Party in a backpack

We talk to mobile raver Niels Arnbak, who throws parties like no other with his band, The Infaders
Party in a backpack

Ever heard of a portable sound system that takes partying to another level? We talk to Niels Arnbak, one of the members from Infaders, a Dutch dance music act. Arnbak has been travelling since August 2012 and is currently in and around India. He lives life on the edge and says “a little madness inspires me to create awardwinning work.” The Infaders was born when a group of friends decided to take their hobby to another level. And this is just the beginning.

Logistics

Each backpack weighs 15 kilos and has speakers built into them. They have been made wireless — this adds to the portable element of the sound system. The DJ controls the wireless mobile player that transmits a variety of dance music to each speaker. “With the backpacks, we become the face of the party. We are the animators,” says Arnbak. It is different from static parties in the sense that it moves, so it’s unexpected and the duration of the parties depends on the battery life which is around four to five hours.

Breaking ground

Starting out at the Burning Man festival in 2010, the Infaders have been popping up around the world, making music and taking surprise parties off the beaten track. Arnbak says, “I took what I was good at and took it to the desert of Nevada.” The ethos of Burning Man is taking your talent and showcasing it without the focus being on making money. “With money you lose the art, passion and quirkiness” he says.

Spur-of-the-moment

The Infaders like to be impulsive, so many a time, they just show up and create a crowd where they are. From performing on the Metro to bringing the party to a mall and being chased by security — they know how to create a crowd. Once, in the Netherlands, the cold winds and the frozen lake was all they needed to make it happen. “Things like this have to be spontaneous, otherwise you’ll end up having 3,000 people there and the ice will just break,” he explains. They also took clubbing to the streets at Distortion — a street festival in Copenhagen and rocked the ski slopes at the Snowbombing festival in Austria.

Living a passion

One of the most epic moments of Infaders was when they performed at the Solar Eclipse Festival in Australia. “I’ve been chasing eclipses all my life,” the entertainer says. This festival lasts for a total of seven days where people gather together to witness one of the most amazing sights, from one of the perfect positioned places in North Australia. “When all the electricity went out, we were the only ones still playing,” he says adding, “we were playing, Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles.”

Details: infaders.com

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The New Indian Express
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