Mankind has often sought solace in the splendour of sounds. Striking a musical balance between harmony and discord; our universe in fact echoes the creation of beauty in its purest form. And, being the language of the soul, music has always had a profound effect on all senses. “To put it as succinctly as possible, the emotions music stir is what drives me. Music can make you laugh and cry, smile or make you pensive. It can make you reminisce or forget and be alright with the world, all at the same time,” said DJ Pearl, who spun some funky tunes at F-Bar and Kitchen recently.
Mesmerised with the world of rhythm and tones, this artiste has indeed taken the DJ world by storm. City Express catches up with Pearl to find out more about her interests in electronic dance music and art.
Undoubtedly, electronic dance music has evolved over the years. With more and more artistes delving into the nuances of musical technicality and exploring diverse sounds; music has indeed come a long way in India. Experimenting with unusual styles, Pearl has earned quite the reputation of stringing a set together with intricate sounds. Her signature style includes commencing with house and tech; and gradually shifting to progressive and techno. So when did
Pearl’s affair with the dance floor begins?
“Music was like air in our house. I tried some other careers but looking back I think it was natural progression that I would be dabbling in music. As a DJ, all I wanted to do was to share the music that I find with other like-minded people and enjoy their reaction. I have only ever wanted to tell stories with my sets and I hope to continue doing that for a long time. I would like these emotional experiences people have at my gigs to stay with them forever just like mine have stayed with me from my clubbing years. I feel as deeply for music or my craft as any musician I have come across. I think I might also have developed an inherent understanding for different styles of music, which I have to thank my dad for,” said the artiste.
Satisfying all musically inclined souls with tribal, electro, tech, and progressive house music by some of the best DJs from the world; Submerge has indeed revolutionized the music scene in India. Seeking an alternative to mainstream, Pearl, Nikhil Chinappa and Hermit Sethi founded Submerge in 2003.
“Submerge has a longer history than most people know. I was collecting records in Amsterdam and trying to create an audience for it in Delhi when I first started.
I made it my focus to grow the scene in India and bring House music artistes to our shores. The first couple of DJs were Dutch artistes since I was in and out of their country with the airline I worked with. When I moved to Bombay, my then boyfriend, now husband, Nikhil Chinapa and our partner Hermit Sethi took over a Thursday night in a club and christened it Submerge.
To give a name and identity to a club night was a new thing here and even we were surprised with the response it got. Things just snowballed from there and now we have a countrywide network of parties and a very strong online forum. Submerge is a story that’s still unfolding. We had no precedents and have largely learnt everything by fumbling in the dark. It’s all been worth it though and we now have a rich understanding of what surviving and growing in this scene involves,” opined the artiste.
However, commercialization has invariably proved to be a hindrance for innovation in the long run. According to Pearl, it seems to have a cyclic effect in music and that could probably be one of the reasons for the emergence of underground music.
People get disillusioned with the shallow and want to make something with meaning and depth. However, commercialisation does popularise music. And, when producers begin to follow this trend to stay on the charts of popularity, music takes an ugly turn. After all as Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art.”
“He couldn’t be closer to the truth and I can only concur with this statement. It would be quite pointless creating something for the sake of it. We have a lot of that in the electronic music world lately — people creating a track to get their name out there so they get booked to play live.
To me, that is pointless and not music made from any depth or emotion. DJs, and I mean true DJs, and producers come from two very different worlds. Very few manage to crossover and do both things equally well. There’s a little twist here if you look at that statement from another angle. Sometimes hands are inadequate to express what the spirit or mind wants to and this is what compels a lot of artists to hang on. This is what feeds their frustration and probably spurs them on to perfect their art,” Pearl signed off.