DJ Rekha Papers

Creator: DJ Rekha

History: Often credited for introducing bhangra and British Asian music to North American audiences, DJ Rekha is a producer, activist, and musician. Named one of the most influential South Asians in the United States by Newsweek, DJ Rekha was proclaimed by “one of the ten women of downtown music” by the New York Times Magazine. From the 1997 launch of Basement Bhangra, a monthly party held at New York City’s SOBs, to Mutiny, which she co-founded with filmmaker, DJ, and MIT professor Vivek Bald, DJ Rekha has been instrumental in establishing a South Asian music scene in the United States.

With gigs in cities around the world including New York, London, Mumbai, Toronto, New Delhi, and Washington D.C., she has established herself professionally in South Asia and its diaspora, and has been featured at the Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturdays, Bronx Museums Bounce nights, Soundlab, P.S. 1’s Warm Up, and Central Park’s Summerstage concert series, among other venues. In addition, she has appeared in several publications including, the New York Times, Village Voice, Times of India, and Billboard Magazine. Soon after she was born, Rekha’s family moved from the United Kingdom to India, after which they settled in Long Island, New York. While a student at Queens College, Rekha began her career as a DJ during a stint at a community radio station. Her commitment to issues of social justice and gender equality led her to become involved with SAKHI for South Asian Women. She currently serves on the board of Breakthrough, a media and human rights organization, and Pop and Politics, and is committed to exploring the intersections between activism and cultural production.

In 2000, she founded Sangament, a production and music consulting company which has debuted several British Asian artists in the United States including Panjabi MC, Andy Smith, Bally Sagoo, Apache Indian, and Asian Dub Foundation. In addition, Sangament now produces Basement Bhangra and Bollywood Disco.In 2006-2007, DJ Rekha was an artist-in-residence at New York University’s Asian/Pacific/American Institute, during which time she created a radio documentary exploring the global bhangra scene and taught a course on South Asian Popular Culture. In 2007, on the tenth anniversary of Basement Bhangra’s inception, she released her first album, “DJ Rekha Presents Basement Bhangra.”

Sources: Asian/Pacific/American Institute at New York University. “Artist-in-Residence – DJ Rekha.” Accessed February 2, 2015. http://bit.ly/1zvLRfi.