“This is a space that we have been craving for…a utopic space where we can be ourselves,” says multi-disciplinary artist Avril Stormy Unger, drag alter Chutney Mary, the co-founder of QRave, a membership evening revolving round queer and girls DJs and music producers. QRave is an area, which is “not just queer-friendly, but queer-affirming,” she says of the occasion, which has already had seven editions in Goa and can be internet hosting its second edition in Bengaluru on 11 July at The Burrow.
QRave was launched again in December 2023 by Avril and her buddy Aadhi, aka Mo’Homo, in Goa “We used to run certain community-based queer events, and we just decided to launch QRave as something we could do in a recurring way,” she says, explaining that not like many different queer occasions, which have “drag, open mic, poetry and so on, this is specifically a club night in the mainstream music scene in India. Also, while our line-up are queer and women, this is open to everyone.”
Highlights and extra
Some of the highlights of the occasion embody Atita Verghese, often known as RattyAtty, a DJ and one among India’s first feminine skate boarders; Disco Puppet, the moniker of Bengaluru-based producer and musician Shoumik Biswas; and, after all, Chutney Mary herself. “We also have this Goa-based visual artist called Poyo,” says Avril, including that these text-based visuals are “very queer and creates the kind of atmosphere where being queer is normal, and we are not the outsider anymore.”
After all, as Atita, who often performs “percussive, low-end wobblers with feel-good high-energy bounce,” says, illustration nonetheless issues. “People feel more welcome and safe when there are underrepresented identities behind the decks and on the floor,” she says, mentioning that seeing others like themselves in these areas helps foster neighborhood as a result of folks can relate to and really feel secure round one another. “That’s key in nightlife culture,” believes Atita. “To foster a space where one can completely let loose and feel free enough to feel themselves and the shared energy of dancefloor dynamics.”
QRave will be held at The Burrow, Seshadripuram, on July 11, beginning at 8 pm. Tickets can be found at sortmyscene.com
