The RBMA North Stage at Magnetic Fields - Photo credit - Zacharie Rabehi _ Agence Le journal

Daphni, DJ Sassy J, Funk band Khruangbin & DJ, Tijana T Join Magnetic Fields 2017 Line-up

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Entertainment | October 26, 2017 | News

Magnetic Fields Festival ThoT Media

With the focus on curating future-facing sounds from India and around the world, Magnetic Fields yesterday announced additions to its line-up for the fifth edition scheduled to be held from December 15-17 later this year.

The contemporary arts and music festival, that made its debut in 2013, has come to represent an exciting vision of modern India, and continues to introduce new sounds and experiences to attendees.

The newly made announcement for Magnetic Fields 2017 includes a bevy of respected and exciting names across various soundscapes joining the likes of Four Tet, Ben UFO, Machinedrum, Special Request and TEEBS. 

The Red Bull Music Academy North Stage, like always, features DJs and producers that have established themselves as pioneers of a certain style or sound, with some of the most exciting newsmakers in music right now joining the 2017 line-up.

Dan Snaith’s dancefloor-friendly alias, Daphni, celebrates the pure mechanisms of club house and will make his India debut at the festival. Daphni’s sets mince disco, post-punk, rave, free jazz and even Bollywood, and he stirs them together in a way that disregards conventional notions of genre. December will also see the Swiss DJ and a selector par excellence, Sassy J whose wide-ranging, soulful and sincere approach to music has won her fans around the world and prime slots at festivals. Joining Daphni and Sassy J will be Sophie Wilson, the Manchester-born, London-based DJ and producer better known as Willow, considered to be one of house music’s most promising new artists. On opening duties for Saturday on the night stage will be Sindhi Curry, Mumbai-based selector Pramod Sippy’s new moniker whose sound is deep and diverse, diving in and out of Afro, house, techno and disco.

                                
                                                                             Daphni

                                                                               Sassy J

Already announced to play at the night stage are Ben UFO, inarguably the hottest name in dance music today as well as Jayda G, Special Request and Stalvart John.

The newly christened Bira 91 South Stage will also host the three-piece Thai funk, surf soul act Khruangbin from Texas, who have played at major festivals like Bonnaroo, Dimensions and Desert Daze this year; Sun Glitters, the glitch, atmospheric project of Venezuelan-born, Luxembourg-based producer Victor Ferreira; the simultaneously despondent and jolly synthpop of Say Yes Dog and the technicolour dream pop of Delhi-based Komorebi. Kumail, who performed at the festival in 2015, returns with his melancholic electronica and a live band that includes Apurv Isaac on guitar, Nathan Thomas on bass and Kumail on drums and vocals.

                                                                          Say Yes Dog

Acts already announced for the day stage include Four Tet, Machinedrum, TEEBS, Indian premiere of the special commission Different Trains 1947 (Actress, Jack Barnett, Sandunes, Jivraj Singh, Priya Purushothaman), Sid Vashi, Ape Echoes and Aerate Sound, who will open the festival.

Opening the festival on Friday afternoon at the Desert Disco Oasis stage and welcoming attendees on site will be the five-man team of DJ MoCity, Madstarbase, Rohan Kale, Abhi Meer and Dualist Inquiry, collectively known as the Boxout.fm Sound System.

On Saturday, Berlin-based French DJ and producer, She’s Drunk and the fourth recipient of the BMR: South Asia residency will take over console duties. In what is now a Magnetic Fields tradition, the Sunday afternoon special is four hours of reggae and dub served up by the Delhi Sultanate and the BFR Soundsystem.

Alongside the two main stages, the secret parties at Magnetic Fields are another opportunity for fans to discover new names and new sounds. On Friday night in an undisclosed location within the palace walls, Rinse FM resident and one of London’s finest selectors, Josey Rebelle will take attendees on a journey spanning house, techno, disco and more.

The Saturday night party with Resident Advisor, electronic music’s most authoritative online resource is always one of the weekend’s special highlights, and this year promises to be no different. One of India’s biggest names and a spearhead of the homegrown techno movement Arjun Vagale makes his Magnetic Fields debut and wrapping up the night will be Tijana T, an essential figure in Belgrade’s club scene and whose sound – ravey, exhilarating, warehouse techno – has seen her play festivals like Dekmantel, Melt and Lighthouse this year.

The Sunday night secret party over the past couple of years has become a special way to end the festival, and 2017 will see a special collaboration between the London-based promoter, The Hydra and Magnetic Fields. Described as ‘global curators of experiences that represent the alternative’, co-founder Dolan Bergin will take over console duties on Sunday night along with two very special, secret guests.

On Saturday and Sunday, a part of the palace rooftop will turn into an intimate stage and feature performances from live electronica acts like _RHL, Sandunes, Disco Puppet and Your Chin for two hours each evening as part of Saavn Sundowners.

Running alongside the night stage this year will be the Bira 91 FreeFlow Garden, a new space where hip-hop beats meets a beer garden with barbeque. Designed as an urban picnic where people can relax and recover during the day and throw down to music by DJs such as Livin’ Proof’s Raji Rags – who also played at the festival in 2016 in a special showcase, DJ Ishaani, MadStarbase and DJ MoCity.

The Piano Man Jazz Club, featuring Afro-Cuban jazz quartet The Latination and musicians like Arjun Sagar Gupta, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, Kunal Netrapal, Sonic Shori and Rainer Pusch, was announced earlier.