Darshan Jesrani
Darshan Jesrani’s recording project “Metro Area” (together with partner Morgan Geist) has left an indelible mark on the dance music landscape. Known for its forward-looking, freestyle recombination of influences, Metro Area’s work revolves around experiments with classic production styles and the songwriting focus of disco, new-wave/synth-pop and R&B. Metro Area has injected much needed doses of funk, sensuality, mood and space back into the loop-based and seldom-subtle world of underground dance.
Their 2002 debut album elicited superlative responses from The New York Times to The Onion, from web-logs to the Wire. Metro Area won a place among Rolling Stone’s “Top 50 Albums of 2002”, a rock and rap-dominated list for which most club/dance projects are not even considered. Further accolades include BBC/Radio 1’s “Dance Album of the Year” and a “Best New Artist” prize at the 2003 DanceStar/American Dance Awards.
The rest of it — eight more paragraphs
In 2007, Darshan caught the collective ear with his co-writing, production and remix work (alongside Ewan Pearson and Klas “Sasse” Lindblad) on “It’s All True”, the debut single from beloved UK singer Tracey Thorn’s (Everything but the Girl) solo album “Out of the Woods” (Virgin). This release made waves in broader arenas and was touted as a fresh and uplifting update of the Funhouse-style, vocal-led, New York City synth-pop sound of the early/mid-80s.
Darshan’s extended “Parks Dept. Dub” remix of “Starlight”, an underground hit by celebrated and hungry New York disco upstarts Escort (July 2006) landed on the year-end top-10 lists of many DJs known for their selections and taste.
Metro Area 7, the latest in a series of 12” EPs, was relelased November 2007 to superlative praise. Metro Area’s mix CD for Fabric (late 2008) was considered by Pitchfork to be both of one of the best modern disco mixes and one of the best in the series. In 2010 Resident Advisor named Metro Area’s “Miura” number 1 in their top 100 singles of the past decade, and their Metro Area album at number 2 in their top 100 albums of the past decade.
Having completed the first phase of his studio, which operates out of a commercial loft in Brooklyn, Darshan is preparing a battery of material for release on his new Startree imprint, produced and distributed exclusively by Word and Sound.
Startree’s first release “All-Night People” by Funn City was released at the end of 2013 and was included in Spin’s Top 50 dance singles of the year.
The label’s second offering, “Disco Engine” by Cylinder, has just been released to early superlative praise from music writers and fellow producers alike, and is out right now.
Darshan’s unique remixes for Permanent Vacation, Rekids, Escort and Mock & Toof, among others, have stood on their own as playable pieces of music, irrespective of the original works.
Darshan performs worldwide both as a solo DJ, and as a DJ and live PA together with Morgan Geist as Metro Area.
Their Resident Advisor profile, in full and unedited.
Records out on Environ Records, Permanent Vacation, Startree and Imogen Recordings. — their own list on Resident Advisor
The nights
2026
- Sun 24 MayMAD Radio NYCfirst time · Mad Radio New York
- Sat 21 MarMoondog Hifitheir 9th night
- Fri 27 FebMoondog Hifitheir 8th night
- Sat 17 JanMoondog Hifitheir 7th night
2025 — 5 nights
- Sat 13 Dec 2025Moondog Hifitheir 6th night
- Fri 3 Oct 2025Moondog Hifitheir 5th night
- Sat 16 Aug 2025Moondog Hifitheir 4th night
- Sat 19 Jul 2025Moondog Hifitheir 3rd night
- Sat 24 May 2025Moondog Hifitheir 2nd night
2024 — 3 nights
- Sat 23 Nov 2024Moondog Hififirst time
- Sun 16 Jun 2024H0L0their 2nd night · H0L0 NYC
- Sat 11 May 2024H0L0first time · Jigit, ReSolute
Their rooms
One tick a night, on the one axis this page has — Aug 2023, where the listings start, to Jan 2027, the last night anybody has announced. The shaded end has not happened yet.
- Moondog Hifiwas a standing night, most Saturdays · Nov 2024 – Mar 20269 nights
- H0L0May 2024 – Jun 20242 nights
Once each: MAD Radio NYC.
Who they play with
Counted from the bills themselves, over bills of twelve names or fewer. A pair's count includes a night that is announced and not yet played; where there is one, the row says when.
- Eugene TambourineMoondog Hifi ×2 · Dec 2025 – Mar 20262 nights
The nights, the rooms and the bills are the listings themselves. The biography, the labels and the photograph are Resident Advisor's. Nothing on this page was written for it.