CHENNAI: He’s worked with everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Madonna. And a typical year in his life includes a minumum of 200 plane rides — to reach audiences in all sorts of exotic locales. So when Fadil El Ghoul aka DJ R3hab visited the city for a weekend of partying and dancing at Sunburn last month — it wasn’t surprising that the crowd shook a leg and a whole lot more. We caught up with the Dutch master of spin the electronic tech way (or email) after his trip to find out his what his favourite moments in namma Chennai were:
We’re hope you’re over the jetlag. What did you enjoy the most about your time here?
It’s nice to see the people in India embracing dance music. I definitely felt the energy and the love from the crowd. I was most looking forward to performing, but always look forward to Indian food! I must have Butter Chicken whenever I do a desi trip.
What are you working on right now?
I just finished a remix for Calvin Harris, as well as a new collaboration.
Are there any desi DJs/musicians you would like to collaborate with?
There are so many talented young DJs & producers that are up and coming in the Indian music scene, I’d love to collaborate with some of them.
Most people unwind to music. But you’re working with sound all day. What do you do to relax?
When I’m in a new city, I explore it like a tourist! Otherwise I love to watch movies.
We hear you keep some pretty crazy schedules between working on your music and travelling.How many plane rides would you approximate you take a year?
My typical day involves finishing a show, going to the hotel, getting a little sleep (or sometimes just taking a shower), leaving for the airport, flying to the next city, driving to the next hotel, going to the venue to sound check, going to the hotel for dinner or to relax, heading to the show to perform… I take around 200 flights a year! No, I’m not kidding.