Singer-composer Salim-Sulaiman perform in Faridabad, Uttar Pradesh, Dec. 17. (Press Trust of India)

The year gone by saw a major shift in Bollywood music with Electronic Dance Music genre driving this change through party numbers, writes Shrishti Negi. – @siliconeer #siliconeer #Bollywood #Entertainment #India #Music #EDM

Hindi commercial cinema has always been popular for its loud dazzling dance numbers and that may have something to do with the growth of EDM in movie songs.

The influence of EDM was seen in Bollywood songs throughout the year with some notable mentions being “Kar Gayi Chull,” “Beat Pe Booty” “Baby Ko Bass Pasand Hai” and “Kaala Chasma.”

Popular DJ Nucleya, who made his Bollywood debut with “Let’s Naacho” from “Kapoor & Sons,” accelerated the trend by taking Indian beats to a different intensity.

Another hit from the same film was rapper Badshah’s “Kar Gayi Chull.” He may have created the track long back but this time he completely reconstructed it with more engaging beats and Neha Kakkar’s vocal, which made it more popular. It ruled the number one spot for months.

Singer Arijit Singh, known for his soulful voice in romantic tracks, was also seen crooning a lot of party numbers and club mixes in 2016, including “The Breakup Song” from “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” and recently released “Nashe Si Chad Gayi” from “Befikre.”

The magic of EDM was not only limited to dramas but was also found in serious films like “Airlift” and “Udta Punjab.”

Ankit Tiwari’s composition “Dil Cheez Tujhe Dedi” featured electronic beats in the Akshay Kumar-starrer while Abhishek Chaubey’s controversy-ridden crime-thriller offered catchy feet-tapping number “Chitta Ve,” which was composed by Amit Trivedi.

Action films, however, topped the list in terms of following the new trend of dance music.

“Rock the Party” from “Rocky Handsome” kicked off the year with the recreated version of Bombay Rockers’ 2003 hit track, while Meet Bros’ “Girl I Need You” and “Cham Cham” from “Baaghi” were among the perfect grooving numbers of 2016.

Another fancy composition by the music duo Sachin-Jigar delivered “Beat Pe Booty” track from “A Flying Jatt.” The song was on everyone’s lips from the common man to celebrities.

Ajay Devgn’s high on action “Shivaay” featured “Bolo Har Har,” which was again an upbeat number, rendered by Badshah.

The song was an eclectic mix of singers like Mohit Chauhan, Sukhwinder Singh and the British pop rock band The Vamps.

EDM appeared to be dominating the compositions in romantic dramas as well.

“Kheech Meri Photo” and “Ek Number” from the romantic film “Sanam Teri Kasam” were fair attempts at fusion by singer Neeti Mohan, while a reprise of Jaz Dhami and Yo Yo Honey Singh’s “High Heels Te Nachche” in “Ki & Ka” made a solid impact on the youth with the addition of little more beats and zing to the original track.

These films may not have done well at the box office but their peppy numbers were hit thanks to the use of EDM, in which one doesn’t have to be very artistic but aim for fun.

One such example is the music of this year’s released “Housefull 3,” which delivered two hits, including “Pyar Ki” and “Taang Uthake” to celebrate the 2016’s party season in the best way possible.

“Befikre” title track, which has been composed by Vishal- Shekhar, Jaideep Sahni and singer Benny Dayal, helped continue the fun of generic, trendy and youthful tune.