In an attempt to widen the reach of EDM in the country, Vh1 supersonic recently organized The Club Nights series which was an extension to their IP Vh1 Supersonic festival.
The series featured the noted German-American trance legend Markus Schulz who performed in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and Delhi. EE spoke exclusively to Markus Schulz on the highlights of his performance on the tour, engaging elements and the differences between performing in India and abroad.
Q- Is this your first performance in India and share with us how excited are you?
A-No, actually I have been to India a few times before but it has been quite a while that I have done a proper club tour here. Previously I have played at Suburn festival and also the E3 festival but in the shows the stage was too far away from the audience and that is what interests me about this tour as I will be performing right in front of the audience, in a club setting. As far as the excitement level is concerned I am super excited because there are so many passionate fans out here that have shown to me their enthusiasm and excitement quotient since the gig was announced. All In all there is a lot of excitement and electricity in the air.
Q- What are going to be the highlights of your performance in this tour?
A-One interesting part of the tour is that all my performance are going to be broadcasted directly on my radio show as well and that I feel is an excellent opportunity for people to know how really passionate are the fans in India and will also widen the reach of the genre of music all over the world. Also, I have brought my entire crew with me so it is going to be a time coded club show and the visuals are going to be interacting with the music. All in all, it is going to be a never like before experience for the audience as they will witness the same experience that get when they go to large music festivals but in a more closely participated ambience that enables them to enjoy music better.
Q-What are the key changes that you have noticed while performing in India and abroad?
A-The main difference that I have witnessed over the years is the fact that people are really educated here in India. Trance music has such a big online community now and when other performers come to India they think they can play generic set and people will not know the difference however the reality is exactly opposite, you have to challenge fans in India in terms of what you are playing as they are so used to listening the best of trance DJ’s all over the world.
Q- What has been your experience with organizers in India?
A-My experience here is that I have always received an amazing hospitality. People embrace you here, they want to show you their city and you are so well taken care of and even if you are here for a few hours you are able to absorb a little bit of the culture from outside of the hotel. Obviously the organizers are better prepared and take special care of you and the overall performance elements.
Q-If called upon would you prefer to perform to India more often?
A-Absolutely, at the beginning of the year we as a team sit down and carve down the places that we want to hit. India has always been one of the places that I would love to come to perform at least once a year if not more often but unfortunately there is only 52 weekends in an year and lot of time is eaten up abroad but India is such a special place to be since the crowd, the hospitality and everything is just spectacular.
