Bhangra And Beyond
DJ Rekha aka Rekha Malhotra is DJ, producer, curator, educator, and activist. Named ambassador of bhangra by the New York Times, she has been instrumental in placing bhangra on the map in North America. Rooted in bhangra and hip-hop her DJ sets range from Brazilian Baile Funk to Balkan Beats and everything in between. She is founder and resident of Basement Bhangra one NYC’s longest running dance parties. This week serves up a requisite bhangra bangers and new dancehall tinged tracks by Jassi Sidhu and a Canadian bhangra legends- Jazzy B and Harbachan Mann. The beyond portion rocks out with the Kominas, Junoon, and an unlikely collaboration with pop bhangra and now Bollywood sensation, Daler Mendhi.
DJ Rekha
5/29, Darkroom, Chicago, IL
6/2 Basement Bhangra at SOBs, New York, NY
6/25 Levitt Pavillon MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, CA
DJ Dips
Jazzy B
recommendations
Aliah Sheffield is the singer/songwriter also known as Nikkie Aliah. Her song, “Earth is Ghetto,” recently went viral and she chatted with Nikkiesha about what led her to her viral moment, her musical inspirations, and what she hopes and plans to do next… oh, and tequila. This podcast is… | listen
The Helen Keller hoax possesses the toxicity of a traditional conspiracy theory even if it doesn't quite fit the definition. | read
The March edition of Spotlight on the City features bands and musicians from Birmingham, Alabama. | listen
Bartees Cox is a songwriter and producer who spent years playing in bands in Brooklyn before making the move to Washington, DC, where his solo project, Bartees Strange, took focus and grew - from an album of reinterpretations of The National’s music to his stunning full-length, genre-bending… | watch
Whether you're a metalhead or not, this NYC trio will have you wrapped up in its soothing dark thrashers. | read
Ben details his experience of contracting the coronavirus back in late February/early March of 2020, before lockdowns shut NYC down. He also shares how the city and local indie rock scene he’s a part of reacted to the pandemic. | watch