Of the things EDM artiste, Anubhav Sharma dreads, performing for hundreds of strangers on stage, isn’t one of them. Snakes, on the other hand, scare the life out of him, and the very thought of them, makes him squirm. But, he doesn’t want to think about them as he rehearses for his upcoming performance at Def. Col. Social, on May 31 (today).
Playing a disco/house set tonight, comprising pieces such as Lose Yourself to Daft, one of his favourite remixes, sampled from one of the Daft Punk’s song, Lose Yourself to Dance, he’ll be rendering a lot of spontaneity to the evening. “They’re one of the major inspirations for my work. I like them because they’re really talented. They never used laptops while making Random Access Memories and every song from the album gleams of analogue warmth,” says Sharma, who goes by his stage name, D80. For him, choosing a stage name is a significant part of building an artist image and identity. “It should be unique, and the name one chooses, should reflect their work. My stage name is inspired by the entire 80’s vibe—disco, house and synth-wave,” he says.
Sharma, who grew up listening to Beegees, Abba, Def leppard, Donna Summe, feels grateful towards his parents who allowed him to explore all genres. “I was always interested in playing the guitar, and not once did my parents tell me to focus on something else,” he remembers, adding, “I was in the school band and that really helped me develop my performance skills.”
His first electronic music experience was at Bloc Music Festival in England, in 2009. There, he met electronic artiste, Aphex Twin. “I had no idea what to expect, but that experience cannot be put into words. It changed my life forever. It was after that, that D80 entered the electronic music scene in 2014,” he says with a smile.
Time 9 pm onwards
Entry Free
Venue 28 A, Defence Colony