A Klassique twist to Sunburn

Posted by: nt January 27, 2019 in Buzz

Electronic dance music festival Sunburn is back in Goa after a gap of three years. This year however the organisers Percept Live have collaborated with Klassique to promote Sunburn events in Goa and will host the first edition of Sunburn Klassique in February at Vagator. NT BUZZ finds more

 VENITA GOMES| NT BUZZ

In the year 2007 Percept conceptualised Sunburn and got it to Goa. In just few years it did pick up large numbers and got Goa onto the international dance music destination map. With 9 years of its presence (2007-2015) in the state, it however had to exit in the year 2016 due to various issues. However, the organisers Percept Live recently announced their collaboration with Klassique calling it Sunburn Klassique which is all set to take place on February 23 and February 24 at Vagator.

Here are the excerpts from an interview with CMD, Percept Limited, Harindra Singh:

  1. After three years Sunburn is set to make a comeback to Goa under the name Sunburn Klassique. What went into the remaking of the whole event and what got you back to Goa?

Sunburn, best known as Sunburn Goa, was born in Goa and thus it was incomplete without Goa. It’s a very nostalgic moment for us to be able to come back home. We did leave Goa due to commercial reasons and other infrastructure constraints but we always wanted to come back home and now things have fallen in place. We are planning few niche events throughout the year rather a big one once a year. This will be more manageable in terms of available infrastructure.

 

  1. How did the Percept Live and Klassique collaboration happen?

We always wanted a good local partner in Goa and Shailesh Shetty of Klassique events was my associate who had good experience in running similar large format festivals in the past. Hence we aligned with Shailesh Shetty and team and gave them the franchise Sunburn which is called Sunburn Klassique.

 

  1. Could you mention the highlights of this year’s festival? What’s new for the audience?

The whole homecoming is quite nostalgic for the people who missed the festival for last 3 years. We wish to bring the originality back with lots of music, flea markets, food and beverages and a lot of fun engagements etc. We wish to curate and deliver the most intrinsic and enhanced fan experience without compromising on our production and experiential ethics. The event will definitely bring back a lot of memories to fans who have been a part of Sunburn since its inception in Goa 12 years ago.

 

  1. What are some of the big names of artistes who will feature on this year’s list?

The list is huge. Great artistes who love the vibe in Goa and love Goa and have a history with Sunburn shall feature in the list.

 

  1. Why do you think a place like Goa needs to focus on promoting EDM culture?

It’s not about EDM culture and I don’t know what EDM culture is? For me it’s about coming out and enjoying some great music and having a good time. It is basically a youth engagement platform under which the three main things one can do is enjoy music, food and recreation. I know that you have music on radio, TV, online, clubs and bars. Almost the same, but it’s even better when the best artistes create magic live in front of you. Secondly the food; and then comes a recreational space where one can engage in different activities. We wish to provide highly secure and safe environments, fully compliant with all laws and guidelines. Sunburn just provides the youth a platform to engage on ground and online.

 

  1. EDM festivals have had several issues and cases come to light which does create safety issues. How do you wish to ensure safety and security of audience attending the festival?

Sunburn is 12 years old now. Besides the main December festivals, Sunburn has also done several other festivals, arenas, reloads, campus events etc. In total sunburn had done over 500 to 600 events. Sunburn uses best in class global safety and security systems besides fully complying with all government and police guidelines.

 

The Goan way

Percept Live has collaborated with Goa-based Klassique Events to host Sunburn Klassique. Brainchild of Shailesh Shetty, Klassique Events has collaborated with entertainment giant to tap the huge potential Goa has to host regular big events and the benefits they add to the State Tourism sector. Shetty says: “With the dip in tourism this season, Klassique Events had reason to kick-start their events with the comeback of the Sunburn Franchise to Goa after a good long three years. This will also give employment to many locals.”

Shetty is also the owner of night club – Water’s Beach Lounge and Grill – now renamed as Bombay Adda at Vagator and Club ReFresh at Morjim. He has also organised all the previous editions of Supersonic in Goa and the current satellite BeachSide Festival that annually hosts some big names in the music industry.

“There weren’t any music festivals happening here, so we decided to take up the franchise of the EDM Sunburn as Sunburn Klassique and host it in Goa bringing back the nostalgia and excitement that came with it,” says Shetty, adding that this would increase the youth interaction in the state and also give an added boost to the tourism sector in the state. “We also truly appreciate and acknowledge the immense backing and support we have received from the chief minister of Goaand the tourism minister who have given us the in-principle approval to host this first edition of Sunburn Klassique in Goa,” says Shetty.