Among the earliest performances that Dutch-Moroccan DJ-producer R3hab aka Fadil El Ghoul got to make in India was supporting EDM titan Deadmau5 at the latter’s India debut in 2014.

Since then, R3hab has been a regular in the country, performing every few years. “The one thing that struck me about touring in India was the crowd energy and kindness, the feeling of being welcome is what I’ll always remember,” he says over an email interview.

Now, the artist behind songs like “Rock My Body” and “All Around the World (La La La)” is back for more, performing at Cherry Blossom Festival in Shillong on Nov. 16, 2024. Among the international crowd-pullers giving Shillong a dose of high-energy, euphoric EDM, R3hab says he may just pull a few surprises in his set. He adds, “I’m always working on new music and I’d love to test it out at Shillong! Who knows, maybe even an Indian electronic record?”

Over the years since performing in India, he says he’s seen the expansion of dance music globally as well as in the country. He attributes it to social media and technology in terms of giving “a more direct interaction with fans from all around the world.” He adds, “I always love to see the reactions and comments from Indian fans.”

Open to recommendations for things to do outside of the festival set, the DJ-producer does add that he also prefers to “see as much as possible while taking care of my sleep schedule.”

R3hab arrives in India on the back of releasing “Believe (Shooting Stars)” with American influencers Mufasa and Hypeman, plus singer Rani. The DJ says about the track, “Mufasa and Hypeman have a natural love for music, which you can see across the videos they post. We came up with an idea built on their viral moment and then Rani joined with her amazing vocals.”

Up next, R3hab hints that he’s got a song coming out with “one of the other headliners” from Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival coming up, plus an “exciting B2B” set at Soundstorm festival in Riyadh this December.

Author: Srishti Pandey