DJs in demand for Holi house parties in Delhi

Lavish house parties on Holi are a fad in areas like Gulmohar Park, Chattarpur, GK and Sainik Farms. Among other must-haves at such parties are DJs who can spin commercial, trance, hip-hop, Punjabi and EDM with equal elan. After New Year’s eve, this is the busiest season for DJs who start receiving requests to play at house parties a month in advance.If an artist or a DJ is a popular name, then booking requests are placed four months in advance.
Popular artistes booked four months in advance for Holi parties
Punjabi singer Deep Money, who performed at a house party in GK two days before Holi, says that he has been getting requests to perform at house parties since last four months. “Even at house parties, people want music like it is at festivals or commercial parties. Especially for a festival like Holi, they do not want just popular Bollywood, but reggae, trance, hip-hop and Punjabi too, so it is a mix. Some parties are quite well organised and they make sure that they choose the best in everything. My team has been getting requests to perform at house parties since last four months,” he says. DJ Jayant adds that the demand for DJs for house parties on Holi rises each year and he has friends who are only playing at private parties this Holi. DJ Param, who plays at a club in Delhi, says that making the most of the high demand, some of his friends are “playing at 2-3 parties on Holi.”
Craze for commercial Holi parties in Delhi is almost over
DJs say that till about three years back, most youngsters preferred attending a club Holi party or any commercial festival with big artistes playing there. But now, due to the many restrictions at such parties in Delhi, people stay away and prefer to attend a house party. Says Sumit Sethi, DJ and music producer, “Commercial parties are scary, they are ticketed events and usually one would see people fighting and there can be an unpleasant experiences, so the number of house parties being planned in Delhi, that too at a large scale, is high now. I have got three requests for bookings from areas like Chattarpur and Golf Course. Usually, such parties are either pool parties or terrace or lawn parties in a farmhouse that begin around noon and continue till late evening.” Shail Sharma, a freelance DJ, adds, “If you attend any commercial party in Delhi, there are restrictions on timings, cops are always around and very strict, and the chance of a fight breaking out is quite high. House parties are safe and you are among people you know. So, to avoid hassles, people now think it is better to have your own party. In Delhi and Gurgaon, the number of good house parties is high, and so is the demand for DJs. I will be performing at one such party in Sainik Farms. Even for us, private parties are more fun and safe to be at on Holi.”
The best time to earn money
Keeping in mind the huge demand for DJs around Holi, every DJ charges almost 25% more than the usual for playing at house parties. “. Some big names also prefer playing and performing at big Holi events in countries like Dubai, so hosts of such parties are prepared to pay high to get a good name to their party. I received 15-20 requests since the beginning of March to play at house parties on Holi. Around this time, every DJ will charge higher than the usual. For example, if someone charges `30,000 for one party, the price will now go up to `50,000,” says DJ Marsh. DJ Shail adds that to get a good DJ at a private party one should be ready to shell out a `25,000 minimum.