DJ Stalvart John found his home in electronic music almost a decade ago and is now a familiar name across the country with a series of gigs, international radio shows and a couple of well-received records. The Bengaluru-based producer opened the stage for Red Bull Music Academy North Stage of the Magnetic Fields Music Festival that took place recently at Alsisar Mahal, Rajasthan.
In a chat with Rajitha Menon, Stalvart talks about what drew him to music and what makes him stay there.
How did you get into this field?
I was always interested in music from a young age though I have not received any formal training. I was initially working with a lifestyle magazine in my hometown in Kerala and we organised parties where we would get artistes from outside. When my friends told me I had a flair for this, I started doing a podcast series called Trancemitor in 2011 which was widely appreciated. Then I got a slot in a UK-based radio and from then, its been constant evolution.
What has changed in the field since when you started out?
Dance music culture in India is growing rapidly now. The crowd is not that huge but there are new festivals and clubs coming up all the time, even in small towns. We are not there yet but the transition is happening.
Requisites for being a DJ....
Good music sense and curiosity to dig deeper. You also need patience because the process of getting people to listen to you will take some time. There are a lot of DJs out there. It will be hard to make your music stand out.
What are the misconceptions that people have about this profession...
People are relating us to rave culture, drugs and alcohol. But for us, its all about music at the end of the day.
Thoughts about Magnetic Fields...
Its my first time and I was super excited. I opened the Red Bull Music Academy stage, which is one of the main stages in the festival. There was a huge crowd of music lovers there and playing for such an audience is both exciting and tough. Exciting because they are there for the music and tough because they are deeply aware about what they are listening to.
What music do you listen to in your spare time?
Everything. When I am chilling at home, I listen to genres like jazz, ambient, old disco and so on. Everyday I listen to dance music that I play so I like to listen to completely different things otherwise.
Musical inspiration...
Joey Negro, Kerri Chandler, Dr Packer, Pink Floyd, Fela Kuti... the list goes on.
Favourite venue...
I love playing in Pondicherry. The kind of music I play works perfectly there due to the presence of a large population of French expatriates. I have the most fun there since the crowd is very open-minded.
Thoughts about Bengaluru crowd...
Its a mixed crowd but I like it here. People are willing to come to a gig just for the music but the problem is that there are only limited venues here. But whenever I play, I always have fun.
DJ Stalvart John found his home in electronic music almost a decade ago and is now a familiar name across the country with a series of gigs, international radio shows and a couple of well-received records. The Bengaluru-based producer opened the stage for 'Red Bull Music Academy North Stage' of the 'Magnetic Fields Music Festival' that took place recently at Alsisar Mahal, Rajasthan.
In a chat with Rajitha Menon, Stalvart talks about what drew him to music and what makes him stay there.
How did you get into this field?
I was always interested in music from a young age though I have not received any formal training. I was initially working with a lifestyle magazine in my hometown in Kerala and we organised parties where we would get artistes from outside. When my friends told me I had a flair for this, I started doing a podcast series called 'Trancemitor' in 2011 which was widely appreciated. Then I got a slot in a UK-based radio and from then, it's been constant evolution.
What has changed in the field since when you started out?
Dance music culture in India is growing rapidly now. The crowd is not that huge but there are new festivals and clubs coming up all the time, even in small towns. We are not there yet but the transition is happening.
Requisites for being a DJ....
Good music sense and curiosity to dig deeper. You also need patience because the process of getting people to listen to you will take some time. There are a lot of DJs out there. It will be hard to make your music stand out.
What are the misconceptions that people have about this profession...
People are relating us to rave culture, drugs and alcohol. But for us, it's all about music at the end of the day.
Thoughts about Magnetic Fields...
It's my first time and I was super excited. I opened the Red Bull Music Academy stage, which is one of the main stages in the festival. There was a huge crowd of music lovers there and playing for such an audience is both exciting and tough. Exciting because they are there for the music and tough because they are deeply aware about what they are listening to.
What music do you listen to in your spare time?
Everything. When I am chilling at home, I listen to genres like jazz, ambient, old disco and so on. Everyday I listen to dance music that I play so I like to listen to completely different things otherwise.
Musical inspiration...
Joey Negro, Kerri Chandler, Dr Packer, Pink Floyd, Fela Kuti... the list goes on.
Favourite venue...
I love playing in Pondicherry. The kind of music I play works perfectly there due to the presence of a large population of French expatriates. I have the most fun there since the crowd is very open-minded.
Thoughts about Bengaluru crowd...
It's a mixed crowd but I like it here. People are willing to come to a gig just for the music but the problem is that there are only limited venues here. But whenever I play, I always have fun.