Marching to the beat of his drum

DJ Gino K Jose has a passion for percussion, aims at getting into the Limca Book of Records for DJing, live drumming
Marching to the beat of his drum

He is one DJ who can’t part with his drums. The instrument is part and parcel of all his performances. Percussion is in DJ Gino K Jose’s blood.

Gino, who is making a sensation in the state, is aiming for the Limca Book of Records for DJing with live drumming session.

His passion for the beats is clear from the way he takes charge of the parties while juggling with his DJ gizmos and playing live on his drums. Yet he attributes the success of the party to the crowd.

“I aim to get into the Limca Book of Records within 60 days through Deejeying and drumming for eight hours at a stretch. I have done it on a trial basis at the Lulu mall in Kochi from 11 am to 10.30 pm. The concept of live drumming and DJ is a bit tough but I am passionate about it and want to test my skill and potential and make it big in the field,” says Gino.

After fulfilling his Limca dream, he plans to commit himself fully to his band, Rock’N’Raga. The six-member band focuses more on Indian fusion. The band has Sumesh on the keyboard, Jackson on the guitar, Linu on the rhythm and Gino on the drums. Reghu plays the  flute and other wind instruments and Siddhi Vinayak handles the violin.

“We have fun experimenting with different kinds of music and each member handles at least three instruments with ease. When all are running after rock music, we try our hands at Indian fusion music,” he says. They play music for music’s sake.

“We don’t have a fixed list of songs to play on a live stage. We change our tunes to the mood of the audience and shift tracks along with them. We enjoy a good rapport among ourselves that we sense the feelings of the audience and cater to their needs in harmony,” Gino says.

Gino is happy that he stuck to his passion while going through many ups and downs. He took to the drums in school, but his father did not want him to take up music as a career. He sent Gino to his uncle’s place in Bangalore to look for a job. Fortunately, that turned out to be a turning point.

“I had to live in the garage, sharing space with a boxer puppy and a Fiat car. I managed to find a square meal for `15 a day. One day my cousin’s friends came over for practise. They were gearing up for a competition with a band, Rust. When the drummer did not turn up, they asked me to stand for him. I couldn’t believe my ears when I was chosen the Best Drummer,” he recalls.

Gino who belongs to Kochi is often called ‘Junior Sivamani’. When he gave his solo performance five years ago in Guruvayur, his role model Sivamani was all praise for him and called him ‘Mani Siva’. Gino also met Sivamani for pianist Stephen Devassy’s wedding. “I provided the instruments for Sivamani and also performed with him for the first time,” he recollects.

There was no looking back since and he has done numerous solo stage shows in the UAE, Malaysia and Singapore.

Gino is good at tickling the palate too. He has worked as a chef in many hotels and restaurants and still keeps his passion alive. He is planning to open a restaurant in Kochi exclusively for traditional delicacies.

Another favourite pastime is collecting musical instruments. He has a good collection of drums from different places worth several lakhs of rupees.

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The New Indian Express
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