When walking down the streets of any Indian city, you’ll often hear old Bollywood tunes blasting out the speakers of an auto rickshaw rushing by. These bursts of sound add glimpses of character to our busy urban soundscape. One Reddit user even went as far as compiling a playlist of rickshaw favourites, exemplifying the joy that these musical rides can bring to our day.
Desiree Saldanha, commonly known as Suggahunny, took this concept to the next level, turning a rickshaw into her personal nightclub. Soaring down the streets of Mumbai, the singer-producer-DJ elevated old-school Bollywood songs with an electronic twist, paying homage to the classic rickshaw soundtrack we have all come to love. Her self-described “psychoactive” sound played with genre, bringing in afro beats, Baile, and hip-hop sounds to render us incapable of sitting still in our seats. Passerbys watched with curiosity, waved hello, and even danced along, as Suggahunny drove past with her mobile party.
Though most of her set was performed to a camera and the driver sitting in the front, Suggahunny welcomed guests to join her in the passenger seat for special segments. Her friends hopped onto the ride at different points interspersed through the set, accompanying her for much-needed dance breaks and, towards the end, evening whipped out a vada pav for the Mumbaikar to enjoy. My favourite guest appearance, however, was when the DJ invited fellow musician Nigel Rajaratnam to the auto-rickshaw stage to accompany her with a live melodica and flute. I can only imagine what bystanders thought as they caught a glimpse of a mixing deck, a woodwind melody, and a sick electronic beat in what must be the literal fastest-moving concert India has seen yet.
Suggahunny’s rickshaw DJ set is part of an evolving electronic music landscape in India. Just as other forms of live music are celebrated in diverse spaces, we can see a rising trend in DJs performing outside of the classic nightclub setting. Crab Culture, for instance, is a DJ collective bringing electronic music to unconventional venues like kitchens, trains, and even a factory. Where electronic music was once cast aside as a lesser musical art form and restricted only to nightclubs, we’re glad to witness a shift in its appreciation and celebration. From the dancefloor to the passenger seat, India’s rising DJs are part of a musical and cultural revolution.
Follow Suggahunny here.
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