Playing to the gallery!

Many musicians in India have travelled abroad and won accolades from the audience. So, why should our DJs, based in Bengaluru, be left behind? Over the past few years, many DJs from the city have been invited to places like Thailand, New Zealand, Taiwan, Europe, the USA and many more. We spoke to three such DJs, who have travelled abroad extensively, namely, Teri Miko, DJ Carl and DJ Rony.

Teri Miko, an EDM DJ, has toured 25 countries which include most of Europe, MiddleEast, Africa and Asia. “One particular event in Taiwan will always remain engraved in my mind because it was well organised. Also, the cops busted the party right at its peak. It reminded me so much of India. If the organisers promote not just your posters but also your music, you can expect the right kind of people to come to your show. That is when you have the most fun. That is why I prefer playing abroad a lot,” says DJ Teri, who is originally from Ukraine.

Commercial DJs also get invited to play outside India for the popular music that they play. Since there are Indians staying in many major cities around the world, the demand for Bollywood and popular music has increased over the years.

“Bollywood and popular English music is my specialty. I have mostly played in Bangkok and Phuket. I have also been invited to the big fat Indian weddings and award functions that take place abroad. At a recent wedding, people were going crazy over songs like 'Badtameez Dil' and 'Dilli Wali Girlfriend'. I even played Bengali and Punjabi songs on request. It is good to know that people outside India appreciate the music you play," says Bengaluru-based DJ Rony.

Psychedelic trance is very popular abroad. The genre mainly consists of rhythmic upbeat music which can get the crowd going like never before. “I played at a festival in Copenhagen on November 7. Psy-trance is my specialty but the crowd in New Zealand is not quite used to this genre. Every one who played before me played progressive trance. I changed it a little and played Goa Trance and slowly moved to Morning Goa Trance which goes above 140 BPM. So, at 3 am, I could see a section of the crowd forming a moshpit and headbanging, which is not common to any form of trance," says DJ Carl Patrao who is associated with Vantara Vichitra Records.