Up In Da Club: A Night of Bollywood in Portland

Usually, I’m Noah DeWitt, age 18. Last night, however, I was Max Neumeyer, age 22. The security guard at the Someday Lounge didn’t think twice. I paid him my five bucks, flashed him my dubious ID, exposed my wrist for him to stamp, and entered the crowded club event Filmistan, a set composed solely of songs featured in Bollywood movies. Filmistan is put on by DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid, a Portland pair who have been DJing Indian and international parties for the past 8 years. On Friday, I met Anjali (aka Anju Hursch) and the Kid (aka Stephen Strausburg) for an interview, where they shared their thoughts on the interaction between the music of the African Diaspora (reggae, dancehall, hip-hop, house) and the Indian diaspora (bhangra, classical, filmi). Andaz (every last Saturday at the Fez) and Atlas (every 2^nd Saturday at Holocene) are their monthly efforts to “resist sonic monoculture.”

At Filmistan, vintage clips of outlandish Bollywood dramas looped on the projection screen behind them. DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid took turns spinning song after song of vibrant, hypnotic Bollywood techno. The crowd was diverse: whites, blacks, browns; hipsters, hippies, businessmen; old folks, twenty-somethings, minors. What did they have in common? They were looking to get down! An Indian mother wearing traditional attire displayed quirky steps and graceful hand movements. “Her” song came on. One bearded fellow had exemplary moves, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t quite emulate them. A circle formed and individuals grooved their ways into the center to show off their skills, one at a time. Thanks to DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid, my first experience up in da club was completely insane.

They also do weddings.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 5th, 2009 at 8:01 pm. It is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.