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Pitching it right (left to right) DJ Savoy, DJ Shani and DJ Arun are some of the few DJs rocking the city folks with their music

A must-have at all happening dos, DJs are now busy moving and shaking the dance floors across the country and in the city too. While the trend of DJs seems to be relatively new to the city, DJ Shani begs to differ: “Actually the trend of playing music to a crowd started way back in the late 80’s. Hotel Lucia had a discothèque then and we used to play the 70’s rock there. However, we were unaware that our profession was termed ’Disc Jockey’ then. The DJ awareness started in, I guess, the mid-90’s.”

Although dancing to the music was more popular amongst foreigners who visited the city, the trend is fast changing. Says DJ Aldrin: “Till, say two or three years ago, DJ nights would see a dismal crowd of city folk. Seeing a woman on the dance floor was a rarity. However, this year I saw women shaking their legs and the dance floor packed.”

The DJs feel the trend marks the change in outlook of the denizens in the city. “People are gradually turning cosmopolitan. But there is still a lot more to improve. For instance, women are still stared at if they start dancing. That will soon change though, once a clubbing culture starts. In fact it has started as hotels are dedicating one night a week to the DJs,” says Arun.

So, what kind of music gets the party started? According to the DJs, Bollywood numbers are what the denizens of the city like to groove too. “Yeah, the crowd prefers tracks they know and can sing along too. Bollywood tracks rule as of now as does Bhangra and remixes of old Bollywood numbers,” says Aldrin.

But DJ Savoy, who is known across the country for his mixing the crème-de-la-crème of music, says that he is observing a change. One of three DJs who plays every Friday at Muthoot Plaza, he says: “The city-folks are now open to club music (a mix of house, funky house, electro...). At first when we introduced the genre, the dancers would stop. But now after squeezing in a couple of tracks in between while they were on the dance floor, we now play 25 tracks and no one stops.”

Club music, according to Savoy, is the current hit across the cosmopolitan cities. “Whatever plays there, we play here too. While the crowd in Bangalore dances to a mixture of music - mostly club, the people here need to be educated on the kind of music available,” says Savoy.

Those who have watched ‘Pyar Ki Side Effect’ will recall the scene where Rahul Bose as a DJ for Mallika Sherawat’s wedding, had to play a song over and over again, and when he protested, was threatened with a gun. Does that happen? “Oh, that’s nothing new, you face such crowds often but sans guns of course,” says Arun with a grin. “‘Om Shanti Om’ and ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ remixes are the most encored numbers right now,” he adds.

Although the DJs admit that playing the right music to get the crowd moving is important, Shani says light and sound play important roles too.

But what about looking the part of a DJ? “A DJ can wear and look as he pleases as long as he delivers good music. Music is what’s important,” says Savoy.

So, what makes a good DJ? Says Savoy: “It is a mixture of things. A good ear for music and knowledge to differentiate what’s retro, what’s R&B, rave, techno…, how to mix it. You need an ability to read the crowd and give them what they want. But most of all to get them on the dance floor.”

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