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Written by CGNY   
Saturday, 08 May 2010 16:39

An interview with Deepak Sharma... by Fiona Walsh

Deepak Sharma

Deepak Sharma has been a staple on NYC's underground minimal scene for a while now as a DJ of note. However his production work is getting him and his producing partner a lot of attention. On Friday March 4th, Deepak will host the latest release party from his label Hidden Recordings at Bar 13. "Wolkenreise" is hot off the presses and ready to get you up on the dance floor. Here's an interview we did we Deepak!

CGNY : How would you describe minimal techno?

Deepak Sharma : Minimal music can be described as having lots of bass, with stripped down noises, but it?s more in the arrangement of the drums, where you will here drum sounds come in and out. Combine that with big bass lines and lots of quick pauses and then the track starts back up, but with a new element, such as a high hat coming in. There's a bit more snap crackle and pop in minimal music.


CGNY : What got you in deejaying initially?

Deepak Sharma : At first I just loved the party! The atmosphere, the lights, the dark rooms filled with strangers late into the night. As I became more and a more of a fan of the music, and I as I began to work at my friend's record shop, my curiosity grew. I didn't even own turntables and I began to buy records because I loved the music so much. I remember saying to myself, This record would go well with the records I bought last week etc. My friends at the record shop would laugh because I didn't own turntables or know how to play records! Finally, I made the investment to buy turntables, and to only be a bedroom dj, but as luck should have it, the plan was to do much more.


CGNY: What kinds of music/artists influence you?

Deepak Sharma : I'm really influenced by all music and one band that really blows my mind is Pink Floyd. If I want to zone out and think for a while, that's where I go to first. In terms of deejaying, being from NY, you are accustomed to dj's playing long sets well into the night. So I think that also influences me. I like to play the entire night at clubs from opening to close, or until as late as possible.


CGNY : What do you think of the minimal tech scene in NYC? Do you think it's getting a larger following?

Deepak Sharma : I think the genre is growing and people are definitely jumping on board. The parties are in unknown locations, warehouses and small clubs and bars. But this fits well this kind of music and scene. I think minimal techno in NYC has brought back the vibe and parties of yester-year with all night raves, and anything goes attitude. It's very much about the party as often the dj's that are playing are known by only a few in the crowd who follow this genre.

It's funny, but some of the minimal people want to keep this underground so they don't want everyone to know about it! Now I'm also seeing parties by younger promoters who bypassed music like trance and house and went direct to techno!


CGNY : What clubs to you play in mainly - do you have a favorite and if so why?

Deepak Sharma : I have a residency at Bar 13 where we do four label night parties a year. This club is also very much along the lines of being underground with a capacity of 200 people, a great rooftop to chill on and booming sound system. And it's very dark, which I love. Another great club is Rebel, where I played the Save the Cannibals party with Paco Osuna. A bigger version of Bar 13 with great sound, underground dark room with amazing vibe.


CGNY : What's next for you in terms of djing and production?

Deepak Sharma : I'm playing next on May 15th at Bar 13 with Barcelona's Pablo Bolivar who has the 9th release on Hidden Recordings out in June. My production partner Dieter Krause and I are still working on the remix so that's a delay from the original release date of May 15th. This is Pablo's first NYC gig and it happens to also be my birthday, so it's a really important gig! After that, I'm off to D.C in June, and I just got booked to play the Forecastle Festival in Louisville, Kentucky with bands such as the Black Crowes and Widespread Panic headlining. In terms of producing, the 10th release will be out later this year also, probably in June. You can find our tracks both digitally and vinyl (http://www.juno.co.uk)


CGNY : Would you like to or do you have any plans to travel to Europe?

Deepak Sharma : Of course I would love to come back to Europe and play as I've deejayed in Europe a few times, and always loved it! Right now, there are some tentative dates, but with this economy the promoters are keeping it close to home, which makes sense. But hopefully as the economy turns around it will be easier to tour in Europe during summer. Obviously, Europe is key to any dj's career so I'm really trying to push there.


For further information and track previews check out the following...

http://www.hidden-recordings.com
Facebook Profile
Facebook Profile - Hidden Records
http://www.myspace.com/hiddenrecordings

*OUT NOW* Exclusively on Beatport: Wolkenreise [Hidden Recordings] w/ rmxs from John Tejada, DJ Qu, Rene Breitbarth, Gustavo Lamas and Karraskilla
http://beatport.com/s/r1q1st #beatport

Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 March 2011 15:26