DJ Rekha DJ Rekha Presents Basement Bhangra

• Words: Luciana Lopez
• Label: Koch
• XLR8R Rating: /10

New Yorkers have enjoyed Rekha’s Basement Bhangra parties for a decade, but with her debut mix album, the London-born DJ fixes her sight on the rest of the country. Though a few names here would be familiar even to Middle America (the once-Jay-Z-remixed Panjabi MC and Wyclef Jean guesting on one of Rekha’s own tracks), bhangra–the combination of traditional Punjabi folk elements, especially vocals, and electronic beats–never quite achieved household-name status in the States. This compilation, though, shows the skills that have kept Rekha’s party going for so long, particularly her expert programming, with hip-hop- and dancehall-derived bhangra. Here’s hoping this set is more than just a one-off.