The Warehouse Show

Oji has kept its promises and,this weekend,English dubstep pioneers Skream and Benga will play at Sitara Studio in Dadar. On meeting the founder of this up-and-coming company,it becomes less surprising. At 22,Mumbai-born Mikhail Mehra shuttles between Mumbai and Los Angeles,owns companies in both cities and films gigs for a living.

Mehra has worked with some of the most influential musicians around — from Rusko and Steve Aoki,to 12th Planet,Skrillex,and Skream and Benga. Starting off small and shooting for free,he eventually worked his way up to charging for videos,which were produced under his three-year-old LA-based company,Motion Eccentrica.

Last year,a desire to start something in his hometown,coupled with the observation that people in the city wanted more live shows,led to the formation of Oji and consequently,the upcoming Skream and Benga show. Apart from being one of the country’s first big dubstep gig,the venue for the show is possibly what stands out the most. “I didn’t want to do a gig at a club because I didn’t think it would preserve the vibe I was going for. I wanted it to be smaller,more underground,like an old school rave,” says Mehra,on his choice of Sitara Studio.

Formerly a film studio,the venue has been restored but maintains the charm of film studios of its kind in the city. The high ceilings and wooden panelling,coupled with incredible acoustics,have,in the past,seen the shooting of films,television shows and,more recently,music events. With a maximum audience count of about 500,the venue is likely to resemble those in the UK where dubstep began many years ago.

Having been at the forefront since the beginning of the genre,Skream and Benga have played at venues of every imaginable sort. Often,these also dictate the course that the set will take. “You know that the vibe is a bit grittier in an underground venue,” says Benga. “The lights are not going to be in your face,so people will dance to that mess and more bass-driven creative music,” adds Benga

But neither Skream nor Benga have adhered strictly to their roots of dubstep in the recent past. While Skream incorporates more of house and techno in his sound,Benga insists on a creative sound,saying dubstep might be saturated at the moment. “The fans don’t really like the way things go when it’s all about the same sound. I like to keep my sound moving,” he says.