It’s actually quite a fun party game - what would your DJ alter ego be called? Ours would be Lotus Blossom, and Lotus Blossom would play at a Goa shack, one that serves organic food of course, with people swaying to her mellow beats. But besides dreaming up a name, we haven’t done much else to further this musical fantasy.
Enter I Love Music (ILM), a new Gurgaon electronic music academy started by hotelier-turned artist manager Nakul Vagale (sibling of Jalebee Cartel member Arjun Vagale) that teaches courses in DJing, electronic music production and audio engineering. They also have plans to start up a radio jockey module in the near future. Putting on air(s)?
The First Rule of DJ Club
This school, originally from Bangalore, has a whole bunch of rules. They ask that you don’t come with a preconceived notion of the kind of music you want to play. Being a DJ is about entertaining, they say, and only once people know who you are can you afford to be picky about your music. Despite their Jalebee Cartel association, ILM is cross platform and encourages all music genres. That being said, Electronic Dance Music (EDM) is clearly what they're good at.
The small batch disc jockey course (six students per class) starts off with a tutorial on how to use vinyl, moving on to CDs and finally computer software. Jalebee’s Arjun guest lectures on the business and marketing of music at ILM as often as he can. Other professors include Lew Hilt, currently resident DJ at Q’ba and bassist at Jalebee Cartel, G Force. Meanwhile, Nakul promises sophisticated equipment and introductions with a slew of industry bigwigs.
Hard(ware) On
If we lost you at ‘sophisticated equipment’, you should know that not everyone who signs up is looking at a career in music. Their Bangalore branch gets a bunch of hobbyists, with students as young as age 14. Incidentally, all you need to join is love, says Nakul. Love for music. Now you're more skeptical? Nakul elaborates: everyone can make good music if given the tools to learn. The current flock of DJs in the city, he says, are either self-taught or have studied under someone with no formal training. “It’s like the blind leading the blind,” he says, thus emphasizing the need for an academy.
The entire time we were writing this story, we had on loop the music of one of ILM’s former students, producer Vinayak, who is responsible for this trippy electronic track What’s Stopping You. No seriously, what’s stopping you? Enroll now.
PS: bpb required reading - This article in Caravan Magazine on the state of aspiring DJs in Delhi.
Getting there: I Love Music (ILM), A 24/14, near Deodar Marg, DLF City Phase I, Gurgaon, call 9818476967, or visit the website here, Rs 35,000 for 3 month DJ course.
