That's music biz

A party organised in Goa last month had people dancing manically to loud music but without disturbing non-participants and, more importantly, without breaking laws on decibel levels or municipal restrictions on party timings.

I was most fascinated reading of sound-less partying but, apparently, it's true. A party organised in Goa last month had people dancing manically to loud music but without disturbing non-participants and, more importantly, without breaking laws on decibel levels or municipal restrictions on party timings.

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So how did the organisers pull it off? Headphones! Each individual attending the dance party was provided the device, fitted with fibre optics, permitting users to not only connect to the music being played but, at the same time, having an option of listening/dancing to two kinds of music, each one being "relayed" by a different disc jockey.

Virtual party hopping
A switch on the headphones provided a facility of switching channels, as it were, providing an opportunity of party hopping. Of course, if dancing is not your want, you can sit at a table and still partake in the festivities. And if you want to engage in conversation, you can easily do so without disturbing any one around by simply removing your headphones and requesting your friend to do the same.

All this without shouting at the top of your voice, which is precisely what you would have to do if you were in the realms of a pub/club.

With the success of the noise-less party, organisers now plan to take the concept from regional to national level. But wait, as I soon found out, the concept is already available internationally, but with a slight twist..

What is now commonly referred to as 'mobile clubbing' is a concept that commenced in 2003 whereby individuals meet at public places, such as railway stations, and dance to headphones too, but with a difference. The headphones are connected to individual MP3 players.

Flash mobbing
Mobile clubbing is part of a 'flash mobbing' movement, initially pioneered in New York but has since spread its wings into England and Europe, and is no longer restricted to music events.

Invitations to the music/dance events are provided through the internet. Besides social networking sites that are utilised to spread the word, there are also specific websites created to convey the venue/date/time of these parties.

Personally, I enjoy the concept. No breaking rules on noise levels, no breaking laws on time restrictions and even the neighbours next door, who never did like your musical preferences, can't take vicarious pleasure in calling the cops saying that they told you that they would do so!

Cash-less too
I can't predict that we will see partying at Mumbai's Churchgate station in the near future, but one thing is certain about the noise-less party scene: it's also a club with cash-less membership!