And we thought that the 10 pm deadlines could only be pushed away by bribing the officials? Think again ! Law abiding music lovers find an intriguing concept to let the music play, finds out Kirti Tarang.

Launched in Goa on the 7th of November 2009, Silent Noise has been dominating the Goa Party Scene every Saturday at Neptune Point, Palolem Beach, Goa

Rocking music? Check.

Grooving crowd? Check.

Location?  Beach-side. Check.

Blaring speakers? Missing!!!

Welcome to the world of DJ Justin Mason who brought this novel concept of headphone parties to India. And, what better location than the Neptune Point, a night club which is located at a vantage point overlooking the beautiful Pallolem beach in South Goa? To a stranger, the parties hosted by Jason might look like a trip to Zombieland, what with the crowd of young guys and gals flailing their arms and legs for no apparent reason. But, on closer scrutiny one would notice them wearing earphones with different coloured lights and three DJs on stage complete with visuals on a screen. We decided to understand the whole story from the man behind this “Silent Noise” revolution: Justin Mason.

A Tale of two cities : From London to Goa.

Justing started his DJ career during the late 80s playing along in UK & Eurpoe. Currently living in Goa, he is working on his Silent Noise project, which is his ingenious idea.

Justin Mason hails from Great Britain, land of the legendary bands such as Queen, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and so on. He worked in London as a DJ, for a record company and an event company.  His DJ career began in the late 80s and progressed through the 90s, during which he established his style of funky and electro music. Seven years ago, he got an opportunity to take a year off and he set off to explore South East Asia and South Asia. From all the places, Goa appealed so much to him that he decided to relocate here from London. “The idyllic beaches and young crowd were the perfect prerequisites for my venture with Neptune Point that led to Silent Noise.”

Where there is a Law; there is a Loop

Fireworks at Silent Noise

When you think of Goa, you think of raving beach parties. “That’s why you call it Goa. Once, you attend it’s Beach Parties, you can’t just Go, you have to aa(come back)”, highlights Narayan Puri, brother of Suraj Ballikar, the owner of Neptune Point. However, past couple of years witnessed a drop in the ‘aa’ rate. The ‘no outdoor loud-music after 10pm’ law was driving the tourists away. So, Justin borrowed the idea of radio transmission of music for outdoor parties, which has been popular in the west, and with his own alterations came up with a brilliant concept which offers the party people to enjoy their evening in full blast without disturbing the locality. But hey, that’s just the beginning, it gets even better. Apart from 3 absolutely amazing DJs, including Mason, there are massage chairs, acoustics around the bonfire, visuals on screens and laser shows.

The best part is, the next morning your hangover is not aggravated by a hole in your pocket. The entry is very reasonably priced- Rs 400. Yes! You read it right.

But why Three Djs?

Rocking Music at Silent Noise

Explaining the presence of three DJs, Mason says, “There are three DJs who play at the same time and you can toggle between channels by a simple knob provided in the headphones. Each DJ plays a different genre of music.” So, you and your date can bond even if your music taste doesn’t exactly gel. “If a guy is listening to Channel 1, which plays only house music, blue light flashes on the headphones, Channel 2 plays electro/trans tech music and flashes red and Channel 3 belts out funk and alternative tunes from Oasis to James Brown.” When probed on the mystery of colour coding, Jason smiled and explained “This way the DJs can see who is the most popular on the floor and it brings in a bit of friendly competition.”  I found this colour coding a conversation starter among the crowd.  Moreover, if you want to have a conversation with that special one, all you have to do is to just remove the headphone and you need not shout over the music, like in a normal party.

Next is what?

Screen, fireworks and rocking music... Silent Noise boats it all off.

When probed if the party animals of Mumbai also would be lucky enough to get a taste of ‘silent noise’, he said that he was looking for the right venue since doing a headphone party in a closed location wouldn’t  stand to logic.The good news is he has come till Pune, so Mumbai is not that far. In November last year, he performed at Gaia, a wonderful outdoor clubbing venue at Pune. We hope and pray that Jason soon finds his venue in Mumbai so that we may also experience this unique bash without ruffling the feathers of law. Nonetheless, the next time you plan your trip to Goa, make sure it includes a saturday and you know where you should be heading!

Article by Kirti Tarang
Images Courtesy: Silent Noise