DJ who loves Trans and Techno

by Lakmal Welabada

"I want to have a crowd and Trans and Techno music. I want to make a night concert for such a gathering at least once a month," says Dex-T, the 25-year-old DJ, an award winner at the Denon-DJ competition last year...

"Trans and Techno music is real ground music, very hard and with very fast beats... There may be a hand full of enthusiasts who love this kind of music, but I am sure it might increase," hopes DJ Hemantha Priyanath de Silva alias Dex-T. Well, Dex-T is his nick-name in the DJ world. But his close ones call him Priyanath.

This young man had no particular hobby, and hardly involved himself in any extra curricular activity when he was

 a school boy. "But I always liked music. Hence I have collected music cassettes and CDs since the time I learnt how to play the record player," he says.

It was after O/Ls in 1998, that he took into DJing seriously. "I sat for the A/Ls in the Commerce stream, but DJing has been my forte. So, I decided to go on in this line," he confirms.

Priyanath is a self-learned guitarist and an abstract painter. "Oh! I used to do abstracts, but not on a big scale," he laughs.

Priyanath enjoys all kinds of music; whether it's Hip-hop, RMB or Oldies he gives his heart and soul to it. But, he adores House, Trans and Techno. "Now I have been in the DJ business for about 10 years. I have a large collection of music. It's my treasure.

Every week at least twice or thrice I visit CD shops in search of new hits and melodies. When I find one I would feel happy, just like a kid as DJ is my career, my hobby and my life...," he says.

Internet is his other source. "One can learn a lot from the internet, the free educative media. The main fact in DJing, is, you should know how to mix the correct rhythm in the right time and place.

There are a few theoretical guidance which has been jotted down by World famous DJs, but it is your ear, brain, taste, spirit and soul that vibrates when you are at work as a DJ. The music we should play depends on the crowd we entertain.

If it's a private party then we have to cater to their taste. But if it is a club, we have much more freedom to play what we like. DJing is something that we could entertain others while enjoying it by ourselves. It's interesting," he says.

Priyanath won the third place at the Denon-DJ Competition organised by Cool Jays Entertainment held in November last year. "It's a great achievement, I assume," he smiles. "When I look back, I'm happy about the path I tread.

I started as a DJ at house parties by hiring the Sets, and went on for about three years. Then I worked for an entertainment company for about four years and joined 'Clancys' Club where I am still working," he recalls.

Whatever the profession you are in, you should speak out the devotion if you are to succeed. Dex-T sacrifices his leisure by reducing his sleeping hours only to four per day ; from 6.00 to 10.00 am.

After lunch he is busy either browsing the internet looking for novel tunes or chit-chatting with his girl, Shehana Amarasekara. "She, my mother and my friend Dilruk are the three souls that I should render my gratitude for entrusting faith in me and my work," he pleases.

"My dream!", he went on, "To have a concert of Trans and Techno music. Secondly to move to Ibiza, one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain.

That place is famous for Summer parties, with thousands of people flooding in for big Summer bashes. I know I would definitely be fitting in with them as Trans and Techno are highly applauded by the crowd that invade into the Summer clubs there," the soft spoken, thoughtful, simple Dex-T guy concludes with a smile.