Moods 45: dieSagar
A tasteful rom-com infused Bollywood mix from Albany's very own dieSagar. Catch more of dieSagar and their label, FDEC Records, at the Sultan Room this coming March 4th. More at: ra.co/events/1497664
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Tracklist
Dhoom Again - Dominique Cerejo and Vishal Dadlani [Dhoom 2 (2006)]
Mauja Hi Mauja - Mika Singh [Jab We Met (2007)]
Dard E Disco - Marianne D'Cruz, Caralisa Monteiro, Sukhwinder Singh, Nisha Mascarenhas [Om Shanti Om (2007)]
Mast Kalandar - Rehan Khan, Shankar Mahadevan, Sajid Khan, Master Saleem [Heyy Babyy (2007)]
Nagada Nagada - Javed Ali and Sonu Nigam [Jab We Met (2007)]
Party On My Mind - Pritam Chakraborty, Honey Singh, KK, Shefali Alvaris, Prashant Ingole [Race 2 (2012)]
Chammak Challo - Akon, Hamsika Iyer [R.A. One (2011)]
Crazy Kiya Re - Sunidhi Chauhan [Dhoom 2 (2008)]
Zara Zara Touch Me - Earl D'Souza, Monali Thakur, and Pritam Chakraborty [Race (2008)]
Chaiyya Chaiyya - Sapna Awasthi and Sukhwinder Singh [Dil Se (1998)]
Maahi Ve - Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam, Madhushree, Shankar Mahadevan, Sadhana Sargam [Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)]
You Are My Soniya - Sandesh Shandilya, Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik [Kabhi Khushi Khabi Gham (2010)]
Chak De - Sonu Nigam [Hum Tum (2004)]
Pretty Woman - Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy [Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)]
Desi Girl - Sunidhi Chauhan, Shekhar Ravjiani, Shankar Mahadevan, Vishal Dadlani [Dostana (2008)]
Bole Chudiyan - Sonu Nigam, Amit Kumar, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Udit Narayan [Kabhi Khushi Khabi Gham (2010)]
Kajra Re - Alisha Chinai, Javed Ali, and Shankar Mahadevan [Bunty Aur Babali (2005)]
Say "Shava Shava" - Amitabh Bachchan, Aadesh Shrivastava, Sudesh Bhosale, Sunidhi Chauhan, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan [Kabhi Khushi Khabi Gham (2010)]
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga - Rochak Kohli [Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019)]
Questions
Can you pick one song in the mix and explain where you first listened to it?
It’s so hard to pick just one song but the song “Party on my Mind” holds a very special place in my heart. It’s sort of goofy because the song is just a corny pop song from a big blockbuster Bollywood movie, but that song reminds me of India every time. I heard it for the first time when I visited my family there in 2012/2013 and it was *the* song that was playing at every function. I think that was when I first had a taste of what it feels like to come into myself as Indian-American because I was able to connect to my Indian family not just through my parents, but also as someone who just loves a good party and good party music.
Who “introduced” you to these songs? Was it a person, a radio station, a CD?
Most of the credit for my introduction to all of this music goes to my parents. I never watched too much Bollywood, my mom loves it. Growing up, there were some movies that were always on the TV, and some songs which were always being sung and a lot of those are what you find on this mix.
Where and when did you first hear techno? Who did it sound like it was for?
The first time I really heard techno was when I moved to New York City for an internship my sophomore year of college. The very first night, my friend dragged me out to a party at Nowadays but the club was packed and we couldn’t get in and we went to Elsewhere instead. There were a couple DJs in all the different rooms spinning different techno subgenres, from the Berlin style to glitcher IDM, to ghetto tech and I fell in love with all of it. I loved the feeling of getting lost in it and not having to concern myself with the conversations and formalities and sort of “peacocking” that are present in most clubs that you find in the states. The music felt like it was for people that truly just wanted to escape from the complexities, pressures, and judgements of the world outside by immersing themselves in this sound-body synchronicity which is independent of the mind and which only techno can produce.
You’ve got the microphone. What do you want to say to the techno community?
First of all - thank you. I don’t know where I’d be without the techno community. It’s guided me to a better understanding of myself, and it’s brought me so many amazing friends and experiences. I guess if there’s one other thing that I want to say, it’s to not forget where this all comes from, and what it was made for. Techno was born and raised out of the strife and oppression faced by marginalized peoples, and we cannot allow that to be forgotten. That is what makes techno so special, and what makes the techno community what it is. For that reason, techno is an inherently political genre and I hope that that never changes. Having a party is not inherently a revolutionary act, but creating a space where counter-publics can emerge most certainly is. I think this needs to stay at the forefront of party promotion, booking, and even track selection in DJ sets. The power of techno is not in the music, the drugs, or the fashion. The power of techno is in its ability to create a space where the oppressive teleologies of the world outside are erased and new identities can emerge and fade at the will of a single, pounding kick drum.
Art
We've paired dieSagar's mix with a detail from Baseera Khan's Psychedelic Prayer Rugs. Khan's work unpacks the blurry line between Indian and American, and where their identity gets placed (or misplaced) in the 21st century. We think the Khan and Sagar make for dialogue that could last all day.
https://baseerakhan.com/psychedelicprayerrugs
To see more of Sagar’s work, head here: www.instagram.com/diesagar/