Selekta’s Edition

At the source of a work of art is either love or the loss of it,or both. It was no different for Sri Lankan-born deejay Janaka Atugoda. In 2004,the San Francisco-based Atugoda found himself staring at the break up of the Dhamaal Sound System. “Dhamaal was a collective of primarily South Asian artists in San Francisco and produced events championing the meeting point of Indian classical and electronic music. After it came apart,an album started to come together. It was cathartic,” says Atugoda who,as DJ Janaka Selekta,has won critical acclaim from the US press and peers alike.

He is currently touring India with his debut solo album Pushing Air,a collection of break,drum and bass and dubstep tracks combining Indian classical melodies and Middle Eastern rhythms. On Friday night,he spun his album at the console at the restaurant Ai. But this isn’t really a dance album — not with futility as its theme. “Pushing Air evokes emotions with melody and bass,” says Atugoda. He wasn’t always a musician; he has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s in information systems and economics. And he’s smart enough to use all that education to further his musical ambitions. “One year I work and make money so that the next year,I can use it to produce music and tour,” says Atugoda,who worked for Yahoo! last year. Next,he will go back home to San Francisco and play with renowned deejays Cheb i Sabbah and El Diablo. This,you see,is the playing-music year.