QRave: Making Rave women and queer-friendly

Kandy Kuri
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Bengaluru edition of QRave will see Kandy Kuri, Pardafash and Chutney Mary at the turntable.

Started by Avril Unger aka Chutney Mary and her friend Aadhi aka Mo’Homo in Goa in December 2023, QRave has already seen six successful editions across various venues in Goa.

Talking about what led to the beginning of QRave, Chutney Mary says, “When we started, we were already hosting queer events in Goa — we decided to begin this club night to showcase queer and women DJs because for the most part, this scene in India is dominated by men. We wanted a space where women and queer DJs were a majority.”

“I believe that when you have more women and queer people in the audience as well as on the stage, it automatically becomes a safe space,” she adds.

Chutney believes that visibility has long been part the struggle, “Initially, we were unable to get mainstream venues for queer events, but now that is changing. There has been a lot of work on the part of our allies to reach this place, and I believe we are also a part of the system that is changing the dialogue around club scenes.”

A lot goes into making an event woman- and queer-friendly. “Unlike other gatherings, we ensure there is an added layer of safety, such as sensitising the staff to make it a safer space for queer and trans audiences,” says Chutney.

For the upcoming show, Chutney will be playing tracks by queer and trans, producers and artistes. “I will also be playing bass forward music such as footwork, electropop and UK garage.”

Pardafash.
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

“It is definitely exciting to be a part of an event such as this that creates a safe space for DJs as well as the audience,” says Sandhya Visvanathan aka Pardafash.

“DJing has traditionally been male-centric. If you notice, a lot of producers and DJs on the electronic music scene are men, but over the years a lot of women, non-binary, trans and queer musicians are putting their work out there. We can see a change there now,” says Sandhya.

For her gig in Bengaluru, she will be playing a mix of different genres from independent producers in India which will include experimental electronic music, dance music and acid house.

“For the most part, I have been part of the production side of electronic music — DJing is something new for me and QRave is giving me an opportunity to try it out in front of a diverse audience,” says Sandhya.

QRave will take place on March 21, at The Burrow, Crescent Road, Bengaluru. Tickets available on sortmyscene.com