Cercle Records and W Hotels On Celebrating The Power of Progressive Dance Music

Bringing the power of dance music to the spot that best embodies its essence, W Hotels in collaboration with Cercle Records hosted this year’s Cercle Experience at its Goa property. With previous performances held at Eiffel Tower, Great Pyramids of Giza and Maldives, Cercle narrowed down on Goa as the next stop to celebrate global music.

“W Goa is always on the look out to bring the most unique and disruptive musical experiences and artists from around the globe to India, which is why we’re extremely thrilled about this collaboration with Cercle Records,” says Tanveer Kwatra, General Manager, W Goa. “Having previously performed at the likes of the Eiffel Tower, Great Pyramids of Giza and our very own W Maldives, it seemed only right that we bring Cercle to W Goa – India’s number one stage for progressive music. We’re overjoyed by the phenomenal success of the event!”

Driven by their passion to celebrate the universal language of music, the one-night EDM extravaganza ushered in an unforgettable experience from an array of artists. Attendees made the most of the night, grooving to the melodic techno tunes from multidisciplinary artist French artist Teho and nostalgic beats from Colyn. Elevating the experience with a nuanced approach, W Goa’s Music Curator Ayush added his unique set, influenced by disco to house, acid, techno and more.

There is no one alive that does not enjoy music, everyone just needs to find their groove. As the music curator of a brand that embodies music, my role is to expose our audience to diverse genres that will open them up to new sensory experiences. Playing alongside international DJs and music icons such as Colyn, Teho, Phil and Derek was the most thrilling experience! This was definitely one for the books and has opened up a whole new dimension to the party scene in Goa!” shares DJ Ayush aka AVO, Music Curator, W Goa. AVO is set to be Goa’s next trailblazer with his unique touch of live music supported by his intriguing sounds of electronica. 

Cercle Records Artistic Director and Cercle’s Founder & CEO, also added their artistic hues to the night. In an exclusive conversation with Rolling Stone India the duo reflected on bringing the Cercle experience to Goa, working alongside an array of artists and the future of dance music.

What were your expectations from this year’s Cercle event and why was Goa the ideal location to host it?

It’s the third time we were coming to India. First two shows were in Rajasthan so we are really happy to explore other parts of the country: first Goa and then Jatayu in Kerala. We had so much to look forward to! Goa is known to be a worlwide electronic music destination for so many years, and with our partner W having this beautiful property facing the sunset, it was an evidence for us to host it there!

What was the process of shortlisting the artists for the event? Why were they the ideal performers for this year’s segment?

The main idea is to invite an artist whose music makes sense in the location. Jatayu is on top rock and this impressive eagle sculpture makes us want to fly like Colyn’s music. His music is melodic, sophisticated, and cinematic with aesthetic samples of which he has the secret. His productions are unique and different like this place. Colyn has a big year and releases on major labels like Rose Avenue from Rüfus Du Sol, so it’s the right moment.

Has your vision for the event changed over the years? How do you envision the event shaping in the coming years?

A lot! I hope that we can have more intimate and also more pluridisciplinary events in the future. Actually, we are trying to go in that direction with Cercle. That’s why we created the “Cercle Moment” series, which are small intimate events dedicated to showcasing local culture. This time, we had an hour yoga session by Ira Trivedi and 15 attendees + the Cercle team & artists. This took place the morning after the Cercle Records party (March 6th).

Why are events such as yours important in the music ecosystem? How do you plan on scaling the growth of your artists from the flagship property?

Our Cercle shows are livestreamed, which means they are accessible by potentially millions of people for free, and without boundaries. This is also very important to develop our artists growth. As for our Cercle Records event, they allow the artists to organically grow and get more recognition in different countries around the world.