Some people may still know him as Lil Jay, but there is no question that Jay Dabhi, one of New York’s premier DJs, is now all grown up. He’s been DJing for about 20 years first starting with mashing up Bollywood and Bhangra with big dance anthems. Those early mixtapes got him noticed and soon Jay was being flown around the globe to DJ the hottest events. Today, Jay is a regular at one of New York City’s biggest pop radio stations, 92.3 NOW FM. When he’s not mixing live on the radio, you’ll find him DJing at one of the Tri-state’s popular clubs.
How did you get into 92.3 NOW FM? 92.3 NOW FM asked me to do guest mixes for their Memorial Day Weekend mixshows. They heard the mixes and said they were “stellar.” Then I was asked to do mixes for their 4th of July weekend mixshows. Soon after, they opened up a time slot for me on their Saturday Night Dance Factory mixshow where I currently play every week from 3am-4am.
How do you describe your DJ style? My style of mixing is fast paced and energetic. I like to keep the party moving and keep everyone entertained. I “bob and weave” between genres so everyone’s favorite style of music is played within my set. I’m basically a melting pot of different styles ranging from House, Hip Hop to Latin, Bollywood, and Bhangra, to name a few. That influence can also be heard in my music productions as I have produced genre-bending productions of Bhangra with Reggaeton (which I dubbed Bhangraton) to Arabic and House. My dance remix of Nari Nari is in XBOX’s Dance Dance Revolution 3 video game. Being born in the city that’s dubbed a melting pot has also influenced my sound and style. Pakora Pizza, anyone? LOL
What music / artists are you into these days? I’m a big dance music fan so my tastes lie in that realm. Some DJs and producers I dig are Swedish House Mafia, Erick Morillo, Armand Van Helden, Above & Beyond, I can go on and on. Nadia Ali is a favorite dance artist of mine. I’m also a big fan of Adele.
What are your thoughts on the business side of the music industry? There isn’t much money to be made selling music these days. You have to move with the times. I tend to put out a lot of my music for free on the internet. Money is made by writing songs, getting radio airplay and by doing shows. Haven’t you noticed concert ticket and club admission prices are higher than they used to be? You may download for free, but you’ll pay for it elsewhere…lol
What software do you prefer to use? I use turntables, CD players and midi controllers along with DJ programs like Serato and Traktor. For music production, I’m currently using Abelton Live. I’m always up on new technology, incorporating new programs and gear into my sets to keep things fresh and keep me challenged.
Follow Jay on Facebook: jaydabhimusic
