Talamasca live at One Lounge, Pune

Walking into One Lounge on a cool Sunday evening, feeling the air sparking with the anticipation of watching one of Psytrance’s legends, Talamasca (a.k.a Cedric de Saulle) playing live in Pune, I knew it was going to be a good night. Hybrid UV Decor had transformed One Lounge from a glass-and-candle light affair into a trippy little Goa, complete with black lights and beautiful tribal banners, making the setting as much a visual experience as a musical one.

Dragon Boyz from Goa played the opening set, bringing the evening to a delightfully energetic start and upon walking in, the first thing that caught my eye was an afro-haired boy in ninja-raver boots, dancing, moving, grooving and really enjoying the music with not an inhibition in the world. Wonderful, I thought, as I imagined hundreds more joining, all of us together part of one musical experience, connecting with each other through sound and movement.

Slowly people began to come together, establishing their little spaces on the dance floor, finishing off drinks and, in some cases, buying more, making sure they had what they needed to dance with out interruption. Gambino, from Dragon Boyz, kept the crowd on their feet, making sure they gave as much energy as they were taking from the music. Ending with a psytrance mix of Jai Ho, which, although it made the crowd extremely happy and sustained the excitement of the crowd, I didn’t really catch on to. Not that it was a bad track, but honestly, psytrance blended with Bollywood does not quite cut it for me.

As Dragon Boyz ended, people started pointing and whispering around me, and then my friend nudges me and points towards a tall man with long hair walking towards the console from behind the crowd. Oh my god, I thought, that’s him! He’s finally here! People around me were going crazy, sweaty men running to the console and screaming ‘Talamasca, I love you!’ women smiling coy smiles and fans discussing what his track list was going to be like.

Already sweating, feeling good, feeling happy and buzzing with energy, I rushed to the bar, grabbing another Red Bull and downing it before he started playing. Unlike Goa Gil, who started with a Pooja, Talamasca started with a cool smile.

Playing a lot of Mad Max and XSI, and sadly, not as much of his groovy older tracks, Talamasca still managed to amaze people, a lot of whom were perhaps just getting into the wonderful world of Psytrance. However, talking to a lot of people who have been listening to this music for most of their lives, I found that a lot of them were quite disappointed in the some what commercial choice of tracks Talamasca put together. Nevertheless, good parties with interesting decor as an added benefit are not a frequent occurrence in Pune, and I was left happy and content when the night ended. Jai Ho, Talamasca!