Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Akshai Sarin

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The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. Can't sleep, clown will eat me 07:24, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Akshai Sarin

Akshai Sarin (edit|talk|history|links|watch|logs) – (View log)

Despite claims of notability, artist fails WP:MUSIC. Most of his references are either trivial coverage, or not from reliable sources. Created by a single purpose account that seems to show conflict of interest as well (the editor is Axyzmusic and AXYZmusic is the name of his self-run record label/production company). Borderline spam, the editor has created mirror articles at Akshaisarin and Akshai which I have redirected, and include in this AfD. Earlier attempts at properly formatting the article were met with reverts. Precious Roy 16:30, 22 July 2007 (UTC) Also nominating for reasons listed above:

Akshaisarin (edit|talk|history|links|watch|logs)
Akshai (edit|talk|history|links|watch|logs)
  • Weak Keep appears to have signed with a major lable and international tour---both part of WP:MUSICBalloonman 18:38, 22 July 2007 (UTC)
Comment At best, one track on a major label compilation (which ≠ "two or more albums on a major label" per WP:MUSIC). That discography is a misleading mess. No sources back up any "international tour", either. Precious Roy 18:50, 22 July 2007 (UTC)
Comment Apologies. Our first time using wikipedia, hence the slow process in adhering to your guidlines. Akshai Sarin has tracks on 3 albums on major label Sonymusic - The Ultimate Ahah, Klub K3G and Kaal.axyzmusic 18:50, 22 July 2007 (UTC)
Comment I stand corrected. But the same track is on both Klub K3G and Kaal. Precious Roy 19:46, 22 July 2007 (UTC)
  • Comment The page has been updated with many more references, however most are from blogs ([1], [2]), are press release profiles ([3]), or his own label's website.
  • Comment 1. You mentioned the need for some proof of Akshai being an ex member of shiva soundsystem, the link directs to a poster with his name alongside State of Bengal on the blog. 2. Once again, the second blog (roca cruz) is that of Kitchie Nadal's manager - which includes a picture of Kitchie Nadal and Akshai Sarin performing together, and includes the name of their upcoming release. 3. Creativeportal and British Council website information on Akshai Sarin are completely neutral, put up independently by the organisations themselves. These also mention axyzmusic's offices in 5 countries, the direct link axyzmusic's website displays the addresses of these offices.—Preceding unsigned comment added by Axyzmusic (talk • contribs) 20:04, 22 July 2007 (UTC)
    • It's good to see those references coming in. Still, a blog is a blog is a blog. Anyone can make a blog claiming to be anybody—that's why blogs aren't considered reliable sources. I'm not saying those two haven't worked together, but there isn't even one picture of them in the same shot. Something like a magazine report would be far preferrable to a blog entry. And I only count four offices on the label's page: Egypt, India, Philippines, and Australia. Oh, and all of the images on the Shiva Soundsystem blog are broken; but maybe it's just my connection. Precious Roy 20:17, 22 July 2007 (UTC)
  • Comment I removed some of the bogus sources, but one of the articles, while not particularly well written, is from a reliable source and asserts an international tour (the Times of India article). Does anyone have access to the Mumbai Mirror article? The website doesn't archive that far back and i can't access that from my (U.S. university) library. But if that article substantiates that he's been in rotation on BBC Radio 1, he'd definitely qualify under WP:MUSIC. Chubbles
  • Keep The Times of India and Jam magazine references were enough for me. However soem of those references are truly trivial and should be removed, such as the ones that simply show that the artist played at an event, but othereise concentrate entirely on other matters, unless the event itself is major enough that merly playing at it is significant. DES (talk) 15:39, 25 July 2007 (UTC)
  • Weak keep per DESiegel -- the Times of India and Jam magazines seem to meet the criteria for WP:RS, and with a plurality of non-trivial mentions, he barely passes criterion #1 of WP:MUSIC. Ten Pound Hammer • (((Broken clamshells • Otter chirps))) 16:33, 25 July 2007 (UTC)
  • Weak keep due to residencies in multiple countries. I would like to know the names of the clubs he is a resident DJ at, and evidence/more detail, but unless those facts are disproven, this article meets the spirit of the "international" criteria of WP:BAND. John Vandenberg 22:20, 25 July 2007 (UTC)
  • I was asked to come here by the way. - Keep per point 9 of WP:MUSIC. Here's the competition, and here's him in it. Giggy UCP 23:18, 25 July 2007 (UTC)
Comment: I too was asked to come here. Anyhow, is the Creative Future competition a major music competition as required under point 9 of WP:MUSIC? I was under the impression that the competition was a business competition run by an institution, see here. If I am correct, then he fails point 9 of WP:MUSIC. — *H¡ρρ¡ ¡ρρ¡ 02:20, 26 July 2007 (UTC)
  • Comment He was one of 20 finalists, not the winner, nor one of 4 others who received special awards (link). Precious Roy 13:14, 26 July 2007 (UTC)
  • Delete. Too self-promotional, doesn't meet WP:MUSIC, apparent WP:COI. Realkyhick 03:07, 26 July 2007 (UTC)
  • Comment For what it's worth, whoever did the asking asked a bunch of people who often vote "delete" as well as a bunch of people who often vote "keep" on pop music articles. Chubbles 03:18, 26 July 2007 (UTC)
  • Comment Full disclosure: Dismayed by the lack of attention this AfD had been receiving, I contacted some people (12) whom I saw frequenting Music AfDs, and asked them to weigh in with their 2¢. (I now know that's considered canvassing and is verboten. Mea culpa.) I didn't target deletionists—despite my tenacity with this particular article, I realize there is potential notability hidden in there. The problem is the puffery and dissembling that was blatant in the original article (and still exists to some extent). Examples: claiming collaboration with State of Bengal—in reality, a member of that group DJ'd at a club night run by a group/collective that Akshai was a sometime member of; claiming "extensive" media coverage—a handful of articles (even 15 articles) is not "extensive"; writing about Laptop-jams so that it appeared to be a group that he was a member of and that they played a festival (and collaborated with Herbie Hancock, Roots Manuva, and other notables) when in fact it was an art project where anyone who showed up with a laptop was allowed to join in (and the notable artists merely appeared at the same festival but not with the art performance). Separating the truth has been a trial, to say the least. I have no interest in swaying this AfD one way or the other, and I appreciate the input from other experienced editors. My desire is that the article, if kept, be balanced and encyclopedic—not inflated and promotional. Precious Roy 13:14, 26 July 2007 (UTC)
  • Comment You can search Mumbai Mirror using the "advanced" option. here is the article:

The A/X Effect Tuesday, June 27, 2006 | Entertainment

Akshai Sarin, or DJ A/X, is the youngest to feature on BBC Radio 1 with his ‘Birdsong’

by Kenneth Lobo

From its inception and throughout the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, the hugely successful BBC Radio 1 – commanding weekly audiences of up to 24 million listeners – was considered a station that you could listen to for new music. While that reputation (and audience) has diminished, BBC still shows a dedication to broadcasting original innovative productions. Last fortnight, Alternative Asia, a show hosted by Nerm, producer of the UK collective, Shiva Sound System, broadcast ‘Birdsong’ by 24-year-old producer-DJ Akshai Sarin, also called DJ A/X, the youngest ever act to be featured.

Sarin composed the eponymous ‘Birdsong’ for a play, directed by a woman called Poonam Sareen, about every man's story about having a dream and pursuing it. “Sareen gave me the synopsis of the play: A girl who is a talented actor is convinced by her father to choose investment banking for a career. She relents and is successful but one day she runs into a chef who points her back in the direction of her dream,” he narrates. As hackneyed as the plot sounds, Sarin found the play unusually mirroring his own life. “I was studying Economics, Philosophy and International Studies at Lawrence University, USA. But I had to make my choice about what I really loved, and I did,” he says. “‘Birdsong’ is an orchestral piece that mirrors the emotions I experienced, full of fluctuating emotions and indecision."

Sarin's music has accompanied the play across India and the response has been positive, with compliments for the track's high production values and instrumentation. The artist points to the “space” in his music that allows every note and moment to build up to create a fulfilling experience. “I'm a fan of space,” he says. “Like Osho said, ‘We look at our palms and fingers but not the space between them and how important that is.’”

This producer boasts of a repertoire over 200 songs, and regular airplay (of tracks from his previous three albums) on radio stations in US and UK. Soundscapes, his debut solo album, released through Mp3.com, sold over 2,000 copies when he was just 16 years old. “I was even invited to perform by a radio station in Bosnia. Unfortunately, I was at University then,” he says, nonchalantly.

Except for his ‘Birdsong’ however, the artist's music has reached a very select audience. His live performances have also been limited to spaces like Zenzi, which usually host an eclectic audience. “I prefer starting a performance with some bouncy, house pieces. With a couple of tracks I can gauge the space the crowd is comfortable in. I take them into that space and then push the boundaries, maybe play some Brazilian beats,” says Sarin. World music has proved one of the biggest stimuli for the widely travelled musician, which also explains the experimenting. “I'm part of an audio visual project where a common theme runs through 12 songs but each track belongs to a different genre,” he says. Admitting to being spiritual, Sarin says that at the heart of his music is “a search to find unity among cultures and individuals”. “I'm into that whole ‘world unity’ thing,” he concludes.

Australia tour: http://www.karmaclub.com.au/images/ax.jpg - flyer from the australia (june 2007 - as dj a/x) tour. http://www.zonar.net/uberlingua/ewf/default.htm - at the emerging writer's festival in melbourne (not as dj a/x)

  • Keep - Enough coverage, touring, and airplay to qualify. Chubbles 16:57, 26 July 2007 (UTC)
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.