What started as a hobby for DJ Raytrix soon became a full-fledged profession and today, he is counted among the best DJs in the country. In this interview, his love for DJ-ing, journey so far, his style of music and more.
How and when did your journey as a DJ start?
I started my career as a DJ in 2005 after finishing tenth grade. It started as a hobby but after I finished my MBA course, I realised this is what I love doing and decided to pursue it as a full-time profession. Right now, I am the resident DJ at Kitty Su, Mumbai. Earlier, I was associated with Club Royalty in Bandra. Apart from India, I have been playing in Barcelona, Vienna, Zurich and Dubai. I have won twelve ‘War Of DJs’ so far.
A lot of people think being a DJ is easy and do not understand that mixing is an art.
Yes, majority of the people think it is about putting two songs together. As a DJ, you must know the key of the song, the tempo and most importantly, the crowd you are playing for. If the crowd wants to listen to Bollywood music, you cannot play trance. There are different types of mixing and a DJ should have a good knowledge about it. When you are switching from one track to another, it should be a smooth and seamless transition.
Did you undergo any training to become a DJ?
No, I never had any formal training. But, I used to be a senior instructor at a music academy and used to teach digital DJing and basic DJing to students. Unlike other DJs, most of the times, I prefer playing on turntable.
Do you have any aim to get into Bollywood?
To be honest, my only goal is to just play music as this is what I love doing. I have played for several film and TV personalities like Salman Khan, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Anurag Kashyap, Karan Wahi, Karan Grover and Ayesha Jhulka, among others but I have no specific plans to get into Bollywood. Right now, I am looking at doing a lot of international gigs.
How would you define your style of music?
Bollywood is my forte and I love hip-hop as well. I want to bring to the fore a genre called Bollywood hip-hop. A lot of people are doing it but they hesitate from playing it at shows. I love playing hip-hop and Bollywood music on turntables.