Reporters Diary: Tripping on dubstep and dappankuthu at a business meet

Playing out on twin projector screens was a stylised montage of vignettes of Tamil life – the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple, the Pamban Bridge and the Koyambedu vegetable market— that have become perfunctory to the ‘launch AV’ (audio visual) on such occasions. However, the video was synced to the music of a different beat and audiences were given a first-hand introduction to dubstep (not dappankuthu).

Dubstep is a form of electronic dance music (EDM) defined by heavy, oddly punctuated use of drum loops and signature bass lines. The performing artiste also gets to drop the bass, essentially a climactic point in the track. It’s music you could dance to, no matter what the visuals. What you don’t expect to do, is to sit solemnly in a chair and jot down observations about the product in question.

Oddly enough, that’s exactly what this reporter, and others did as this acid-trip equivalent of a business presentation made its case.

No sooner had we had our fill of EDM, than a group of traditionally attired dappankuthu dancers sprang up on stage, dressed in costumes to put a paint shop to shame. With product placement interspersed within the lyrics, the performers offered top officials of an Asian company, a highly unique glimpse into Tamil culture and the multi-pronged directions it was headed in. We could have just done with dropping the bass.