DJ Akbar Sami, known as the ‘originator of remixes in the country’, feels the songs of golden era will always have their charm.
“No one can take away the beauty of our authentic music, be it Indian classical or yesteryear’s compositions created by legendry teams in the golden years of our industry. You will not believe, there is a very high-end Italian restaurant in Los Angeles and its USP is playing evergreen Hindi songs from films like Pakeeza and Pyasa throughout the day. They don’t understand the lyrics, still they enjoy listening to our songs due to their melody. I do my homework when I have to perform abroad because till date they only ask for old songs,” says Sami, known for remix albums like Jalwa, Jalwa 2 and Jaadoo.
With a career spanning over two decades in music, Sami started as a child actor and then as a choreographer till music happened to him eventually leading him to become a DJ and composer. “Jalwa was not only my first remix project but it was India’s first such album. It changed the music scene completely and brought us on world map.”
Talking about his initial works, Sami adds, “Thereafter, I got super busy doing albums and film songs. I designed music for music directors in Aashiq Banaya Aapne, Jhalak Dikhla Ja, Zara Jhoom followed by films like Risk and Fast Forward. I was more in studio composing and remixing and less into DJ-ying. Then a lot of shows were happening.”
Sami is also an active jury member and feels that music scene is surely not the same as it was before.
“When we sit to judge, we realise that actually there aren’t too many good songs to pick from. The scene is not so just because of the pandemic but barring composers like Mithoon not many are coming with phenomenal music that is synonymous with Bollywood. The magic of Bollywood music industry is waning fast. Today, when you listen to Bollywood music it feels background score kahi ja raha hai, gaane kahi aur aur music ek patch work jaisa lagta hai.”
Sami was stuck in the US due to pandemic for long but continued working. “After my last cover version Kabhi Kabhi (2018) where I debut as a singer, my new song Tu Meri Senorita released in mid-February. It is entirely an original track written by Honey Pawa. It was made three years ago but could release only recently. I have also composed the song and sung it with Tanvi Shah.”
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