Desi Beats for DJs: How South Asian Music Moves Global Crowds

Desi 101: What Exactly Is Desi Music? Let’s clear something up: Desi isn’t a genre. It’s a cultural identity. “Desi” is how South Asians across the diaspor...
Quincy Jones expressed his dislike for Lil Wayne and “techno” music in a recent interview with The National. When the legendary producer and music industry executive was asked about today’s pop artists, Jones answered:
“Let’s get real, man. When you come from the era of Ray Charles, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, it gets hard to get used to Lil Wayne. I just can’t handle it. There are some good singers out there. Mary J Blige can sing, so can Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera. I know who they are. I also know who they aren’t, too.”
Jones also voiced his dislike for “techno” — although we presume he was speaking on EDM as a whole:
“I don’t like techno at all. That’s just noise. I can try it because there is nothing to it but I just don’t think there is anything to learn from it. Now all these DJs are making more money than rock groups. They don’t even need bands anymore. People such as Skrillex and those guys get half a million to a million dollars a show all over the world from Las Vegas to Brazil. As a musician it is extremely frustrating. Because that’s just music to sell products.”
Best known for producing Michael Jackson’s album, “Thriller,” Jones is the all-time most nominated GRAMMY artist with 79 nominations and 27 awards.
Related: New Michael Jackson Album Announced
Desi 101: What Exactly Is Desi Music? Let’s clear something up: Desi isn’t a genre. It’s a cultural identity. “Desi” is how South Asians across the diaspor...
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