Jalebee Cartel has challenged the notion that dance music is a Western domain by single-handedly putting India on the international EDM map. Composed of four members, Arjun Vagale (laptop, mixing and scratching), Ashvin Mani Sharma (laptop and synths), Ash Roy (vocals and percussions) and G-force Arjun (backing vocals and bass), Jalebee has been taking India by storm for over three years. From individual DJ sets to collective live gigs, producing to composing, the multi-talented group pretty much does it all. And the quality is evident from the international interest it’s amassing.
The live act features Jalebee’s own compositions, which are broken up, twisted and served fresh with ethnic sounds thrown in for good measure. But it’s a funky, international sound that’s unlikely to be recognised as Indian. By generating a live set from electronica, they’re breaking certain boundaries particular to Indian audiences. The live element creates an extra edge, one that’s constantly changing and evolving. The result is a potent, energetic livewire of influences from Progressive to Techno to Electro, overlaid with live vocal harmonies, percussions, drums and tablas. Jalebee’s sound isn’t about neat packaging: it’s about fusing genres to create a raw, electric style of urban dance music.
If Jalebee’s live act and DJ sets account for one half of its success, the other half lies in its globally recognized production skills. The collective’s list of achievements includes composing the MTV Style Awards 2005 “Theme Music”; remixing/performing at India Fashion Week 2003-07; writing the background scores for TV shows; sound designing and creating an original soundtrack for the indie film Cherry on Top, which was selected for numerous international film festivals, and the forthcoming docu-film Finding Nuno. Nokia has also licensed “Tough Cookie” for the TV advertisement for its Navigator device. Jalebee has worked extensively with FM radio channels in India over the past five years, and won the Promax Award for Radio Excellence in 2006 and the National RAPA Award in 2007.
The past year has been Jalebee’s most massive year yet. Touring across India and abroad, the group has performed at the country’s hottest clubs and biggest festivals, including the Smirnoff Experience Festival (Mumbai) 2005, Lille 3000 (France) 2006, The Big Chill (Goa) 2007, SunBurn Festival (Goa) 2007 & 2008, Perrier Chill Out Festival (Dubai) 2008, C/O Pop Festival 2008 (Germany) & Amsterdam India Festival 2008 (Netherlands). Jalebee has hit dance charts worldwide along with its track “Apartment 88” hitting No.1 on Pete Tong’s Bedroom Bedlam Chart and “Destiny” was voted Best Sunset Soundtrack on BBC. The group has had original releases and more than 20 remixes on labels like Baroque Records (UK), System Records (US), Existence Records (CA), Head Rush Music (US), Helvetica Recordings (CH), Observe Records (EU), Pure Substance Records (ML), Moon Tribal Records (RU), Segment Records (UK), SoulTribe Records (EU) and Underground Lessons (GR). Radio shows from Argentina to Europe to Indonesia feature Jalebee tracks on stations like BBC Radio, Proton Radio, Pulse Radio, Virus (CH), DI FM and Dance Radio GR. With two monthly shows, “Deep Fried Jalebee” on Frisky Radio & “Twisted Sweet” on Dance Radio (Greece), Jalebee brings in over 2,500 listeners monthly. The group has been featured in Rolling Stone (India) and MixMag (UK), and was placed among Elle (India) magazine’s hot 100 people of 2007. They have gained representation from Progresstunes, and support from A-list DJs like Pete Tong, Tiesto, Nick Warren, Moshic, Kasey Taylor, Hernan Cattaneo, Mashtronic, Eric Enterna, Desyn Masiello, G-Pal, Flash Brothers, Andrew K, Stel, LeRon & Yves Eaux, Anil Chawla, Eelke Kleijn and Tom Morgan.
If being the First Artists in India to release an album on USB Memory sticks and LIVE streaming of their gigs on the internet wasn’t enough, the official music video for the track “Tough Cookie” hit the charts on vh1 (India) with full force and a full-length debut artist album titled ONEPOINTNOTHING released on 25th Mar. The stage is set for 2009!
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