‘I’m a DJ and my music saves lives – folks do not want medication to get excessive’
A 23-year-old DJ from Las Vegas, Kartik Desai, aka DSAI, claims his euphoric, nostalgia-fueled EDM tracks are so powerful they give fans a natural high, meaning they don’t need drugs
Kartik Desai, known as DSAI, burst onto the scene earlier this year when his debut single BLOODRUSH racked up six million streams on YouTube and was played across Europe. This helped him rack up more than one million fans on social media, including superstar Brit DJ Fatboy Slim.
The 23-year-old said fans are drawn to his “nostalgic” EDM tracks that feature drops that go “hard enough” to let the audience feel the “pay off” of an ecstatic release.
Inspired by the likes of world-renowned DJ Martin Garrix, Kartik claims designing music like this means his fans don’t need drugs to get high.
Kartik, from Las Vegas, Nevada, US, said: “I really prioritise using a lot of small pieces to make one big sound instead of a lot of small random sounds, I like to build a lot of tension.
“A lot of people, when they design their drops, don’t allow the audience to feel the pay off of the release as the drop is not hard enough or wide enough.
“I’m just very simple with my drops, I’ll start slower, build a lot of tension and make it big, I like my songs to tell a story. My drops are very wide, they can be played in stadiums, they also sound like they’re from movie soundtracks.
“My fans don’t need illegal substances, they get a natural high from listening to my music. In that way, my music is saving lives.”
The success of “cinematic” BLOODRUSH inspired Kartik to create more music, including ones that evoke “nostalgic” childhood memories.
Kartik said: “My interest in making music started in high school when I was 18. Martin Garrix inspired me, I fell in love with Animals.
“It made me want to understand how he made it, there are so many different elements in it. The sounds I use now invoke a lot of memories and missing a time you can’t go back to.
“Fans get a feeling of nostalgia that ties the music to a certain time in their life. You hear the song and think back to all the good or bad times you had in your life.
“I describe my music as sad dance music that’s very nostalgic and pretty emotional.”
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