We are as modern and cool as the West, says 'The Don' DJ Aqeel
A random Facebook post informed me that DJ Aqeel Ali was set to play at a Delhi lounge. The accompanying video showed Aqeel making a grand entry, flirting effortlessly with the camera, the hood sliding off his head as the music builds up. I blamed this intense lack of creativity on his PR team, and decided to give him a chance.
After all, DJ Aqeel, also known as 'The Don', is the Shah Rukh Khan of the world of deejaying. He is arguably India's number one DJ, a man who makes everyone dance to his tunes – from the Ambanis to the Bachchans. He is also the father of almost all Bollywood remixes - albeit accused by purists of butchering some timeless melodies.
Two days before the event, I set up an interview with Aqeel at the lounge. He promised me a slot around 9:30PM, before his set started. However, on the day of the interview I was over 30 minutes late. In my head I was trying to convince Aqeel to give me a little time after he finished performing.
I beat him to the venue by 10 minutes.
P is for Punjabi
Aqeel sauntered in with a bunch of sidekicks. The lounge came alive with endless hugging and air-kissing, and the striving for the perfect selfie. Aqeel seemed used to this fuss and played along with grace, almost like a Bollywood celeb, enjoying the spotlight like his fundamental right.
After a rather long wait, mostly spent with his sidekicks, he took charge of the console to excited cheers from the crowd. The show had begun. The showman was here.
My heart sank as Aqeel played his first song – a commercial Punjabi number. His next was a commercial Hindi song - 'Badri ki Dulhaniya'. And then there was no stopping him. Punjabi. Bollywood. Bollywood. Punjabi. He danced. He jumped. He clapped his hands. All the while he kept cooing into the mike: “Delhi, are you ready to parrrrttttyyy?”
Within half an hour of Aqeel on the console, hope had died a premature death. Soon, the performer in Aqeel got the better of him. As he played one song after another, the lounge seemed like just another club. It didn't matter, nor was it apparent, that it was the “The Don” who was playing. Or that he was India's best DJ.
D is for doom
“D for DJ, D for Don, D for Delhi...D for Donkey” - he smiled into the mike, showing off his dimples and laughing. His sidekicks grinned.
Delhi had lost its mind. Blame it on the city's habit to binge-drink, or its love for euphoria, it was too drunk to register anything – least of all the music - which should have been signature Aqeel. And if this was signature Aqeel – the best India had to offer – then we have a long, long way to go.
Attending an Aqeel gig was like going for a Shah Rukh Khan movie which has opened to packed houses – the movie may well be a disaster, but everyone goes, because well – there's SRK in it. Everyone goes even though this is no arty movie, just a regular masala Bollywood flick with a happy ending.
Like SRK, Aqeel knows how to humour everyone with his masala music, he can be flamboyant and modest at the same time, he can be aloof and play the star and the people's person – all at once. This is a trait that makes Aqeel remarkable, not quite his music, at least not the kind of music that he played at this gig.
If he has some hidden musical genius which only the Ambanis and the Bachchans have witnessed – well, then we will have to get used to this great musical divide between the haves and the have-nots.
Unfortunately, Aqeel is the role model for almost all deejays. All trying to ape his style - hood and all, his goofy announcements on the mike, etc.
A Question of Answers
My interview did not happen at the lounge. There was too much sound, too many sidekicks, and too many selfie-clicking distractions.
Two days later in an email interview, Aqeel tried to clear the air about his choice of music – but it left me with more questions than answers.
Edited excerpts:
LH: You are considered to be the No.1 DJ in India and have held that mantle for almost two decades now. How does it feel to have no competition? How does it feel to have so many clones of you?
AA: God and my fans have been kind. I never thought for two decades I would be a DJ. But when I look back, and in the present all my concerts, night clubs, bars, go full time (sic). I also play at corporate parties and weddings and try and rock them all.
LH: What you have done to retro music is groundbreaking, you've taken it to another level by rekindling a love for it even amongst millennials. Do you feel as passionately about Punjabi music as well? Why is there so much interest in Punjabi music? Is it the beat that works well for the dance floor? Are we guilty of stagnating the growth of other forms of music by over-emphasising on Punjabi?
AA: I love Punjabi music. It's rocking and full of energy. Some of my best friends are all from Uttar Pradesh, or from north India. In fact, my Bollywood set has 40 to 50 per cent Punjabi music. Also, now Bollywood has so much Punjabi in it, 50 percent of the time I play in northern India. I am also making lots of official Punjabi music remixes.
LH: Does the music that you decide to play at a club impromptu - a reflection on the audience/venue - or you have a plan up your sleeve before you descend on the venue?
AA: I carry all tricks up my sleeve so once I arrive at a party or venue I just see the people, feel their vibe and go with the flow.
LH: What's your favourite kind of music?
AA: I love Tropical House, EDM, commercial music and lots of lots of Hindi and Punjabi.
LH: Who are the DJs that you look up to?
AA: I love Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren, Hardwell, Calvin Harris – all of them are top class.
LH: Why is deejaying increasingly becoming more about style and less about substance?
AA: It's about substance with style. You have to carry out both equally.
LH: With deejaying becoming a free-for-all shouldn't some checks and measures be put in place to raise the bar, much like any other profession?
AA: Great question. Of course, there are checks and measures. It's not just your following on social media but your remixes, official tracks, also your events and gigs. How well they are attended, and your repeat order from the same place, and the client party, pretty much says it all.
LH: How does the clubbing and deejaying scene in India compare with the rest of the world?
AA: We are as modern and cool as the West. We have the best of the deejays coming now to play in our country. Our service is top class, our décor is outstanding, we are right there - with the best of the best.
My future plans are to keep rocking people, make lots of remixes and original music.
Postscript: “D for DJ, D for Don, D for Delhi.....D for Donkey”. I felt like one.
First published: 27 May 2017, 17:38 IST
