For more than two decades, DJ NYK, aka Nikhil Sahni, has explored the space where contemporary electronic music meets Indian music culture. Based in New Delhi, the Indian DJ, producer and creative artist has moved across progressive house, melodic house, melodic techno and other electronic styles while maintaining a strong connection to the cultural influences that shaped him.
His musical journey began in the early 2000s, following an upbringing surrounded by Bollywood and Indian pop music. As he discovered artists such as Michael Jackson, Robert Miles and Darude, and later encountered the Indian remix culture of the 1990s and the Asian Underground movement, NYK began to see how his cultural identity could coexist with electronic music in a way that felt both contemporary and authentic.
That philosophy has continued throughout his career. His Play Life Project connected India’s electronic music community with the global EDM movement, while his work as a remixer has included official remixes for more than 30 Bollywood films. He has performed across 20 countries and 68 cities, including appearances at Expo 2020 Dubai, the Women’s Premier League at Vadodara Stadium and the Dabangg Tour alongside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.
Beyond DJing and production, NYK has developed a wider creative world around music, visuals and technology. His Electronyk Show, Electronyk Podcast, Bollywood Sunset series and Adhunyk Lab have all explored different ways of connecting electronic music with visual storytelling, Indian influences and immersive experiences.
Now, that creative journey has entered a more reflective phase with ‘PAUSE‘, an EP inspired by the decision to step away from the constant pressure to create and simply make space to live. We caught up with DJ NYK to discuss his cultural roots, the inspiration behind ‘PAUSE’, artistic rebellion, AI, and what it means to create beyond music itself. 
Many artists today move across and blend genres rather than fitting neatly into a single category. How would you personally define or label your sound, and what genres, subgenres, or underground scenes have most influenced and shaped your evolution as an artist?
I’ve always believed that music transcends genres, so I’ve never felt the need to confine myself to one particular sound. Since I started DJing and producing in the early 2000s, I’ve naturally gravitated towards the melodic side of electronic music, particularly progressive house, melodic house and melodic techno.
More recently, I’ve also been enjoying the energy of Tech House and Latin House. At the core of my sound is a desire to keep evolving and follow the music wherever it takes me.
I see electronic music as a canvas, one that gives me the freedom to explore different genres while bringing my own cultural perspective into it.
How did the environment you grew up in shape you as an artist, and in what ways does it still influence your creative identity today?
Growing up in an Indian household, Bollywood and Indian pop music were simply part of everyday life. That was the music I grew up with and it became a natural part of my musical vocabulary.
Then, in the mid-’90s, I discovered Michael Jackson’s productions, followed by electronic music from artists like Robert Miles and Darude. I remember being fascinated by this completely different sonic world.
During high school, I was also exposed to the Indian remix culture of the ’90s, particularly DJs like Bally Sagoo, Aqeel and Suketu, who were reimagining Bollywood through contemporary productions.
As I got deeper into electronic music, I came across the Asian Underground movement in the early 2000s. Artists like Karsh Kale, Talvin Singh and Midival Punditz were taking sounds and musical influences from our culture and reimagining them through electronic music while retaining their cultural identity.
Seeing that made me realise that these two worlds I had grown up with could come together in a way that felt both contemporary and authentic.
All of these early influences shaped the way I see music today.
Even when I explored the global EDM world through projects like Play Life, that connection to Indian music never disappeared. Today, I’m still exploring how that cultural identity can evolve through electronic music, immersive experiences and new creative formats.
Can you share a brief, compelling narrative or inspiration behind your new release?
My latest release is an EP called PAUSE, inspired by a feeling I believe many of us share today: that we are so busy keeping up with life that we rarely get a moment to actually live it.
In 2025, I decided to pause everything. I stepped away from my creative projects, tours, YouTube and the constant pressure to keep creating and being productive all the time, and gave myself time to simply be a person rather than an artist.
I returned to things I had always wanted to explore, from playing sports and learning the handpan to discovering new crafts like screen printing. I even picked up my guitar again after almost 20 years and ended up playing live guitar melodies on some of the tracks on this EP.
That experience became PAUSE. It brings together electronic music, poetry, spirituality and the quiet rhythms of nature to create a space to breathe, reflect and reconnect with ourselves.
We also created a cinematic music film for the EP, shot across five different locations in the trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh.
To sum it up, PAUSE is an invitation to stop for a moment, slow down and allow ourselves to actually live a little before rushing towards the next goal.
Do you prefer producing music in a studio setting, or are you more comfortable creating on the road or during touring?
Technology has evolved so much over the years, and laptops have become incredibly powerful these days that you no longer need to be sitting in a stereotypical studio environment to make music.
Most of my music these days gets made wherever I happen to be, whether that’s my bedroom studio, a coffee shop or on the road while touring. I actually enjoy that freedom.
Have you performed at any major music festivals or large-scale venues? If so, which one would you consider the most significant milestone in your career so far?
I’ve been fortunate to perform at some incredible large-scale events over the years, including the Dabangg Tour at JLN Stadium alongside the biggest Bollywood superstar, Salman Khan, Expo 2020 Dubai and, more recently, the Women’s Premier League at Vadodara Stadium in India, to name a few.
But the Dabangg Tour remains the most significant milestone for me personally. I had attended a major Bollywood concert at the same stadium as a teenager, so finding myself on that stage years later was a pretty surreal moment. 🙂
Do you feel more connected to the energy of major festival stages or the raw intimacy of underground warehouse parties and DIY spaces, or do you find inspiration equally in both worlds?
I probably lean more towards the festival environment because I love the scale of the whole audio-visual-lighting experience. There’s something incredibly powerful about being able to create a complete visual and sonic world for an audience, and that’s something that isn’t always possible in smaller rooms or nightclubs.
Having said that, I feel it’s less about the size of the venue and more about the energy in the room. Even if there are only a handful of people and they genuinely connect with the music and respond with energy, you feel it as a DJ.
Ultimately, we thrive on the energy of the dance floor irrespective of where we are performing.
What role does rebellion or counterculture play in your music?
I think counterculture and rebellion is where the magic happens for an artist and ultimately is where legacy is created.
It comes from pursuing something you genuinely believe in rather than simply following what the music industry or the algorithm tells you is popular. For me, rebellion isn’t something you consciously try to manufacture. It’s a natural progression when you allow yourself to follow the sounds, ideas and emotions that genuinely excite you, even when they don’t necessarily fit into what is currently trending.
There is always a temptation to stay in familiar territory as it feels safe, but I believe the most meaningful work happens when an artist steps outside of it.
These days, so much thought goes into figuring out how to make music go viral or perform on social media. Those things have their place, but I think they can sometimes distract from the most important question: what do I actually want to express as an artist?
When you pursue that honestly and your ideas finally come together through music, there’s a sense of fulfillment that is difficult to find anywhere else. And ultimately, that genuine expression is what connects with another human being.
Fulfilment brings happiness, and isn’t that what we’re all ultimately chasing?
How would you evaluate the current state of the global EDM scene in terms of its overall health and creative direction?
I think the global electronic music scene is in a very interesting phase. The boundaries between genres are becoming increasingly fluid and artists are no longer feeling the need to fit into one particular sound or scene. That’s creating a lot of room for experimentation and for regional and cultural influences to find their place within electronic music.
At the same time, the sheer volume of music being released and the pressure to constantly create content can sometimes make it difficult for truly distinctive music to cut through. I think the opportunity now is for artists to focus on developing a genuine identity rather than simply following what is trending.
For me, the most exciting part is seeing electronic music become increasingly global and culturally diverse. There is so much musical heritage across the world that can be reinterpreted through a contemporary electronic lens, and I believe we’re only beginning to see what that can lead to.
Do you see AI as a threat to musicians, a helpful collaborator, or something else?
I have mixed feelings about AI. There’s no denying that it’s an incredibly powerful collaborator and can make parts of the creative process faster and more accessible.
But sometimes I wonder if the ease with which we can now solve problems also takes away some of the sense of wonder that comes from figuring things out ourselves.
I’ve been making music since the early 2000s, and one of the things I’ve loved most as an artist is learning something new every few years and seeing how it changes the way I create. There’s a certain satisfaction in struggling with a problem, finding a solution and developing a new skill along the way.
I’ll embrace AI where it genuinely adds value, but for me the important question is how we use it and where we choose to draw the line. We’re entering completely uncharted territory and I don’t think anyone has all the answers yet.
The tools will keep changing, but the curiosity, emotion and personal experiences behind the music still have to come from the artist.
What’s one piece of advice you would offer to an aspiring DJ or producer looking to break into the music scene today?
My advice is pretty simple: KEEP IT REAL!
Get into this industry for the genuine love of music, not for the attention, fame or lifestyle. You won’t survive very long on the gimmick. It’s the passion that will carry you through the ups and downs of a career in music.
Be patient and work hard. It sounds clichéd, but there really are no secret mantras. When you genuinely love what you do, the work becomes play.
Follow the music you’re passionate about rather than simply chasing what’s trending. Trends will change, platforms will change and what gets attention today may be forgotten tomorrow. The one thing that can keep you moving through all of that is a genuine love for the music.
Listen to as much music as you can, explore different genres and keep broadening your spectrum as a DJ and producer. Your curiosity will ultimately become part of your sound.
What is the official title of your latest or upcoming single, EP, or album?
The EP is called PAUSE. The EP is slated for a mid-October release.
Looking ahead, what excites you most about the next phase of your artistic journey, both creatively and personally?
What excites me most is the freedom to explore what being an artist can mean beyond just making music.
Projects like PAUSE, Adhunyk Lab 2.0 and the evolution of my Bollywood Sunset sets are allowing me to experiment with that in completely different ways.
I think the next chapter is less about chasing the next milestone and more about creating things that genuinely fulfil my soul’s calling. That freedom is probably what I’m most looking forward to.
Are there any upcoming festivals, tours, collaborations, headline shows, or major projects listeners should keep an eye out for over the coming months?
I’m currently working on Adhunyk Lab 2.0, both as a sequel to the YouTube series and an evolution of my immersive live experience, bringing together electronic music, Indian musical influences and visual storytelling in a more experiential format.
I’m also bringing my Bollywood Sunset Set series into the live space. What began as a viral YouTube series in 2019, built around mellow, progressive house interpretations of Bollywood and Indian music, has grown over the years into a global community of sunset and music lovers.
The idea behind the Bollywood Sunset Gatherings is to bring that community together in real life, where people can share the music, the atmosphere and the simple magic of watching the sun go down together.
Alongside these projects, there’s new music and collaborations in the works, with more to come over the coming months.
Listen to DJ NYK on PLAYY. Music
Listen to the exclusive mix HERE!
