22 Apr 2018  |   05:58am IST

It’s ‘True’. Avicii is no more

Swedish DJ Tim Bergling, best known as Avicii, passed away at the tender age of 28, much to the shock of his fans from across the world. Café speaks to his fans in Goa and gets their reaction

Team Café

Fans of EDM were in for a rude shock in the wee

hours of Saturday as the news of the passing away of Swedish DJ Avicii started doing the rounds. Rarely known as Tim Bergling – his real name, Avicii was 28 when he breathed his last in Muscat, Oman, according to his publicist, who broke then news of his death.

The official statement released to the public and his fans, said: “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii. He was found dead in Muscat, Oman this Friday afternoon local time, April 20th. The family is devastated and we ask everyone to please respect their need for privacy in this difficult time. No further statements will be given.”

While Avicii’s music had earned him fans from across the world, his fans in Goa shared a special bond with him. The talented young music producer had performed in Goa in 2014, where he was one of the headliners at Sunburn Goa, along with Tiesto, Nicky Romero andAfrojack. That year, Avicii gave his Goan fans a performance of a lifetime, but little did the fans know that they were seeing him perform in Goa for the last time ever.

For the uninitiated, Avicii started out releasing music on Laidback Luke Forum in the late 2000s, where DJs and producers would post music and seek feedback from fellow artistes. In 2011, he reached out to theinternational audience with the Progressive House track ‘Levels’, which hit No. 1 in Sweden and on the USBillboard Dance Club Songs chart. The track also earned him a Grammy nod. In 2012, he collaborated with David Guetta to create, ‘Sunshine’,which also earned him a Grammy nomination. Avicii’s most notable work took shape in 2013, when he released his debut studio album, ‘True’, which featured the game-changing, extremely popular track, ‘Wake Me Up!’. The song became a No. 1 hit in many countries and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. His second album, ‘Stories’, dropped in 2015 and featured vocals from Chris Martin, Wyclef Jean, Robbie Williams, Matisyahu, Brandon Flowers, Gavin DeGraw and more. The ‘EP Avīci (01)’ came out in August 2017 and featured his Rita Ora collaboration ‘Lonely Together’.

Avicii also performed at Sunburn Arena in Mumbai in 2013, where he played quite a few tracks by other artistes like Swedish House Mafia and DJ Tiesto, along with his own original tracks– ‘Sunshine’, 'Lay me down' and his popular track, 'Wake me up'. To the crowd's surprise, he also played a remix of Coldplay's soundtrack for the ‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’, 'Atlas'. Wearing his hat backwards, he raised his hand high for the crowd to see him playing the keys of an invisible dancing till they dropped.

While the cause of his death is still not known publicly, people were aware of Avicii's health issues for several years prior to his death. He suffered from acute pancreatitis, in part due to excessive drinking. In 2014, he cancelled numerous shows in order to recover after having his gallbladder and appendix removed. Eventually, he decided to retire from touring entirely in 2016.

 

Café spoke to Avicii’s fans in Goa and this is what they had to say:

Avicii was one of the main acts responsible for the rise of electronic dance music. Avicii played in Goa in2011 for Sunburn. He was one of the first EDM stars to arrive on the scene fully formed, and he hit just as dance music was for the first time gaining mainstream popularity. Onstage, he typically sported jeans, a T-shirt and a backwards baseball cap, keeping with his signature style, with his right hand lifted and moving along to the music while he happily shuffled behind the decks. This one is a big loss indeed.

ANKITHKEDAR,

Margao

The reason for seeing so many people expressing grief over the loss of a Swedish DJ has to do with the physical response his music invoked. Like his contemporaries such as David Guetta, Diplo and Skrillex, Avicii had the power to move and rejuvenate people. Avicii pushed the boundaries of the genre through his collaborations and also had the ability to bring many different kinds of music fans together.

ANIRUDHPAREEK,

Assagao

Many feel that Avicii’s fame did not extend as far as that of his fellow mainstream DJs. But the fact is that he preferred the studio, toiling away creating music, after having quit playing live a few years ago. Avicii’s legacy will endure via the music fans around the world, who had the opportunity to grab hold of the energy that coursed through his music. Goa will definitely miss him.

STEPHANIE D’SOUZA,

Candolim