Since the worldwide dance-music explosion hit its peak in the late 1990s, the market for clubbing has been saturated. From Tokyo to New York to Ibiza, the "superclubs" are established, the fan base for the music is pretty much stagnant and everyone is looking for the next place that will experience a summer of love. And DJ Pearl has discovered a subcontinent.
A native of India, Pearl has been on the front lines for more than a decade of house music's assault on her home country. "When I started (as a DJ), I had to play everything, because there is such a diverse audience in India," she tells The Japan Times. "But I wanted to concentrate on house. There was a very small audience because it is such a niche music, but that has grown immensely."
The growth is largely thanks to Pearl and her husband, MTV India VJ Nikhil Chinapa. Since 2003, their company, Submerge, has sought to bring electronic dance music to India through parties featuring first their favorite records from around the world, and later their favorite international DJs.