DJ Rekha spins bhangra at Roxy; stabbing hurts turnout

Hearing Punjabi music, particularly bhangra music played at a Sunset Strip nightclub, is a rare thing. But on Saturday, Brooklyn-based DJ Rekha spun a set at the Roxy that was enthusiastically welcomed with waving arms and rhythmic stepping in the bhangra dance style.

Unfortunately, the turnout wasn't as expected, partly due to an unrelated altercation that began at the Roxy's upstairs bar area. It resulted in two stabbings and three arrests, according to the West Hollywood sheriff's station, and the crime scene shut down the western portion of Sunset Boulevard during prime bar-hopping hours.

To say the least, those who did make it in got nearly two hours of some of the best in Eastern-flavored party music, which is now crossing over heavily into the huge Bollywood industry, even attracting Snoop Dogg's participation.

Rekha, who released “Basement Bhangra” last year -- and has a disc of bhangra samples coming out through Sony -- said the music was most popular in Britain but has its fits and starts in the U.S., although mainly relegated to South Asian communities in major cities. That could possibly change as India's cultural and global capital rises.

“I think there's a lot of consciousness about India ... the fact that an Indian company is buying Dreamworks is a big deal,” she said.

Fans of Jay-Z became aware of bhangra music in 2003 when he rapped over a track by Punjabi MC. The song, later titled “Beware of the Boys” for the U.S., “was an international phenomenon before Jay-Z touched it,” Rheka said.

The relationship between hip-hop and bhangra goes deeper than just that one track, however. Pop music, especially hip-hop, has long looked to the East to widen its musical palette, ever since George Harrison tapped Ravi Shankar. In hip-hop, fans have heard the strumming of the sitar more often than they know.

“I would say the breakthrough records were “Get Ur Freak On” and ["Addictive" by Truth Hurts],” she said, referring to the Missy Elliot hit and the DJ Quik-produced track which resulted in a successful copyright suit against Interscope and Dr Dre. (This is the video and song they copied).

While a dancehall and reggae vibe informed the music in immigrant communities in Britain, the hiphop influence isn't producing the kind of culture-bridging dialogue one should expect, Rekha said. “Every Indian that produces hip-hop bhangra is a hip-hop head. And hip-hop cats are like, 'Oh my God, that's some cool [music].' But there's not enough of a conversation going on.”

"I think the Snoop track, and I think what I did with Wyclef ... we're starting to have that conversation a little bit,” Rekha said.

-- post and photos by Camilo Smith