Let the music play

Things couldn’t be busier or more exciting for Jalebee Cartel. The popular electronic-techno band is gearing up for the release of their latest album,EthnoTechno-Revolution Rising Vol. 1 by Universal Music,India. Their last album,One Point Nothing which released in 2009 did fabulously well,and Jalebee Cartel is hoping the success carries into the new album as well. “Our album has found a place in the music stores among all the zillion Bollywood CDs,which is a good start.” says Arjun Vagale,who does the laptop mixing and scratching for the band.

The new album sees the band collaborate with other artists. The music is not trance but a thrilling combination of underground dance scene,drum and bass,dubstep,thriving electro and some chillout music. Also featured are heart-throbbing tracks by the tabla wizard Karsh Kale,as well as DJ Cheb iSabbah. Vagale appreciates Universal’s work and says,“They give diverse artists a chance and it was simply great working with them.”

Jalebee Cartel is well-respected by aspiring DJs and the techno music world,so it shouldn’t be a surprise that the band is judging the Kingfisher Ultra Soul Flyp,a talent hunt for DJs across three Indian cities: Mumbai,Bangalore and Pune. Ashvin Mani Sharma,who works on the laptop and synthesizer,says,“We had a nice time judging them as we discovered fantastic talent.” We judge them on an overall combination of music skill,techno skill and presentation skill which are the prime factors on which a good DJ should be judged,” says Vagale.

After their round of mentoring in Bangalore and Pune,a trip abroad is on the cards. Roy reveals,“We’ll be off to Europe.