The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project 2011

The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project took place around the world on Saturday night. While Madonna had herself a boogie (above) at the event in The States, in Australia, Anna Lunoe and Italian DJ Alex Gaudino took the party to Melbourne.

Guadino, who has recently collaborated with Kelly Rowland and is a leading name in the dance music industry, exclusively told Bobbysix.com, "When the idea first came up, I was curious. Then when I found out more about the concept, I was honored to be able to “represent” Italy along with other artists taking part. I think it’s an original and exciting framework for music and culture. Really great."

Here are a few shots from Melbs:

Melbourne goes Italian for the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project

Last month, Smirnoff revealed that Australia will be swapping nightlife experiences with Italy as part of a unique global experience in which 50 countries celebrate the best of their local nightlife. Now, more deets have been released, and it turns out that Melbourne will host the Australian Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project on 12th November, with a one-of-a kind Italian themed event taking place at Peninsula, on the Harbour Esplanade in the Docklands.

While Aussie groups Nervo and Bang Gang Deejays jet over to Italy, Melbourne gets ready to experience a real taste of an Italian festa, with over 2,500 guests expected to attend. Junior Jack & Kid Créme and Alex Gaudino will headline the Italian-inspired event at Peninsula and the warehouse space will contain several different zones, constructed especially for the event. Each room will represent an element of Italian nightlife – offering Australian fans a chance to “travel” from historical Rome, to an 80s disco in the Alps, to fashionable cocktails in Milan, in just one night.

Australia’s ambassador Anna Lunoe will play host on the night and is calling out to fans of nightlife to get involved in the biggest event of the year by applying for free tickets to the event via the Smirnoff Australia Facebook page. It's gonna be frickin awesome.

Meanwhile, Palaisozak in the Italian city of Turin will be transformed into an Australian beach party for 3000 people, complete with palm trees and deck chairs, with Nervo and Bang Gang Deejays performing from a specially constructed lifeguard hut. Italian radio DJ and Smirnoff ambassador Max Brigante will MC the event. 

Keep an eye on the B6 for more updates closer to the event. 

Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project - Australia gets Italy, England swaps with Jamaica, USA goes Dutch

Last night, we hit up the announcement party in Sydney, where it was revealed that Australia will swap with Italy as part of The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project – a one-of-a-kind global experience in which 50 countries celebrate the best of their local nightlife. Junior Jack & Kid Créme and Alex Gaudino will headline the Italian-inspired Australia event, while Aussie group Nervo and Bang Gang Deejay’s will fly over to Italy as the Italians receive the best of Australia’s homegrown nightlife, as voted by Australians.

With the goal of helping 10 million people discover, share and swap unique nightlife, the Australian team is already gearing up to be part of larger-than-life events worldwide. Once all of the suggestions are in, Australia’s ambassador Anna Lunoe will help select the ones that best represent Australia’s vibrant and varied nightlife. These ingredients will be packed into a crate for Italy to experience when the world swaps nights in the epic finale on 12 November. Supercool Anna (above), who played an Italian-tinged DJ set at the launch last night, says: “I can wait for this event. I’m really looking forward to welcoming Junior Jack & Kid Créme and Alex Gaudino, and seeing how they recreate the Italian nightlife experience Down Under. I’m also super excited to see the best of Australia’s nightlife come alive for the people of Italy to enjoy. We have had some awesome suggestions so far on what makes Australia’s nightlife truly unique, so we expect the event on 12 November to be a one-of-a-kind experience in both countries.” Fans can continue to submit their suggestions for what best characterises nightlife in Australia, via the Smirnoff Australia Facebook page and also enter the competition to win tickets to be at the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project event in a top-secret Australian location.

Meanwhile, good old Blighty was picked to swap with Jamaica, meaning that they'll be some Jamaican vibes vibes going down in London Town while a representation of England (overpaid footballers and an unhealthy obsession with the weather? Yeah, it's the same joke we made this time last year, sorry) will be heading in the other direction. Brits head here to submit your ideas and to keep up to date with the latest news. Another really interesting exchange is sure to be between the United States and the Netherlands.

Talking of the US, Madonna will attend the New York celebration to help handpick the overall global winner of the online dance competition alongside her choreographers Rich and Tone. Finalists will compete in front of Queen of Pop (which is a pretty scary prospect if you ask us) for the winning spot. The winner may get the opportunity to join Madonna on her next tour as one of her dancers. For entry information and to win the chance to be there, visit the Smirnoff Facebook page.

The confirmed nightlife swaps are:
GREAT BRITAIN with JAMAICA
IRELAND with THAILAND
BRAZIL with GERMANY
CANADA with VIETNAM
USA with NETHERLANDS
DUBAI with MEXICO
VENEZUELA with CYPRUS
ARGENTINA with TURKEY

The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project - Now Pharrell joins the fun!

Not content with getting Madonna on board, Smirnoff have also secured an exclusive collaboration with global music and culture icon Pharrell Willliams, who you may have seen featuring in a brand new TV and online advertising campaign created especially for Australia.

Pharrell, a master collaborator himself, leads the campaign from start to finish, as the viewer is taken on a journey of how his mixes are created. He explains how the best music can be made only when the artist starts with a blank canvas. He builds his track Truth or Dare by adding layer upon layer of elements, one at a time – the beat, the groove, the vocals – the result, a full impact mix that you can’t help dancing to.

In case you hadn't worked it out already, the inspiration of the campaign stems from the way a bartender mixes a drink. Excited to be part of the initiative, Pharrell says, “What really works the best is when opposites attract. This is how I work when I collaborate with talented musicians, I take the true substance of their sound and mix it with what I think complements it best. I like how Smirnoff present a pure vodka, perfect for mixing – this is what I try to do with my music, so I agreed to be a part of this campaign.”

Want to see more than the above clip? Head to the Smirnoff Australia Facebook page to check out exclusive “Behind The Scenes” footage from the shoot including interviews with musicians involved. Also, an added feature of the campaign will be that whilst viewing the commercial on TV, smart phone users will be able to use the Shazam app to access additional footage and further information on the campaign from an exclusive micro website – a first for a TV commercial in Australia. Snazzy, hey?

Madonna joins the party as The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project goes massive!

We've been in transit for a few days, so it was an amazing surprise to arrive back at Bobbysix Towers to find the biggest parcel we've ever received waiting on our doorstep. In fact, it wasn't even a parcel, but a crate (see further down the page) filled with all manner of goodies relating to the latest installment of The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project.

Included in the crate was a globe, which will come in handy as this year's project is taking the party to all corners of the earth. If you thought 2010's event, which saw 14 countries swap nightlife, was ambitious, then, twelve months on, things are set to go MASSIVE. This time round, the audacious goal is to get 10 million people to discover, share and swap the most original nightlife experiences in, get this, 50 countries. Five-zero.

Oh, and if that weren't big enough, then they've only gone and got Madonna on board. No biggie. She's only, like, the biggest female pop star of all time. As part of the Nightlife Exchange Project, she'll be on the lookout for a new dancer to join her next tour.

As well as submitting ideas on what makes their country's nightlife special, fans can enter an exclusive dance competition online. Madonna will attend one of the selected Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project experiences where finalists will compete in front of her for the winning spot. The winner may get the opportunity to join the queen of pop on her next tour as one of her dancers. "What attracted me to the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project is the combination of participating in the celebration of nightlife around the world and the opportunity to discover the world's best unknown dancers," said Madonna. "The best dancers are always in the clubs looking for the most original experience, just like Smirnoff is doing."

If Madonna is seeking someone who slowly shifts their weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other while not really knowing what to do with their hands, then she need look no further than the dags at Bobbysix.com. Just sayin'.

The submission process for the dance competition runs until October 10th. To enter, hopefuls must submit a 60-second dance video. For details on the dance submission process visit Smirnoff's Facebook page (Aussies go here, Brits go here).

The 50 countries participating in the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project include: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Dubai, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Romania, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, Uruguay, United States, Venezuela and Vietnam. Better get that globe out. 

Exclusive Anna Lunoe interview!

DJ Anna Lunoe is the Australian ambassador for this year's Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project. We grabbed a few words with her about her role in the project, her ideal night out and who she would most like to swap lives with...

What was it about the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project that made you want to get involved?
Well, first things first I have kinda been living and breathing nightlife for over five years, so that’s a start. I first got involved with Smirnoff at last year’s exchange when I DJ’d at the Brazilian show at the Metro [in Sydney] and the concept definitely caught my imagination. Experiencing another culture is so exciting. I love the music that is coming out of the internet revolution; sharing sounds has led to such amazing innovation in music. Young artists are growing up being exposed to all kinds of music sub-cultures, and then going on to create music that is absolutely different from anything that has come before. So yeah, I'm a big supporter of that concept in general. Any way I can encourage it I will!

Can you talk us through the role you will be playing in the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project?
My role is to oversee the representation of Australian nightlife overseas, and also to help with Australia’s own celebration - plus I will definitely perform at the events of course! I really wanna encourage everyone to get involved on the Smirnoff Australia facebook page and tell us what how you want Australia to be represented to other countries too. My role is just to bring the awareness to the public, not to dictate what is or isn't special about Australian nightlife.

What would your ideal night out consist of?
My favourite nights out are with my friends when we happen to have nights off. We get a good dinner, then hit up our favourite spot where we know the music will be good and we can run amuck with a like-minded crowd. At the moment that’s at my friend Jimmy’s club, Goodgod (editor's note: this is also somewhere that the good folk of Bobbysix.com have, on many occasions, danced until we can dance no more). Usually on my nights "off" we throw impromptu parties down there. Believe it or not, my idea of a night out is still DJing. DJing is definitely a part of partying in my eyes! In the right environment it’s a blowing-off-steam thing for me, as well as a job.

What makes Australian nightlife unique?
This is tricky to pinpoint really but I think we have a real style when it comes to music. I feel like Australian dance music is pretty positive and uplifting as a general rule. It's a pretty fair reflection of our cultural landscape (most of the time!). The music is built for outdoor festivals. That’s how I feel anyway but I would very much encourage everyone to hit up the Smirnoff Australia facebook page and tell me what YOU think the scene is like.

Australia aside, where in the world would you like to have a night out?
Maybe somewhere in South America? Or Portugal would be amazing. I love the kuduru sounds coming out of there. Also, of course as a massive UK bass fan, I would love go out a lot more in the UK.

If you could exchange lives with anyone in the world for one night, who would you choose?
Annie Mac! She hosts a new dance show on the BBC in the UK and gets to DJ at all these ridiculously amazing festivals across Europe. She even gets to curate her own festival stages (Annie, if you are reading this through some wonder of the internet, life swap?)

Interview by Bobby Townsend

The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project is back!

Last Year, Bobbysix.com ventured to India for an unbelievable adventure as part of Smirnoff's Nightlife Exchange Project. Well, the exciting news for anyone who attended one of the events that took place around the globe is that 2011 sees the Nightlife Exchange Project return - and it's set to be even bigger and better.

This time round, fifty - that's right, five-zero - countries are gearing up to celebrate the best one-of-a-kind nightlife experiences. This not-to-be-missed global nightlife celebration will bring together the best tunes, drinks, sights and tastes from around the globe at some top-notch venues worldwide.

Following Dan Single's turn last year, this time round DJ Anna Lunoe is the ambassador for The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project in Australia. Supercool and, may we say, hotter than hell, Anna says, “I’m really excited about being involved in this unique project and discovering what key ingredients make a fun night out for Australians. It’s also a fantastic platform in which to showcase our original Australian nightlife to the rest of the world.”

During 2010 Smirnoff asked a couple of million people from 14 countries across ten different time zones what represents an unforgettable night out, bringing the best ideas to life in a nightlife swap. The cultural exchange saw 80 hours of performances across the world, with 1,400 tracks played and over 50 artists and DJ’s performing.

This year, The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project is again searching the world for the most original nightlife experiences. You can get involved in the project by visiting the your country's Facebook page (Aussies, go here: Facebook.com/SmirnoffAustralia) to share your nightlife ideas.

Keep your eyes on Bobbysix.com over the next little while for news on how you can attend your country's swap, as well as up-to-the-minute info on what's going on and where. It's going to be awesome! To coin a Smirnoff phrase, Be There!

Dim Mak at Future Music Festival, Sydney

Saturday saw the Future Music Festival in Sydney. As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the event saw Dim Mak and Smirnoff’s Nightlife Exchange Project bring some of the glitz and glamour of LA nightlife to life. Mash up king Steve Aoki and friends, Don Diablo, Sound of Stereo, The Subs and TAI performed, playing some shit-hot electro sounds. Here are a few snaps of the revelry.

Words by Rob Townsend.

Getting To Know... The Diet Pills

Tucked away in the corner of a cute little bar in Bangkok, BobbySix.com shared a few quick words with Ploi Horwang, one half of awesome electro-pop duo The Diet Pills, former member of teen group Project H and well-known local fashionista:

When Bobby met Ploi

I would describe The Diet Pills sound as colourful candy that sometime tastes funny but at same time can be quite sour.

Bangkok is a cool place for everyone to come and shop (the prices are super cheap), eat all day/all night and, of course, party hard.

I take inspiration from what I do each day and from the people I meet.

I also like to eat, eat, eat!

It might surprise people to learn that Bangkok has beautiful temples.

In five years time the weather in Bangkok will be even hotter than this!

Check out The Diet Pills on their Myspace page. Or just have a listen below.

The Diet Pills - Don't Underestimate The Diet Pills by Nialler9

Happy New Year!

So, another year comes and goes. Last year, I spent New Year's Eve at a rooftop party in Sydney, watching fireworks explode all over the city. This year, I am in a freezing cold and sleepy town in the UK. Twixt the two dates, I have been to Melbourne, London, Johannesburg, Bangkok, Mumbai, Brighton and Bangalore. I have seen some amazing gigs, listened to some cracking albums and dropped some sick tunes with my lovely companion DJ Meowcat in various venues around Sydney.

During the last year, BobbySix.com has continued to grow to the extent that its little ol' founder - me - could no longer cope on his own and so enlisted a small but perfectly formed team of writers. Over the next year I hope BobbySix.com will continue to grow, the website will become a much more all-singing, all-dancing affair and that we will continue to branch out further into the world of arts/fashion/events. We've already made a start, and have evolved from a blog in which I pretty much exclusively wrote about fairly well-known international groups into a blog that also gives a platform to all manner of lesser-known bands, as well as featuring writers, models and artists and other creative types. 

Anyway, thanks for your wonderful support over the year. Here are a few of my personal highlights that didn't quite fit into the recently-posted End of Year Review.

Obviously, my trips with Smirnoff have already been pretty well documented, but there can be no denying that these made up some of my best memories of the year, Meeting so many amazing, artistic people and experiencing incredible things - everything from watching fireworks explode over Bangkok (pictured at the top) from the 74th story of a hotel to waking through poverty-ridden yet inspiringly upbeat Soweto (above) - has been something I will never forget.

In terms of interviews, my highlights from this year include talking to my hero Jim Bob, the simply fabulous model Eliza Sys and drummer Steven Nistor. I have conducted lots of interviews over the last few years and it is only occasionally that people really open up and talk with total honesty. I feel these three people did this brilliantly. Here are some snippets.

Jim Bob
"I don't know how to deal with new music anymore. I will no doubt change my mind but at the moment I have no desire to make, or rather sell, any new music." (full interview...)

Eliza Sys 

"I started modelling because I was a complete mess. I had so many complexes, I was extremely shy and almost afraid of new people. When I was scouted I saw it as the only shot I had to change the way I saw myself. Maybe getting something positive out of the fact I looked like a weirdo could help me to grow stronger and care less." (full interview...)

Steven Nistor
"Mark [Linkous] was a really sweet guy. He had a vicious sense of humor. But you could tell he was in a lot of pain, emotionally."(full interview...)

The other main highlight of the year for me came away from the blog. The launch of Surry Hills-based vintage store/event space Dear Pluto (below) proved to be the culmination of a couple of years' really hard work and creativity from the wonderful Emma Daniels. I am massively proud of her achievement and remain grateful to be a part of this project. If you live in Sydney and have yet to check the place out, then sort your life out and pay Emma a visit. You can pick yourself up some sweet threads for next to nothing. Or, if you're a band/artist/photographer/filmmaker and need a space to exhibit your work/show your film, then Dear Pluto is the place for you. Check out the facebook page for all the deets.

So, anyhoo. I reckon 2011 is going to be a cracker. Whatever it brings, here at BobbySix.com we will be sure to let you know about it. We'll tell you who you should be listening to/looking at/reading/watching/drooling over. Maybe we'll tell you what you should be wearing and where you should be going. Feel free to disagree with us. You'll be wrong to, of course, but, you know, it's up to you.

Remember in 2011, be nice, be kind, be helpful, be tolerent and have manners. If you can manage all that then you're a friend of ours. Happy New Year!

Words by Rob Townsend

Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project - The Video

You've probably already read my words about the recent trip BobbySix.com went on to Asia. Well, I also put together a little video of all of the sights and the sounds. Please excuse the slightly low-res quality of the clip. This is down to some really bloody annoying technical issues that made me want to put my head through my laptop and then the laptop through the window. Still, I got there in the end and, despite it not being in super HD, you'll get the idea.

Getting To Know... Zara Taylor

With her voice having appeared on over 60 albums, Zara Taylor has made quite the impact on the dance music scene, and she recently performed at the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project in Bangalore. Now working on her debut long-player back in Vancouver, she tells BobbySix.com a few things about herself:

Music makes me gluttonous. LIBERATED. Music feeds my soul. It's like I cook sad, unattractive feelings into something hopeful and beautiful and then I eat it over and over again, because it's that good. Hopefully. I can get quite self-involved when writing so I go through periods of time where I'm completely unproductive in my music. I think it's all about the balance though.

READ MORE...

The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange - Bangalore review

India. It is a country of oppressive heat where, in the cities, the streets bustle with people and noise, kids hustle tourists, cows saunter down the middle of the road and car horns soundtrack Tetris traffic jams. Thrilling chaos and mayhem rules ok. A visit can be quite the culture shock to foreigners. On Saturday 27th November, however, the people of India experienced a culture shock of their own when the world swapped nights as part of Smirnoff's ambitious Nightlife Exchange Project.

Bangalore, a beguiling mix of red dirt on its outskirts and typically hectic city life, played host to the Indian leg. So, while the best of the county's nightlife was packed up and shipped to Canada, Bangalore, for one night only, partied Canadian-style.

I know what you're thinking, what does Canadian nightlife entail exactly? Watching ice hockey and being generally affable, maybe? Well, that wouldn't make for much of a party really, would it? So, instead, the Smirnoff party revolved around certain iconic themes while some Canadian artists travelled halfway around the world to entertain a crowd comprised of lucky competition and giveaway winners.

So, upon entering the venue, punters were greeted by Mounties and led through an icy tunnel into the main room, where a traditional Canadian dish awaited them. Poutine is comprised of chips with cheese and gravy. Healthy? Nah. Yummy? Heck yes. Complimenting this local delicacy was a specially-designed Smirnoff Mule comprised of 40ml vodka, 10ml maple syrup and 2 fresh wedges of lime and ginger ale. Other variations of the Mule were available too, whereas luddites were able to order vodka and cokes.

Across the maple leaf-littered floor was a large stage, upon which female dancers dressed as Mounties (well, if Mounties wore really, really tiny shorts) drew the attention of the camera phones. Okay, so their dance routine seemed to involve gyrating while waving their arms around in a way that was completely incidental to the music and to each other, but still, you couldn't knock their enthusiasm.

And so to the talent. The night was headlined by Max Graham, who played a dance set that didn't take many risks, but then why would it? This guy has been around for long enough to know how to please a crowd. And so it proved. Before him was Zara Taylor (below), the voice that has launched a zillion dance tracks, including Sunlounger's Lost. On her debut appearance in India, she showcased an epic vocal that belied the sore throat she was suffering as she belted out deep and emotion-tinged lyrics over a dance/electro backing. Earlier in the evening, DJ Sultan (pictured at the top of the piece) ripped through a high-energy set that went way beyond simply warming up the crowd and that was the highlight of the night. Later, he would find himself mobbed by fans requesting photos and autographs; even a trip to the bathroom took 20 minutes, as the dreadlocked DJ stopped and chatted with a cavalcade of fans.

It would be easy to sniff at an event such as this that has a name like Smirnoff attached to it. Big corporation, big event, big yawn? Well, no actually. To put snobbishness and cynicism to one side is to discover something much more pleasing. The thing that the Nightlife Exchange Project and all of Smirnoff's recent events offer is that they really seem to put a huge amount of care and work into attempting to create something unique and special. They are not in the business of lazily sponsoring an existing event, but rather seem really keen to be fully involved and to get their hands dirty - from the ideas stage until the last of the ticker tape has been swept away. They are clearly very proud of these occasions and, therefore, what they create is something that feels genuine, organic, unique and innovative. When else would Indians get to party Canadian-style in their own back yards? At would other time would Argentina get a taste of Irish nightlife?

Add to this the fact that this particular event rolled into Bangalore, a city drenched in religion that is not necessarily one that would jump to mind when thinking of party towns, and it is clear that Smirnoff are keen to bring the fun to as many corners of the globe as possible.

You might say it's easy to praise the vodka company from the comfort of the VIP bar. Therefore, the most telling image of the evening came from when I wandered back past the velvet rope and down to the front of the stage. It was early - maybe 8.30pm - and yet people were going absolutely mental to DJ Sultan's set. Loads of them. Dancing their legs off and their hearts out. As the evening started to wrap up, three hours later (Bangalore has quite the strict curfew), the same people were there, joined by plenty of others, and were going just as crazy, having as much fun and dancing as exuberantly as they were three hours previously.

Of course, Smirnoff is a business and they want to make sure that their product sells, but this event once again proved that their manifesto goes well beyond the desire to shift units. It is apparent to anyone in attendance of this event that Smirnoff, more than anything, want to be synonymous with fun and with offering people unique opportunities and experiences that they will never forget. Judging the unabashed enjoyment that the crowd was displaying on Saturday night, it was mission accomplished.

Check out my mate Addie's outstanding photos from the event here.

The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project 2010 - Photos

As regular readers will know, The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project took place in 14 countries around the world last weekend and BobbySix.com was at the Canadian-themed event in Bangalore. Expect a full review from the big night in India soon, but, for now, here is what went down in the other locations.

More than 18,000 people from six continents across ten time zones witnessed the result of over 33,000 suggestions as to what characteristics made up each county's local nightlife. Highlights included a surprise performance from dubstep star Tinie Tempah in London, Marcus Schultz bringing some German techno to Cape Town, Brazilian freestyle footballers & samba drummers creating a carnival atmosphere in Sydney and German electronic sensation Peaches teaming up with South African Lim Pop group Gazelle to perform a song they co-wrote especially for the event in Berlin. UK curator Zane Lowe (pictured, top) busted out a DJ set, while live performances from Dirty Vegas in Thailand and Bonde de Role in Australia were streamed live online. Here are a few snaps of the fun:

The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project in numbers:
· 80 hours of performances across the world
· Approximately 1,400 tracks were played in 14 countries
· Over 50 artists and DJs performed to a crowd totalling around 18,000 people
· 2.7 tons of ice used by 200+ bartenders

Talvin Singh at Blue Frog, Mumbai

After winning the Mercury Prize, Talvin Singh seemed to drop off the radar for a few years, so it was nice to see him pop up as the host of his own two-night festival at Mumbai's famed Blue Frog.

Before a DJ set on Friday, Thursday night saw him perform live, with Erik Truffaz providing trumpet and Murcof twiddling the knobs. The set was slow-burning, mixing Singh's acoustic tablas with Murcof's electro leanings that fuse classical themes and techno beats, while Truffaz's subtle jazz trumpet weaved between the two. Although the intros were often interminable and rarely burst into life as one hoped they would, it certainly created an intimate and chilled atmosphere, and the set's nuances were enhanced the venue's near-perfect sound system.

This laid-back affair was in extreme contrast to the city in which it was held. Outside the doors of the plush venue, Mumbai buzzed with magnificent mayhem. Day or night, things never slow down here, let alone stop. The streets are alive with people; hustling, bustling, trying to get by. Markets teem with noise and movement. Children stop, stare, smile and wave at wide-eyed westerners. Roads ebb and flow with a sea of traffic. Car horns soundtrack messy traffic jams littered with cabs, while motorbikes loaded with entire families bob in and out of any tiny gap that appears. Lonely street dogs patrol the gutters, yearning for food and love. Slums stretch across huge areas and spread like lava into nooks and crannies between city shops, bringing with them colour, diversity, life and a reminder that we really ought to be grateful for what we have.

In a nutshell, Mumbai is the most extraordinarily wonderful city I have ever visited. It lives, breathes and moves at such pace that it is futile to resist being swept along with it. And, let's be honest, why would you want to?

After a breathless few days in this wonderful city, BobbySix.com now heads to Bangalore for the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project, so keep an eye out for a review soon. In the meantime, here are a few snaps of Mumbai. Click on them for full size.