About four years ago, the D.J.s Malinder Tooray, Omar Ahmed and Bianca Maieli hosted a night of music and dancing in Los Angeles.
They were living in the city and loved attending dance parties that played rhythmic genres from around the world, like Afrobeats, reggaeton, and Brazilian baile funk, but they wanted to hear more sounds from Asia, including the Indian music of their formative years.
Their show, “No Nazar,” attracted a wide following and filled in what many saw as a gap in the music and nightlife scene.
“Nazar” is an Arabic word borrowed by many languages and cultures. It invokes the concept of “evil eye” — that is, an envious glance that can cause harm to those it falls on. The event created by Ms. Tooray, Mr. Ahmed and Ms. Maieli reflected a mood the trio was trying to create — that of an inviting and affirming environment that encourages cultural exchange through music.
“As all of us found what we liked at different parties, we also realized what we had as a gift to offer,” Ms. Tooray said.
The party has since expanded to other cities and, on Saturday night, it returned to New York at the Brooklyn Monarch. Many of the 1,500-some partygoers wore kaffiyehs and gold Indian jewelry.
