Magnetic Fields Festival 2013

Magnetic fields festival is a magical musical carnival where the fun never ended – set within the historical & decadent Alsisar Mahal, Rajasthan.

India –

Arts & Music. Rajasthan. December. Extraordinary.

December: A music carnival where the fun never ended would perhaps be the best way to describe the first edition of Magnetic Fields, a brand new music and arts festival held from December 13-15 at the 17th century palace in the heritage village of Alsisar in Shekhawati, Rajasthan. Featuring some of the most popular names from the Indian music scene and a few handpicked international stars, the three-day Magnetic Fields saw some stellar sets and lots of dancing. But the fun wasn’t limited to just music. The festival was a sensorial delight: there were traditional Rajasthani delicacies for the gourmand, the locale of a Rajasthani palace to please the eyes and a general bonhomie to make everyone feel special, and at home.   Highlights The true test of any music festival is the music and Magnetic Fields offered the discerning music fan the best. It introduced to music fans new-and-upcoming bands like Donn Bhat + Passenger Revelator and Until We Last as well as the sounds of international pioneers like Robot Koch and V.I.V.E.K, who undoubtedly played two of the best sets of the whole weekend. Koch, a much-acclaimed producer from Berlin, for many played THE set of the festival. A mellifluous set that meshed different genres with effortless ease, Koch showed just why he’s rated so highly. Playing in India for the first-time, V.I.V.E.K gave Indian music listeners a tantalizing glimpse of his brand of dubstep – percussive, deep and tribal. Shaa’ir + Func played a trademark high-energy set on Friday evening and set the tone for the festival. Peter Cat Recording Co were entertaining as always as were the Midival Punditz, who tested their new album in entirety for a very willing crowd. Heavily focused on folk music, the highlight of the set was a jugalbandhi between long-time Punditz collaborator Pandit Ajay Prasanna and Rajasthani percussionist Kutle Khan who charmed the audience with his flair and grin, and even had the locals assemble on the ramparts of the palace for a little peek.  

Shaa’ir + Func played an electric set on Day 1 of Magnetic Fields at Alsisar Mahal

  The excitement about Charanjit Singh, the accidental pioneer of acid house, making his first-ever festival appearance in India, was palpable and at 9pm on Sunday, the South Stage was packed. The 72-year-old played his avant garde album, Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat live to an audience, many of whom weren’t even born in 1982, the year the album was released. Donn Bhat + Passenger Revelator impressed many in the crowd with the uplifting mix of band-meets-electronica.  With the lineup divided between two stages – North stage (night stage), and the South stage (day stage), punters never had to choose between the two. The white South Stage – it was decorated with free-flowing chiffon strips that danced merrily in the breeze – was programmed till 11 pm after which the carnival-esque night stage came to life. And for those who weren’t satisfied with dancing till 4 am, there were the secret, party-till-dawn parties that came along with the added excitement of kite flying and breathtaking views of the sunrise in the desert. Magnetic Fields is produced by Wild City, WeThePPL, 11.11 by CellDSGN, THOT and Alsisar Mahal in collaboration with Border Movement, with support by Goethe.   Photo Credit – Sachin Soni    

Related Posts

Martin Parr: “We need bad books in order to understand good books”

  Photobook Bristol, UK was held from 06 June 2014 – 09 June 2014. A renowned mix of established and emerging photographers, collectors and publishers came to theUK in June for a three‐day event to celebrate the rising popularity of the photobook. It was the first time the UK hosted a festival entirely dedicated to photobooks, which took ...

elf uhr elf: “Carnival in Cologne”

Germany –  Nine most well-known Cologne photo journalists and artists for the first time realised a collaborative art project about ...

Atelier Smedsby: Workshop by JH Engstrom & Margot Wallard

France –  The Atelier Smedsby workshop is a one-year distance learning class incorporating three individual/group meetings in Paris. In between meetings ...

Robert Nickelsberg: ‘Afghanistan – A Distant War’

Afghanistan – A Distant War presents the events and personalities that determined the rise of Islamic fundamentalist militancy and terrorism ...

Mapping the Invisible: Hong Kong Masterclass with Dinu Li

Organized by EMAHO and IED Madrid 15th – 19th December 2014 , Hong Kong, China 中国版本构建 Chinese Version The book ...

Swiss Photographer Sophie Brasey takes over Emaho Instagram Handle

Switzerland –  Born in 1985, Sophie Brasey is a swiss photographer who currently lives and works near Vevey. In 2005, ...

FotoFestiwal 2013 – Poland

Poland –  June 6, 2013 till June 16 2013 Lodz Poland   June 6, 2013 till June 16 2013 Lodz ...

Visual Action

Visual Action: “They took them alive, We want them alive”

Mexico –  Visual Action works for human rights using visual action as its main tool. They produce and incentivize the ...

Mapping the Abstract

England – Mapping the Abstract presents three artists who approach abstract painting with a remarkably fresh perspective. In an era where ‘The Abstract’ begets notions of ...