World Music Day began as Fête de la Musique in Parish in 1982 thanks to the collaborative efforts of Jack Lang, the then French Minister of Culture and composer, music journalist, and later Director of Music and Dance at the French Ministry of Culture, Maurice Fleuret. It was on the streets of Paris that these two visionaries established the enchanting festival of music, which continues to this day every year on June 21, and has grown into World Music Day celebrations globally.
On June 16 at an early celebration of the event at Kolkata’s one8 Commune, the one taking over the console was DJ Roni from France. One8 Commune and Offbeat presented Fête de la Musique 2023 in association with Alliance Française du Bengale, a collaborative effort between the Embassy of France in India, French Institution in India, Alliance Française Network and Boxout.fm.
For her first gig in India, DJ Roni didn’t hold back from her breakbeat, techno, acid touch set which ditched the 4x4 beat rhythms and took a different turn at every transition. On opening duties were DJs Sodhi and PhreshPrince who warmed up the crowd just right and played a major role in organising the gig as well. Cerebral was on closing duties.
My Kolkata caught up with the Parisian-Malaysian DJ before her set.
L-R: Artiste Kayan, who dropped in for the gig as well, along with city-based artiste Raghu (RVD) and his friend Pragya Chopra, and DJs Sodhi, PhreshPrince and Cerebral at the one8 Commune event
On the occasion of Music Day, which was founded in France, how does it feel to bring your music to Kolkata today?
I’m really happy and excited to be here. It’s actually my first time in India and playing here. It’s not easy when you arrive somewhere, where you don't really know the crowd, what people listen to and what they like. I always like to think of my sets according to the location I’m going to play in. Here, I don’t have any idea so I’m kind of staying open.
Do you have any relationship with India?
It’s interesting for me to be here because my mom was born in Malaysia but her father was Indian. His roots were in Afghanistan so the Indian roots have only been passed on a little bit. When I was a kid my mother would eat curry and rice, and we would watch a lot of Hindi movies like Dil. It was the only exposure I had and then, from about 10 years of age until now I was cut off from this culture so being here reminds me now.
My father has always been a fan of India. He has been travelling here since he was 18. His wife is Indian and he would listen to a lot of Ravi Shankar, but I’ve never travelled here. I am excited to play but I am more interested to see how they respond to percussion and breaks… because I used to listen to the tabla (music) so I get the rhythms.
A packed one8 Commune during DJ Roni’s debut gig
Can you tell us about how you got into electronic music?
Music was something that was given to me by my parents. My father is a huge fan of music and listens to a lot of jazz, Caribbean music, Indian, and rock n roll. We have this room that has all of his CDs and vinyl. He would share some of the music with me, and it was my place to explore different types of music. When I became a teenager, I listened to a lot of James Peterson and it was all about keeping an open mind and exploring different things. My mom loved to go out and I would follow her, so I started going clubbing with her when I was 12 and when I became a teen I started going out on my own. I started digging into different types of music and found this radio channel in France called Radio FG, which was one of the channels playing electronic music. I was going on trips to Ibiza and London listening to their sounds.
This led you to pursue it and hence get involved with Rinse France…
I was working in fashion because I never thought music could be something I could make a living with. The job was very exciting and fun but it wasn’t enriching my soul. When your mind does not align with what you do and what you do is intense, then at some point you tend to blow up. I became fragile and the only way to recover and heal was to do something that really mattered to me and that was music.
I started learning how to DJ. I wasn’t working but it gave me meaning. I had a private radio, did little mixes that I was posting on Facebook. Then Rinse France came to me and asked me to do the same work I was putting out on their radio. I was not ready then so I let them know and I started to practise and after six months, I called them back. That’s how it started, and they gave me a two-hour monthly radio show.
How would you describe your unique sound and style as a DJ, and what influences have shaped your musical preferences?
I play mostly a mix of bass-y stuff with lots of breaks, jungle influence, acid touch and some techno. Techno is a big heading and it’s a style where you can put in so many things. I like to blend different styles and can also go into dubstep or wherever it takes me.
What inspired you to establish Nehza Records, and what is the vision behind the label?
As I mentioned, I grew up listening to James Peterson and I was really inspired by his idea to curate. To look for new artistes, and styles of music and trade it out to the world for people to discover. Launching this label involved taking a curator’s role and it was something I’ve wanted to do for such a long time — almost 15 years. Back then I didn’t feel legit and when you’re not in the music industry you don’t have the confidence to do it. It was more personal first, and when I started DJing I felt readier.
Then Covid hit but I was lucky and grateful since I still had my radio show. I still had some more time in hand and started working on the record label. I think it is a little difficult to have a vision when you start a project because it almost never ends up the way it started. The idea was to curate my vision of electronic music that people can dance to, experimental stuff in a dance-friendly form. I wanted to get upcoming and unknown artistes who people haven’t heard about. As for the image, I really love nature and living in forests. With climate change being an issue, I had some eco-anxiety and I wanted to show the beauty and fragility of nature through my record label. The name of my record label actually comes from a Chinese animated movie which is full of colours and sounds that are similar to electronic music, which intrigued me.
You posted about your new track Praise The Sea about seven weeks ago and wrote how you let go of your fears. Can you jump into that a bit and tell us what was going through your mind?
I am a baby producer I would say. I’m new to this and because I didn’t study music, I feel insecure about what I do. I had released my first track with a French record label that was associated with a big club in France and the song came out with the second compilation with Nehza Records, but I was so insecure. I thought it’s crap and I don’t have the skills. But after a while, Istarted to love this track. To be able to progress and grow, you need to accept that you’re not perfect. I want to let go of these fears of not being good enough because it’s not helping.
How do you incorporate elements of nature protection and environmental consciousness into your work, as mentioned in Nehza Records’s focus?
It is a work of awareness and conversation. Climate change is such a difficult topic. On a daily basis, you might be trying something to pollute less but it turns out you’ve done the opposite. As soon as you get into this process, it’s a challenge because it’s difficult to change your way of living. I can talk about it but I didn’t want it to be forced on someone or make them feel guilty. I want to make people think about their lifestyle and what they can change. The idea is to create positive speech around it. Anything you produce creates pollution, even making vinyl. So, I try to make them more eco-conscious. I’m associated with a company that recycles plastic and takes care of the energy we use, and the transportation that is needed. I recently did a party with a magazine in Paris, some of the proceeds of which were donated to an environmental association.
