Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest |

Percussion man

Wizard Gino K. Jose drums up excitement at parties and events

Gino K. Jose dreams big. Watch him at any of those parties he takes charge of and you will see him juggling with his DJ gizmos, playing on his drums live as the remixes he organises wafts all over the area. In between playing on stages in Gulf countries, Singapore and Malaysia, Gino livens up parties with games that he creates and his brand of deejaying, which includes live playing and compering too. “I am a butterfly DJ. I play music and I also play live along with it.”

Gino is now snowed under musical instruments. His star possessions are his many drums from different places and the seven cymbals of different ‘srutis’.

“I will not use these as they have been autographed by Sivamani,” he remarks pointing to a set of drums. His prize drums are the octove band. There are the high toned Timpaleys, bongos, derboke from the Gulf, roto drums and the tambourines, as also chimes and the five-piece drum kits.

The refrigeration mechanic’s certificate is hidden under the many laurels he received at schools’ youth festivals. He is also a sounds technician, which helps while setting up his DJ equipment. Gino is proud of the fact that he stuck to music through ups and downs.

Though he was playing the drums while at school, his father was not very happy with Gino taking up music as a career. He sent Gino to his uncle’s place in Bangalore to look for a job.

That was the turning point, actually. “I did get a small job, but I had to live in the garage, sharing space with a boxer puppy and a Fiat car. I did not ask anyone for money and managed to eat with Rs. 15 for a day. That was when my cousin’s friends came to practise there. They were a music group and they were preparing for a competition. The drummer scooted and there was a showdown. When I saw a set of drums, I was itching to play it. I did, and they asked me if I could stand in. I took out my music notation books and played my best. I got the ‘best drummer’ tag at this competition. After that, it was music at the many pubs in Bangalore and deejaying. I was exposed to the partying world too there.”

Deejaying for parties, looking after the entertainment quotient and jamming with friends are all part of as day’s work for Gino now.

“I use only original music and I speak five languages, English, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi. That helps. I have created something called ‘suspense game’ which is usually a hit. What is that? Suspense!”

Gino has so far worked independently but he is to be part of a group called Ragasagara, which he and his friends are forming soon.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail