The valley was alive with the sound of music. At The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa in Gulmarg, Kashmir, musicians were seen doing sound checks against its pristine natural beauty. The nip in the air carried with it the smell of the faraway mountains and in the wee hours of the morning, the valley seemed to be bathed in varying shades of the rainbow.
It was the inaugural edition of AVA Experience which saw a number of renowned as well as upcoming House artists taking over the resort for a span of two days. A new and unique live series of events started by White Fox (India’s premiere experience-oriented & quality-driven event production & management venture) and Sueno events (which has been instrumental in pulling HNI events in EDM music in the country since 2018), AVA Experience is where exceptional music, lavish accommodations, and exclusive networking opportunities came together in the midst of Gulmarg’s natural beauty. The community-led experience is meant to be enjoyed by a select group of handpicked members and entry is strictly by application and invitation.
Beauty everywhere you see
With a majestic view of the Apharwat peaks, The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa is considered one of the most luxurious resorts in Kashmir. For the festival, the resort was bedecked with fairy lights and all the rooms reserved for the 300 or so attendees. The exquisitely-designed rooms with breathtaking views of the valley added to the charm of the event. The attendees were pleasantly surprised to find some goodies waiting for them in their rooms when they arrived too. No festival experience is complete without good food and here too, Delhi-based People of Tomorrow whipped up some delicious vegan dishes and unique cocktails.
Aman Kumar, Director White Fox and co-founder of AVA Experience explains that they want to do four festivals in a year, each dedicated to one of the life elements. With this being the debut edition, the resort in Gulmarg fit right into the wind theme. The element of luxury, which is synonymous with Khyber, is also one of the reasons they chose this venue, adds Samir Sehgal, co-founder AVA Experience. “We scouted a lot of properties in the hills. Being in Gulmarg is as close to being in Switzerland and we knew a stay at Khyber would be an experience of a lifetime for people,” he shares.
The rhythm divine
The music line-up itself was an eye-opener for those who attended the two days. Sehgal says, “As far as curation goes, we did not want to be mainstream. We wanted to bring in artists who are extremely talented but may not be very popular in India. We hope to educate the audience to new genres of music and introduce them to what is going on in the world, rather than it just being those 10 mainstream names that keep playing everywhere. Our line-up had all house artists.” International and local talents such as Jad Halal, Zuma Dionys, Mikhail Meskhia, Nash, Blot, Avviisha, Bombie, Pandhora, Deep Brown, Stalvart John, Teyjas, Kimotion, Hamza Rahimtula, House of Tuneman, Ishaan and Pujara and Makaan among many others.
The different stages set at different locations within the resort provided the perfect backdrop for the sets to be played. On day one of the festival, Ishaan Bhatia and Ankur Pujara, who go by Ishaan and Pujara, were one of the highlights of the festival with their music which came with a touch of nostalgia and really got the crown going, many of them climbing on to the stage to dance alongside them. “House music is really groovy and it is loved by women too. We do our little mixes which have a lot of ‘90s vibes and nostalgia factor. It is a very different approach to familiar music,” says Pujara.
DJ/producer duo Lovin Kiran and Rhythm Gogia who are popular by the name Makaan – which directly correlates to the music they play a.k.a house – played the sunrise set on day two of the festival, a memory of a lifetime for the cousin brothers. “Our music is experimental and hard to define,” says Kiran, adding that it is influenced by the sounds they have grown up listening to, including inspirations from the US and from Europe and mixing them up with what they have heard in India. “It's a mix of cultures,” he says. The last three tracks they played – a remix of Dilbar, Big Dawgs and Charkha - really got the crowd grooving and vibing to them. “We are still getting messages about them from people who attended it,” concludes Gogia.