Not a run-of-the-mill fest

A sixyearold idea will germinate this weekend New Great Eastern Mills in Byculla mdash a 19thcentury compound where textile operations are well hanging by a thread mdash will play host to a fullblown electronic music festival called FAR OUT Left This to our knowledge is the first time in Mumbais history that such an event will be held in what is specifically a mill Richardson amp Crudass does moonlight as a venue for occasional music gigs But being an erstwhile manufacturing unit for engineering goods it doesnt fit the definition of a mill And a new chapter will thus be unveiled in the citys cultural landscape when around 8001000 expected party enthusiasts fill up a segregated section of this timeworn central Mumbai spaceLikwidWe went for a walkthrough of the venue on Monday to understand how things will unfold on the two days of the fest Our point of contact there was Bhishma Sagar founder of Regenerate the company thats organising the event along with Social He had told us to get off at the Peninsula Salsette end of the mill and this underconstruction property dominates the exterior with its leafy wall and prominent branding Its easy to miss a nondescript gate next door with a rusted board on top indicating the entry into New Great Eastern MillsDauwd A long path lined with advertisement hoardings leads to the rear end of the compound parts of which house a posh art gallery and museum and parts of which lie in a ramshackle state A small marble shamiana next to where the ticketing booth will be set up is meant to be a lounging spot And further down from it is an open area structured like a driveway where the outdoor stage will be builtDanny DazeThe music in this section will be stopped at 10 pm given the legal curfew But thats not when the party ends For there is a large empty room mdash beside a green pond with huge fish in it mdash to the left of the outdoor space where its permissible to let your hair down till 5 am Standing there days before the festival imagining what the room will be like when a bunch of international and local DJs take over the console with their thumping tracks with a collection of antique furniture stored safely in a locked section its hard to not appreciate how the old will momentarily give way to the new when this fest is heldIndoor Area The room with the pond next to it where the party will go on till lateBut does that mean that the party crowd can now look forward to more such events at this complex Not quite yet sadly Sagar tells us about how he first came across New Great Eastern Mills in 2012 while scouting for venues to host musical properties But this venue didnt have the permission for big parties back then It was a fully functional mill and the law thus made it available only for events with 150odd people Thats why our hands were tied he says adding that now however the actual mill area has shrunk in size to occupy only about 5 per cent of the entire property meaning his original intention can finally reach its fruitionOutdoor stage A DJ booth will be set up at the far end of this sectionThe fact remains though that Dr Anurag Kanoria the MD of the company that owns most of this property is only testing the waters with this debut festival We do host events here once in a while to provide the city with a cultural space But we are treating this fest as a oneoff affair as of now So we dont know if it will be held here next year again he confessesEntrance The alley leading to the ticketing area Time hence is the only barometer for checking how much New Great Eastern Mills opens its doors for such parties We are keeping our fingers crossed because Mumbai now has a bona fide electronic music scene But frankly the city is starved of venues with Famous Studios as the defacto goto place So we will wait and watch if this exquisite mill compound is added more regularly to that equation And meanwhile we will make hay while the sun shines by shaking a leg at FAR OUT LeftPicture perfect Wall art in the indoor area PicsRoycin DSouzaOn November 10 and 11 At New Great Eastern Mills Mazgaon Log on to insiderin Entry Rs 1770Catch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get the latest updates