Politics of dancing
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Mangal Suvarnan is what most dance music pundits call, a triple threat. He’s a vocalist, a multi-instrumentalist, and a self-taught DJ/producer. Unlike most one-hit wonders in the scene today, Mangal is a poster child for perseverance. At the start of his career, he faced year-after-year of rejection but quietly kept honing his music production skills—within a make-shift bedroom studio. Eventually, the 27-year-old got his first big break in 2015 when legendary EDM artiste, Laidback Luke, collaborated with him.
“During one of Laidback Luke’s 2013 gigs in Dubai, I jumped/waved to grab his attention and somehow
managed to slip him a USB stick, with six of my demo tunes on it. Two years later, he e-mails, asking if I would like to team up. That is literally how I got my foot in the door,” shares the Dubai-based artiste, who has since then, signed onto some of biggest record labels on the planet including Armada, Anjunabeats, Mixmash, Enhanced, and Brobot.
Right groove
Besides his original productions—which have been supported worldwide by notable artistes like Above & Beyond, Sander Van Doorn, Junior Sanchez, and Pete Tong (BBC Radio One)—this DJ shot to fame in the gig circuit by weaving elements like live electric guitar riffs and bansuri melodies into his new-age progressive house/trance music sets at shows like Festival of Colours.
But, this MBA graduate who recently returned to Kerala for a pop-up gig at Willingdon Island’s Casino Hotel, has a truckload of projects lined up. “Besides my latest EP called Winds of Destiny, which came out on a label co-owned by Dutch behemoth DJ Armin Van Buuren, I’m also producing a few tunes for an upcoming Malayalam film directed by Ajay Devaloka called Who.
Another dance music single I’m excited about releasing, is a collaboration with an Israeli musician
called Maor Levi,” states the avid gamer. Simply put, whether it’s performing at Amsterdam Dance Event or composing music for the next Shine Tom Chacko movie, this Kannur boy isn’t one to rest
on laurels.Details: facebook.com/mangalsuvarnan