Let music be thy therapy

Sound Awake2
From the artiste line-up to the thumping music, and from event execution to sound — the first edition of Sound Awake managed to score brownie points in almost every category  — the reason why we think music lovers in the city should mark their calendars for the next edition in December.

Just like the first one, Sound Awake2 will have four stages – DNA Live, HedKandi, The Ministry of Sound and Indi Stage. The headliners for this edition include American electro house DJ/ producer Steve Aoki and Congorock. While the names of other participating DJs are yet to be announced, you can be sure of one thing: The festival  is going to be a visual treat featuring stunning performances and energetic EDM sets, along with a Goan flea market, gaming zones and an F&B area.  So, get ready to give in to the sound of EDM.

Where Supernova Arena and Convention Centre, Bangalore
When December 1
For tickets, www.soundawakeindia.com;  www.bookmyshow.com

Oktoberfest Goa
Get the party season rolling at your fave party destination – Goa. How? By celebrating the mother of all Oktoberfests with good food, lots of beer and the best music. Being held over three days,  and featuring 30 international and Indian artistes, over 15 varieties of beers, cuisines from across the world, flea markets with a twist, beer brunches and lots more, the Goan Oktoberfest is the stuff of madness.  The artiste line up has us already packing our bags — Marco V, John Dahlback, Yves V and Marcel Woods along with our very own DJ Ivan, Ash Roy, Ma Faiza, Clement, Sanjay Dutta, Ankytrixx , Ajit Pai and Priyanjana. Get going already!

Where Nazri Resort Ground, Baga, Goa
When October 25, 26, 27
For tickets, www.bookmyshow.com

Nikhil Chinapa’s EDM Fest
The news of his fallout with Sunburn is passé. But what’s heartening to note is that our man has moved on, and how! Nikhil Chinapa is all set to direct a festival in Goa (without involving his company Submerge at that). The five-day, still-unnamed festival, being organised by LIVE Viacom 18, promises to be a treat for music lovers as they will get to enjoy quality music from both popular and underground electronic music genres. The details on the fest, including the artiste line-up and other acts are yet to be announced, but overall, the aim of the festival is to bring top-notch (but lesser-known) DJs prominence over commercial names. Dedicated to devoted music lovers who know their music and are thirsty for the ‘real’ stuff,  the festival will also have a strong local focus, creating a platform to nurture and promote some of India’s best DJs on the same stages as the international artists.

Where  Candolim Beach, Goa
When  December 26-30
Ticket details To be announced

NH7 Weekender
It’s time to shake things up, it’s time to rock. Bacardi and Only Much Louder are back with the NH7 Weekender, India’s happiest festival (as the tagline claims). In its fourth edition, the festival features more than 200 bands across six stages, each dedicated to a different genre of music, in four cities. The festival starts this weekend in Pune and will travel to Bangalore, followed by Delhi, before coming to a full stop in Kolkata. In a bid to make the festival that much more unique and intimate, the organisers, this time around, went ahead and limited the number of tickets being sold at each venue to just 9,000. A true ‘limited edition’ festival it is, this one.  This year, look forward to live performances by progressive metal biggies TesseracT (England), The Raghu Dixit Project, Kailash Kher, Sulk Station, Nischay Parekh and The Ocean Orchestra among other equally big artistes. 

Where Embassy International Riding  School Grounds, Devanahalli, Bangalore
When November 23 and 24
For tickets, www.bookmyshow.com

Go M.A.D festival
Talk about taking things literally and this is the festival where you should, right and about, let your hair down and go m-a-d. The second edition of the three-day festival, this one’s packed with an eclectic mix of over 50 traditional and contemporary music, arts and dance performances. Look forward to  watching artistes like Parikrama, Agam, Soulmate, Shobana Dance Academy, The Tank and the Bangas (USA) and Luke Jon Sheare (Aus), Jamie Ferrari (UK), Noori (Pak) and Emergence among other biggies.  Want more reasons? Here you go: The festival is spread over 44 acres and comes equipped with a camping area, a curated market, a crazy adventure zone, a bar in the woods,  food stalls, a play area for kids and  workshops by renowned artists and field experts. We’d love to catch some of this madness, no doubt.

Where Fernhill Palace, Ooty
When October 25-27
For tickets, www.bookmyshow.com

Enchanted Valley Carnival
Just imagine three days spent watching  over 60 acts while warming up next to the campfire on a cold December night... sounds like a vision straight out of a coffee table book, doesn’t it? This precisely is what the Enchanted Valley Carnival (EVC) is all about. An experiential music festival, it combines riveting performances with picturesque locales, adrenaline-pumping adventure sports and a unique camping experience to create one great memorable weekend.The artiste line-up for the festival includes international names like ATB, Cosmic Gate, Emma Hewitt, Gabriel & Dresden, Jody Wisternoff, Chicane along with performances by Arjun Vagale, Ankytrixx, Lost Stories, Anish Sood, Indian Ocean, Raghu Dixit, Shaa’ir & Func, Dualist Inquiry, Swarathma, Shkabang and Sandunes among others. 

Where Aamby Valley City, Pune
When December 6-8
For tickets, www.bookmyshow.com

Above & Beyond
So, you already know that Britain’s famed dance music trio is all set to celebrate Diwali in India once again. A&B comprising Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness and Paavo Siljamäki had played to a full house in Bangalore last year when they were here to celebrate the 450th episode of their radio show, TATW (Trance Around The World, for the uninitiated). And now, Submerge is bringing back the trio for their Group Therapy India tour.

Where To be announced
When November 22
For tickets, www.bookmyshow.com

also in the loop
If you are a Nicky Romero fan, then it’s time you booked  your tickets to Mumbai as the Dutch DJ will be performing in Mumbai on November 24.

And Axwell is back. For those who still need an introduction – he was one third of the erstwhile Swedish House Mafia, along with Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello. But trust us when we say that as an individual artiste, Axwell is quite the performer when on stage, and his huge fan following is proof of that. He will be headlining the Sunburn Festival, Goa happening this year between December 27-29.

Sunburn Festival
All you busy people who haven’t had the chance to catch up on the Sunburn fever in Goa all these years – don’t you worry. You can experience all that madness right here in Bangalore, as SunburnS7 brings one of the biggest music fests in India, to our city. Themed as Party in a Concrete Jungle, Sunburn Bangalore will feature biggies like Paul Van Dyk, Fedde Le Grand, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Showtek, Orjan Nilsen, WolfPack, Josh Wink, Arjun Vagale, Lost Stories X Anish Sood, Kohra, Kash Trivedi and Sartek among others. ‘Tis time to get sunburnt in Bangalore.

Where Yet to be announced
When November 16 and 17
For tickets,  www.bookmyshow.com

Avicii
Fans and lovers of Avicii, who were rightly disappointed with the news of the Swedish DJ cancelling his India tour early this year, can now smile and get planning. Sunburn Arena is bringing the Levels artist to perform live in our city in December. During his last visit to India in 2011, the music spinner jad left the crowd begging for more.  So, is it going to be a repeat performance or wil it be even better? Guess we’ll just have to hit the concert to figure that one out.  

Where To be announced
When December 7
For tickets, www.bookmyshow.com

Kingfisher The Great Indian Octoberfest – 2013
Bangalore’s ever-popular beer and music festival — Kingfisher The Great Indian Octoberfest is just around the corner. In its ninth edition, the three-day festival returns in a power-packed avatar; featuring more than 25 artists and bands from various musical genres, the freshest KF brew and lots of food. Taking centre stage this year are American rock band Hoobastank,  and Bollywood singers Mika Singh and Arijit Singh. Other prominent performers include Shankar Tucker, Avial, Raghu Dixit Project, All the Fat Children, One Nite Stand and Latetia Zonzambe to name a few. 

Where Jayamahal Palace, Nandidurga Road
When October 18-20
For tickets, www.bookmyshow.com