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Swaying to shlokas
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The increasing popularity of lounge bars and chilled-out party places has encouraged DJ Vijay to specialise in sublime music
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A few metres from the newly-opened Garuda Mall on Magrath Road, tucked away in a quiet corner, is a three-storey building which houses the country's first Lounge Bar. Step inside and you are greeted with the soothing, smooth sounds of music, inspired by the traditional sounds of various cultures of the world. Walk up to the second floor and you discover the source of the music, DJ Vijay on the turntables of Cosmo Village.
Quiet guy
Compared to the likes of the so-called "happening" DJs in town, Darjeeling-born Vijay Arora may not be a name that is familiar to the regular party animal. That's not in the least surprising as he is in no way like any other DJ. He is probably the only DJ in town who focuses exclusively on lounge and world music. He says: "I do agree that on a Saturday you need to shake a leg, but there are times when you just want to sit back, relax and strike a conversation with a friend over a drink or two, with some soothing music playing in the background. That is precisely the kind of music I play." Ask him to describe lounge music and this is what he says: "It is music that is sublime, but not boring. You hear it even while you are talking to your friend, but it doesn't hamper your conversation. It doesn't pound inside your head, but relaxes you and makes you feel the music." He adds: "Lounge music goes hand in hand with world music, which is basically the music inspired by the native, folk and classical music from different cultures and countries. It could be anything from Bohemian chants to Indian ragas to one of my favourite genres of world music, which incorporates Arabic rhythms."
DJ VJ, "Doctor", as he prefers to be called, began his DJing career in 2001 at Styx, where he ironically played heavy metal and rock, before moving over to Cosmo Village two years later. A few months back, he began playing at the new spa-lounge in town, Taika. These days, Vijay plays at Taika on Wednesdays and Thursdays and at Cosmo Village the rest of the days.
In recent months, Vijay has been treading on a territory, which most people are wary of. He is incorporating traditional Shlokas with lounge music. "We have artistes who use Arabic prayers and Buddhist chants. I do not see the reason why Indian traditional teachings should not be incorporated into contemporary world music," he says.
And he doesn't foresee any threat by the "culture police". "To be very frank, listeners are strongly supportive of me when I play Shloka tracks. I have even created a new track called Sumathi, where I have set a Sanskrit Shloka against world music beats. The culture policemen interfere only if you impose something forcibly. Here, I am only enlightening listeners, and leaving the choice to them to oppose or accept me, and so far, it has been undivided acceptance all through," adds a confident Vijay.
When asked on a definitive list of world and lounge music tracks that are omnipresent on his playlist, all he had to say was: "Unlike other DJs, I do not have a planned play list before every show. I look and feel the crowd and mould my music according to the mood. On a Tuesday evening, I am probably playing some breezy tunes, which are low on BPM (Beats Per Minute) count, and on a Saturday, I play more vocal and comparatively louder records. It all depends on the ambience."
Well, seems like it's time to groove to something different this weekend.
A. VISHNU
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