Valentine’s party fever dying down in India: Top DJ

NEW DELHI - He is geared to play “Tere mast mast do nain”, “Tujhe bhula diya” and other such romantic numbers in the run up to Feb 14, but Suketu, one of India’s most popular DJs, says the spirit of Valentine’s Day parties is fading away.

“When I started Djing, Valentine’s fever was big. In fact, I feel it was bigger than what it is now. I think over the years it has died down slightly,” Mumbai-based Suketu told IANS in an e-mail interview.

Suketu, who released his first album “440 Volts” in 2002, says it’s no longer a necessity to play music at a Valentine’s Day party if you are a known DJ, unlike before.

“It’s not important to have a Valentine’s Day party. If you are spinning at one, it’s great, but if not, it is no big deal and is understandable and very much acceptable, unlike on Christmas eve and New Year’s eve,” he added.

In fact, he is not going to spin at all on Feb 14.

“I am not playing anywhere on Valentine’s Day itself, as it is on a Monday this year and people don’t really want to get out and party. They prefer a dinner with their valentine.”

Nevertheless, he is already booked to play at two pre-Valentine’s Day parties - in Mumbai Feb 12, and a day later in Hyderabad.

What are the songs he plans to play?

“For 2011 Valentine’s Day, my favourite songs are ‘Tere mast mast do nain’ from ‘Dabangg’, ‘Tujhe bhula diya’ from ‘Anjaana Anjaani’ and ‘Tonight I’m loving you’ by Enrique Iglesias,” he said.

Popular for remix hits like “Pyaar zindagi hai”, “Bin tere sanam”, “Woh lamhe” and “Aadat”, Suketu has also worked on a special remix for this Valentine’s Day.

“I have worked on a special remix for Valentine’s Day. I have re-remixed ‘Bin Tere Sanam’. It’s been one of my biggest hits and I think it is one of the best love songs ever. So I have re-worked the whole track and am going to be playing it at both my gigs in Mumbai and Hyderabad,” he said.

In the music industry for over a decade, Suketu says the only kind of music that gets Indians grooving is Bollywood. He has also observed that the love for slow songs on Valentine’s Day parties has been replaced by fast, remix numbers.

“I guess the biggest change that I have noticed in people is the hugely undeniable entry of Bollywood music in all parties. No matter where and who the crowd is, Bollywood gets things grooving.

“Also what I’ve noticed is earlier the crowd used to like a session of slow dancing when it came to Valentine’s parties; now they love only remixed versions.

Suketu likes to keep his own Valentine’s Day a quiet affair with his wife.

“Now that I am not doing a gig on Valentine’s Day, it’s definitely a romantic dinner with my wife, preferably at home as I’ve been travelling a lot. We will be cooking together as both of us are foodies and very good cooks. Then we will relax over a bottle of wine,” he said.

Suketu is also looking forward to some good work in 2011, as he will be remixing the music for “Race 2″ among other films. He will also launch his new album soon.