DJ Smiley Bobby

Electronic producer from Maharashtra State in western India who has developed and popularised an electronically adapted form of Dhol Tasha percussion music. The Dhol Tasha tradition—originally performed on acoustic kettle drums by community ensembles—was formalised as a distinct ceremonial percussion style by the late Shri Appasaheb Pendse in the 1960s. DJ Smiley Bobby's album Dhol Tasha Drum Exercises from Maharashtra, released on Nyege Nyege Tapes in April 2023, presents nearly an hour of up-to-the-second electronic reinterpretations of this tradition alongside peers including DJ Aasif, DJ Ammy, and DJ TSR, connecting Maharashtrian ceremonial sound to contemporary dancefloor culture.