'I always listen to what I want to play'

This Bengaluru-based DJ has been making waves in the music scene and party circuit and performed at the recently-held ‘RESET’, a concert featuring a host of Indian DJs, in the City.

Having grown up in Lebanon and Canada, Praveen Acharya returned to Bengaluru a few years ago and his fame has only been growing by leaps and bounds. “I have always liked playing in the City and that’s why I shifted here. It has always had the audience that is willing to accept any kind of music. People want to explore more sounds here,” he notes.

He has been playing at a number of gigs in different cities and feels that the bigger the event, the better the experience. “Most of the big events that I have played at have worked out better that I expected. The buzz that’s created helps bring many people who aren’t much into this kind of music for the shows. In fact, many of my friends who don’t follow dance music have come for these concerts too.”

Praveen describes his music as “progressive”. “It starts somewhere and leads to something. Though it can be called a more progressive set, I will not call myself
a progressive house DJ. My music falls in between house and techno. I probably
wouldn’t play hip-hop,” he informs.
 
Though he likes to be spontaneous, he also plans a little about what he is going to play. “I always listen to what I want to play before a show. I want to have an idea of where it will and whether it would suit the vibes on the floor. And of course, no matter how many years you have played, it’s still a little unnerving if the crowd spontaneously challenges you,” he says.

 “Every place that you play at has a different vibe. It may be in the same city and you may see a few familiar faces. But the attitude on the whole of each crowd differs.”
Praveen wants to play in Mumbai, where he has played only once so far. Recalling some of his most memorable moments, he says he enjoyed playing at two places thoroughly with one of them being Bengaluru.

 “I recently played at Indigo Live and got a great reaction. As a DJ, you always want to play new music without having the crowd react in a wrong manner. I didn’t feel like closing that day,” he recalls.

“Another memorable concert was in Pune, where I played for six hours! I have had a number of DJs asking me how can you play for just an hour as that’s the time you take to warm up,” he adds. He enjoyed playing in Hubballi too. “I didn’t know what to expect there as the people aren’t exposed to music as much but it was an amazing experience,” he notes.