Singer songwriter Monica Dogra aka Shaa'ir of Shaa'ir+Func has just turned DJ. she tells play how she's feeling the love for turntables

Singer songwriter Monica Dogra aka Shaa'ir of Shaa'ir+Func has just turned DJ. She tells play how she's feeling the love for turntables

Last week Parel hotspot Zenzi Mills shimmied to a new DJ who spun an unpredictable, banging set which included Brit rapper Dizzee Rascal amongst others. This time around, singer/songwriter Monica Dogra turned heads towards the turntables.

The just-arrived DJ, unlike most DJs, who turn into head-bobbing poles by the turntables, danced and jumped around the DJ platform to her own music. The buzz was just right and the energy infectious, at what was labelled as the Bass Camp featuring BBC (Bay Beat Collective), BASS Foundation, Bandish Projekt and Shaa'ir. Of course, Shaa'ir spun some tracks that didn't flow into the others perfectly, but her biggest strength she tells us here is how she mashes up genres. The seams of sound will fall apart in time, she promises. Excerpts from an interview:

When did you begin DJing?

Arjun (of Indiecision.com) asked me to do the first Beat Sessions set at Zenzi's last year. Everybody loved it. At least 30 people messaged me saying that they wanted to know my playlist. Soon, somebody wanted me to DJ for her 30th birthday party. That was very sweet.

How did the Bass Camp show happen?

Sohail asked me to lend the Shaa'ir and Func vibe to the party more than DJ Shaa'ir. He's a big bass head, so I was all fired up. I said yes because I've heard Bass Foundation spin many times and it was anu00a0 honour to spin with Bandish Projekt.

How do you prepare for a set?

The formula is to be myself. When I'm not myself, I fail. I went and spent a week listening to music and going through the terabyte I have, reading magazines to see what's being played. Then, I decided to do research on artistes who haven't made it big. I play a lot of Diplo, Switch, Santogold, M.I.A.

So I started doing research on artistes who sound like them and found a girl named Amanda Black. I try and spin a lot of women as well.

I'm from Baltimore, home to the likes of Tupac (Shakur), so I also have intense hip hop roots. DJs at Baltimore Club mix up genres like nobody's business with a big fist in the air because they have nothing to prove to anybody.

So I found a lot of new guys who were doing cool stuff and went out and bought their records. I have to close my eyes andu00a0 immediately feel like I want to dance to that track. If not, am not spinning them. Then I start writing the show with tracks. I try and create a flow how every story has its introduction, climax and conclusion. That's how I approach my set.

How do you gauge the crowd?

It's the same when you write a song. How do you know that people will connect to your story? Because you lived it. Music is one of the most instinctive art forms. It makes you feel. I know that people will connect because I really do, but finding those gems, those tracks takes a long time. My DJ friends laugh at me for how long I take to create a set. It gets even harder because you have to keep creating different sets to not repeat yourself. I have a bank of my dopest songs on the planet, now that am spinning so much.

Who are your DJ friends? What're they saying about your set?

Midival Punditz. Randolph. Sohail. The BBC boys. Kris. Most of them say that I'm really good at choosing songs but in an area like mixing and mashing up, I'm not at a level where seasoned DJs are. That's not my role. As a DJ, it's really important to recognise what only you can do and get really good at that, and then improve. Right now, the way that I choose songs and bridge genres within one set is my forte. We need to explore an endless palette of colours. As much as I love house, I mean enough already. If you're constantly partying to trance and house, no one's giving you any other options.

What's happening to Shaa'ir+Func?

We finished writing the third album last year and we previewed it last year. We're done with our third album. We've shot six music videos and edited three. So we're just doing a lot of ground work and production work for that because we'll be in London in April. The album artwork is getting done. The past four months have been gruelling.

We're playing in Pune on February 26, and we have a bunch of dates in March. We're looking at releasing the album next month.

Why are you saying that you won't do small gigs?

If you pay me what I'm worth, I'll put everything into a 20 per cent gig. I'll play to four people. Randolph and I have played smaller acoustic sets in the past, without an entire backline because it's cheaper for the venue and fun for us to do. That's what I mean by raising the standard. We need to start believing that we are worth more.

We've paid our dues. We've worked really hard. The scene is so small that the second you play for less money or compromise your worth, everybody will expect you to compromise, and that's not cool. I don't know very many people who written three records in less than four years and travelled to over 15 countries, and played at some of the biggest festivals on the planet without any backing, without anybody pumping money into us. We played at Glastonbury and made it into the top 20, and that too when there are over 100 stages at that festival.

How much do djs earn at swish city nightclubs?

Zenzi's head of programming Kris Correya says, "It's really important for us to know that the DJ knows his music in depth. Normally DJs just send us demo links." Kris says an upstart should be counting on recognition more than cash and would probably earn around Rs 5,000 a night. Bombay Elektrik Project founder Kenneth Lobo tells it like it is. It's close to impossible for a brand new DJ to find even a toehold in a club unless an established DJ recommends him. A DJ could be paid anything between Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000 in his early years.

"Most fresh DJs start out at private parties or assist experienced DJs," says Kenneth, "Taking up a club residency is another way to get noticed." The chances of a new DJ on the block landing a residency are high only if a senior DJ decides the club can't afford him and recommends him.

BEP books DJs and offers them a decent sum an outstation DJ spinning at Wink (Taj President) is accommodated at Taj and paid Rs 10,000. And a local DJ earns between Rs 15,000 and Rs 18,000. Sources tell us that Aurus pays DJs about Rs 25,000, Blue Frog pays between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 and Zenzi pays DJs from out of town approximately Rs 10,000.