Dhamaal presents the latest dubplates and classics from top flight DJs and producers from around the planet. With 7 years of producing music, events and art Janaka Selekta, Maneesh the Twister and Dhruva bring you sounds from their exclusive vaults - sounds that you will only hear at a Dhamaal show or on Radio Dhamaal.
DJ Rekha
Nominated best DJ by New York Magazine, selected by the New York Times Magazine as "one of the ten women of downtown music (3/17/02)" and named one of the most influential South Asians in the United States by Newsweek magazine (3/22/04), DJ Rekha is a cultural instigator that has put bhangra music on the map in North America. Not just an authority and scene creator for South Asian dance music, Rekha, is recognized as a selector with an extraordinary musical range. She was recently tapped for her eclectic musical palate by Sarah Jones for her Obie Award winning one woman show Bridge and Tunnel (produced by Meryl Streep). Rekha was a 2004 Lincoln Center Artist in the world premiere of Transmetropolitan, a multi-media collaboration of international artist curated by DJ Spooky. When not playing alongside, Outkast, The Roots, LeTigre, Devo, Rah Digga, or hosting her legendary Basement Bhangra and Bollywood Disco nights, DJ Rekha, the activist, is raising funds and awareness for a diverse range of causes. Rekha serves on the boards of Breakthrough, a human rights organization, and Pop and Politics. Her production company, Sangament (sangam is Hindi for confluence -- a place where two rivers flow together), produces live concerts and provides music consulting services to record labels, cultural institutions, media companies, and corporations. Rekha also lectures extensively at colleges and institutions about DJing and cultural production.
Kidd Skilly - N/A
Manu Narayan Manu Narayan is probably best known as creating the "hero"- Akaash in the hit Andrew Lloyd Webber/ A.R. Rahman Broadway musical Bombay Dreams which played to 1800 people eight times a week for over 9 months. He received a 2004 Drama League recognition for his work as well as numerous awards in the South Asian American and Indian Communities. Manu grew up in Delmont, PA, a little town outside of Pittsburgh where he showed an affinity for music, dance, and drama at a very young age. In addition to being an actor he has studied dance, and is an award winning saxophonist both in the western classical and in the Indian karnatic style of music- which he studied under the master Kadri Gopalnath in Mangalore, India. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. Manu is currently working on recording original music with the Stemsel Brothers. He debuted two new singles AYA and La Manilla at the Roseland Ballroom for 2006 Bollywood Fashion awards which he also hosted. He is very honored to have worked with his friend Samrat Chakrabarti in co-writing and recording "Help Me to Find". Manu is also very honored to have the recoding be a part of his friends Rohi and Rehana's film Hiding Divya.
Meetu Chilana Meetu is a singer, actress, and tv host. She has been performing since the beautiful age of 5, at times driving her encouraging family and friends crazy with her tireless singing. Studying jazz since she was 16, you can find Meetu singing with her trio at various venues around NYC. Besides jazz, she is moved by Punjabi and Hindi folklore, Pop, R&B/Soul, and all types of Latin music. She recently graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and is currently collaborating with various producers on original material for release in the near future. Keep your eye out for the music video of Hiding Divya's original song, "Lost." Check out www.meetuchilana.com for updates and more information.