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If you take yourself to be a part of the ever-growing underground scene in India, more specifically the city of Mumbai, then you are sure to associate yourself with the ‘Mumbai Rave Community’ (MRC). It’s only normal that the speedy growth of this unique initiative by these group of electronic music fanatics has burst into an influential name in the rising underground scene of the city. A couple of years ago, techno and other underground acts were a scarcity in the City Of Dreams. But with the overwhelming acceptance of the music and the lively community of party-goers present all around, it was only about time someone began to have this idea. ‘We’ve been in the underground scene for quite a few years now. We might be relatively new to it but we have seen the immense growth that the music has received,” explains Gavin, co-founder of MRC. So how did this start and what was the idea behind this? When four young lads were exposed to the underground scene a few years ago, they couldn’t help but notice the energy and love that brewed around in the community. Just like any other genre-specific group, this group was more alive than they would have imagined. Yet, they wondered how they never came across it. “We had never heard of a techno gig before. We never thought that the fanbase of such a genre would be so much in a city obsessed with mainstream commercial music. It surprised us but we were very impressed,” Gavin added. “We would go to these gigs, have the time of our lives and then head straight back home. Of course, at that time we hardly knew any of the guys. But that’s what kickstarted an idea in our heads. Apart from promoting underground music, we wanted to build a family. A community of fans that not just attended these gigs, but mingled and got closer to each other outside the clubs too.” In a world of digital dominance, what better platform to choose other than Instagram. So that’s where they headed. On September 27th2018, the page was started on social media. Starting off with promoting local gigs happening in the city, MRC took off like nothing they had expected. “The support and love we received from everyone were just out of this world! Not just our follower base on social media, but also when we attended the gigs thereafter, met promoters, artists and underground music fans at so many gigs, the support was so much. It almost felt like the need for such an initiative was long present in the community, but nobody gave it a shot,” explained Shawn, co-founder of MRC. Fast forward to the present day, MRC is considered a major influencer in the underground scene in Mumbai. Everyone from established and upcoming artists, both local, countrywide and international names are a part of this community. Everyone from promoters to the very fans of the scene is now hooked on to MRC. Michael another of the co-founders said, “We’ve had local artists tell us that our initiative is giving them the platform for their talent that they didn’t have before. We’ve had established names in the industry tell us that we’re doing a great job. Even fans walk up to us telling us that this is something they’ve wished for a long time. It’s nothing but special and the feeling is just great.” In the whole scheme of the music industry in the country, it may not seem like something that catches the eye. But for a minority genre in India, this sure sparks the beginning of something that could grow well into the limelight. “We at MRC are dedicated to bringing everything underground to the fingertips of each person in our community. Whether that’s promoting local upcoming artists or promoting local gigs in the city or just getting thousands of fans together to communicate and get closer to each other, we’re all in,” promises Melwyn, another co-founder of MRC. MRC has now grown to a level where their recommendation on anything in the underground scene is noted by the heart. This is the start of something big, a feeling shared by so many music fans in Mumbai and across the country. Gavin concluded, “The future holds numerous opportunities for us to reach our goal. We’re building on the love and support we receive each day and we want to contribute to the nationwide underground scene in any way we can. The last couple of years have been nothing less of pure happiness and this is just the start.”