BORN in Lisbon, Portugal, DJ Yash started listening to Bollywood and bhangra music from a very early age. Real name Hetul Chagane, he started his musical journey with an online radio station and then started DJing at an eclectic array of events in countries around the world.
His triumphs include winning the Portela Summer Fest DJ contest in 2011 and creating a Bollywood Holi event in Portugal that had 3,000 people dancing. The talented DJ’s favourite music styles include Bollywood, bhangra, urban desi EDM, melodic and progressive trance, house, dirty Dutch and Afro house.
Eastern Eye got DJ Yash to go through his massive collection and select 10 songs he loves.
Dance With You (Nachna Tere Naal) by The Rishi Rich Project: If I had to pick only one song, this would be the track! There are not enough words that can describe how it is enriched with feeling and pure magic. The song made such a huge impact when it released.
Wada Karo by DJ Aqueel: The remix of the original Bollywood classic sung by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar is just great. This is probably the most played remix I listen to. The lyrics are deep and the melodic progressive vibe is so incredible.
Jumma Chumma De De from Hum: The Sudesh Bhosle-rendered classic is an ultimate childhood favourite of mine. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched the movie Hum. The film and this song are absolute classics.
Mundian To Bach Ke by Panjabi MC: Who didn’t watch Knight Rider? Merging that sample with Punjabi beats and vocals was just genius! This is a worldwide anthem that everyone in the world dances to even still.
Lethal Industry by DJ Tiesto: For me, Tiesto is a not only a great inspiration but his mixture of lyrics and melody in this track is unbelievable. This was probably one of the first trance tracks I listened to and is one I have never stopped listening to since.
Adagio For Strings by Tiesto: This track puts me in a state of trance that allows my mind to freely float and get lost in the music and its beat. It really does give me goose bumps.
Touch Me by Rui Da Silva: The Portuguese producer delivered a song with an incredible dance beat. It really gets the crowd moving, with added meaningful lyrics.
Aja Mahi by RDB: One of the first British bands that I knew were RDB. The song blends western genres with traditional Punjabi beats and vocals. Without doubt, this is still a huge party anthem.
Na Na Na Re by Daler Mehndi: This track is a song that gets everyone up and moving. Daler Mehndi is one of my all-time favourites. Who doesn’t love him?
Suraj Hua Maddham from Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham: Great vocals from Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik. Sonu’s vocals combined with the peaceful violin and the deep lyrics equals a wonderful heart-melting track that is featured in everyone’s favourite Bollywood movie, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.