CHENNAI: DJs play a major role in any party. Their tracks can make a dull party lively or vice versa. While most DJs prefer playing their tracks alone, here is a DJ couple who can bring anyone to the dance floor. Meet DJs Navz and Deepika Nikkam. Navz, a 25-year-old, has been in this field for seven years now.
“I consider this an art. You can learn it in a short span I learnt the art of DJing from DJ Cave, a turntable artiste, who inspired me,” says Navz, who has also won a few DJ competitions in the country.
Keeping in mind the interest of his audience, Navz plays anything from modern day hip-hop to commercial music.
As a couple, Navz and Deepika have done only four premium shows. Deepika prefers to be called an artiste rather than a DJ. She manages their startup company DJsforU and does visual DJ while Navz does only audio DJ. “Being the only couple DJ in town feels wonderful,” she smiles.
Ask them what the crowd likes and they say the music depends on the venue. “For instance, we play commercial music and Bollywood numbers in a club while in private functions, we keep it regional. Often the crowd requests EDM,” says Navz.
The couple also performed at India Celebration Day, Seychelles. They did audio-visual DJing, where you see what you hear. “The people there had never seen anything like audio-visual DJing before. Anything new fascinates them,” says Deepika. “The Ministry of Tourism and Travel also recognised our talent and we were given entry to some private islands there. It was all sophisticated and luxurious.”
Deepika opines that audio-visuals work great in a restobar. “When you cannot turn up the volume but still want to keep people engaged, audio-visual is the best option,” she says.
As a newbie, Deepika finds it challenging to perform with Navz as he is experienced, but she is still new to this. “It involves a lot of hard-work to synchronise. I wanted to ensure that when Deepika steps in, she gets the equal visibility,” he says. Deepika, on the other hand, makes sure she handles the visuals carefully as the transition and blend needs to be smooth.
What’s the best compliment they have got so far? Navz grins and adds, “When I played for the first time in a local bar, a member of the audience me him `100. I have never forgotten that!”