DJ Amit Saxena, who has performed at international cricket matches, IPL, ICC T20 World Cup and other events, is now making his entry into Bollywood. He is doing a remix of ‘Raataan Lambiyan’ from the film Shershah for a leading music company.
From being a DJ in Hyderabad, Amit has come a long way. He says, “Music has always been my passion. I was the only person in my school who was updated with music. Throughout my college days, I was known for my knowledge and inclination towards music. When I entered the profession, it was quite challenging. A lot of people were prejudiced, and felt, 'Hyderabad ka DJ hai kya karlega'. DJ-ing wasn't viewed as a main or long-term profession. But once they saw my work, the prejudice started melting away.”
The DJ says, “As I performed at different places, people started to recognize me. Someone from the BCCI saw me perform at an event and offered me a chance to perform at the World Cup. I was also invited to perform for Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) and since they liked my work, they called me for the IPL.”
Amit says he hasn’t been able to perform at the IPL for two consecutive years, since the dates clashed with other events he had already committed to.
Describing his experience while DJ-ing for his first international match - the India vs New Zealand ODI at Hyderabad, he said “the crowd went bonkers. Everyone cheered and had a good time; but I was worried that if we lose, then the happiness would end. Thankfully, India won with a huge margin and I still remember the vibe of that day very fondly.”
Talking about remixes, he says, “People’s preferences have changed since I entered the profession 15 years ago. DJ-ing is all about interaction with the audience. I make and mix music according to the changing preferences of the people and the kind of vibe they like. I keep track of what the audience enjoys and whenever I see them vibe heavily with a particular song, I play it for a long time. I note whenever they cheer the loudest and play similar music.”
During the pandemic, industries across the board saw business dip and suffered losses. The live music and nightlife scene was no exception. “The pandemic was a horrible time. Our industry is the first to get hit during difficult times. The pandemic has set me five years back in my career and financially. As bars and clubs were closed and other events were not happening, many shifted to doing live shows on Facebook, Insta Live etc. But for me, the kick comes by listening to the audience scream, hoot and react. That gives me the josh. With remixing in the virtual world, the whole essence of live audience interaction, which is my driving force, was gone; so it was very hard to even do any mixing. There was a time when I had stopped downloading songs altogether,” shares Amit.
The DJ plans to make remixes for the Tollywood industry too. "This city has given me a lot of things. I've gotten my very first recognition as a professional DJ from Hyderabad. I've even learnt a lot from Telugu songs, just as I've learnt from Gujarati, Marathi and Hindi songs," he stresses.
