I don’t remember going to a DJ night in the recent past. Singing along and even shaking a leg to all the Bollywood hits. It is always fascinating to me to realise how I know all the lyrics to these songs, even without listening to them actively.
But come Holi or Diwali or Ganapati and everywhere I go, I hear the same songs blaring out of powerful speakers. Ocassionally I enjoy listening to the songs, and tapping my foot to the beats. Growing up, this would be a common phenomenon in my neighborhood. Before exams, while being sick, at nightime, the DJ would keel spinning beats that would start as a hindrance but soon become part of background noise.
Not much has changed since then. Oho kitna tadpave still is a hot favourite but more recently Zingaat and other local favourites have infiltrated the playlist. This is also essentially the same playlist that comes on in posh clubs after midnight. After the crowd has had its fair share of western music, the natural progression to Bollywood marks the zenith of the night.
As you move to the maharashtrian dominated areas you realise the influence of aagri and koli folk songs on the playlist. Retiwala Navra, and Waat Baghtoy Rickshawallah – two locally produced songs have become staple over the last 2 decades. Likewise, songs speaking of fishing, of the local village goddess and of adventures on the sea have come to become a part of our DJ night culture.
Many years ago, I thought being a DJ would be so cool. Thousands of souls moving to the beats of your turntable. It was a shortlived dream but if I were to ever DJ for any occassiona, Rickshawallah and Zingaat will definitely make an appearance on my set.
