Having been exposed to various sounds – rock to techno, Indian classical to jazz – DJ Avantika Bakshi today appreciates all kinds of music and strongly believes in bending the diverse genres. As she gets ready to perform tonight at Imperfecto Shor alongside DJ Bullzeye, the Delhi artist takes out time to tell us about her journey.
For Bakshi, music was an intrinsic part of her life. Although she majored in business and entered the corporate world in 2011, the zeal to pursue music only grew stronger. “In 2014, I enrolled at Dubspot, a music school in New York. I took a short course in music production and DJing. Following which, I made my debut in India in 2015.” Later that year, Bakshi participated in the Sunburn Festival.
Last year, Bakshi made her international debut in Berlin, followed by Rome at Maharaja of Jaipur’s birthday, and was recently in Amsterdam for a show. “I was trained in Indian vocals for six years. I participated in school bands and college dances for which I used to cut and paste music. Every opportunity exposed me to various forms of music and that’s how I have learnt to appreciate music. It was a natural progression to what I’ve achieved today,” says Bakshi, who has found her niche in playing house, deep house, progressive house and deep techno. She sticks to playing four by four, which means music with four beats per bar.
Inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, Bakshi’s sound is a blend of East and West. “Five years ago, I randomly started attending Gita classes. There I learnt that my mother used attend the same class when she was pregnant with me, and it was pointed out to me that this might be a reason for my coming to classes. It was the same time my musical journey began. So Gita also had a big influence on the sets that I was developing.” Borrowing from the conversation between Krishna and Arjun, her first set was a fusion of Indian sound from a sitar and a tabla with something more Western. Bakshi still attends these classes every Monday and Wednesday. “When I come back from class, I feel more inspired to search for music. These two days of the week I’m always on the lookout for music and getting in touch with people to explore more.”
As with most female artistes, entering a male-dominated industry was a challenge. “I can’t put a finger to an incident but there were a lot of hiccups in my way. It was overwhelming at first. There were a lot of doubts: whether a woman would able to deliver the same experience. However, I’ve had good times when men have been really supportive. Another issue was to break into the system as a particular promoter is used to booking a particular person.”
Bakshi was with an agency for a year but has been flying solo for three years now. But she’s has been able to blend in, more so because of the increasing appreciation for electronic music. “I’m hopeful,” she signs off.
What: Imperfecto Shor Club
Where: Hotel Pride Plaza, Hospitality District Asset 5A, Aerocity, Delhi 110037
Date: Today
Time: 10 pm onwards
Contact- +91 99991 23247