It’s not every day that you waltz into the suite of an international DJ to take his interview. What was supposed to be a formal interview ended up being a friendly chit-chat over pizza and <healthy> drinks. We entered the suite and found him lounging around in shorts and a t-shirt, talking to his entourage about lack of sleep and wondering how much time would the interview take. I assured him I won’t take more than 10 minutes (and well, I did not), and quickly proceeded with my questions.
I tend to do a whole lot of background study before I take something up. So I had already read a couple of interviews of Dj Mikkas, and had found out that he lived in Denmark, and had no musical background. His favorite places to perform are Berlin, and in India he loves the scenes at Goa, Gurgaon,Pune and Bangalore. He finds India a very tough country to please; he enjoys his music and feels as long as his enthusiasm is alive, he does not need to think about competition. And there is no particular type of music he plays, it depends on what the crowd likes, the mood, the atmosphere, everything.Knowing all the important stuff, I thought I’d get a little casual. It did surprise him a little bit. “Oh, casual…like, what’s my favorite color?”“You read my mind..that’s exactly what I was going to ask you! So, what is your favorite color? J”Mikkas <laughs>- Ah well….Black. Black is my favorite color.
This was how the “interaction” started, and by the end of it, we were happily instagramming pictures with each other. Sweet and humble beginnings.
Me- Where are you from?Mikkas- I live in Copenhagen, but I am originally from Norway.Me- How was your childhood like?Mikkas- Cold. I remember, when we were further north for the first 7 years, the sun wouldn’t set at night.(Midnight Sunset) And it was COLD.Me- Oh yeah, I know about this. My folks were there for quite some time. Fascinating. So, how were you like, as a boy?Mikkas- oohh *thinking* Um, pretty regular, you know. Just the average school boy I guess. Not much of a loner, no, but I remember I would go for walks alone, thinking about different beats in my head. There was music in my head, lots of it. I started deejaying when I was 14. Yeah, that young.Me- Why music?Mikkas- There was so much music in my head, I had to do something about it! I saw it (still do) as a form of expression. I was a movie maker, had my own TV production, but music was what I was meant to be doing.Me- If not music, what would you be doing?Mikkas- Ah well, I think I would have been a movie director.
Me- So…why India?Mikkas- Why not? J It’s difficult to please the audience here, and I love the challenge. It’s a pain, trying to plan and co-ordinate things here, but once you LAND here, this place opens up a whole lot of opportunities for you! Things magically fall into place once you get here JMe- How’s it been so far?Mikkas- Warm. So warm. Back where I come from, it’s freezing cold. This feels nice.Me- How’s it different, coming here as a tourist, and coming here on business?Mikkas- I still feel like a tourist. I came to India 20 years ago, as a tourist. I don’t think anything has changed about it.Me- So, where do you plan to go next, after Pune?Mikkas- Bangalore.Me- How was Delhi?Mikkas- Honestly speaking, I didn’t think it was successful. The crowd comprised of mostly the hotel guests, and the average age was what..60? :/ But hey! I made them dance!!! There was a 60 year old couple going nuts on the dance floor!We performed at another club, where yes, they had a younger crowd, almost 200-300 of them, but people were rowdy!
Me- So, what should we expect tonight?Mikkas- ah well, let’s see. I play what the crowd wants. I start with my slow tracks, but I have noticed Indians prefer the loud, pumped up beats. So I will gradually move on to that later. I don’t force my music, I want people to feel comfortable.Me- Last one! What’s your favorite food here? JMikkas- Oh, food! Um, I like the fish curry in Goa, and the breakfasts. I like Dosas!!
And on that hungry note, we concluded the interview, and headed down to the pool side for some coffee and snacks.At the table, we ended up discussing random things, like party hopping in Goa, Goa trance parties, hitchhiking, the brilliant hospitality at the hotels, the view from the room,the works. Mikkas is a humble guy, who smiles at everyone, orders his beet root and carrot juice, sips on it quietly while instagramming pictures, and is a very very good listener. He is an international music artiste, but on a personal level, he is just one of us. And his entourage had so many interesting stories to tell us (we discussed mobile phones, telephones back in the 90s,vegetable shopping, and typical Indian bringing up at lengths) that we didn’t realize it had been 2 hours already. I even forgot to complain about my Oreo Shake being too milky (I had expected chocolate!)
We were back at Vivanta at 7:15pm, where the opening DJ had just started spinning out his tunes. The energy was kicking in, and it felt positive. We found a table at the back, and started gossiping like little girls having met after so long (Girls. There’s so much to discuss) The place filled up by 8:30pm, Mikkas had just started his act, and was playing soothing beats. After a certain while, we couldn’t help but join the guys in the front- the music was energetic, the pulse was loud, the lights and beats were perfectly synchronized, the atmosphere was trippy, and the crowd was getting into the flow of things. Mikkas himself was energetically jumping around, moving along to the beats- one would never think the man up there had got only 4 hours of sleep the previous night. The passion was seen, right there.And the night was GOOD. This is the kind of music that gets you high and moving, without any alcohol. Yeah, that good. Never saw a dull moment or a drop in the energy levels till the end. By the end of it, a little girl (she was 4) was dancing along to Mikkas’ music. Brilliant energy, a whole lot of passion, and it was all reflected in the music. A brilliant night, after ages! Haven’t seen this scene around in Pune, no I haven’t.
Honestly, I would love it if he came here again. The only down side to the event was the food. There were 2 options available in both veg and non veg, and a little too over-priced. But I doubt that mattered to anyone, almost EVERYONE was on the floor, dancing.So yeah, I made new friends, experienced new music, and once again gained new insights into a completely new industry. It was a good exposure, and I know for sure, there will be more to come.