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So we think that being a writer is a pretty cool job, but being a  DJ is right up there too! We loved Sita Brahmachari's latest, coolest character Priya, the rebellious underground DJ from Jasmine Skies and in this special feature the author reveals how she created such a convincing character,  followed by an exclusive interview with Radio 1 DJ Nihal Arthanayake!

Just after Artichoke Hearts was published I was sitting at the breakfast table with my children feeling nervous about doing a radio interview and when I told them I was going be interviewed by Nihal Arthanayake (DJ for Radio 1 and BBC Asian network) my son practically choked on his toast! ‘You can’t! He’s great. You don’t know anything about music Mum!’ 

Actually I do know some things (!) but when I was writing Jasmine Skies and thinking about my character DJ Prey (Priya) I knew I needed to ask for some advice. And who better to speak to than Nihal? Hosting his own shows on Radio 1 and BBC Asian network as well as club nights I knew he was a busy man, so I was really grateful he was willing to help me with my research. I started by sending Nihal an email describing my character, and the kind of things she was into:

She's a bit of a rebel in that she sneaks out of the house with her mates to do this underground DJ thing. She's recently cut off all her hair and she's starting to reinvent herself as a bit of a punky pixie type (after years of classical dance training). Now she wants to make something of her own.  She's just starting out as a DJ so she's only really sharing what she's up to with her friends . . .  it's all quite underground. She's experimenting with a fusion between classical and contemporary. She dances Kathak and Bharata Natayam.  In my mind she takes classical music and fuses it with bass music. So it's to dance to. Do you know of a club in London that Priya might have heard of where this sort of experimentation is going on? Or DJ's/ artists who are interested in this sort of mix? 

And this was Nihal’s brilliant reply that really helped me to understand Priya’s world and make her into the character she is in Jasmine Skies:

It all depends if she’s non-conformist. Is she rebelling against the axis of Bollywood/Bhangra she's expected to like by being into metal, an indie kid or into dubstep and all manner of bass music, or even a straight up pop kid?

From what you’ve described I think she's into dark dubstep - her favourite producers are Sukh Knight from the True Tiger Crew, and her favourite band are the Engine-Earz Experiment http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/introducing/artists/engineearz/ and she of course listens to my Radio 1 Asian beats show!  There's no regular club night as such that immediately springs to mind but she knows that Fabric and XOYO are such cool places to hang out at. There is a real metal/punk crossover going on into dubstep - it's electronic bass heavy music

When you read Jasmine Skies you will see how important it was for me to have done this research. Getting small details right is really important to me, because it’s the only way to grow rounded characters. Even though I’ve never been to Fabric or XOYO I needed to know that these are places that Priya would aspire to go to one day. The other great thing about doing research is you get to open your mind to different influences. While I was listening to the Engine-Earz Experiment my son came in from school and said ‘That’s not the sort of stuff you like!’ I smiled and said ‘Actually, I do now!’

Watching the way my children and their friends share music on their iPods led to the scene in Jasmine Skies where Priya tries to work out Mira’s character by listening to what’s loaded on her iPod. This is what Priya picks up about Mira’s character:

‘A great way of finding out who someone is, listening to their iPod! Let me guess … with that big laugh, you’re really a quiet one, storing it all up! A bit romantic, retro, arty, on the hippy side, the lyrics get you every time. Am I right?’

Where are your parents from?

My parents are from Sri Lanka a small beautiful pearl in the Indian Ocean just off the SOuthern tip of India.

What sort of music did you listen to when you were a teenager?

A lot of Rap music, I didn't grow up in a particularly musical household but my mother was into poetry and I suppose that's how I really identified with Rap because of the use of language and the way words bounced around clashing with each other in such an exciting way. I loved the power and energy of it and the fact it was a sound and an attitude that my parents couldn't understand or listen to.

How did you get into DJing and what advice would you give to any young DJs out there?

I was an artist, then worked in PR, journalism and management in the music industry, and then DJing became a way of throwing parties and getting friends together, it started off as fun and became much more serious once I joined BBC Radio 1. Always listen to how the music sounds. DJing is about selection first and mixing and scratching second. Some of the best DJs are less about tricks and totally about selection. So know and love your music. Always do it for the music first. And never play a track you don't at least like and preferably one that you LOVE.

What’s the best thing about being a DJ?

Getting people to lose themselves in music in the same way I do, to see their faces light up as a beat drops or a bassline shakes them to the core of their being. To stand on a stage with my hands in the air while people go nuts, and most importantly to play music that has been created by individuals who poured their heart and soul into creating something that can connect with people from London to Mumbai.

What’s the most difficult thing?

Keeping a crowd on that level, knowing when to give them a breather, choosing your selection of tracks so that they flow not just in terms of how they mix but how they sound. But then that's the art of the DJ.

Do you know any DJ’s into the sort of thing Priya’s into?

 Yes, me!

What are you listening to on your iPod at the moment?

I haven't used my iPod in years, it's all laptop and CDJs (my turntables - the DJs sword and shield). I'm listening to so much music as always from artists like Skream and Benga, Riz MC, Odd Future, True Tiger, Capital H, Fusing Naked Beats, Childish Gambino and so much more. I'm not listening to anything by Jedward.

You also present and interview people on your radio show.  What’s the most interesting interview you’ve had?

I interviewed a 16 year old ex gang member recently and he was so interesting because he told it how it was for him and his mates. He didn't hold back and was painfully honest, not something many of the politicians I've interviewed have ever really been. Another artist who stood out to me was the rapper Wretch 32, again because of his honesty. 

What’s the funniest thing anyone’s ever said to you on a phone in?

The funniest thing anyone has ever told me on radio was the worst Valentines Day mistake ever. A girl told me that when her boyfriend proposed to her on Valentines Day she said yes but called him her ex-boyfriend’s name! Now that's got to hurt.

Have you ever been to Kolkata or anywhere else in India? What impression did it leave on you?

I have DJ'd in Mumbai, Delhi, Baroda, and Pune. India is a vast place, so exciting but I rarely see much of India other than arrivals, hotel, club/festival departure and then I'm back in the UK.  In India you can see the biggest and flashiest cars hotels and diamonds and the worst poverty you've ever seen in a matter of minutes. The NH7 Festival in Pune is going to become one of the best Festivals in the world. I have DJ'd at the first two and they are so good. India leaves me feeling contradicted because I love the feeling of freedom I get when I am there, but then when i leave the bubble of the stage, the venue or the club I realise that for so many of it's inhabitants freedom is a very distant prospect indeed. 

If you change one thing about the world, what would it be?

I would replace the word Charity with Empowerment and ensure that the money given helps to empower and inspire not enslave and demoralise. When there is immediate need then of course we must do all we can to make sure that the weakest survive, but we need to help people to believe that they are worth something more than handouts.

To find out more about Nihal visit his website here

Nihal has put together his favourite playlist. You can have a listen on Spotify here!

Sukh Knight vs OGz - Shutdown
Engine Earz Experiment - Kaliyuga
Surinder Rattan featuring Metz & Trix - OMG (Dubstep remix)
Jakwob - Electrify
Talal Qureshi - Equator EP (Track: Andromeda)
Chase n status - Eastern Jam
Romay -Playing With Sound album (track: An Indian Love Story)
Tigerstyle - Kudi
Shizzio - Come Get Some (remix)
Nitin Sawhney - Homelands (Freeform five remix)

What ten songs would you have on your playlist? Post them below!