before, I wanted to focus more on DJing, because I knew that its something I wanted to do professionally and so I started with deejaying and then I got back to it. Ive changed sequencers, I started using Ableton Live.

TBB: So what did you use before Ableton?

Nifra: Yeah, Fruity Loops. Although, I don’t like it anymore! Ever since I’ve started using ableton, I was like “oh my god what the hell was that?” (Laughs)

TBB: Which artists were the main influences for you to get back into production?

Nifra: Well first it was, umm, the whole thing for me started with ATB, basically. When I saw his music videos on local stations, I was like “Wow this is amazing”, I was 13 years old and that was like my secret dream to be a DJ later on. Then when I started to actually make music, it was influenced a lot by Markus Schulz’ label, ColdHarbour which I recently signed to.

TBB: So basically you just spoke about it being a male dominated profession, like you were the first female DJ from your country Slovakia. So what gave you the motivation to stick to that, because there aren’t that too many females in the industry?

Nifra: Its really hard for females, because there are so many prejudices. When I started it was really hard, people were saying that, “Oh she’s just a bubble and she’s not really going to go anywhere, Its like she’s just put there”. I don’t know, people automatically try to make you think that just because you’re a girl you cant go anywhere. I never really understood that. When I actually started to get into it and I saw how much shit was really going on with the female DJ’s “Topless” and ghost producing. It’s affecting all the female deejays and producers in a negative way. Especially those who are really trying to make it. I just tell myself that I have to do my best, and each time I get asked stupid questions, I just tell them how it is. I have nothing to hide.

TBB: That’s good, so you’ve got a few tracks released with Armin van Buuren’s Armada label and you had releases on Markus Schulz Coldharbour label recently as well, how did you feel when you first got released on Armada, being the massive label it is?

Nifra: Its an amazing feeling. Its like a dream come true you know and ever since, all my productions were released on Armada, all my remixes as well. So umm (laughs) it’s amazing. They’re great people and they’re really professional.

TBB: Every DJ/Producer has their own podcast and you have ‘Be Progressed’ right? So what makes your’s different from the other podcasts that are out there?

Nifra: Well, I play mostly progressive trance, and nu trance, slightly darker and you know the new wave of trance, not like uplifting anymore but you know the cool progressive kinds.

TBB: Moving ahead, what are Nifra’s current top 3 #bangin tracks?

Nifra: Well from what I play right now, is Markus Schossows remix of Marcell Woods ‘The Bottle’ and definitely Beat Service – Fortuna and Markus Schulz and Ferry Corsten – Stella!

TBB: What do you think about EDM based websites such as http://thebanginbeats.com?

Nifra: Amazing. Its definitely a good thing to, you know, support not just trance music but all the other genres at one place.

TBB: Do you have any advice for upcoming female DJ’s in the industry?

Nifra: Yeah, just don’t listen to anyone just go for your dreams!

TBB: Sounds great! Looking back, what would you have chosen as your career if not for music?

Nifra: I would be probably studying because I was always like this big book worm. I was always like the best in my school. I would probably be in a university or probably 2 universities or somewhere, I don’t know. (laughs)

TBB: We know you’ve started with uplifting trance but then later on, you’ve moved to the darker side of trance. What made you want to shift?

Nifra: Umm. Uplifting didn’t have much to offer me any more. I don’t really play dark like dark, dark progressive. I would describe the sound I play as „progressive trance balls“. I play more clubbier tracks which work on a floor or anywhere that I can play it and still make people dance. I used to support Uplifting a lot. There are still some really good tracks, like Sebastian Brandt’s stuff. He’s really good but I got a feeling that the others got a little bit too umm…. I wouldn’t say cheesy, but you know dolphins and rainbows and all that crazy stuff. and I’m not a fan of that. I just like pure electronic music.

TBB: So what do you have planned for the future? Any new releases coming up?

Nifra: Yeah there is a follow up to “Dark Harbor” and I didn’t play it yesterday here in Mumbai, I played it on my other shows.

TBB: Yeah I was just going to ask you about that, Tell me about the collaborations, like anyone big? Anything you can tell us right now?

Nifra: Well I don’t want to say anything, till its finished and finalized but its my favourite producer and my friends

TBB: Alright so finally, do you have any message for your fans?

Nifra: Yeah, totally. Thanks a lot for your support. I loved the crowd! People are really great, open minded and the vibe was really good. I definitely will see you here soon

We’d like to thank the team at Trance For Infinity for helping us with this interview and for managing a successful tour. Nifra’s tour managed to pack clubs at all 3 cities that she played and we hope to see her again! Also special mention to Power Struggle for always supporting us!