South Asian
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 diaspora refer to themselves and their culture. So when we say Desi music, we’re talking about the huge spectrum of South Asian sounds being created by artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and beyond – both at home and abroad.
And that’s the beauty of it. Whether it’s classic Bollywood, high-energy Bhangra, or Urban Desi bangers built for Western dance floors, the sounds are global.
For DJs, understanding this world opens up a powerful connection to multicultural crowds. South Asian music isn’t niche anymore – its packed dance floors in Toronto, London, NYC, and LA. And we’ve got the crates to prove it. 🔥
👉 Explore South Asian music on DJcity
Bollywood: Not Just a Film Genre, a Dance Floor Weapon
Bollywood music goes way beyond the movies.
Yes, it’s the soundtrack to India’s mega film industry – but it’s also emotional love songs, catchy hooks, and full-blown dance anthems that dominate South Asian weddings, festivals, and clubs worldwide.
It’s high energy. It’s full of color. And if you’re DJing a cross-cultural crowd, it’s a must-have in your crate.
The best part? Bollywood tracks blend beautifully with global pop, EDM, and hip-hop, giving open-format DJs endless remix potential. 💥
🗂️ Tap into our Bollywood edits and remixes now on DJcity
Bhangra & Punjabi: Built Different, Played Everywhere
Let’s talk Bhangra. Originating from Punjab, it started as folk music tied to harvest celebrations. But today, it’s global.
You hear it in wedding dance circles, club nights in Canada, and stadium anthems in the UK. The dhol drums hit hard, the vocals bring the vibe, and the energy is unmatched.
Closely related, Punjabi music has evolved into its own beast – mixing folk with Hip-Hop, pop, and club sounds. Artists like Diljit Dosanjh, Karan Aujla, AP Dhillon and Sidhu Moose Wala are pushing Punjabi music straight into the mainstream.
DJs: if your crowd is even slightly Desi, these tracks should already be in rotation.
🔊 Grab the latest Bhangra and Punjabi heat on DJcity

AP Dhillon – Deeozzz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Urban Desi to Desi Pop: Where South Asia Meets the Streets
Urban Desi isn’t new – but it’s still a relevant genre.
Think Jay Sean, Raghav, Rishi Rich: South Asian artists raised in the West, blending R&B, Hip-Hop, and pop with Desi melodies. This genre came out of the UK in the early 2000s, and it still goes off.
Fast-forward to today, Urban Desi has evolved into Desi Pop and you’ll hear those same vibes in tracks by Ezu, Mickey Singh, and Tesher – flipping the sound for TikTok and the global charts.
If you’re building a South Asian crossover set, Desi Pop gives you that sweet spot between familiarity and flavor.
🎧 Start with our Desi Pop starter pack on DJcity

Tesher – Neha.sharma.mjj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Indo House: Traditional Roots, Future Club Energy
If you haven’t heard of Indo House yet, you will soon.
Born out of NYC and led by the Indo Warehouse collective, this sound blends South Asian instruments and textures with deep house and progressive club grooves. It’s moody, hypnotic, and undeniably vibey.
DJs like Skrillex are already on board. So are late-night sets in Berlin, Brooklyn, and Goa.
This is Desi at its most future-facing – where tabla meets 4-on-the-floor, and South Asian vocals float over minimal basslines.
💿 We’re dropping Indo House essentials weekly – get in early

Indo Warehouse
#DesiMusic #SouthAsianMusic #IndianMusic #OpenFormatDJ #DJCulture #BollywoodMusic #DesiBeats #OpenFormatDJ #SouthAsianSounds #DJEdits #Bhangra #PunjabiMusic #DesiVibes #GlobalSounds #UrbanDesi #DesiPop #RNB #HipHopFusion #DesiDJ #IndoHouse #GlobalUnderground #DesiDeep
Holi Hai! The Best Tracks for the Indian Festival of Colors Playlist
Holi is a significant Hindu festival known as the Festival of Colors. It marks the beginning of Spring and is celebrated in March at parties throughout the world by attendees playing with colored powder and water while dancing the day away.
Our South Asia team has put together a heavy hitting tracklist for DJs that includes classic originals, DJ edits and exclusive remixes from the best South Asian DJs around the world.
Download the tracks below and look up a local Holi event in your city to experience the energy of this joyous festival.
1. Amitabh Bachchan – Rang Barse Bheege Chunarwali
2. Amitabh Bachchan – Rang Barse Bheege Chunarwali – DJ Ravish, DJ Chico, DJ Ankit & DJ Pankaj Remix
3. Kishore Kumar & Lata Mangeshkar – Jai Jai Shiva Shankar – DJ Vicky NYC Remix
4. Vishal Dadlani, Benny Dayal & Vishal & Shekhar – Jai Jai Shivshankar
5. Ishaan, Jaspinder Narula, Manohar Shetty, Pritha Mazumdar, Shweta Pandit, Sonali Bhatawdekar, Udbhav & Udit Narayan – Soni Soni
6. Ishaan, Jaspinder Narula, Manohar Shetty, Pritha Mazumdar, Shweta Pandit, Sonali Bhatawdekar, Udbhav & Udit Narayan – Soni Soni – DJ Hark Peru Edit
7. Arijit Singh & Aditi Singh Sharma – Sooraj Dooba Hain – DJ Chetas Remix
8. Adnan Sami – Kiss Me Baby – DJ Aayush Remix
9. Labh Junga, Sonu Kakkar, Neha Kakkar – London Thumakda – Ravi B Remix
10. Kishore Kumar – Khaike Paan – Ravi B Remix11. Neha Kakkar, Mika Singh & Kumar Sanu – Aankh Marey – DJ Shadow Dubai & DJ Parsh Remix
12. Arijit Singh & Sunidhi Chauhan – Dilli Waali Girlfriend – NYK & Chetas Remix
13. Vishal Dadlani & Shalmali Kholgade – Balam Pichkari – DJ Chetas Remix
14. Pritam, Vishal Dadlani & Shalmali Kholgade – Balam Pichkari – Vik Toreus Remix
15. Indravathi Chauhan – Oo Antava Mawa – DJ Sukhi NYC & DJ Jay NYC Remix
16. Meduza – Dola Re Dola
17. Karan Aujla & Ikky – Softly – Tiësto Remix
18. Israr Ansari, Asmi Rishal & Alok Singh – Holi Song
19. Abhijeet – Ole Ole
20. Abhijeet – Ole Ole – DJ Insomnia Remix21. Harrdy Sandhu – Bijlee Bijlee – DJ Kawal Remix
22. Kavita Krishnamurthy, Vinod Rathod & Karsan Sargathia – Dholi Taro Dhol Baaje
23. Pritam, Arijit Singh, Jonita Gandhi, Ranveer Singh, Madan Mohan & Amitabh Bhattacharya – What Jhumka? – DJ Impact DBI Edit
24. Prabh Singh & Jay Trak – 9:45 – DJ Nick Dhillon Desi Remix
25. Avvy Sra & Karan Aujla – White Brown Black – DJ Nick Dhillon Desi Remix
26. Tesher & Jason Derulo – Jalebi Baby – DJ Nick Dhillon Desi Remix
27. Diljit Dosanjh – Patiala Peg – DJ Frenzy & DJ AJD Lean On Edit
28. Rema – Calm Down – Amxn & Kabir Desi Edit
29. Tanishk Bagchi, Amar Jalal, Faridkot, Yohani, Harjot Kaur, IP Singh & Balla Jalal – Jehda Nasha – DJ Amir & DJ Krishna Heads Will Roll Edit30. Neeraj Shridhar – Twist – DJ Amir & DJ Krishna Marianela (Qué Pasa) Edit
31. AP Dhillon & Shinda Kahlon – Dil Nu – DJ Ronak Levels Edit
32. Arijit Singh, Sachin-Jigar & Amitabh Bhattacharya – Apna Bana Le – DJ Ronak Heaven Edit
Check out the South Asian monthly playlist here.
Search our South Asian genre here.
To receive these updates via email, click here.
Related Post: DJcity’s 30 Most Downloaded South Asian Tracks of 2023
DJcity’s 30 Most Downloaded South Asian Tracks of 2023
Raja Kumari.
Below is DJcity’s chart of the top 30 most downloaded South Asian songs of the year. The list was determined by subscriber downloads (the tracks are not DJcity’s picks).
The most downloaded South Asian track on DJcity in 2023 was of “Guddi Riddim” by DJ Snake and Wade featuring the Nooran Sisters. In terms of the most entries, DJ Pratik led the way with four of his remixes on the chart. Coming in at second place with three tracks was Tesher, while A.R. Rahman, Alka Yagnik, Ambition, Habibeats, Ila Arun, and SPHMRE all tied for third place with two apiece.
Check out the full chart below.
1. DJ Snake & Wade ft. Nooran Sisters – Guddi Riddim
2. DJ Snake & Wade ft. Nooran Sisters – Guddi Riddim – Eddie Boy Clap Intro
3. Sean Paul – Get Busy – Gallardo Remix
4. Raja Kumari – RUN IT UP
5. A.R. Rahman ft. Alka Yagnik & Ila Arun – Ringa Ringa – Habibeats Amapiano Edit
6. Kavita Krishnamurthy & Karsan Sargathia – Nimbooda – Tesher Remix
7. Panjabi MC – Moorni – DJ Pratik Dholki Edit
8. Jassi Sidhu, DJ K Square & S-Squared – The Wedding Anthem
9. Amrit Maan & MC Square – Double Black
10. Sandom – Ladka
11. DJ Snake & Wade ft. Nooran Sisters – Guddi Riddim – CASHEW Remix
12. Sak Noel – Bhangra
13. SPHMRE & Ambition – Kudama
14. Guru Randhawa & Neha Kakkar – Morni Banke – DJ Harsh Bhutani & DJ Vijay Remix
15. Jazzy B – Jine Mera Dil Luteya – DJ Pratik Dholki Edit
16. Amar Arshi, Badshah, Neha Kakkar & Indeep Bakshi – Kala Chashma – Ash G Remix
17. The Pussycat Dolls & A.R. Rahman ft. Nicole Scherzinger – Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) – DSM League Remix
18. Juggy D, Jay Sean & Yash Narvekar ft. Rishi Rich – Meri Ban Ja (Be Mine)
19. Burna Boy – Last Last – Habibeats Picha Ni Chad De Edit
20. Jasmine Sandlas ft. Intense – Sip Sip – DJ Posterchild Hype Edit
21. Parvati Khan – Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja – Volcanik Losing It Edit
22. Alka Yagnik & Ila Arun – Choli Ke Peeche – SPHMRE & Ambition Remix
23. RAGHAV ft. TESHER – Desperado
24. Asha Bhosle – Le Gayi – DJ Sudi Speed Edit
25. Neha Kakkar, Mika Singh & Kumar Sanu – Aankh Marey – DJ Pratik Remix
26. Shilpa Rao, Caralisa Monteiro, Vishal Dadlani & Sheykhar Ravjiani – Besharam Rang – DJ Pratik Remix
27. ADXRE – Laila Nachle
28. Garry Sandhu & Josh Sidhu – Minna Minna – DJ Triple S Desi Edit
29. Tesher – Jacquemus
30. AP Dhillon & Shinda Kahlon – True Stories – Rewind Doja Edit
To receive these updates via email, click here.
Related Post: DJcity’s 50 Most Downloaded Tracks of 2023
Meet Our South Asian Music Curation Team
DJcity’s South Asian music curation team.
Two years ago, we added South Asian music to the DJcity record pool. Yesterday, we celebrated this addition and anniversary by releasing a top 30 chart highlighting the most downloaded South Asian tracks since our launch. Today, we are shining a spotlight on the curators behind our South Asian music playlist and their top three picks.
1.
Rewind.
Rewind is the founder of a private events company called MVPDJs that focuses on South Asian/Indian weddings. He performs as a DJ and MC along with overseeing and executing business operations. His seamless and clever transitions always leave his crowds in awe chanting for more. This, plus his charismatic energy on the mic makes him a top choice in the industry. He’s on a mission to bring South Asian music to the masses and drives our curation by selecting and editing the best tracks in Bollywood, Bhangra, South Asian Pop, and more.
1. F1rstman – Dance – Rewind Acap Intro
2. Kavita Krishnamurthy & Karsan Sargathia – Nimbooda – Tesher Remix
3. Jasmine Sandlas ft. Intense – Sip Sip – DJ Posterchild Hype Edit
2.
Ambo Magic.
Based out of London, UK, DJ Ambo Magic is most known for performing his individual fusional open-format sound, bringing eastern and western beats together across London’s top clubs, events, and radio over the past 15 years. Whether playing parties for Bridgerton and TOWIE, on his radio shows, interviewing Bollywood royalty, such as Shah Rukh Khan and Badshah, or with his events team Musical Movements, he is able to bridge the gap between different cultures putting South Asian music at the forefront.
1. MUKT X MadStarBase – Bumbro Remix
2. Jupiter Son & Coke Studio – Pasoori Remix
3. Sevaqk ft. Happy Singh – Saari Raat
3.
Klasikhz.
Klasikhz is an internationally recognized South Asian and hip-hop DJ, producer, and curator fascinated with remixing intersections of culture using music and technology. His journey began as a teenager when he fell in love with the uncompromising attitude and authenticity of hip-hop, and couldn’t resist adding Indian ‘tabla’ drum beats to a sample of Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson.” Since then, he has built a business chasing his love of music by creating timeless mixes and partnering with a notable live entertainment company, Desi Junction DJs, and performing all over the world. He has also had his music featured globally in news outlets, commercials, and international television shows with placements on NBC‘s “America’s Got Talent” and “Shark Tank.” Today, he uses his platform as a DJ and producer to bring people together through music with the same energy and passion that has inspired him throughout his career.
1. Sheck Wes – Mo Bamba – Klasikhz Mo Manak Edit
2. Diljit Dosanjh & Tory Lanez – Chauffeur
3. Sidhu Moose Wala ft. BYG BYRD – So High
4.
DJ Rekha.
DJ Rekha founded Basement Bhangra, one of NYC’s longest-running club nights (1997-2017) and has performed in festivals, clubs, and community spaces worldwide alongside artists such as M.I.A, Ali Sethi and A.R. Rahman. Their dynamic DJ sets incorporate South Asian Diasporic dance music with ears to a global sound that resonates with dance floors across the planet. Their work has been featured on Broadway, NPR, Taste the Nation, Obama’s White House, Celebrate Brooklyn, Central Park SummerStage, South Asian Lodge at Sundance, DJcity and more. They live in Jackson Heights, New York.
1. Sonu Nigam & Kavita Krishnamurthy – Satrangi Re – Bianca Maieli Baile Funk Remix
2. Jasmine Sandlas ft. Gashi – Panjeba – Funki J Remix
3. Param Singh & Kamal Kahlon – Daru Badnaam – Shadow Dubai Con Calma Edit
Check out the South Asian monthly playlist here.
Search our South Asian genre here.
To receive these updates via email, click here.
Related Post: DJcity’s 30 Most Downloaded South Asian Tracks
DJcity’s 30 Most Downloaded South Asian Tracks
Tesher.
Two years ago, we added South Asian music to the DJcity record pool. To celebrate this addition and anniversary, here are the top 30 most downloaded South Asian tracks since our launch.
Check out the top 30 below.
1. Tesher & Jason Derulo – Jalebi Baby
2. Amar Arshi, Badshah, Neha Kakkar & Indeep Bakshi – Kala Chashma
3. Badshah, J Balvin & Tainy ft. Lil Baby – Voodoo Remix
4. DJ Snake & Wade ft. Nooran Sisters – Guddi Riddim
5. Jass Manak, Manak-E & Nikhita Gandhi – Jee Ni Karda
6. Tesher – Jalebi Baby – YANNIS Remix
7. Badshah, J Balvin & Tainy – Voodoo – Tiësto Remix
8. DJ Snake & Wade – Guddi Riddim – Eddie Boy Clap Intro
9. Badshah, J Balvin & Tainy – Voodoo
10. Zack Knight & Jasmin Walia – Bom Diggy
11. DJ Snake & Wade – Guddi Riddim – DJ Blizz Mundian To Bach Ke Edit
12. Diljit Dosanjh – Lover – DJ Sudi AfroDesi Remix
13. Yo Yo Honey Singh – Saiyaan Ji
14. Lehmber Hussainpuri – Sadi Gali
15. Disco Dancer – Jimmy Aaja – Jay Dabhi Remix
16. Navv Inder, Lisa Mishra & Raja Kumari – The Wakhra Song
17. Diljit Dosanjh & Tory Lanez – Chauffeur
18. Neha Kakkar, Tulsi Kumar & B. Praak – O Saki Saki
19. Neha Kakkar, Dhvani Bhanushali, Ikka – Dilbar Dilbar – Funki J China Edit
20. Badshah, J Balvin & Tainy – Voodoo Remix – Da Phonk Club Edit
21. Udit Narayan & Alka Yagnik – Tip Tip
22. Tony Kakkar, Neha Kakkar & Young Desi – Coca Cola
23. Tesher & Jason Derulo – Jalebi Baby – Ludee Remix
24. Badshah, J Balvin & Tainy – Voodoo – Da Phonk Club Edit
25. Neha Kakkar, Mika Singh & Kumar Sanu – Aankh Marey
26. Conkarah & Roach Killa – Switch (Fatty Fatty) Remix
27. Mickey Singh & Jonita Gandhi – NA NA
28. Guru Randhawa & Neha Kakkar – Morni Banke
29. Jasmin Walia – Jaane Kyu – Tocame Edit
30. Romy & Nikhita Gandhi – Nachan Nu Jee Karda
Check out the South Asian monthly playlist here.
Search our South Asian genre here.
To receive these updates via email, click here.
Related Post: South Asian Playlist Is Now Available On DJcity
South Asian Playlist Is Now Available On DJcity
Guru Randhawa.
Due to high demand from our subscribers, we are now adding South Asian music to the DJcity record pool. You can check out new South Asian releases on the DJcity Playlists page, which is updated monthly. The South Asian playlist will be curated by Ambo Magic, Jay Dabhi, and DJ Rewind.
Check out the South Asian monthly playlist here.
Search our new South Asian genre here.
Related Post: DJcityTV Launches New Twitch Series, ‘First Play’ Feat. KidCutUp and Eddie Boy
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