With pub parties and other public gatherings seeming to be only a remote possibility for the foreseeable future, given the current health crisis, DJs in the country are moving online and party lovers are following them.
In Chennai, DJ Bala has been conducting virtual shows for the last 11 weeks.
The popular DJ holds his weekly session called ‘The Sunday Show’ on Mix Cloud. "I started this show in mid-April to spread positivity and joy through music in this time of distress" says Bala.
On all Sundays, he plays retro music with 70’s, 80s and 90s Pop and Rock & Roll.
"There is an exclusive request hour also, where I play audience choices randomly,” he says. DJ Bala plays the songs for free. "I just want to see happy faces and I am doing my bit towards that during a bad time," he shares, adding, “people tune in from all across the globe to listen to their favourite music and forget their worries for those three hours."
Last week he had a special session. "One of my dearest friends, Chahath Malhotra, who had tested positive for Covid-19, had successfully beaten the virus. So, I asked her to participate in the show and share her experience," he says.
Admitting that it feels ‘a little strange’ to do online shows after having played in front of crowds for years, he says “when you play a song at a party or event, you get an instant reaction from the crowd, and can gauge whether to change the track or go on with it. But that’s not the case when you are going online. I really miss the crowd and I want it back.”
He hopes to go back to doing live shows once the virus is contained.
