Nippy weather calls for a banger of an open-air music festival. That is why Mohanish Lama and his team from Decible events hosted the fifth edition of Bacardi presents Mandala Music Festival, in association with The Telegraph. After a pandemicinduced lull of two years, the homegrown festival saw a mix electronic music genres spread across two stages at Cafe Ekante, Eco Park. The Mantra stage attracted EDM, hip-hop, rap, desi electronic, house, psy-trance and other genres while the smaller stage, Tantra, was for underground music. Kicking off at 2pm, the event took place over 12 hours and had a bunch of activities.
The Mantra stage came with a number of food kiosks with a big bar at the end of the dance floor while the Tantra stage had a smaller bar. A flea market was set up for clothes, drawings and little cute collectibles. There was also a 360-degree video corner for funky Instagrammable Reels.
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“Thank you Kolkata for all the love and support towards Mandala. This fifth edition was really special for us and we want Kolkata to be on the map of festivals in India. Special thanks to Bacardi India and Hidco for supporting us. We are planning for a two-day festival next year and hope to bring a better and bigger vibe,” said Mohanish Lama.
Mantra
Kicking off at 2pm on the main stage, a long line-up of local and national acts turned the vibe up. The Mantra stage attracted Ivan, Kayan, ProBros, J Trix, Aaditya, Gomz, Mannu, Nishal, Outlaw, PhreshPrince, SaifSide b2b Kunal, Steve and Xavier. The visuals of the festival were done by one of the city’s favourites, VJ Philip Gordon. “The Mantra stage was a first-of-its-kind setup with LEDs hung in large quantities, four lasers to make the show larger than life and yes, loads of lights. The visuals were in tune of the music as well,” he said
If you’re into hip-hop, Xavier is a familiar face. The DJ, who has been spinning for 19 years, dialled up the vibe on the Mantra stage. His set mixed tracks like Dessert and Next Episode, of which the audience could not have enough
Kayan was one of the main acts on the Mantra stage. She took charge of the DJ console and spun desi electronic/ experimental music. Her set mainly steered clear of the 4x4 beat pattern and was backed by popular Hindi and English song samples. She was joined by local artiste RVD who helped electrify the atmosphere
Veteran DJ Ivan was a big draw on the Mantra stage. He spun an hour-long set of house music which also had remixes of popular songs. So, everyone had a great time
City-based rapper J-Trix was in the house and took the mic to perform originals such as Kalaakaar and Baap ko sikha. Moving energetically from one side of the stage to the other, he made sure everybody had a good time. “MMF was a one of a kind experience. We met with a lot of our listeners who sang our songs and made sure the energy was at its peak throughout the set,” he said
Outlaw, aka Vikrant Jaiswal, was on closing duties for the Mantra stage. He followed the great acts with a banger psy-trance set which made the audience feel the energy. “I closed the Mandala stage for the first time this year. It felt amazing playing psy-trance for 3,000-plus people,” he said
The ProBros or Progressive Brothers made their way to the Mantra stage. The awesome twosome brought in twice the drama with their EDM set and they jumped on to the console table, engaging the audience using their mic
Tantra
Shades on, sneakers ready and the staple side-step. The Tantra stage attracted fans for a stellar lineup. This smaller stage showcased acts like Weird Sounding Dude, Ankytrixx, Kasper Koman, Mashter, 8-Bit Culprit, Antidote, Arcane b2b Rudra, Cmyk, Devaa, Dharmalogy and In-Between. For the visuals VJ Philip said: “The second stage was an audio reactive setup that had AI analysing the audio which was throwing patterns in sync with the music. The technique is called pixel-mapping.”
Weird Sounding Dude’s name takes after the music he is into. The progressive house artiste spun his set, which was packed with winding melodies and crushing rhythms, carrying a good flow. “Mandala Festival was a top-notch experience for me; it was great to see the vast diversity in music which people could enjoy all day long, along with some great choices of food. The location was great and so was the entire production set-up across both stages. Full credit to the whole Mandala team for pulling this one off and for being such amazing hosts. As a performer, it was inspiring to experience the energy from the Tantra stage, the visuals and sound were amazing too. I thoroughly enjoyed my set and was fortunate enough to hang out with a lot of amazing people who have now become good friends,” he said
Kasper Koman was the only international act that was present for the third edition. Synth being his strength sonically, the artiste from the Netherlands played an eclectic set that showed a strong balance of power. His synth-like melodies kept the audience on their feet but it did not tire them out
Mashter from Delhi was in the house and he played a classic warm-up set, which was a hybrid between progressive and techno with hints of dark notes. “It was one of the best festivals that I have been a part of in Kolkata. The crowd and vibe were amazing, and there was an audience for all sorts of music. All the artistes looked happy,” he said
City star 8-Bit Culprit was the last but one on the line-up. Known for his exciting acid house, he kept the crowd on their feet while the melody kept them happy. 8-Bit got some of the biggest cheers post his set. “The vibe at Mandala this year was electric and overwhelming with all the love I received this year. Congratulations to Mohanish and team for putting up such a good show and making a strong comeback. Feels great to see how the underground stage has shaped up over the years,” he said
Ankytrixx or Ankit Kocher rounded off the Tantra stage. Other than his powerful and melodic techno set, what really brought his performance to life is his energy. Not only did the audience break loose to his music, they vibed with his energy as well. “To be able to get to see the complete and massive multi-stage programme again in all its glory is pretty amazing. I was happiest just being around people from home and being together again on a massive dance floor. Mandala has set the bar really high with their approach towards everyone. I began my journey in the city; I feel my relationship with the people of Kolkata is beyond music. I feel energised just by standing in the middle of Park Street,” he said
Feel the vibe
This is what you call a packed house. Cafe Ekante was flooded by electronic music lovers
Hey hippies! Some of the ladies present dressed up just right with their body art and fashionable accessories
Musician Saul Samuel (second from right) was present for the festival with friends (l-r) Brandon Stark, Saikat Chakraborty and Candida Stark. “Although I am a blues musician, I enjoy some electronic music as well. I was there with my friends and we all had a great time listening to good music from not one, but two different stages,” said Saul
Natalia Sarah Jane Scen, a supporter of the music scene in Kolkata, was present to cheer the artistes on, including her partner Outlaw. “It was great to see so many people turn up after two years, post-Covid. Big ups to Lama and the Decible crew for making this happen,” she said
There was a line of food kiosks present to refuel from and the festival also had a flea market to pick up quirky items from
Backstage moments
What a frame! How often do you see (l-r) Weird Sounding Dude, Kasper Koman and Rudra lolling together? Rudra was also in the lineup on the Tantra stage and had gone back-to-back with Arcane aka Shiladitya Bose (R). “This Mandala edition beat the last with the production and sound. It was definitely a step ahead. There was a great selection of artistes, especially Kasper and Weird Sounding Dude. It was an intelligent move to keep such acts in the lineup,” said Rudra
In-Between aka Sammy Ghosh was spotted on the Tantra dance floor after his performance with his wife, Sohini. In-Between had played a hybrid set where he used his console and live mixer to play an ambient set on the Tantra stage
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
