Sita Shah
Hello! My name's Sita. I’m part of the DJ Collective Sisu and South Asian Creative Collective DayTimers. I've played underground venues in London and New York (pre-pandemic!). I love experimenting when I'm mixing, blending tunes that aren't traditionally supposed to go together. My mixes go from industrial techno to reggaeton to Britney Spears. Recently I’ve started finally reppin’ my heritage and playing some Indian spice and desi vibes. This is something slightly underrepresented in the DJ scene, so I would love the opportunity to bring this to your platform! Instagram: @shahmbles
Visuals by the wonderfully talented - @cr.eativedesign
1. What would you like people to take away from your work?
I hope that people would be encouraged to break the rules. Why not mix techno with desi tunes and some Britney Spears eh?
2. If you could collaborate with anyone famous, dead, alive, musician, band etc who would it be?
That is a tough question! At this current moment in time, I would love to collab with and/or make a music video for Jasper Lotti ( @jasperlotti) or Priya Ragu (priyaraguofficial). If either of you are reading this right now, hmu!
3. At what point did you decide to look back into your heritage and incorporate it into your music?
It was only last year that I was able to really connect with and truly immerse myself in my own heritage. I was always a bit dismissive of it growing up - I went to school in a predominantly white area and throughout my life found it easier to “act white”. During the pandemic, I was spending more time with my family and simultaneously I was asked to be part of a collective of South Asian Creatives called Daytimers… and tbh this changed my life. Connecting with my heritage has been a real unexpected and amazing journey, but I’ve never felt more at peace with this side of myself.
4. Can you list a couple other creatives/friends/people you look to for inspiration?
Yes! There are so many…
-Louis Present who has been instrumental in my creative approach and who recently set up the new agency Weirdo (weirdo.work) (@louispsnt)
-Meg Jenkins who inspires me and my music taste, and generally encourages me to be the best me. She also has her own music on the way! (__.jmeg)
-The Daytimers crew because I’ve never been connected to so many amazing, experimental people in the South Asian community (@daytimers_uk)
-Melissa who set up Sisu, the incredible collective of female and non Binary DJs that I’m also proud to be part of (@sisucrew) (@maliss_a)
5. What has been the best thing about rediscovering and incorporating your heritage?
The best thing is…
-Rediscovering old desi tunes that I used to listen as a kid on the way to Indian weddings - there’s something about the nostalgia in that music I just can’t get anywhere else.
-Discovering new tunes and artists who are pushing the boundaries of South Asian music
-Realising that my love of repetitive 4x4 beats stems from what I listened to growing up and the Garba events my mum used to make me go to - just listen to this for a taste: https://open.spotify.com/track/099PMXCvBj1ZrcAZ1HYZ8L?si=SlWztUTGRx6VRtDg6Jfx2A
6. At what age did you do you first mix?
I made my first mix in my early twenties after I got made redundant from my first proper job. Redundancy is the best thing that ever happened to me.
