DJ Rekha

One of the leading American exponents of bhangra music, DJ Rekha specializes in the style but also mixes dancehall, dub, and hip-hop into her DJ sets. Based in New York City, she hosts the long-running monthly club night Basement Bhangra, which is held at S.O.B.'s and was founded in 1997. The popularity of the club night in New York and the uniqueness of her style there made her a minor media celebrity regularly featured in local publications such as New York Times, Time Out New York, The Village Voice, and New York Magazine, as well as on multiple episodes of NPR and in fashionable magazines such as The Fader and Urb. Born as Rekha Malhotra in London, England, in 1971, to parents of Punjabi descent, she was raised in Queens and Westbury, Long Island, and later moved to Brooklyn, which she now calls home. In 2007 she made her official album debut with Basement Bhangra, a DJ mix released by Koch Records. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide