Electronic Music (EDM) In Sri Lanka
Border Movement, a new South Asian collabo, has a great write-up on the electronic music scene in Sri Lanka. They say Colombo, but it really runs from Unawatuna to Hikkaduwa on up. In the review Dr. Tetsu Denzil Perera II (great name) covers everything, from the Offshore Life parties to DJ Shiyam to the younger DJs like Asvajit. He’s obviously been around and it’s quite comprehensive.
It’s value is in the whole history and detail, so it’s hard to excerpt anything in particular, here’s a skim:
Until the mid 2000s, Colombo’s nightclubs remained restricted mainly to commercial hip-hop, pop, Latin music and R&B along with a light sprinkling of commercial house. There weren’t really any electronic producers yet, and most DJs were still working the rather uninspiring mobile circuit; playing at private parties, corporate events and weddings…
It was during the latter part of the decade that electronic music finally beat its way into the commercial circuit and for the first time, house music became standard fare at popular Colombo nightclubs. Large outdoor events (mainly on the beach on the outskirts of Colombo) that went on all night and sometimes even for days, with big international and local DJs and producers at the helm, started becoming relatively commonplace…
Electronic music has also started a slow but steady crossover onto the stages of more mainstream musical events. Increasing numbers of live music and cultural shows designed to cater to a wider audience than the party circuit and club going public are including DJs and EDM acts in their line-ups. The blossoming of the electronic music scene has resulted in improved fortunes for a selection of the top end DJs as well as sound and lighting suppliers and beachfront venue owners both in Colombo and on the south coast in Galle, Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna. (THE RISE OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC IN COLOMBO)
Bit of a long read, and interesting. The site Border Movement itself is a Goethe Institution project to connect German and South Asian artists. They generate content from local bloggers and writers and players, so check it out and contribute if you can.
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