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DJ Mag Top100 DJs
12
KSHMR
3
2020 and it’s another Top 100 DJs appearance from US producer and musician Niles Hollowell-Dhar, better known as KSHMR, who’s been a regular face in the chart for a few years now. KSHMR has had a productive year working hard at the electro-house, hard dance and psytrance coalface with big releases on Spinnin’, Controversia and his own Dharma imprint. 
 
Dharma also put out his sparkling rework of MGMT’s 2007 hit ‘Kids’ with MKLA and was also home to releases from David Flix, Reid Stefan & Karra, along with KSHMR’s collab with Timmy Trumpet and 22Bullets, the dystopian stomp of  ‘Everybody In The Party’ featuring Ghost. KSHMR and Mr Trumpet also collaborated on the epic hard dance of ‘The Prayer’ with Zafir too. 
 
Aside from his releases, KSHMR also launched his Dharma Studios website this year which hosts samples and tutorials from KSHMR and the rest of the Dharma team. And in what’s clearly been a productive year, he’s also been working on his debut album and unveiled his brand new project Dreamz with the huge mid-tempo banger ‘Casual’ featuring NEVVE.
 

 
What three things have most helped you through Coronavirus Lockdown?
 
“Throwing a ball with my friends, spending time with my dogs, and studio time – I’m working on something special.” 
 
 
What lessons should the industry learn from this crisis?
 
“Allowing artists a lot of time to be home working on music. I think that's been really good for creativity, to give people the time to experiment. On a personal level, it's taught me the importance of doing simple things like spending time with friends and loved ones.”
 
 
What steps need to be taken to address the racism in the dance music scene?
 
“I recognise the dance music industry is classist because you do need a lot of money to buy turntables and software associated with making dance music. I think the trend is starting to head in the right direction, where people can learn and practice at a lower cost, thanks to companies like Splice and others that offer subscription models.”
 
 
What industry changes are you personally pushing for to make the dance music scene more inclusive?
 
“I try to represent my heritage, India, in my music and shine a light on other cultures as well. When possible, I try to use money from shows to support initiatives primarily in India to help the children there get better resources.”
 
 
What’s the greatest dance music track of all time?
 
“Alice Deejay ‘Better Off Alone’.”