Exclusive | Largest push for us has been digital: MTV's Aditya Swamy

MTV is hosting the first ever Bloc Party in India when the Juhu bloc will transform into the most happening party destination. Presenting the MTV BLOC PARTY, for the very first time in India it all starts in the party capital of India, Mumbai , in Juhu on 18th and 19th January, 2013. There will be a Beer arena , Sundown parties by the beach and massive after-parties spread out across the street. Over 20 best DJs will bring you the new genres of dance music along with chosen indie music bands and live acts.

Talking about MTV Bloc Party, Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head, MTV India said “Bombay is the party capital and what better way to salute the spirit of the city and it's culture by throwing the longest party ever in one of the coolest blocs in the city - juhu...with 1 ticket for multiple parties, we bring you one experience better than the other so put on those dancing shows and get ready to chase the beat”

The dance music is expected to kick in soon after the sun goes down. MTV Bloc Party brings in the sundown with the world’s best DJs. Headlining is Alesso, who is also ranked among the top 20 DJs in the world & named as the EDM artist to watch out for by MTV International and Deniz Koyu along with Opiuo, Simon Dunmore, Jean Elan, Shovell, Cosmo Klein, Mathew Charles, Pearl, Arjun Vagale, Breed, Lost Stories, Nawed Khan, BF, Anish Sood, AFM, Reji and Willy. The event is hosted by MTV’s very own VJ & DJ Nikhil Chinappa and programmed by Submerge.

Adgully caught up with Aditya Swamy to know more about the upcoming Bloc Party in Mumbai. With regard to the promotional activities that are on  he  said , “ It is a fact that dance music today is the 2nd largest music in India after films, so a lot of this is for people who are actually wired on the social media or the internet. There is a huge amount of localized promotion in terms of outdoor. We are also in print , we are in cinema but the largest push for us has been digital.”

One ticket gives you entry into the bloc and then you may choose to hop from one experience to another to enjoy multiple party experiences through the weekend.

People are being informed on the web of the latest happenings and also concerning ticket sales service. “We launched an early bird sales of ticket and within 48 hours we were sold out and that shows that Mumbai is the party capital of India. People are waiting for something and this is Mumbai’s longest party of 20 hours of non-stop music and action,” said Aditya.

The MTV Bloc Party starts right along the shore of the Arabian Sea on the lawns of the classic Juhu Hotel. Unwind with a chilled out Bier-garten (beer-arena) experience right by the beach and watch the sun set as you sip on an assortment of international brands of beer and groove to the live music by Safar, Sky Rabbits and Goddess Gagged. Good friends, Good food, Good beer and soulful music are the theme of the afternoon. Elaborating further on this he said, “ The Bier-garten experience which is being set up this year is one where you can actually taste  more than 20 cans of international beer.”

The Bloc party concept has come to India for the first time though it is a common feature globally. ‘We have brought it to Mumbai first and we’ll be taking it to more than 6 cities so you can see a Bloc Party coming up in another city very soon,” says Aditya.

When asked if it will only be a metro feature Aditya said that it would be present wherever there is a big, youth population with a party culture. For e.g. Manipal, Chennai, Delhi ,Bangalore or even Pune.  They have no plans of  foraying into the north east presently.

He added, “ We have planned 6 cities this year and we will come back to Mumbai once again in January 2014.”

Regarding partnering with brands other than MTV he said that they have multiple partners such as Tata Nano and Coca Cola among many others .  “The whole approach of MTV is partnership and we like to partner with people  whose philosophy matches ours,” said Aditya Swamy

With the night fall post 10 PM, the party will  spill out of the central hub (Juhu Hotel lawns) over to the bars and clubs in Night Bloc namely at Beach Comber, Enigma & many more, where international DJ’s and India’s top EDM artists play different genres of electronic music. The MTV Bloc Party wrist-band allows the party hoppers access to all the clubs across the Night Bloc and club hop with MTV’s hop-on-hop-off Bloc Party cabs that will ferry you across venues to ensure a seamless party transition.

MTV's very own VJ Nikhil Chinappa, who is also hosting the event, said “Music, particularly dance music, brings people together like nothing else. When Submerge started 10 years ago, it was an alternative to the mainstream, playing non-commercial EDM. Today dance music is a part of the mainstream and it's spreading its wings beyond Goa beaches. Now, if you're from Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore, and even non-traditional dance music centers like Hubli, Kolkata, Hyderabad, or Indore, you don't even have to fly across India to hear great dance music. You can find it just a few minutes' drive away. And, that's the essence of MTVBlocParty. It's in your backyard, bringing the music we love to your doorstep in a way that's fun, original... and uniquely MTV”

So, if you’re an avid party buff, love good food, enjoy your beer and thrive on dance music, it’s time for you to hit the MTVBlocParty and let the music take control! As the beer sets you in the right spirit, step into the dancing shoes and gear up for the first of its kind, MTV Bloc Party.