The best part about Desi Dance Network is that it has thousands of unique members that never stop doing what they are passionate about. They always push themselves to create new masterpieces--whether it is choreography or music. The Mixing Ladder is a summer project that features some of the circuit’s most talented DJs. It gives them the creative freedom to make some of the best music our community has seen and allows everyone to see into their unique skill set.
Check out some of the most gifted DJs from Mixing Ladder- Season 2!
Click on the name of a DJ below to view their specific bio.
- Mayank Gandhi
- Naman Gupta
- Poojan Bhungalia
- Pranav Kunapuli
- Pranesh Vadlamudi
- Rahul Ahluwalia
- Sai Aguru
- Shainey Patel
- Siddharth Singh
- Tej Sutariya
- Vandan Patel
- Virag Vora
**Back to Top: Click on the name of the DJ at the beginning of the bio.
Abhishek Dendukuri, also known as BANED, currently attends the University of Texas at Dallas. He is pursuing a career in both Computer and Cognitive Science. His involvement in the circuit stems from listening to team mixes and attending Jhalak in 2013. He is really inspired by Kygos' style of music, because of his amazing production quality, and one day hopes that he can come close to reaching that level.
Aman Bhansali, also known as Amanator, has successfully completed his education with a major in Computer Science. He now works as a Software Architect for TCS. Since the young age of 14, he has been passionate about DJing and dancing. He has made several mixes for different teams and has competed with various groups as well. In fact, he even won Boogie Woogie Chalo America, for the DC area, in 2004. His musical inspirations stem from the classic Kishore Kumar and the iconic Kanye West.
Anupya Nalamalapu, also known as DJ Anupya, currently attends UC Davis and is pursuing a Computer Science major. Her involvement in the circuit comes from her experience on UCD Lashkara. She previously made mixes in high school, just for fun, but when she released her mixes at the collegiate level, she got nothing but positive feedback from the community. Since then, she has received requests from various teams and it continues to grow more with each creation she makes. Her biggest musical inspiration is Shreya Ghoshal. Anupya loves the fact that she started so young and has progressed so far with her amazing vocals.
Chinmaya Sharma, also known as DJ Chewz, currently attends the Medical College of Georgia and previously majored in Biology and Economics. He got involved in the circuit primarily through dance. He was a member of UGA Asura, for four years, and his interest in mixing music grew from there. He has been creating his team's mixes since sophomore year and continues his passion through other avenues. His biggest musical inspiration is A. R. Rahman.
Gautam Murali, also known as G-tam, is currently pursuing a masters degree in Industrial Engineering at Purdue University. He got involved in the circuit through producing audio scores for various teams and academies across the country. He began with Purdue Raas, his Alma Mater's dance team, and soon expanded to other raas and fusion teams. Some of his biggest musical inspirations are A. R. Rahman, Hans Zimmer, Tiesto, and Armin Van Buuren. Gautam is always on the hunt to find new/undiscovered artists to help him expand his musical knowledge. This includes genres like jazz, tango, tribal, tech-house, South Indian, Far East, Arabic, and many more.
Gyan Mehta, also known as GFlow, currently attends Ohio State University and is working towards a degree in Business. He got involved in the circuit through dancing on OSU Nashaa and Genesis. His biggest musical inspiration is Kishore Kumar. Gyan admires him because he was never trained in singing, but still became one of the biggest singers in Bollywood. His path shows that with hard work and practice, you can accomplish anything. Gyan strives to model his work after him; Gyan is also untrained, but is slowly learning to improve and widen his skill set.
Harsh Agarwal, also known as DJ Harsh, is currently an undergraduate student at University of Pittsburgh. He is on a Pre-Med track, majoring in Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religious Studies. His involvement in the circuit started when he became a dancer on Pitt Mastana and competed with them at ADZ 2015. His interest in mixing and production stemmed from this environment, alongside his experience in DJing live in New Jersey. His biggest musical inspiration is his family; His mother plays the tabla, his father plays the dholak and the harmonium, and his sister sings. At first, Harsh used to sing and play keyboard, but now he prefers to DJ. Harsh is also greatly inspired by Arijit Singh, Dr. Srimix, and VGo. His ultimate goal is to get to their level, in terms of music and production.
Ian Persaud, also known as TFLoud (Too Fuckin' Loud), is a rising senior at Cornell University. He is majoring in Human Development, with a concentration in Neuroscience. He got involved in the circuit by joining a raas team and producing music. He began mixing to publicize other music and to enhance and broaden his production skills. He also enjoys connecting with other people that share the same musical interests. His biggest musical inspiration is Mr. Carmack. Ian loves his diversity and his innovative style.
Karan Jani, also known as DJ Juno (named after his cat), is a rising senior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is majoring in Philosophy and is part of the Early Medical School Acceptance Program at UAB. Before the circuit, he had experience as a filmmaker and storyteller. In 2015, he used this background to help start the competitive Bollywood Fusion team, UAB Rangeela, on his university's campus. He has served as the artistic director and co-captain of the organization and has had the privilege of developing a storytelling model for the team, which tells real stories about real people. This past semester, using documentary filmmaking techniques, they interviewed one of their peers who had recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Their performance became a platform for his story to be heard. They hoped that their performance would help reduce the stigma associated with bipolar disorder. Kendrick Lamar is his biggest musical inspiration. He loves the way he uses his music to tell stories about the struggles that the black community faces in today's world. In his eyes, Kendrick's music has the potential to empower and mobilize an entire generation. Check out Karan Jani's amazing filmmaking skills by watching this video: https://vimeo.com/125752427.
Keshav Mantha, also known as KSM, is studying Neuroscience at Temple University. He got involved in the circuit by joining Temple U Bhangra, as a freshman, and taking over as head captain the following year. He started DJing because he wanted to be a part of all different aspects of the team. On top of learning how to dance/teach, he also taught himself how to mix and produce music. His experience as a musician was very helpful in this endeavor. His musical inspirations consist of several different artists. Some of these include Rahat Fateh Ali, A.R. Rahman, and Tru Skool. He also really admires Tchaikovsky, for his ability to write incredible melodies, and Dr. Dre, for continuously producing hits.
Kishan Patel, also known as DJ KA$H, is a student at the University of the Sciences in Philly. He wants to pursue a career in Pharmacy and got involved in the circuit by joining the USciences Fusion Team, Dhadkan. Kishan’s biggest musical inspirations are our very own Srimix, VGo, and Pranesh, but he strongly believes that the circuit has other very talented DJs as well. He loves listening to new concepts/mixes and ends up learning a lot from just listening.
Kushal Jaligama, also known as DJ Kush, is a rising sophomore at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and is pursuing degrees in Computer Science and Physics. He works as a Robotic Vision Intern at Magna International and got involved in the circuit by joining IASA and Michigan Manzil. His biggest musical inspiration is Snoop Dogg, because beatboxing to "Drop It Like It's Hot" lead him to expand his skill set of making creative beats.
Mayank Gandhi, also known as DJ MG, is currently a student at University of Georgia. He is majoring in Psychology, with a minor in Spanish. He got involved in the circuit, his freshman year, through UGA Talwar and GT Hifaazat. His musical inspiration is his friends and family. He believes that they constantly push him to become the best that he can be.
Naman Gupta, also known as Namix, attends International Academy East, Michigan. He began making mashups on Soundcloud prior to being exposed to the circuit. After venturing out, he came across a few DJs and contacted them. One of them added him to the DDN Facebook page and from there he started to make team mixes. He even joined and participated in the ladders. Some of his musical inspirations are KSHMR, Marshmello, Gioni, Chainsmokers, Sickick, and Jon Bellion.
Poojan Bhungalia, also known as proDiJy, graduated from Ohio State University, with a B.S. degree in Biology, and recently received his Masters degree, in Biomedical Science, from Midwestern University. He currently works at company called Medpace in Cincinnati, Ohio. He got involved in the circuit by joining OSU Genesis, during his freshmen year of undergrad. He previously saw them perform, when he was in high school, and could not wait for the opportunity to be a part of their team. His biggest musical inspirations are the DJs that were around during his high school and early college career. Their style of mixing and interpretation of music inspired him to begin learning and creating his own music.
Pranav Kunapuli, also known as PRNU, currently attends University of Pennsylvania and is majoring in Computer Engineering. He got involved with the circuit by becoming a member of Penn Dhamaka. This past year, he was the Artistic Director for the team, as they competed at Jhalak. Though picking a single musical inspiration was hard, Pranav is most influenced by Laidback Luke, a Netherlands DJ. He really admires the way he composes his music, as well as his overall philosophy on DJing and producing. The emphasis he puts on the feel of the music and flow, as well as creating a unique signature, are a few ideologies that he really identifies with.
Pranesh Vadlamudi, also known as Pranesh, graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in Business Administration, a concentration in Marketing, and a minor in Music Technology. He currently works as a pricing strategy consultant at a startup called INSIGHT2PROFIT. He started mixing during his junior year of college, but did not get involved in the circuit until after graduation. Initially CollegeDesis, DDN's predecessor, helped him reach out to the DJ community. From there, he would participate in online shows, where people could tune in and listen to their music from wherever they were. That was his first broad exposure to the circuit and the DDN Facebook page enabled him to directly connect with various people and teams from the circuit. Though he has not met a lot of people in person, he is extremely grateful for all the support that all the DJs receive. His biggest musical inspiration is A.R. Rahman. His music inspired Pranesh to start making his own material. He has also been influenced by dance music, which can be found in all his mixtapes. Two inspirations that stem from that genre are Swedish House Mafia and Hardwell.
Rahul Ahluwalia, also known as DJ Timeless, attends Medical School at Marian College of Medicine. He got involved in the circuit by mixing for various teams, including ones on his campus like as Izzat, Michigan Taal, Manzil, and Michigan Raas. Being a part of the Indian American Student Association on his campus also broaden his exposure. His musical inspirations stem from a combination of various musicians and DJs. Though he has a very diverse taste in music, from Bollywood to trap, it is particular aspects of each of these genres, such as a beat or a synth, that he finds his inspiration. The art of hearing artists push the boundaries of a genre and infusing their own brand of creativity is one of the biggest contributors to his passion for music and desire to keep producing.
Sai Aguru, also known as Saiborg, currently attends the University of Georgia. He is pursuing a degree in Management Information Systems (MIS) and Quantitative Analysis. His involvement in the circuit began when he joined UGA Asura. Soon after, he gained interest in mixing and enjoys blending different genres of music. His biggest musical inspiration is Jai Wolf.
Shainey Patel, also known as DJ SP, currently attends Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is working towards his degree in Biomedical Engineering. He got involved in the circuit by making mixes for fun, especially after being inspired by other DJs in the circuit. He loves to share his music so everyone can enjoy and believes that music should not be restricted to just the original track. His biggest musical inspiration has been members of DDN that share the same passion he does. Shainey says, “They are the ones that make me want to make mixes and continue to do so. Every DJ in this circuit is extremely talented and being able to make and share tracks alongside them is a great privilege!”
Siddharth Singh, also known as Xeno, currently attends Rutgers University and plans on graduating with a degree in Economics and a minor in Entrepreneurship. He was exposed to the circuit by joining Rutgers SAPA and was one of the original founders of Daksha Dance Troupe. He is also an executive board member of Taal Se, the first ever acapella and fusion competition. His biggest musical inspiration is Diplo. Siddharth admires his versatility and his choice to take creative risks. Besides that, he really likes Marshmello, for the great music and good vibes he spreads, and Vishal-Shekhar, for composing such a broad range of insane music. Siddharth says, "It is so inspiring to know that you do not have to be restricted by a certain genre and you can explore whatever you want to do. Since I have not been DJing and producing for long, I am still experimenting and finding my own style. The artists above inspire me to work harder on my craft, but my fellow peers, in the Mixing Ladder, really push me to make better music."
Tej Sutariya, also known as DJ Jet, is a junior at Plymouth High School. In the near future, he would love to attend the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and pursue a career in either business or medicine. He is intrigued by business because of his experience in running three companies, at the young age of 13. Eventually after college graduation, would like to open and manage his own consulting firm or clinic, depending on his major. He became involved in the circuit by listening to DDN mixes/mixtapes and fell in love. The wonderful beats he heard made him inspired to make a mix himself, and it progressively became a hobby. His biggest musical inspiration is Zedd. He has loved everything Zedd has made even before he became famous. From DJing to producing, Tej considered him his role model.
Vandan Patel, also known as DJ Vandan, currently attends Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and works at AT&T as a software engineer. He is pursuing a career in Computer Systems Engineering and Computer Science. He got involved in the circuit by originally DJing for live events and different companies. Though he loved the energy from these events, Soundcloud was always one of his most active social media accounts and he loves finding new mixes by other artists. After some time, he realized he could make some clean live mashups, so he started recording mashups and posting them to Soundcloud. After gaining some traction, he focused on using professional software, where he was able to make his mixes a lot cleaner. After collaborating with some of the most talented DJs in the circuit, he was approached by a couple of Bollywood fusion teams to make their competition mixes. Ever since then, he has been working non-stop with teams across the country doing what he loves. His biggest musical inspiration is Calvin Harris, because his production and live sets have pushed him to try new things and gain new perspective.
Virag Vora, also known as DJ VSquared, attends Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering. His musical inspiration stems from other DJs in the circuit and from 3LAU. Virag says, "3LAU started where I am now, with simple but creative mashups. Now he is creating things that are unique and extensive."