Flow Group

Arjun Vagale

ARJUN VAGALE (Jalebee Cartel/Excentric Music) India

Arjun Vagale is arguably one of the most in-demand DJs in India. As one of the country’s biggest EDM exports, he plays over 100 gigs a year, touring regularly in Germany, Spain, USA, France, Sweden, Holland, Dubai, South Korea, Indonesia and Singapore, and often spends his summers in the world’s techno Mecca, Berlin.

He has played alongside such heavyweights as Fergie, Sasha, Dave Seaman, Paolo Mojo, Cari Lekebusch and Kasey Taylor, while his live act, Jalebee Cartel, has shared headlining spots with the likes of The Prodigy, Modeselektor and Carl Cox. His knowledge and use of technology in the booth is second to none, often adding drum machines and samplers to create uniquely raw, funkladen techno sets.

It has been almost 10 years since Arjun, along with his 3 friends, formed India’s biggest live act, Jalebee Cartel. With its genre-bending sets, the band has generated a huge buzz and has featured in DJ Mag, MixMag and Elle’s list of Rising Stars, and has even graced the cover of Rolling Stone, India. The live act has released over 50 records on labels like Ostwind Records, Neurotraxx Deluxe, Vapour Recordings, Baroque Records and Platipus, among others. The collective is probably the first Indian act to have hit the Beatport Top 10, Balance Record Pool Charts and DJ Magazine’s Hype Charts. 2009 saw the release of Jalebee’s critically acclaimed debut album, ONEPOINTNOTHING.

But it is Arjun’s solo productions that are now making some serious noise.
His tracks can be found on labels such as Excentric Muzik, My Best Friend (MBF Ltd), Takt, Tribal Rage, Hummingbird, ALiVE and Frequenza. He has also remixed for Fergie, Solead, Bluephase and Mabaan Soul and working on collaborations with James Dutton, Tim Richards, Anil Chawla & Dale Anderson. DJs like Carl Cox, Karotte, Kaserdisco, Josh Wink, Richie Hawtin, Nic Fanciulli, Paolo Mojo, Sebastien Leger and Reset Robot regularly feature his music in their sets and radio shows.

Never one to play Top 10 tunes, Arjun’s always scouting out fresh underground tracks – the man never sleeps! His latest venture has been to found and manage a young record label, Mak.Tub Music, with partner Logistic Soundz. The imprint has an impressive roster of artists, including Alex Dolby, Fiord, Jay Haze, Peter Horrevorts, Pawas, Dave Ellesmere and Ray Kajioka, and has already hit the coveted Beatport charts.

There’s good reason that Arjun Vagale’s name has become synonymous with high quality in the Indian EDM culture. Whether packing in the dance floor or producing yet another monster tune, Arjun’s absolute dedication to house and techno is apparent in everything he does.