Ten years back mention, EDM in a conversation revolving around music and

youll be looked down by your fellow mates whore obsessed with the likes of
Metallica or Ricky Martin. Try doing the same today and theyll acknowledge the
same acronym at least once.
Such is the power of this ever-growing genre which knows no boundaries.
Arguing, India being the next EDM destination might be the most valid debate of
2015 as it evolved from just another thing that rich guys dance to to a more
sophisticated cult. It definitely was a spectacular year, as we saw DJs/Producers
from all over the world perform for their Indian fans and spread the love. Beyond
that, our home grown talent reached out to different parts of the globe releasing
music on international labels, representing the Indian Tiranga at the worlds
biggest festivals and most importantly taking pride in promoting their tunes back
here.
Lets recap some of these epic moments when India marked its presence in the
vast universe of electronic dance music.
Lost Stories Debut At Tomorrowland
Prayag Mehta and Rishab Joshi collectively known as the Lost Stories first got
their shot to fame when they came up with "How You Like Me Now" and
managed to capture the No. 16 spot on Vh1 Top 100 Videos of 2014 with its
official video. The duo has been on roll ever since they announced multiple
singles on Black Hole Recordings formerly owned by Dutchman Tiesto and
remixed Afrojacks colossal track The Spark featuring Spree Wilson! 2015
brought them the rightful fame as the two entertained a crowd of thousands on
the Blue Flame Stage at Tomorrowland, Belgium! Devraj Sanyal (Managing
Director of Universal Music Group South Asia) went on record to say It's a
massive step towards showcasing Indian EDM talent on a global platform. From
local gigs to a European tour and a slot at the biggest annual EDM festival in the
world, they have indeed come a long way." Feels like its the beginning of
something phenomenal!
http://thebanginbeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Lost-Stories.jpg
B.R.E.E.D Plays at Coachella
Even if youre a mildly active social media user, you know what Coachella is and
aware of the fact; any artist who has ever performed live, has a dream to reach
out to this enchanted stage commonly headlined by legends like AC/DC, Red Hot
Chili Peppers and Eminem, just to name a few.
A native of Mumbai, underground DJ Ritesh DSouza now settled in Los Angeles,
got a chance to realize this fantasy when he brought the house down at the Do
Lab Stage with LA-based classically trained pianist and vocalist Tara Mae! The
two have gained commercial success as well as recognition with Binate, their
debut album.
https://www.instagram.com/p/_pO1rlgpM5
Zaedens Collaboration With Borgeous
One of the fasting growing music producers and Indias answer to whats the
next big thing in the dance music scene, Sahil Sharma aka Zaeden finally
released his long awaited team effort with the American powerhouse, Borgeous

on one of the most popular record labels, Spininn Records! Titled Yesterday,
the Delhi-ite dedicated the massive tune to India and received appreciation as
well as support from his fans and mentors alike. Not only did he unleash the
grand beat at Tomorrowland 2015 alongside the big-room expert, he also
performed at this years Amsterdam Dance Event! To add, hes touring across
continents to celebrate his biggest achievement yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cJET5_Xip0
Kerano Teams Up Tom Swoon
Coming from Indias rave capital, New Delhi, Kerano is an exuberant progressive
house producer, who in 2015 set an example for all the budding artists by
arriving at the #4 position on Beatports Top 100 progressive house charts! His
collaboration on Ultra Music with Tom Swoon featuring Cimo Frnkels vocals,
Here I Stand saw widespread support from a variety of superstars including
Tisto, R3hab and Swanky Tunes. If this 22 year old continues to produce
ecstatic tracks like this, it wont take him time to occupy the front seat and
represent India globally!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA9qxlxu2Iw

Sarteks Don't Need Love On Revealed Recordings

Sartek is one of those home brewed artists whove never shied away from
showing off their turntable skills and sick tunes at any of the live shows, be it a
set at a jam packed nightclub or Indias biggest music festival! Being one of the
first EDM promoters, he has seen the magic unfold before his eyes and reach the
top 100 Beatport charts with his originals, Back to the future and Dopamine.
Adding to his real-life Achievement Unlocked screen, the Delhi based producer
became the first Indian the first Asian to be featured on Hardwells Record
label with Dont Need Love after previewing it on Hardwell On Air. Sarthak
Sardana collaborated with Revealeds regular, Lucky Date hailing from California
to produce a powerful, pulsating electro house track, both a fan favorite and a
chart buster!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L07BN569kJQ
Lean On's Music Video
If theres any electronic dance track worthy of being called Song of the year, it
has to be this Major Lazer & DJ Snake creation. The Moomba-House-TrapSuperAwesome track has topped every possible dance music chart and has been
downloaded by each one of us (mostly through illegally sources). The
accompanying dance video helped the 2:55 minute track go viral and if you
already didnt know, what make the visuals special; it was shot at ND Studios,
Karjat and Kaul Heritage City, Vasai in Maharashtra, under the direction of Tim
Erem and choreographed by the ingenious, Paresh Shirodkar! The idea for a
Bollywood-y touch struck when Major Lazer were touring in the Indian
subcontinent and wished to incorporate the desi vibes into their project.
Fun fact: It is the eighteenth most viewed video on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqeW9_5kURI

Aerreo Scores A Release On Armada Trice

Chandigarh resident Nikhil Mehta is already accustomed to seeing his works
release on foreign music platforms as he has previously issued Black Satellite
via the well-known Cr2 Records and has had the world hear him over Nicky
Romeros renowned Protocol Radio! In November 2015 he achieved a new high
when he found his track with Disfunktion featuring Jannika made available for
download through none other than Armin van Buurens Armada Trice!
Disfunktions progressive base perfectly complements Aerreos rare twist to
house music on Alpha with heavenly vocals from Jannika, giving birth to a
festival crowd pleaser and reaching #22 on Beatport instantaneously! Saying
Aerreo had an amazing year would be an understatement for this Indian
prodigy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPT4hS6l-8
DJ Cheats Cracks DJ Mag Top 100 DJs
DJ Chetas, a name synonymous with the finest Bollywood mashups, has worked
his way up with hard hitting bass, insane tunes and mind boggling edits only to
earn the honor he always deserved, a spot on the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs Poll!
Debuting at number 59, he becomes the first Indian ever to reach the fan judged
global competition. 2015 was more than euphoric for him as he tied knots and
welcomed Hardwell at his wedding! Besides all the show-biz, its admirable to
witness his humble side as to how he is in the process of developing music
schools to provide studio time to the less fortunate.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CWFeGciWUAAhrMt.jpg

(S)haan Enters Beatport Top 100 More Than Once

Time and again, SHAAN has justified (and carried responsibly) the tag of Indias
Best. With 2015 coming to an end, he says goodbye to a year during which he
returned to the grandest music festival on the planet Tomorrowland, released
Light up the World featuring Lauren Evans on Statement Records/ Armada and
reaching the Top15 Beatport Charts in no time. Additionally, he finally made
available his monstrous collaboration with Sandro Silva Hooya through Armada
Music and break into the Top 100 in just 24 hours! However, this wasnt all for
this disc-whiz as he won our hearts with his tribute to Paul Walker by remixing
Wiz Khalifas hit track See You Again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPJfrHaLQM4&feature=youtu.be

Hardwell's Free Guest List Party

On December 13th, the worlds youngest ever #1 DJ entered his name in the
books of history and Guinness Book of Worlds Records when he, along with the
international electronic music agency, Anna Agency and the United We Are
Foundation organized the largest guest list party ever, inviting 100,000 (though

actual registrations crossed125,000 names) dance music enthusiasts! As

anticipated, Mumbais DY Patil Stadium came to life when fans from all around
flocked to see the big-room expert spin for a good cause and give his
philanthropist dream a head-start. The mammoth event helped bringing together
India closer to the international floors and fetch enough revenue to surpass its
original target of educating 3,000 children by more than 6 times!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6eegwUjyjU

Bass Rani
If theres one soul who has always stayed true to his roots and advocated dance
music in India since day 1, he is Udyan Sagar. This man is partly responsible for
the way we respond to EDM in our society currently, and following the trend of
encouraging this culture all throughout the country, he dropped Bass Rani in
one of the most mind interesting ways at a Ganpati Visarjan! Koocha Monsters
latest grenade contains 8 tracks all of which carry an Indian-ness with them and
a whopping amount of bass! Whats all the more intriguing is the inclusion of
fresh vocalists on each track, balancing the beat with their unique style and
giving them the freedom to shine. For example, the first track on the album (and
my personal favorite) Laung Gawacha is a heavenly match of Nucleyas
second-to-none beat and the alluring voice of Avneet Khurmi (whom Ive been
crushing big time) into a track capable of fascinating crowds at a music fest and
an Indian wedding akin!
Furthermore, the album is completely free for anyone to download. Much
respect, Sir.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx_kBGHrvGU

KSHMRs Asian Debut

Modestly speaking, 2015 was KSHMRs year. Period.
Teasing human ears with enthralling beats from behind the veil and revealing his
true identity next to the Dutch superstar Tiesto at Tomorrowlands mainstage, he
managed to mesmerize the whole world with his one-of-a-kind extraordinary
productions all throughout these 365 days.
And guess what, KSMHR chose to India to embark his Asian tour journey!
Headlining Sunburn Festival, Goa this year, Niles Hollowell-Dhar was
commissioned to produce a soundtrack for the same and what he came up with
is something which is indescribable. It can only be experienced.
Bazaar produced with Marnik embraces a royal Indian touch with a vocal
sample in Hindi, carrying forward the trend he initiated with his EP
Paradesi, intertwined into a breathtaking progressive big room fabrication.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlJAiwwGHMg