Mixmag Asia Radio: DIY heroes Bhai Bhai Soundsystem take over Sri Lanka

Bangladesh may not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking about electronic music. A lack of industry infrastructure and well-trodden paths has kept its scene in the shadows, but every movement starts somewhere. Enter Bhai Bhai Soundsystem—a collective that didn’t wait for a scene to emerge.

Born from Dhaka’s DIY underground, Bhai Bhai carved out spaces for sound system culture to thrive, transforming warehouses into raves and workshops into spaces for new talent. In just a few years, they’ve sparked a ripple effect, inspiring new collectives, artists, and fans across the region. They may not have been the first to try, but they’ve arguably become the face of the growing scene.

Their impact is extending beyond Bangladesh, with them recently taking over Sri Lanka’s leading spot Dots Bay House, for a collaborative event with Mixmag Asia, for an all-night-long powerhouse of a set.

Take a listen to the hour-and-a-half snippet from the night as you read more from Bhai Bhai about their roots, the realities of Bangladesh’s music scene, the challenges and triumphs of building a movement from the ground up, and what the future holds for this always-ambitious collective.

Firstly, where are you based?

We are based in Dhaka, one of the busiest cities in the world, the heartbeat of a country truly overflowing with energy and life.

Bhai Bhai was born here too, shaped by the chaos and rhythms we grew up with and how, in this city that rarely sleeps, we saw gaps in spaces for people to gather, connect, and experience music freely. This is where our vision of an accessible nightlife took root.


What’s your favourite thing about the music scene in the city you live in?

Shoummo: The diverse realities of the music scene are what make things interesting in Dhaka. In spite of the lack of proper infrastructure to support musicians, it's quite amazing to see the self-propelled effort by small communities to build a support system for creatives. This allows an organic growth of various perspectives and subcultures that are quite different from each other in nature.

Hasib: I’d say it’s the people and how we’ve DIY-ed an underground electronic music scene and dance culture from the ground up despite having almost no club infrastructure, funding, or institutional support. What we have here is a people-powered movement that keeps pushing forward, even in the face of societal stigma, challenges with law enforcement, and a lack of proper venues. Yet, at every event, you can see artists refining their craft, the community growing stronger, and a culture of dance music establishing deeper roots. Bangladeshi people have always had dance in our DNA – it’s just been erased because of generations of colonialism and repression.

Sakib: I love how our audiences truly immerse themselves in each show instead of treating our events as just another party. Our scene may still be emerging, but all the people who show up are so deeply invested and truly passionate about the music, the experience, and the movement, supporting each other however possible. Their genuine enthusiasm drives us to keep pushing and growing the electronic music scene in Dhaka and beyond.


What is something people don’t know about the scene in Bangladesh?

Sakib: Most people don’t realise that electronic music in Bangladesh has lush roots. With the early 2000s boom in electronic fusion, we had incredible artists like Habib Wahid, Fuad Al Muqtadir, Arnob, and Balam experimenting with house, trip hop, drum'n'bass, breakbeat, and trance. While their groundbreaking sounds thrived on radio stations and CDs and people did dance to them, they never exactly translated into a dancefloor culture. What we’re doing now feels like an organic, long-overdue next step–bringing Bangladesh’s rich electronic foundations to tangible, accessible spaces where people can physically connect with the music on their own terms.

Shoummo: Most people have no idea how deep and diverse Dhaka’s underground really is. It’s not just one ‘scene’—it’s a chaotic, ever-evolving mix of hip hop, rock, folk, and electronic music, built by collectives who refuse to let the lack of club culture or industry support hold them back. Independent venues come and go, but the people keep it alive, carving out spaces for creativity against all odds.

Give us the rundown of what each city’s scene is like!

The vibrant capital, Dhaka, is definitely the heart – for now. The scene is very DIY; while some of the videos may look like big clubs or venues, it's all grassroots festival-like production for just one night. Some spaces host as few as 20 people, while others can go up to 700 on the same day. This city hosts diverse sounds, from house and progressive to bass, breaks, drum'n'bass, and experimental. We love the work of Norok, Gyanjam, Cat House, Ghurni, and Gorbor.

Chittagong, the country’s second largest city, is lively and coastal. With a focus on house, tech house, melodic techno, and organic house, the scene here is more intimate but quickly flourishing. For instance, we admire the recent come-up of Haus Collective.

A bit more south is Cox’s Bazar, a beachside haven known for its budding, thriving festival scene. These spaces require bigger budgets, and organisers time these events during long weekends or holidays. Many attendees plan their vacations around these shows, with crowds mainly coming from Dhaka, Chittagong, and other cities. They go all out with handmade art installations by the ocean and complex set designs with sounds varying from jungle, bass, house, and techno. HXTCH is a great local groundbreaker, with Burning Crab and Banglafruit recently emerging afterwards.


What’s it like being an artist in an emerging scene such as Dhaka?

Hasib: When we started, all we wanted was to hear good music on big speakers and dance with our friends. Now, it’s evolved into a full-blown cultural movement. Global platforms are recognising our scene, our peers are playing on major stages abroad, and international artists and festival producers are collaborating with local events. We witnessed all this growth firsthand, even though the culture we promote is still largely shunned by the mainstream in Bangladesh. This ongoing journey is grueling yet fulfilling. We didn’t know where any of this was going and couldn’t have fathomed everything that has happened so far. Witnessing the emergence of this scene has been moving because we didn’t grow up with anything like this – there were no frameworks for us.

Shoummo: It’s challenging, if I am being honest. The lack of proper infrastructure and support systems would be the main issue, although, once key players and promoters become more engaged in the scene and infrastructure is set up, things will get easier for emerging artists.


Where would you suggest any first-timers in the city should go? Give us your perfect night out there.

Sakib: To be honest, there is not much of an everyday nightlife scene in Dhaka. No clubs, no venues with proper soundsystems, and no real infrastructure for it. Everything happens on special dates, not as a regular weekend thing like in other countries. Lately, though, things have been shifting. More people are throwing parties in different spots, and the underground scene is growing! Bangla Rave on Instagram is a good place to start to learn more about local artists and events, past and future.

What does Bhai Bhai actually mean?

"Bhai Bhai" literally means "brother brother" in Bangla, and it’s more than just that. In Bangladesh, you see this phrase scattered everywhere—on shop signs, trucks, businesses. Its familiarity carries a sense of unity, trust, and looking out for one another. For us, it was a feeling more than anything. Initially, we were just three guys starting something together, and it felt like the right name—it’s about camaraderie, connection, and building something from the ground up.

In our spaces now, we consider everyone a bhai, no matter your identity, religion, gender, ethnicity, or how much money you make – you are free to be whoever you are on the dancefloor. This isn’t just about us anymore; it is about the diverse and enduring community we are trying to foster.

Bhai Bhai recognised the need for change in Bangladesh’s cultural scene because there were simply no spaces to dance, and we needed to break out of the very few exclusive, elitist places that did exist. We wanted to co-create spaces where people could come together, artists could thrive, push boundaries together, and we could celebrate our own cultures. Bhai Bhai is a reflection of this.


What have some highlights been over the years?

Some major milestones stand out: the Bhai Bhai Party, March 2022—this was the first event we organised, and also happened to be the first time people of Dhaka partied in an old warehouse. None of us thought something like that was actually possible until after it happened.

Then, two years later, Keep Hush Live Dhaka: Bhai Bhai Takeover, May 2024—one of the most memorable events the city has ever seen. Bangladesh getting featured on Keep Hush was huge. As KH was a global platform, we went overboard with showing as much as we could of Bangladesh, starting from stage design to artist curation and suggested dress code. Once the stream was published on YouTube and promoted on Instagram by Keep Hush, the response we received was overwhelmingly supportive and beyond our expectations. This was a reminder and validation of how far we’ve come and how important our work actually is for our community and scene.

The scene has since grown, with more collectives emerging and creating accessible dancefloors and listening sessions, making electronic music a movement rather than just an elite experience, with the variety of sounds and events constantly expanding. We also took our music to Nepal and now Sri Lanka, beginning to push different Bangladeshi sounds beyond borders.


Your favourite dancefloor in Asia?

This might be a great question to answer a few years down the line. We are still exploring the colors of different cities as we travel and perform. Dots in Sri Lanka or any spaces by Sunflower Afterhours in Nepal were highlights. We look forward to experiencing more dancefloors across Asia soon!


What can you tell our readers and listeners about your mix? Why is it special to you?

Shoummo: A big part of our focus is to curate spaces effectively, and since each dancefloor is different, the flavour of sets and the music selection has to be intertwined with it.

Special because all that we wanted to genuinely play from our hearts actually landed and made people dance. This was very special for us because we thought about the space and curated something from our hearts that actually made everyone dance.


What would be your dream line-up, event or venue to play at?

Shoummo: Darkside, Moderat & BICEP

Hasib: Although this is not a venue, Magnetic Fields Festival in India would be a dream to play at

Sakib: An industrial warehouse with a Funktion-One system, featuring Daft Punk, Fred Again.., Max Cooper, and a live electronic orchestra. A setup with modular synths, drum machines, and crazy visuals!

How was your time in Sri Lanka?

Hasib: This was the first time any of us had been to Sri Lanka. I feel very grateful to have been able to visit and learn a bit about its rich culture and history. The people, nature, and food were incredible. I loved connecting with artists and look forward to more South Asian collaborations. I found it really enjoyable to find similar words, habits, and flavours in our cultures and derive our shared history, as our cultures were very intertwined only a few centuries ago.


And what did you think of the Dots Bay House x Mixmag Asia event you were playing at?

We had a blast! Everyone at Dots was amazing hosts, and the event itself was wonderfully pulled off. This was our first time playing a show outside of Bangladesh as the three of us, so it was a bit nerve-wracking going outside of our comfort zone. For us, it was particularly surreal traveling to a small beach town in another country and seeing Bhai Bhai Soundsystem posters all over the place.


This mix is only an hour-and-a-half snippet from a six-hour set. How do you find marathon sets compared to more typical length sets?

We’ve never actually done a marathon set like this before, so that was also a first. I thought it was fun as we got to set the mood at the beginning with some great music we didn’t necessarily expect people to dance to, followed by slowly building up more energy. It never felt too hectic as the three of us took turns on the decks.


What’s in store next for Bhai Bhai?

Bhai Bhai: More collaborations, more cross-cultural exchanges, more community building, and the EP we are working on. We’re just getting started.

Listen to Bhai Bhai Soundsystem's takeover at Dots Bay House on Mixmag Asia’s SoundCloud.

Images via Adeel Amer

Henry Cooper is a Writer at Mixmag Asia. Follow him on Instagram.

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