On a spinning spree

Though the current music scene in Bengaluru is slightly “confused”, according to DJ Deepak, it still is pretty happening. Deepak, who plays at the popular Skyye Lounge in the City, has spent many years in the industry and continues to entertain music-lovers with his edgy tunes and unusual mixes.

He entered the music scene in 1999 and has been witness to all the different trends in it.His musical career had a humble beginning — playing soul and rare groove cuts in a block party. “I was actually a cricketer before I turned musician. But in the late 90s, the crowd and music were simply amazing. That’s when I decided that I should become a DJ. I can safely say that Bengaluru made me a DJ,” he notes. He gradually went on to become a resident DJ at IBar, Insomnia, Hypnos, Club X and Athena to name a few. Currently, apart from playing at Skyye, he also handles artist’s programming for Blimey and Skyye among other places and conceptualises events, execution and production. “I handle social media events now and take to DJing during the weekends,” he notes.

Over the years, the music industry has grown manifold and DJ Deepak has been a clear witness to it.

Speaking of the many changes in the industry, he says, “When I started off, the internet was not so big and it was tough to get hold of music. We mainly had rock, hip-hop and disco. But slowly, things changed and house music became more popular. Around 2005-06, a lot of new software came in and people were introduced to electronic music and now, electronic dance music (EDM) is the in-thing. The other genres like hip-hop and rock are fading.” 

However, he feels that this is not a bad thing. “In every industry, the trends keep changing every time and everything has a lifespan. So the same will be the case for EDM. But thanks to these changing trends, one can learn a lot,” he notes.   

Playing music in a City like Bengaluru is definitely a delightful experience as he says, “It’s smaller compared to the other cities and the scene is extremely good.” Even the crowd coming in to enjoy the music has increased considerably.

“When I started playing here, there was a crowd of 300 to 400 people earlier. But now, around 1,300 people come in,” he exclaims.
 
Catering to the party crowd every weekend, he has a special set called ‘Sunday Sundowner’, every Sunday at Skyye. “I start at around 6 pm and go on till 11 pm. As time goes on, I like to take everyone to a different level with my music.”

Deepak likes to travel and does so thanks to his work.

“I played at Supersonic in Goa and also opened for Steve Aioki,” he exclaims.

With one of his inspirations being Hardwell, he describes his work as “happy music”.

“Now, I am slowly getting into producing and like making my own mixes,” he says.