No party is complete without a DJ bringing upbeat, perky and lively songs to the dance floor. And it is that kind of space that Harsha Vardhana Karibasavaiah, better known by his stage name DJ Shine, loves to bring with his sets.
An upcoming DJ in the city, Harsha loves to spread happiness whenever he plays.
“People come with many emotions and issues such as anger and sadness. I want them to forget all that for a night, just let loose and be happy. I want them to go back home happy and with good vibes.” However, what annoys him most “is when people request for tracks to be played. We have our set-list that needs to be played. If you want to play your favourites, you might as well stay at home and listen to them,” he says matter-of-factly.
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Looking back at where it all started, Harsha recalls: “I come from a small village in Karnataka where no one knew what DJing was. I used to watch MTV whenever DJ Suketu and DJ Akhil came on. I slowly followed their footsteps. I came to Bengaluru and worked in a bank, selling credit cards and I couldn’t speak English very well. That is when my manager helped me through his friend who was a DJ. I started as the resident DJ at Country Club, Mysuru Road, in 2006.”
Harsha worked his way up from there to get a DJ slot at Bangalore Central where he played only mall music. “They hosted an event called ‘War of DJ’s’ in which I lost in the first round. That is when I realised I needed to improve my skills. It was an encounter after that with DJ Sid that put me on the right path. He helped me improve my skills and introduced me to the world,” he says proudly. Harsha adds that DJ Suketu and DJ Clement are his inspirations and old school music is his favourite genre.
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For aspiring DJs, he suggests that “focus is important. Youngsters expect to be in the limelight immediately. This is not possible in this competitive field. Patience, dedication and hard work will take you to greater heights. Everyone thinks DJing is a cool job and all DJs drink, smoke and do drugs, which is not true. Everyone should know their limits and not lose focus in what they want to achieve. You need to keep networking and be humble in this industry to be where you need to be.”
DJ Shine plays at 1Q1 Kitchen & Bar, No. 1, Express Building, Queens Road, on June 23, 9 pm onwards. Call 48050101.