Jay Dabhi: Jun 1, 2010

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Im a sucker for classic Freestyle music. Growing up in NYC in the 80s/90s, it was a part of NYC street culture.

Classic Freestyle by Shannon. Futuristic Bootleg by Me.

Jay Dabhi vs Shannon - Give Me Tonight by jaydabhi

Bio 2010

New York City native Jay Dabhi began deejaying at the tender age of 14 and acquired the nickname “Lil Jay” from the days when he stood atop milk crates to reach the turntables. “It all started when my mom would put me in front of the radio when I was 4 to keep me entertained while she was doing work around the house,” says Jay. “By the time I was 8, I had rigged my parents’ stereo system to play records and tapes at the same time, but out of different speakers.” Introduced to his first set of turntables at the age of 12, he impressed his sister’s friends with his ability to mix and match the tempos of different records at such a young age. “I was so excited to use the turntables,” recalls Jay, “that I would cut school to take a train and two buses to my friend’s house where I could practice mixing.” After begging his parents to buy him his own set of turntables, Jay spent all of his time after school honing his skills and shopping for records. By his sophomore year in college, Jay achieved national acclaim with his top selling remix album, “NY’s Finest – Lil’ Jay.” A year later, following the tremendous response to his first album, Jay’s sophomore release, “NY’s Finest II,” was met with even greater fanfare. As his success skyrocketed, so did his demand. Promoters from all over the country started booking Jay coast to coast, from such famed New York venues as the Roxy, Exit, Avalon and Webster Hall, to LA’s Hollywood Palladium, Soho Club and Century Club. Jay also headlined numerous national events including: SASA (where he was bestowed with the first ever “South Asian DJ of the Year” award in Los Angeles). His hard work paid off, as his stateside popularity garnered invitations to various clubs throughout Australia, South Africa, and the UK. Quickly expanding into the realm of music production and deejaying, Jay has been featured and mentioned in several publications such as, The New York Times, New York Daily News, The Village Voice, Newsday (NY), Billboard, Spin, and India Abroad. Jay also caught the attention of international video game developer Konami Digital Entertainment, where his remix of Hisham Abbas’ “Nari Narien” is featured in the XBOX video game Dance Dance Revolution Ultra Mix 3 alongside the Black Eyed Peas, Run DMC, Good Charlotte and The B52s. Besides mixing Eastern and Western beats, Jays also known for his mashups with the Crooklyn Clan as well as his house music productions with his music partners Duane Harden & Moises Modesto, who form the production and song writing team “Da Groove Doctors”. Their first single All We Need Is Love (feat Tommie Nibbs)” was well received on US dance radio in 2009 and set them on tour doing shows such as NYC’s Pulse 87 FM 1 year anniversary concert at NYC’s famed “Mansion” nightclub. They also are co-writers of Bob Sinclar's smash hit Love Generation. Also in 2009, Jay and his partner Moises Modesto delved into the Drum n Bass world with Cry For Freedom”. The epic track quickly got play listed on BBC Radio 1 as well as on DnB podcasts and internet specialty shows all over the world. Besides production work and a very busy dj schedule, Jay co-runs Soltrenz Records, which is distributed by the legendary Strictly Rhythm Records. Whether its a clever mashup or a big room House jam, Jay Dabhi is shaking up dance floors worldwide.