What do you get when you put a bunch of really talented
musicians together in a basement and give them a few
hours to get in sync? Long story short: constantly unfolding
magic. And that’s precisely the long and short of how
Basement Jaxx was born. From precisely these kind of
humble beginnings.
Tracking back to the origins of the festival takes one back
to the year 2006, when musicians came together in Vasco
purely for the love of music under the leadership of the late
and legendary Terence ‘Terry’ Vaz, of the band Lynx. Today,
the event serves as a movement where artists get together
for the love of live music. Basement Jaxx’s ‘The Big Fun Day’
in 2015 is a Saturday of merriment and musical adventure
that will showcase Goan artists who can greatly benefit
from local support. The 8th Edition of this live music festival,
being undertaking primarily as an initiative spearheaded by
Prashant Prasannakumar and Sharon Biswas aims at keeping
an old tradition from Goa’s port town, Vasco alive.
Talking about how the popular event has been
constantly evolving, Prashant says “What started out as a
small time initiative has now grown into a mass movement.
It started out as me wanting to jam with musicians from
the area, such as Terry, Errol, Augusto and so on. Since
then, the number of musicians has only increased in time.
I think that it is critical to thank Zinaida, Emma and Edwin
Mascarenhas who provided the initial venue from which the
event got its name: their basement.”
The event has always been known for its informal and
impromptu nature which promoted the spirit of jamming
with a hitherto unheard of zest, where established
musicians from the local scene would get the chance to
break away from their ‘usual sets’ and feed off each other’s
abilities to foster a spirit of genuine friendship on stage,
thereby inspiring members of the audience, (no matter how
poorly musically inclined) to join in and try their hand at the
spontaneous creation of music.
Singer-Songwriter, Vince Costa is also heavily involved
with the festival and will perform several tracks off his new
album, ‘Saint & Sinner’. Speaking on what events such as
these do to promote new artistes, he says “Basement Jaxx
acts as a platform for Goa’s music makers to come together
to showcase their talent. Whether that is the performance
of original songs or coverswith a twist, it is still a spectacle
that pushes their exposure, which is great for them.”
This year, on April 11, 2015 Basement Jaxx will see the
eagerly awaited event unfold at the Stonewater Eco Resort
at Santrem Beach in Bogmalo. Performances will begin
from as early as 3:30 pm as artistes descend upon the venue
to share their original music with the audience. As the night
winds down, in keeping with the original spirit of the gig,
the stage will be thrown open to all as a jam until the close
show comes to a close.
