Transcending music - short article on Ma Faiza (trance DJ) in Pune (India) Newspaper

[trancedigital]

Transcending music

- by Aditi Utpat

 

Pune: The smoke and scent of incense sticks lend an ethereal aura to the house lit by dim orange and yellow lights. Huge speakers blare electronic music in the background. Welcome to the house of electronic music maestro Ma Faiza.

 

In her 30s, Ma Faiza stands tall in the tastefully decorated house, with her deep baritone ringing louder than the music. “I love my little pad. I always sleep out on the terrace, and create my music at home. But these days, I don’t have time to stay at home, as I’m busy shuttling continents,” she says.

 

The easygoing candour and charm defy her status as the woman who made the world’s dance capital, Ibiza, swing to her tunes. For over six months, she created original music ‘mixes’ in her studio-cum-apartment in the city, recorded her voice separately, and sent it to the radio stations in Ibiza.

“They used to compile the two, and put it across as a live broadcast on every Friday evening. The listeners loved it,” she gushes. “I infused electronic music (also called trance music) in bhajans, classic old songs, Bollywood tracks, and it’s gaining popularity!”

 

Ma Faiza mixes electronic music with traditional Indian instruments, beats and voices, creating an eclectic dynamic strain of music, still in its nascent stage in India. She plays in London almost every month, and receives invitations to music festivals around the world. “I travelled to Madrid to play music for two hours. Can you believe that?” She asks. And, we do believe.

 

Ma Faiza, with her Indian origins, her birth in Africa and her exposure to the hippie culture of the ’70s, is a cult icon in her own. And, in this age of globalisation, she laments the end of the “tribe culture”. “People should be out on the streets demanding their rights back. Only then can we have a revolution. Where has the spirit of community gone?” she asks.

 

Sharing anecdotes from her many trips abroad, Ma Faiza says, “When I was in London, I saw a discotheque for orthodox Christian women! That’s how far the concept of individuality goes in Western countries. India thrives on conformity.”

Popular for spinning her music in five-star discotheques all over the country, Ma Faiza has decided to stop playing in her home city. “Pune doesn’t deserve my music!” she declares. “I am disgusted by the scene and the mentality of the people which does not support creative energy. Everyone wants to conform and yet be a rebel.”

 

But in reality, this is not so. Amit Pandya, a young BPO professional in the city swears by her music. “Ma Faiza is the best. She has her finger on the pulse of her listeners.I just wish she played in the city, at least occasionally,” he says.

 

Yet, Ma Faiza sees hope in the thousands of applicants for her proposed-and-scrapped school for electronic music. “People from as far as the north-eastern states called me to ask about the school. And, I didn’t even advertise about it. I just want to share my knowledge and experience with the younger generation. Unfortunately, I had to cancel the plan for lack of time.”

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This short article on trance music was published in the SUNDAY TIMES OF INDIA, Pune edition on Nov 2, 2008.