It was once a humble hangout in Noida, near Delhi. Now it's a brand of sorts. Or, at least, in the process of becoming one. It opens late, and it's a pub called Elevate.

The overflowing bubbly is just one of the more obvious sights that define this nightspot. The real deal, as every regular avows, is the music.

Started in 2004 by Monty Chadha, Elevate regulars also swear by its international live acts and guest Disc Jockeys who hold centrestage every now and then. 

The pub that "encourages only international artistes," according to Ranvir Singh, corporate head & manager of Elevate, "gets nearly 70 percent of its live DJs from the UK. We also get other artistes from Israel, France [Images] and even New York."

For a pub that could have thrived as just another nightspot, Elevate has projected itself as a special place for the globalised music lover with a sensibility that won't be trifled with, what with hip-hop nights to underground-music theme evenings... even Bollywood stuff. 

The night club is now on the world map too. Mondo, a UK-based music magazine, recently featured Elevate for its flawless sound system and fantastic accoustics. 

According to a survey conducted by DJ Mag, another London-based magazine, Elevate is the world's 35th best nightclub (for its music -- quite evidently a passion here). 

"We're constantly scouting music stores in search of good music," adds Singh, "and, based on our research, we get the best acts to perform at our pub." 

Nearly 300 DJs from all over the world and 80 live artistes -- including well-known UK artistes like Juggy D, Veronica, Jazzy B, Raghav and Suphala from the US, besides bands like Strings from Pakistan -- have performed at Elevate. A single performance could take up to Rs 10 lakh. 

"We even throw in free trips for our artistes and take them to Agra [Images], Jaipur, Ajmer and other nearby cities," smiles Singh. He adds, "That's why not just the customers but even the artistes keep coming back to perform at Elevate."

Elevate also has an exclusive tie-up with international music channel VH1. "We've collaborated with VH1 to promote rock music," confirms Singh.

But isn't Elevate going a little too out of its way on the music scene? "We believe that any good pub thrives on good music," says Singh, "The idea is to keep evolving -- and with our live performances, our customers have begun to take Elevate very seriously." 

If that sounds like a local adaptation of the Hard Rock Cafe idea, the pub has its own music label too, Elevate Music, which is getting ready for a "Bollywood remix album that will feature the likes of DJ Aqueel and DJ Suketu". 

What's more, the nightclub is in the process of tying up with a fashion designer known for his "funky clothes" as Singh puts it, "to bring out a range of merchandising stuff like caps and t-shirts". A tie-up with Planet M is also on the cards. And Sony World too. 

"It's not merely a pub," boasts Singh, "it is a brand on its own." Well, that may be so and if there's thematic consistency to it, we'd approve too.

Address
Elevate
The Centre Stage Mall
Sixth Floor
L-ONE Sector 18
NOIDA
New Delhi

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