MUSIC SPECIAL...................... SILENT DISCO

SILENT DISCO





Welcome to the world of ethical clubbing where headphone parties -everyone with a headphone listens to the same music while grooving to it together -are taking over

Imagine everyone around you dancing at a wedding but no neighbour being disturbed with loud music. Every guest is wearing his or her personal headphone as the DJ plays the music. Instead of a loudspeaker forcing your whole neighbourhood to be unwilling guests, you just have your invited guests grooving. Well, there's still some time to go before it becomes everyday reality, but Indian gaana-bajaana weddings apart, `quiet clubbing' or `silent disco' as a concept is becoming quite popular in India. From Kasuali, where DJ Paras plays in a silent disco to IIT, Mumbai's rocking Techfest, to two silent discos at Palolem Beach, Goa, it's a new rage.

BUT, BUT... WHAT DOES IT MEAN

At a silent disco, you hear the music on wireless headphones. There are no speakers, music is broadcast via an FM-transmitter with the signal being picked up by wireless headphone receivers worn by the participants. Those without the headphones hear no music, giving the effect of a room full of people dancing to nothing. Often two DJs compete for listeners.

As noise curfews become sanctimonious, the rise of silent discos around India and the world is becoming the next big thing.DJs Uri and Daniel Haaksman have been silently bringing the silent disco revolution in India. Says DJ Kiran, “The concept works brilliantly as it gives partyhoppers freedom from noise police. There's no external sound, the feel is very loungy, music is techno, hip-hop, anything that you fancy. And if you feel like striking a conversation, just remove the headphones.“

Says Dave, of Silent Noise, which organises headphone parties around India, “We have organised silent disco parties in Delhi, clubs of Bangalore, Chennai, Indore, college fests, and yes, even at a few farmhouse weddings! Headphone partygoers love the individuality of music, they feel as if the music is playing especially for them.“

DID YOU JUST SAY `SILENT INDIAN WEDDING MUSIC'

At Pooja Arora and Pankaj Bhatnagar's wedding sangeet in their Mehrauli farmhouse, near Delhi, guests walked into a silent disco setting.Flashy neon lights, and silence! No loudspeakers, no dhol and dhamaka. Everyone had headphones, the three DJs changed the music, you could change the headphone channel to whichever DJ's music you preferred at that moment. To someone without headphones, the scene looked weird. Everyone seemed to be in a trance, dancing to silence! Says Arora, “I had attended a headphone party in Goa, so I wanted to have the same party at my wedding. I wanted my wedding sangeet to go on till 3 in the morning and since there's a restriction after 10 pm, this was the perfect way to stage the sangeet.“

You could have a headphone party anywhere without disturbing anyone: on the beach, in the forest, on the mountains, under the moonlight, in parks.

ETHICAL CLUBBING YOU SAID? OKAY THEN...

The trend started in Europe and has been a big hit at summer music festivals such as Glastonbury and Reading. DJ Justin Ma son's headphone parties that originally started in Goa, are now being held from Manali to Chennai.

He says, “Silent discos have given a new edge to nightlife.“ Ravinder Singh recently hosted a silent disco party in Ludhiana: “We didn't have to stop the music till 5 am in the morning. It's an eth ical way to party, you don't disturb anyone. Neon lights, three channels of music by three DJS, and night long dancing. It was the ultimate party.“

Nona Walia

 TL5JUL15