Queering Desi: Season 2, Episode 10: Sikh Knowledge

Sikh Knowledge

This week on Queering Desi, we welcome Sikh Knowledge, a producer/DJ from Montreal!

On this episode, Priya chats with Sikh Knowledge, a producer/DJ from Montreal. Priya asks Sikh about his beats, and he shares how world music blended together in his early musical influences. The two chat about what it means for all our identities come together and shape our work, and Sikh shares the way he incorporates flavors of his narratives into his music. Later, Sikh talks about how creating has become a tool to heal, and how his queerness intersects with Sikhism and Punjabi culture. Priya also asks what it takes as a DJ to curate inclusive spaces, and Sikh shares how he strives to bring his full self to each performance. The two wrap up with a rapid-fire style round of questioning about Sikh’s early music inspirations, his favorite track, mental health, and his advice for his younger self.

[Content warning: This episode mentions suicidal ideation towards the end, around the 34:00 minute mark.]

About the guest:

Sikh Knowledge is a producer/DJ from Montreal, now in Toronto, who explores his folk heritage rooted in the Indus Valley, Panjab, through remixes, original productions, and blending unorthodox sounds to evoke vibes of a time and place only hinted at in today's oversaturated world. By day, he values his time giving back to community through his work as a speech-language pathologist.

You can follow Sikh Knowledge on SoundCloud, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

[Queering Desi logo: Nafeesa Alibhai and Sabina Pang]