DJ REKHA

Rekha Malhotra is a producer, activist, and leading authority on contemporary South Asian diasporic culture. They pioneered merging Bhangra and Bollywood sounds with contemporary electronic dance music and are the founder of Basement Bhangra, Bollywood Disco, and co-founder of Mutiny Club nights. As an educator, Rekha taught South Asian Pop Culture in the US at the NYU Department of Social and Cultural Analysis. Rekha has also lectured and led workshops on South Asian cultural practices and Hip Hop culture for various universities and institutions including the Smithsonian, Brooklyn Museum, National Museum of African American History and Culture and NYU’s Clive David Institute. Their work has been featured on CNN, NPR, PBS, has been called the “ambassador of Bhangra” by the New York Times and named one of the most influential South Asians by Newsweek. Rekha was the sound designer for Sarah Jones’ Tony award-winning Broadway Show, Bridge and Tunnel and received a Drama Desk Award Nomination for the Off-Broadway play, Rafta Rafta. They were an associate producer for the NPR Radio Documentary, A Feet in Two Worlds. Most recently they composed the theme music for Padma Lakshmi’s Taste the Nation Series on Hulu. Rekha has performed at the Obama White House and internationally.  

They have a Master's degree in Comparative Media Studies from MIT and produce the weekly podcast Bhangra and Beyond. Rekha serves on the board of Chhaya CDC, an organization for New Yorkers of South Asian origin that advocates for building economically stable, sustainable, and thriving communities.