Episode 3: Srihari Sritharan (Dr. Srimix) – How to become a top DJ with millions of listeners

South Asian Stories

Srihari Sritharan (@DrSrimix) aka Dr. Srimix is an extremely talented DJ and producer who blends South Asian music with Western influences. He is one of the most popular DJ’s in the Bollywood-Fusion Dance Circuit, and has produced thousands of tracks with millions of listeners with one of his most popular tracks being “Lean on Rangeela”. Sri has collaborated with singers such as Jai Matt, Aditya Rao, and Mugdha Hasabnis, as well as with Bhangra DJ Klasikhz and renowned Tamil composer Karthik Raja.

Although he is widely known for his music, Sri is also a kickass dancer. Specializing in Bhangra and South Indian styles, Sri has danced with Brown Badmaash, Brown University’s South Asian dance team as well Penn Dhamaka, Broad Street Baadshahz, and Aluminati.

But that’s not it. Outside of DJing, Sri is a fourth year graduate student at University of Pennsylvania. His research is around neuro-engineering, and he is specifically interested in brain-computer combined interfaces. Sri has truly done it all. So Without further ado, Please enjoy my extremely insightful, wide-ranging conversation with Srihari Sritharan aka Dr. Srimix.

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Show Notes

• Sri’s childhood in California and Wyoming and the stark difference in environment (02:25)
• The identity of being Sri Lankan and the story of how Sri leaned into it through music (5:45)
• The first mix Sri did and how it tied to dance performances (08:34)
• The detailed process Sri takes to make his tracks from beginning to end (9:10).
• How Sri got better at mixing by getting faster technically and better intuition (11:30)
• An example how Sri shows off his “chef-like” qualities of putting songs together (12:41).
• The impact of streaming music and how that affected Sri as a DJ (16:50)
• Behind the scenes look at Sri’s “For Later” folder and how he constantly experiments (19:15)
• Sri’s two favorite mixes and his innovative approach to shifting the instrumentals (22:50)
• The hilarious story of Sri’s first dance and how he didn’t make Brown Badmaash when he tried out initially (27:45)
• Sri’s push to use more South Indian music and dance across all dance teams (32:26)
• One of the biggest mistakes Sri made and how he learned from that when creating his newest album (34:47)
• The story behind Sri’s biggest collaboration with Jai Matt on Lean on Rangeela (38:42)
• Sri’s funny story on how he brings up his music stuff with his parents (43:00)
• Sri’s day job as a graduate student in neuro-engineering and interest in medical devices (45:00)
• Amazing story how Sri got to work with monkey’s as part of his research (48:30)
• Sri’s most worthwhile investment for DJing and how it led to a coffee ad in India! (49:00)
• The three music icons Sri looks up to: Jay Sean, Imran Khan, and Eren E (54:00)
• Sri’s most unusual habits when he’s making music (55:24)
• Sri’s amazing tactical advice for an up-and-coming DJ on how to become better (57:23)
• The current gear Sri uses for his mixing (Headphones, software, publishing mediums) (59:00)
• Sri’s current retirement from dance team mixes and the story behind it (1:00:05)
• Get in touch with Sri at various mediums (1:04:00)

Selected Links + People

• Brown Badmaash
• Rick Ross
• Penn Dhamaka
• Broad Street Baadshahz
• Aluminati
• Remember the Name ft. Diljit Remix
• Anshul Parulkar
• Breakdancing (B-Boy)
• Bhangra
• Hip-Hop
• BU Jalwa
• USC Mokshka
• Desi Dance Network
• Lean on Rangeela
• Jai Matt
• Aditya Rao
• pro.Di.Jy
• Mugdha Hasabnis
• Trap Music
• Poonam and Priyanka
• DJ Klasikhz
• Karthik Raja
• Jay Sean
• Imran Khan
• Eren E
• Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Studio Monitor Headphones, Black
• Sony Acid Pro
• Logic Pro X
• Ableton
• Audiomack
• Adobe After Effects

Connect with Sri

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• SoundCloud
• YouTube
• Spotify

Affiliate Disclosure

South Asian Stories is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

The post Episode 3: Srihari Sritharan (Dr. Srimix) – How to become a top DJ with millions of listeners appeared first on South Asian Stories.