Get To Know: Jyoty

“Welcome to the party!” says London-based Jyoty, the rising DJ who’s best known for her roles as a Rinse FM radio host and creative producer. At 30, Jyoty is a formidable talent in the underground scene with an ear for new music and ability to vibe with a crowd. In ‘normal’ times, she spends her weekends DJing across the globe at clubs like Good Room, in NYC, Music Box in Lisbon, Razzmatazz in Barcelona and Melt! Festival.

Jyoty’s break into the industry happened by way of “finesse”. In 2012 she moved from Amsterdam to London to pursue a Masters degree and began working part-time as a door girl. Through her big personality and new connections, over time she landed her own show at Rinse and progressed to the mic at Boiler Room. Meanwhile, having graduated from university, Jyoty’s main occupation was for the Labour Party and then in agency work creating campaigns for brands such as Adidas. It was her colleague Jamz Supernova who persuaded her to do her first DJ set at Bussey Building. Jyoty admits, “I bombed the set and cried afterwards in the toilets, but that’s how my DJ journey started.”

Learning on-the-job paid off for Jyoty, and her side-hustle blossomed into a full-time gig. Blending genres such as hip-hop, baile funk and garage, Jyoty’s varied style and DGAF energy attracts a lively reception. She cites Shy FX & T-Power’s drum & bass smash ‘Shake Ur Body’ as the track that introduced her to funky UK music, and infuses exciting remixes of early-2000s music into her performances. When her plans to go on tour last year were cancelled, Jyoty set up a video series dedicated to industry advice and adopted live-streaming platform Twitch to DJ and connect with new audiences.

Jyoty recently blew up online after a TikTok of her 2019 Boiler Room debut went viral, racking up over 2 million hits on the app. Reflecting on the carnival set, which features bangers such as ‘It G Hot In Mi Bumper (S!RENE Edit)’, she says: “I had been out of the country for a while so that was my homecoming set and the energy levels were super-high. People are so drawn to that set because they’re seeing beautiful Black and brown people sweating and having a good time, including myself. To see a group of people enjoying themselves and they look like you, of course you’re gonna love it. It’s the joy that’s missing right now.”

As a South Asian woman, the need for more diverse representation is also something Jyoty speaks on. She says: “I’ve always been aware that I’ve been given opportunities because I don’t look like a ‘typically’ Indian girl.” Having hosted DJ workshops for women in Kolkata, India alongside the British Council and Wild City, and taught a six-week course for young British Asian women looking to break into the industry, Jyoty is pushing the culture forwards. “You can’t have just three or four of us representing the whole community, it’s just boring and see-through. I want to see all my people win,” she says.

Upcoming projects include curating for one of the UK’s most iconic club institutions and a venture into a new aspect of the industry, though she can’t reveal much yet. While her follower count online has more than doubled recently, Jyoty is honest about the distractions of social media and asserts that her industry track record speaks for itself. “It’s a shame to see that actually the most talented people don’t really get the love they deserve because we’re in this hype culture,” she concludes. “Just support the creatives that you like and want to support. Don’t believe the hype!”