Soundbites: Sunburn in Dubai Soundbites: Sunburn in Dubai will be back

It takes a certain amount of conviction to declare that music fans should buy tickets to a concert without knowing who they are paying to watch or listen to. But Percept, the organisers behind Sunburn (the annual three-day electronic dance music festival in Goa), swear by that philosophy. Perhaps, they can get away with this slightly absurd declaration. After all Sunburn Goa, which attracts the world’s top DJs such as Armin van Buurren and Swedish House Mafia’s Axwell, has become something of an institution in India with a cult following.

“In 2009, we made the decision that we are not going to let people know who is playing. If they want to come, they can — Sunburn is the star,” said Haridndra Singh, vice-chairman and managing director of Percept Ltd, the festival’s organiser. While Singh looks after the marketing of the Asian music festival, VJ Nikhil Chinappa is the festival director and looks after the music content.

In March, Dubai got a taste of the Sunburn magic when Dutch DJ Tiesto headlined a gig at Dubai’s World Trade Centre. There was no sea in sight or sand under the EDM fans’ feet, but the clubbing experience was no less intense.

“That’s just the beginning. We are going to come back bigger and better,” said Singh.

What are your thoughts on Sunburn’s Middle Eastern debut?

It was a learning experience. The one with Tiesto was an indoor arena gig because we felt that our understanding of Dubai was incomplete. But we are going to come back again because Sunburn is essentially an outdoor experience. After Tiesto, we got the hang of it now and we want to make a two-day festival next year. Our comeback in Dubai between November and March will introduce this market to a concept of partying that doesn’t happen between just midnight and 3 am. We want to show Dubai that you can enjoy a party at sunset. It will be an interactive social networking platform. There will be music, dance, sports and fashion — all under one roof.

Have you decided on the line-up for next year?

Sunburn is the star. If you go to our Facebook page, when we announce tickets for India gigs we don’t reveal details. But we still sell tickets. Over the years since our 2007 start, we have set a certain standard [with] our events. In a live event, many things can go wrong. From sound systems, logistics, parking to food and beverage, everything is open to going wrong. But people have come to expect a certain standard from Sunburn and we deliver. We are known to attract the world’s best DJs, so we have built that trust over the years.

Will you rope in Hollywood or Bollywood stars as special guests?

If the question is: Am I going to pay some celebrity to be the hook, the answer is no. Like everybody else, celebrities should buy tickets too. Over the years, Sunburn has seen celebrities come incognito, stand in line and buy tickets. They party for three days and disappear.