DJ Rekha (born Rekha Malhotra, 1971) is a London-born musician, DJ, producer, curator, activist. They have been credited with pioneering Bhangra music in North America.[1] Their first album, DJ Rekha Presents Basement Bhangra, released in October 2007 on Koch Records, fuses the Indian genre of bhangra music with international hip-hop and drum beats.
DJ Rekha spent the first year of their life in London, and the following three years in New Delhi, India.[2] They credit this time in India as critical for exposure to Punjabi, the primary language of bhangra. They returned to London briefly until their family moved to Queens, New York. DJ Rekha spent most of their adolescence in Westbury, Long Island and currently lives in Jackson Heights, Queens.[3] They graduated from Queens College with a degree in Urban Studies while simultaneously experimenting and honing their craft on the turntables.[4]
Music
[edit]Bhangra dancers at DJ Rekha's "Basement Bhangra" show at SOBs, in 2011
DJ Rekha launched a monthly event known as Basement Bhangra at SOB'sonVarick Street.[5] From 1997 - 2017, Basement Bhangra popularized the traditional-modern bhangra blend, making the genre a part of the NYC club scene.[6] The final 20th anniversary show was held at Central Park's Summerstage on August 6, 2017.[7][8]
Their debut album, DJ Rekha Presents Basement Bhangra, is a 17 track mix CD with four exclusive tracks including two original productions from Rekha.[15] In this album, DJ Rekha collaborated with Wyclef Jean, Panjabi MC, and Bikram Singh, among others.[16] The album weaves Punjabi folk traditions, dance hall rhythms from the U.S., U.K. and Jamaica, and DJ techniques that are 100% New York.[17]
Since 2010, DJ Rekha has hosted 'Bhangra and Beyond', a weekly radio show on BTRtoday.[18]
In 2000, DJ Rekha founded Sangament (sangam is Hindi for "confluence" — a place where two rivers flow together), a production company that produces live concerts and provides music consulting services to record labels, cultural institutions, media companies, and corporations.[20] DJ Rekha produces live events and her monthly parties, Basement Bhangra and Bollywood Disco through Sangament, Inc.[21]
DJ Rekha founded Basement Bhangra in 1997 in New York. It occurred on the first Thursday of every month and became an international phenomenon, drawing an extremely diverse audience.[22] It started with dance lessons and then turned into a dance party. It received international press, being featured on the cover of Billboard magazine and in Dutch and Japanese television.[23]
^Maira, Sunaina, 1969- (2002). Desis in the house : Indian American youth culture in New York City. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN978-1-4399-0673-6. OCLC663885761.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
