Goa to host new beach music festival

Goa will host Wonderwall, a three-day boutique beach music festival, starting December 28.

To be held at the Sunset Ashram that overlooks the Arabian Sea on Ashwem Beach, Wonderwall has been conceptualised by DJ Nikhil Chinapa, Shailesh Shetty and Oum Pradutt, founder of Phase 1 Experiences headquartered in Bengaluru.

"I have been going to Goa every December since 1991 and I didn't see any reason for things to be any different this year," Chinapa, who will host the festival, said in a statement.

"Ever since we have started playing the big festivals in Goa, we have lost out a little bit on the randomness, discovering hidden tucked away parties, listening to DJs you had never heard before. All of that got co-opted by the Facebook moment. What we, my friends and I, are trying to do with Wonderwall is go back to the space where Goa was beautiful without being corporatised.

"I have found a venue that I'd been looking for since we started the festivals. It's filled with coconut trees, and is perfect for the organic, earthy vibe that we want for Wonderwall. It's small, intimate and instead of big LED screens will have hand-painted signs, easy furniture and hammocks. And I believe that this year, we will have just the right kind of crowd that values Goa for what it is," he added.

American producer King Arthur, whose debut album "Believe in the Kingdom" has been receiving warm reviews alongside house heavyweight Norman Doray and Bengaluru-based Rohit Barker, among other names will be part of the festival.

Britain-based house music label Defected Records will put up a special showcase featuring Grammy Award-winning house music producer Roger Sanchez, Brussels-based house music producer Kid Creme alongside British producer Funkagenda and India's Aneesh Gera and Nawed Khan.

--IANS

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