Issue #185
l
www.infusion.ae
l
EST 2005
Atelier Festival, Duff Disco, Dany Neville, Gig listings, Pan-Arabia Enquirer and more!
l
rock Gulf Bike Week!
Oct 14th - Oct 28th 2012
Megadeth
MUSIC • PEOPLE • LIFE
BOUDOIR PRESENTS
DIAMOND Horror Show
WEDNESDAY 31ST OCTOBER 2012
MUSIC BY
DJ BROOKLYN DJ SHERO
COMPLIMENTARY BLOOD DIAMOND COCKTAILS FOR LADIES TILL 1AM
FANCY DRESS COMPULSORY FOR TABLE RESERVATIONS CALL: 050 454 6920 FACEBOOK.COM/MYBOUDOIRDUBAI www.myboudoir.com
PRESENTS
THURSDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2012 E XC LUSIVE D J S E T F RO M A B OVE&BEYO N D ’ S J O N O G R A N T PLUS
G RE G STAINE R RADIO 1 IM E N B A H MAN ON P E RC U S S I O N
ADVA N C E T I C K E T S A E D 1 5 0 . A E D 2 0 0 AT T H E G AT E GATE O P E N 7 P M - 2 A M DRE S S CO D E B E AC H C H I C / M IX E D G R O U P S R EC E I V E P R E F E R E N C E R EG U L A R C LU B P O L I C Y A P P L I E S / 2 1 + O N LY. I D I S R EQ U I R E D FOR VIP & TABL E R E S E R VAT I O N S PLEASE CONTACT
N A S I M I B E ACH O N + 9 7 1 5 5 2 0 0 4 3 2 1 / B B M : 2 8 5 0 8 7 D 0 NASIMI BE AC H N E W S
N ASIMIBEACH
WWW.BONGEVENT.COM
O R G A N I S E D BY
From the Editor’s Desk
Editor-in-chief: Talal Budebs Managing Director: Charl Chaka Editor: Andy Buchan
DJs can be prickly beasts. Overly sensitive and easy to rile, we pounced on the news that the dark overlord of pop, Simon Cowell, was to launch a Flop Idol style show hunting for the next ultra-manafactured DJ star. And quite rightly so. It was an idea that shouldn’t have left the oakpanelled board room it was conspired in, but it did give rise to our Angry Monkey to wonder whether one of the rounds would be dealing with drunk requesters, or whether their after-party credentials and stamina would be tested as they’re playing at 6am in an East London crack den (ahem). But it seems we can all breathe a sigh of relief, as news has reached us that his initial plans have floundered (check the music section for the full news) amid questions of who got prime billing on the TV production rights. And there you have the problem in a nutshell: Cowell’s show would have been a battle of egos, whereas (and we hope you agree with us), DJing should be a passion, a basic desire to share music and let the good times roll... Andy
Contributors: Benjie Mar Jacobo Buff Wise GarethIsOnIt Lisa Sant Miriam Sweeney Nthayi Tshehle Pan-Arabia Enquirer Design: Allan (Jmaxlolo) Tinsay Grown-up stuff: Infusion is published by Milehigh Media, llc. www.milehighmedia.ae PO Box 73310 Dubai, UAE Contact us: Tel/Fax: 04 368 8098 Advertising: vip@infusion.ae 050 169 8712 Editorial: andy@infusion.ae 055 882 5675
Powered by Listening with
Partying with
To do list End/start your week in style with our new Entra Mi Casa party at 360 on Saturday 13 & 20.
ur Marvel at o100 expanded zine, page maga bang even more free for your bucks!
Friday October 19: if you’re a pop fan, head down to Atelier, if you’re a rock fan, then Daughtry and Razorlight at Bike Week. Snorted.
Check out Republique’s new live lounge music, on their upstairs comedy, floor, open for live karaoke and more.
Up for grabs
Looking for a mid-week night out? May we humbly suggest Playlist at Velvet
Underground, one of the best hip hop/ underground nights in town.
Atelier VIP tickets We have a pair of VIP tickets to give away to the Atelier Live festival at Meydan on Friday October 19. To win, simply answer this question: Which hip hop star is headlining? a) 50 Cent b) 50 Fils c) 50 Sense Head to facebook.com/ infusionmagazine to enter
GULF Bike Week tickets We have 2 pairs of tickets to give away to see Megadeth in action on Oct 18th, along with 2 meet and greets with the band, and 2 pairs of tickets to see Daughtry and Razorlight on Oct 19 at the Gulf Bike Beek. To win, simply answer this question: Gulf Bike Week is held at a) Dubai Festival City b) Dubai Festival Tent c) Dubai Festival Marina Head to facebook.com/infusionmagazine to enter, and please specify which event you want tickets for.
XL BEACH CLUB F R I D A Y
REHAB
. O C T
1 9 T H .
1 2 P M - 3 A M
SUPPORTED BY
RICH ROUND S3RHAN JORDAN TRAYNOR www.judgejules.net www.facebook.com/judgejules
FOR RESERVATIONS CALL
21+ FACEBOOK.COM/XLBEACHCLUB FOLLOW US @XLBEACHCLUB WWW.ACCENTUREINVESTMENT.COM XLBC@ACCENTUREINVESTMENT.COM
0566406161 Tickets:
Gulf Bike Week Festival, 18th & 19th Oct
Looking
BACK Retrospective on what’s been happening in our world.
> What we did > Say What > Photo Gallery
Looking Back
What we did
Mark Ronson @ Trilogy
It’s 1am, and the atmosphere in Trilogy is riotous. A ticker tape parade has just drenched the crowd in glitter, while the Chemical Brothers’ ‘Star Guitar’ is sweeping through the venue, driving hands into the air. And it’s into this gladatoriallike atmosphere that Mark Ronson stepped up to the decks, somehow, prompting a surge in decibels. This was, lest we should forget, a birthday party, and the atmosphere was electric from 11pm when the dancefloor filled up. Ronson, as he did on his last visit, dropped an eclectic set spanning hip hop, funk, soul, reggae, house and electro, proving himself the consummate party DJ. If we’re being picky, we’d have liked a little more bang and less eclectic buck, but anyone who can create a seamless mix taking in all those genres is OK in our book. As birthdays go, closing the night with a crowd sing-a-long to the Specials is about as it gets: happy birthday Trilogy.
Infusion Magazine Experience @ 360
Another issue, another glowing review from 360. But with a party-packed terrace, some fine funky, deep vocal house on offer and the amazing 360 views of Dubai at their best, we find it hard not to shout about this venue. Nthayi, Charl Chaka and guest DJ Jack Woodcock did their house thing on the main floor, while the downstairs lounge was full of hustle and bustle. And it looks like we’ll be voluble about the new 360 for a while now, as audio tonic and MustHaveSoul get into full party swing, while our Strictly Vinyl night promises to be an early-season highlight.
Black Lips @ Music Room
It was always going to be messy. Atlanta hipsters the Black Lips are known as much for their feel good 60s/garage punk as they are for their drunken onstage antics. Promising to ‘bring music, not bombs’ to the Middle East, the foursome dropped their frenzied live show to an eager and energised crowd at the Music Room. Promoting their debut album, Strange Places, Lebanese/Canadian rockers Lazzy Lung set the perfect tone in support as they ploughed through a raucous set, closing with a rowdy ‘Sex and Pirates’ singalong. Then came the Black Lips. Vocalists Jared Swilley and Cole Alexander were in full voice throughout, their Beach Boys harmonies, and low-fi psych-rock bringing to mind The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Highlights included ‘Family Tree’ and ‘Modern Art’ off their latest album, Arabia Mountain, proving even after five studio albums, they continue to write irresistible indie pop. Finishing on ‘Veni Vidi Vici’ the band then climbed off stage and staggered to the bar, with a crowd of sweaty, breathless well wishers following behind. Miriam Sweeney
Looking Back dXb Music Festival @ Festival City
Reviewing music festivals can be a precarious business. Get consumed by the infectious atmosphere at the dXb Festival for instance, and you could get home still in raver mode, and accidentally spill your glowstick over your previously pristine white cat. Ahem. Infusion’s cat-related mishap aside, the dXb crowd were as up for it as we’ve seen at a festival out here, literally catapulting into the air when headliner Afrojack dropped ‘Rock The House’ in pitch darkness to open his set. The other DJs and acts were just as well served by the dancefloor, Kaskade sending the main stage into a frenzy with his blend of euphoric trance and big basslines, while Mistajam genre-jumped like a pro, seamlessly segueing from dubstep to DnB via hip hop. With excellent production, no queues for toilets or the bar and a fantastic set up, we hope the infectious crowd energy at dXb rubs off on some Dubai’s more sedate crowds in future.
Oktoberfest @ Dubai Cricket Stadium
Oktoberfest to the uninitiated is a long-standing German festival, which revolves around beer - largely served in 1 litre glasses - and having a lederhosen, thighsmackingly good time. And the Dubai chapter didn’t disappoint at the Cricket Stadium as thousands congregated on the middle of the pitch to enjoy the conga to German covers of American songs from the imported band and more roast meat than you could shake a skewer at. Unpretensious, uncomplicated fun at its best.
Looking Back
1234567
0103020
8206969
Spot the difference
Say What Dancefloor dictionary Armin Van Boring: Another big DJ, dropping the same set as he’s played the last few years. Yawn! In numbers 193: the number of Facebook invites the collective Infusion office got on one day last week. It’s good to be connected, but that’s a little much!
One’s a sex mad bonker, Mike Manumission, one’s the pioneering festival organiser Michael Eavis and the other is our much beloved Dubai DJ Conan Manchester. But can you tell who’s who? Old Jokes Home Sports shops are selling Jimmy Savile memorial tracksuits. They have an adult sized top but you have to squeeze into children’s bottoms. Short and tweet AbdulRazzak DooM @ Doom_ritual I’m so naming my kid Bass, so I can drop it WHENEVER THE F** I WANT!!!!!! N.B. Don’t drop your baby, and please drop the bass responsibly.
dxb Festival
REFRESHED BY FIJI WATER
Hypnotique @Silk
REFRESHED BY FIJI WATER
Infusion Magazine Experience Pre-Opening Party @360
Contact info@infusion.ae to collect your Puma prize
REFRESHED BY FIJI WATER
LOADED
@Casa Latina
REFRESHED BY FIJI WATER
Mark Ronson
@Trilogy Birthday
REFRESHED BY FIJI WATER
MoFunk
@BLENDS
REFRESHED BY FIJI WATER
Oktoberfest
@Dubai Cricket Stadium
REFRESHED BY FIJI WATER
Steve Lawler @N’dulge
REFRESHED BY FIJI WATER
Gulf Bike Week Festival, 18th & 19th Oct
Looking FORWARD Where we filter out the best things that are coming your way...
> Local News > Cover Story > Festival Fever! > Disco, Disco, Disco
Looking Forward
Local News 'One' last tour
After correctly rumouring that the Swedish House Mafia were set to play a show in Dubai, we can confirm that the Nordic trio will be playing the World Trade Centre on Friday November 16. Brought to you by Peppermint, the 'One' trio kick off their 26 date tour in Dubai, before heading to India for two gigs. There's already a strong buzz around this gig, so head down to Virgin or any of the Grand Cinema outlets to bag yours.
DUST go live
It's one of our favourite alternative nights in the city, with a playlist that sprawls hip hop, bass, soul, boogie and disco, but with a common theme of funk bringing it together. And appropriately enough, the Music Room monthly night has invited down hot-steppers Bull Funk Zoo for a live show on Friday October 19. Fronted by the outrageously talented Hamdan Al Abri, the band were recently seen showcasing their furious blend of originals and covers at Jambase, and will be supported by DUST residents DJ Solo, James Locksmith and Megadon Betamax on the night.
Zombie Disco squad
You either love dressing up like a zombie ghoul every year at Halloween or you hate it. But a Dhs30,000 prize fund for the best Halloween costume at this year's Atlantis beach bash should sway even the most hardened hater. If not, Tim Cheddar is back, armed with a deadly collection of cheesy bangers, while there's also a skeleton crew of ship-wrecked entertainers on the night. It all takes place at Atlantis Beach on Friday October 26, Dhs100 after 8pm.
Looking Forward Judgement Friday
The term legend is often bandied around rather loosely these days (we blame journalists), but Judge Jules could arguably fall into that category for his services to dance music over the decades. Always at the forefront of the trance and electro scenes, the legally qualified judge was a long time BBC Radio 1 DJ, while he also runs one of the longest running nights in Ibiza, Judgement Sundays at Eden. He'll be bringing all that experience to bare behind the decks as he plays at the newly refurbished XL Beach Club on Friday October 19.
And we have a winner! After weeks of tightly contested competition, the Pioneer DJ Championships drew to a close last week with Soulninja (bottom) taking the short mix victory, while DJ Keza (top) improved on his 2nd place in last year's championship to take 1st this time around in the long mix section. Elsewhere, DJ Ka Boo came 2nd in the short mix with DJ Shoni, last year's Under 21 champion) taking third, while Subandrio claimed the silver in the long mix, with Trilogy's Ejaz taking third. The standard was remarkably high in the final, with over half of podium taken taken up by professional DJs, while a 7 year old DJ called Roomstar made waves in the U21 category with his deep house mix, one to watch we think!
Looking Forward Rumours
Plan B is said to be on one promoter's hit list for the coming season. Jason Derulo is coming out to Dubai at the start of November for a live show. We've heard on the pub grapevine that McGettigans are opening a Downtown branch. Macy Gray has confirmed she's playing at The Irish Village on Thursday December 6. N'Dulge are starting an after-brunch party called Daydream, running from 4pm every Friday. Grime stars Lethal Bizzle and Skepta are confirmed to play a No.1 Fridays this November.
Big props to the Fridge team who put together an all-singing, all-dancing (and very acrobatic) routine together for their Kalubela musical recently. Big ups to Sandance who swiftly dealt with Example's cancellation and proceeded to book Dizzee Rascal. The impromptu B-boy crew breaking session at the recent dXb Music Festival. Good moves!
Several Dubai clubs are literally paying people to make up the numbers on their empty dancefloors, with Dhs200 a night the going rate. Shame on you! 'Please stop sending me your magazine, it's very bad.' Well, DJ Cowboy, can't say we're big fans of your self-hype or 'skills' ourselves, or your club Diablo which has just closed after just a year and re-opened as Cash Club. 7 years and Infusion is still going strong... American politics: so Romney wins the first presidential debate, despite clearly being the weaker candidate. Gotta love American politics.
Megadrummer Ahead of their headlining show at Live Nation's Gulf Bike Week, Megadeth's Shawn Drover, the man behind the drums and master of the band's rhythm reveals his earliest metal memory and talks us through his musical history. Interview: Georgina Enzer/Metality UAE
Hey Shawn, how are you doing? Are you in the US right now? I am home actually right now; we leave next Friday to go to India and Dubai so we are looking forward to it. We played in Dubai in 2006 and it's a very cool place to go, so I am definitely very excited to be going back. Can you talk me through your best moments with Megadeth? I have been with Megadeth for 8 years now and the whole thing has been such a highlight of my life. Off the top of my head, one of the most exciting things was playing all the Big 4 shows with Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, in particular the first one that we did in Warsaw Poland. There must have been 100,000 kids there and the whole day was just electrifying and such an adrenaline rush
and finally playing these shows after all this time; so many people wanted the big four of thrash to tour and play together so that was a really special day for myself and everybody really. We have never seen so many metal people with smiles on their faces it was such a great day, but all the shows for the big four were fantastic of course. I have had so many career highlights it would be impossible to round it off into a few brief moments, that's just one example. How did you start playing drums and why did you choose drums as an instrument? I started playing when I was 13, my father and both my brothers all played guitar and I play guitar as well, but for me I naturally gravitated towards drums, I am not sure why. Certainly listening to
the music I did at the time, Rush was my favourite band. They single-handedly kind of subconsciously made the decision to play drums instead of guitar. I was so blown away by Neil Peart’s style on the album that I heard, back in 1978-79, and that was definitely a big moment for me, a revelation where I went yeah I want to be a musician and be a drummer instead of a guitar player like my siblings and family. That was the catalyst of why I wanted to be a drummer was because of Rush.
the Master of Reality album by Black Sabbath. My sister got the record from her boyfriend at the time and we were listening to in on the stereo in our basement and that was really a ‘bonafide metal song’. Of course I had heard Deep Purple and Kiss and Rush and Queen, all that kind of stuff prior to that, but for a pure metal song I would say Sabbath, definitely. The godfathers of metal. That would be the moment where I first heard that. God that was so many years ago I was probably 11 or 12 at the time.
Do you remember when you first heard a metal song and what it was and where you were? Yeah actually I do remember. It was probably a song called ‘Lord of This World’ from
What kind of bands did you jam to as a kid? Well in High School bands we just played the hard rock stuff. When you first start
playing, you play whatever you can, you play the easier songs like ‘Smoke on the Water’, ‘Cat Scratch Fever’ by Ted Nugent, really anything we could wrap our minds around and actually learn the material, half-assed of course. But when you are 13 or 14 years old, back in the day that is what we did, we just emulated the bands that we loved to the best of our ability. And then you slowly progress and get better at your instrument and craft and learn more difficult sings. But that is where it really started with ‘Smoke on the Water’ and a couple of AC/DC songs, stuff like that, the easier stuff to play. Any last words? If anybody is reading this, come out to the show, it is going to be a great show and we are definitely looking forward to coming back.
Also playing Megadeth might be the big draw for metal heads, but there’s plenty else on offer at this year’s Gulf Bike Week. Thursday October 18 Megadeth + Absolace + Sandwash Friday October 19 Daughtry + Razorlight + Juliana Down Cast your mind back to Live 8 2005, and there were several highlights (as well as raising millions for charity). Prime amongst them was a freshfaced Johnny Borrell, replete in a white suit, making a bid for the big time with his band Razorlight. And with tracks like ‘America,’ ‘Somewhere Else’ DAUGHTRY
and ‘Golden Touch’ the UK 4-piece certainly had the ammunition. That they’ve not become bigger than they are is puzzling, but with their attention firmly back on music, expect this second charge from the band to be pretty special. Headlining after the London likely lads are RAZORLIGHT Daughtry, the softrocking US band fronted by American Idol season 5 finalist Chris Daughtry. With three albums behind them, millions of album sales and a Grammy nomination for their globe conquering ‘It’s Not Over,’ they're ample proof that talent shows aren’t just self serving prophecies for Simon Cowell and co. Impressively, Live Nation have also given support slots to some of the best local bands. Hard rocking progressive metal group Absolace open for Megadeth along with pogopunk group Sandwash, while indie-popsters Juliana Down do the honours for Daughtry and Razorlight. Gulf Bike Week, all ages event, October 18-20, Dubai Festival City. Live events start from 7.30pm, tickets from Dhs295. livenation.ae
ABSOLACE`
SANDWASH
JULIANA DOWN
For Information & Reservations: M: +971 55 100 6555 P: +971 4 457 5555 Follow us: White X Beach Lounge
www. rix o s. c om
18 th & 19th OCT 2012
After their impressive debut into the festival arena last year including Leona Lewis amongst other hip/pop stars, Atelier is back. And they've gone even bigger, and brought the party closer to the city as they're now based at the sprawling Meydan complex, offering 2 stages and 13 hours of music. Here are our highlights:
50 Cent
While macho gangster hip hop might have faded from the limelight in recent years, there’s no denying Fiddy’s pulling power as one of the biggest rap stars in the world. After shooting to fame on the back of Eminem’s endorsement, he’s also done well in the Hollywood world, appearing in his own semi-autobiograpical film Get Rich or Die Tryin’. Back in the music world, his fifth studio album is scheduled for release at the end of the year, so expect some up-front cuts from it alongside classics like ‘Candy Shop’ and ‘How We Do.’
Duffy
An excellent booking, Welsh songstress Duffy updated the Motown template in 2008 when she released her radio-bothering smash hit ‘Mercy.’ More infectious than Sars, it quickly travelled around the world, propelling the ‘Warwick Avenue’ singer into the big time and capturing her a Grammy and several Brit awards in the process.
Nelly
Nelly - or Cornell Iral Haynes Jr to the taxman - is another Grammyaward winner, and one of the US’s biggest hip hop stars. Starting his career in 2000 with his huge selling debut album Country Grammar, Nelly went on to become hot hip hop property, selling millions around the world, and is one of the best-selling male artists in American music history.
Eva Simons
Thanks to talent shows like X Factor, Pop Idol and The Voice, a good set of lungs is something pop stars have to have in their armoury if they want to make the grade. And Dutch singer songwriter Eva Simons is blessed with one of the best voices in the business, and has worked with some of the best beat makers around (including LMFAO, Afrojack and will.i.am with whom she had a UK No.1).
Erick Morillo
With over 20 years of service at the top of his game, Subliminal Sessions head honcho Morillo is a big draw thanks to his ever-reliable selections of hot house tracks. His previous visits to Trilogy and Creamfields have ensured sell out shows, while the deep, dark but funky American DJ likes to party just as much as the crowd so watch out for his on-stage antics! Atelier Festival, Friday October 19, Meydan. 2pm3am, all ages show. Tickets from Dhs350, theatelierworld.com
bento beats club mix night by sho cho Start your weekend with a tasty mix of upbeat music mixed by Dany Neville, Carl Abilama, Mike Daniel and Mark S on rotation. Thursdays from 10.00pm to 3.00am.
Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa, Jumeirah, Dubai +971 4 3461111 Souk Qaryat Al Beri (Shangri La Hotel) Abu Dhabi +971 2 5581117
disco ocsid disco In this day and age, giving your music away can be the secret to success. And it's certainly worked for the UK's Duff Disco, as his free 40,000 downloads have helped expose his slo-mo disco sounds to the world - and got him booked in Dubai twice in the last 6 months. Interview: Helen S, mixcloud.com/HelenSDJ
For those who don’t know you, describe Duff Disco’s style in 5 words... Chuggy, Deep, Sultry, Soulful, Vibes! You set up and run the Join The Dots collective. What’s its ethos? Initially it was to combine a lot of the talented people from many creative fields we know into working on projects together be it music, video, graphics, writing, events and more. It’s proven to be quite difficult as an independent label as we don’t have big budgets, though we’ve managed to get some great stuff done in the past, like the 'Loose Fit' video by Abbie Stephens and the Duffstep album art project which consisted of live art by Technicolor Moon who designed the album cover and then some projection mapping by Rebel Overlay. What was behind the decision to give away all your Duff Disco releases this summer? I’m not giving them all away, only the bootlegs/edits. Before I was pressing them up myself to limited vinyl-only runs, they weren’t about making money but putting them onto a format that I could limit and a lot of the DJs that liked my music were still playing. But they became quite successful and I found
myself considering pressing more and going digital, as I could have made some decent cash. I got offered an advance on sales from a certain big store to sell them digitally and it was very tempting seeing as I have been broke for a good while doing music full time but deep down I felt it wasn’t right and that the music karma would come back to haunt me in the future: just my opinion and I feel I’ve made the right decision. What was the response like and do you see this as a good strategy for musicians in the future? Well put it this way, I’ve had nearly 40,000 downloads of the tracks, I don’t necessarily think it’s a good plan to give away all your music, I don’t give away many of my originals, I think I deserve to be paid for the hours I’ve put in, but with bootlegs it’s different as I’ve utilised someone else’s sample. Some might say that more distribution of your music when it’s given away for free leads to more gigs, others may say that giving away your music lowers your value. It’s said you’re a bit of an entrepreneur at heart, what other projects do you have up your sleeve? I have a tendency to get a bit ahead of myself, which is good I
of the great and favourite labels are interested too which is exciting... watch this space!
think but also often means other areas get neglected. I’ve started a third alias which I’m starting to push very soon, other than that we are slightly rebranding and focussing on pushing Join The Dots and the artists. You’ve played the world over, from Poland to Japan. What are you expecting from Dubai? I’ve played in Dubai the last few years, I expect I will be treaded with luxury again. You’ve released on a number of labels over the last few years. What’s next for Duff Disco and is an album a viable option for you? I've thought about an album yes, but I need to find some time and inspiration to do some ideas and see if I get anywhere. I’ve been working on some faster housey tracks for Duff Disco too to change things up a bit as to not get stale. Some
And any releases on the cards for Join The Dots coming up? Yes, we had a bit of a summer break! I’m still in Ibiza as I write this actually, we have some great releases scheduled until the new year, up and coming act James Welsh gives us an EP and Tom Demac just gave us his remix of the lead track on the EP which will share a vinyl with a Medlar remix of a previous Zoo Look release we had. We also have an EP coming from Youandewan which we are very excited about! Duff Disco plays at Calabar, The Address Downtown, Wednesday 17, Thursday 18 and Friday 19, 8pm-late, free entry.
THE AWARD-WINNING SEE YOU NEXT FRIDAY TEAM PRESENTS
FRIDAY OCTOBER 26 CASA LATINA, IBIS HOTEL AL BARSHA, SHEIKH ZAYED RD FREE ENTRY + DHS20 DRINK DEALS ALL NIGHT - 9PM - 2.45AM 21+, ID REQUIRED, DOOR POLICY APPLIES
MAGAZINE
FRIDAY, 16TH NOV.
@ PEPPERMINT EXPERIENCE DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTER FOR MORE INFORMATION TEL. +971 50 357 1113 BB PIN 287EA289
A LB UM O UT O CTO B E R 22nd
FRIDAY, 16TH NOV.
@ PEPPERMINT EXPERIENCE DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTER FOR MORE INFORMATION TEL. +971 50 357 1113 BB PIN 287EA289
A LB UM O UT O CTO B E R 22nd
ARTY GUIDE
We’ve tweaked the listings, and give one-off events preference. For a full list of what’s on, please head to infusion.ae. Please submit your listings to andy@infusion.ae for possible inclusion.
ON THE THE RADAR ON RADAR Kylie, Nickelback, Eminem, Yas
Island, Nov 2-4
Above & Beyond, Nasimi, Nov 8 Sandance, Atlantis, Nov 9 Mixtape Rewind 90s party, Emirates Golf Course, Nov 16
Gotye, Trade Centre, Nov 21
Monday 15 Eddi Duarte, The Fridge
Colombian vocalist and percussionist Eddi Duarte performs his own compositions ahead of his upcoming album launch. Show 8pm, Dhs50 for over 18s.
Manic Mondays, Zinc
Greg Stainer and Andy Swift play old and new skull anthems, with a 10pm-midnight happy hour. 10pm-3am, ladies and couples free. Weekly.
INFUSION PICK!
Monday Night Funnies, Blends
Dubomedy host this weekly comedy night. 9pm, guestlist via lol@vivadubai.com Weekly.
RnB Mondays, Velvet Underground
No.1 Events presents Shero and Brooklyn on urban duties. 10pm-3am. Weekly.
J-Lo, November 22 Gilles Peterson, Nasimi, Nov 23 Rugby 7s, 7s Stadium, Nov 29-Dec1
Creamfields feat. David Guetta & Armin Van Buuren, Dec 7
RnB Anthems, Sensation
Dev Master and DJ Badir are joined by MC Money Plus at this Urban weekly. 10.30pm-3am, buy-one get one free bottles all night.
Tuesday 16 Get cirqued, Cirque du soir
Fresh performances from the theatrical crew, and free shots of Patron. 11pm-late.
Retro Tuesdays, Silk
Core 304 provide the ladies’ nights party tunes, with free drinks for ladies all night. 9pm-3am.
The social, ruth chris’ steakhouse, The address Dubai Marina
Trilogy’s Buff Wise on Balearic business on the decks, with Dhs20 cocktails. 7pm-late.
Uber Tuesdays, Sho Cho Free cocktails from 10pmmidnight, and tunes courtesy of Stephane Karl. Weekly.
Wednesday 17
INFUSION PICK! Duff Disco, Calabar (Address Downtown)
Downtempo but energetic disco and nu-disco from the highly rated UK DJ and producer. 8pm-late. Repeated Thursday and Friday.
Diamond Wednesdays, Boudoir
Radio 1’s Brooklyn and DJ Shero on the urban soundtrack, with free Diamond cocktails for ladies until 1am. 9pm-late. Weekly.
Glitz, Alegra
One of the most popular ladies nights in town, with free bubbly for ladies before 1am, and house, electro and hip hop. 10pm-late. Weekly. Ladies free, men Dhs75 after midnight.
Think Twice, Mansion
Afroboogie heads up this midweek shindig at the new Melia Hotel club. 10pm-late.
Thursday 18 Avicii, Sandance beach
The massively popular ‘Levels’ star brings his melodic electro back to Dubai. 7pmlate, Dhs175.
Aks, Velvet Underground
Commercial, Desi, house and Bollywood from DJ/Producer Aks. 10pm-3am. Weekly.
Long’s bar 12 birthday
INFUSION PICK!
Mingle, Left Bank (Souq Al Bahar & Madinat Jumeirah)
Hard-rocking quartet Megadeth headline, with support from local progressive metal band Absolace. 7.30pm-late, Dhs295.
The popular Sheikh Zayed Rd watering hole turns 12 in style. 6pm-late.
Dhs5 cocktails for ladies (no, really) from 8pm-late.
Playlist, Velvet underground
Popular urban night from the Co-Signed team. 10pm3am. Weekly.
Bike Week feat. megadeth, Dubai Festival City
Boudoir
Free shots for ladies until 1am, and commercial RnB and house. 10pm-3am. Weekly.
PARTY GUIDE
The former C-Bar at the Al Murooj Rotana hosts a midweek night aimed at high end clubbers. 10pm-3am.
The Ultimate Ladies Night, Zinc
ARTY GUIDE
MEGADeTH
Bollywood Party, Sensation
Desi and Bollywood hits all night long. 10pm-3am, ladies and couples free entry until midnight.
Club Anthems, Zinc
Greg Stainer and the rest of the Zinc crew drop chart bombs. 10pm-3am. Weekly.
Deep Crates, Casa Latina
Funk, hip hop and B Boy breaks. 10pm-3am, free. Weekly.
MustHaveSoul feat. Charles Webster, 360
Soul-infused deep house from the American DJ at the ever-popular MHS night. 6pm-3am, free.
Republique, The Address, Dubai Mall
Alternative party anthems at this perma-packed downtown club. 10pm-3am. Weekly Thursday and Friday.
XPerience, Chi
i2, Habtoor Grand
House music in Chi Club, with Flowmaster J dropping RnB and urban tunes in Chi Red. 10pm-3am, Free for ladies and couples. Weekly.
Jamrock, Sublime
Trilogy presents We Love Dubai feat. Nic Fanciulli and Robert Dietz, Trilogy
Cheesy but fun 80s and 90s anthems from start to sweaty finish. 10pm-3am. Weekly Thursday and Friday. Reggae and Caribbean vibes from a revolving roster of Dubai’s best urban DJs. 9pm-3am, ladies free before 12am. Weekly.
Ladies First, Blends
4 hours of free Cosmos, and properly fun classic mix from Patrick Pereira. 8pm-3am free. Weekly.
A special 3-hour back-to-back set from the two tech-house stars. 10pm-3am, Dhs150.
What da Funk, Chameleon
Stu Laurie and Ice-BeG drop funky, chunky house. 10pm3am.
50 Cent
Friday 19
INFUSION PICK!
Atelier Festival, Meydan
Atelier After Party, Cash Club (Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel) Nelly, 50 Cent and the rest will all be on hand at the club’s grand re-opening. 11pm-3am.
audio tonic feat. Maxxi Soundsystem, 360
Deep, funky house from the rising UK star recently seen on Groove Armada’s tour. 4pm-3am, free, guestlist only via platinumlist.ae between 4-8pm.
More hard-hitting DnB and dubstep from this popular monthly night. 9pm-3am, free.
Bike Week feat. Razorlight & DaughtRy, Dubai Festival City
Bike Week kicks into gear as UK indie quartet Razorlight open up, with US pop rockers Daughtry headlining. Local support comes from Juliana Down. 7.30pm-late, Dhs295.
Brunch Beat Session, Bahri Bar Ambient and chilled out grooves from Jeli Maniago. 4-8pm. Weekly.
Connoisseur, Velvet Underground Sophisticated urban soundtrack. 10pm-3am. Weekly.
PARTY GUIDE
50 Cent, Nelly, Duffy and more head up this all day/ night party with a strong urban emphasis. 2pm-late, Dhs350, all ages.
Bassworx, Catwalk
ARTY GUIDE
DUST feat. Bull Funk Zoo, The Music Room
Monthly funk/hip hop/ boogie throwdown hosts ex Jambase residents, and party-starting band Bull Funk Zoo. 9pm-3am, Dhs60.
DJ GQ, Sensation
Hip hop and urban from the American DJ. 10pm-3am.
Fridays, Eurasia
Jmaxlolo and resident DJ Amok and guests drop funky house, with ladies night drink deals. Carlton Tower Hotel, Diera. Weekly.
Hangover Fridays, Chi Jean B headlines this new Friday night concept, with big room electro the order of the day. 10pm-3am, Dhs100 men, ladies free. Weekly.
No.1 Fridays, N’Dulge One of the city’s leading urban nights continues its weekly Friday night residency at the Atlantis superclub. 10.30pm-3am, ladies free before midnight, Dhs100 after. Weekly.
INFUSION PICK!
Rehab feat. Judge Jules, XL Club The former Radio 1 star and big trance DJ headlines at the newly refurbished pool club. 12pm-3am.
Supermartxe, Nasimi Dubai meets Ibiza once again as the Spanish clubbing juggernaut takes
Judge Jules over the beach club. 2pm2am, Dhs100 after 7pm.
Trilogy Fridays
Dany Neville, the Radio 1 and urban/hip hop DJ takes over for his weekly packed-out sessions. 10pm-3am, Dhs130.
Saturday 20 411, People By Crystal
The award-winning urban night returns with DJ Bliss and Shef Codes. 10pm-3am. Weekly.
Destination, Zinc
UK Garage, Funky house and urban with Richie D and Mister Ash. 10pm-3am. Weekly.
Entra Mi Casa, 360
Funk, soul and Latin-flavoured house music at this bi-monthly wind-down. 4pm-2am, free. Repeated October 27.
Saturday Session, Amika
Sam Farsio drops deep funky nu-disco at this new Saturday night. 8pm-late. Weekly.
Monday 22 Lisa & Stoyan, The Fride
One of the city’s newest and fiercest songwriting partnerships showcasing their first single ‘SuperHero’ plus some new material. Show 8pm, Dhs50 for over 18s.
Dry night
Please note: due to Eid al Adha, either Wednesday 24, Thursday 25 or Friday 26 might be called as a dry night. Please check facebook. com/infusionmagazine nearer the time for updates.
Thursday 25 Wax-only night with Charl Chaka, DJ Solo and Just Lace on deck duty across 360’s brand new 2 floors. 6pm-2am, free.
Residents, Trilogy
Trilogy’s trusted residents, including recent Pioneer DJ Championship 3rd place finalist Ejaz, hold it down at the Madinat club. 10pm-3am, Dhs100.
N’Dulge
The residents are on hand to deliver electro, house and RnB across the 2 rooms. 10pm-3am, women free before midnight, Dhs100.
7 Years of audio tonic, 360
The longest running weekly night in the region celebrates its 7th birthday, with a 9 DJ line up. 4pm-3am, guestlist only 4-8pm via platinumlist.ae, free all night.
INFUSION PICK!
Enrique Iglesias, World Trade Centre The King of Latin pop does his thing. 7pm-late, tickets from Dhs295.
Halloween, Atlantis Beach
Dhs30,000 in prize money for the best costumes, and ghoulish tunes supplied by DJ Tim Cheddar. Free for ladies and Dhs50for guys before 8pm, Dhs100 after.
Loaded, Casa Latina More indie and alternative anthems from this popular last-Friday-of-the-month event with guest DJ Just Lance. 9pm-3am, Free.
Viva Africa, Chi
Fally Ipupa, Naeto C and Liquideep headline at this African-themed night at the new look Chi. 7pm-3am, Dhs150.
saturday 27 Luca Ciarla Quartet, Madinat amphitheatre Live gypsy jazz from the quartet. 8pm, Dhs125.
PARTY GUIDE
strictly vinyl, 360
Friday 26
Gulf Bike Week Festival, 18th & 19th Oct
Look AND
LISTEN Music be the food of love, so read on...
> Music News > Looking Good > Album Reviews > DJ Booth > Soundstage > DJ Top 10
Look and Listen
Music News... Glastonbury sells out
After a year’s hiatus, the 150,000 capacity Glastonbury festival held every summer solstice in the West Country, was always going to do well. But next year’s festival sold out in record time, with all the tickets going in just over an hour. And even more impressively, not one act has been confirmed on the line up, although the Stone Roses and a possible Smiths re-union have confirmed they won’t be appearing. Elsewhere in festival news, it was a sad day for the Mean Fiddler team as they had to call in administrators to help with their Benicassim and Hop Farm festival concerns. Mean Fiddler are the team behind the ultra successful Leeds and Reading festivals, but it seems that overly-crowded market and big one-off events like The Olympics have squeezed the market even more.
MUSIC BITES
“Syco and Overbrook decided not to proceed together on a Dj-competition show.”
Simon Cowell drops his plans for a DJ talent show ‘after allegedly failing to agree on who would receive top billing on the show’s credits’ with collaborator (and wife of Will Smith) Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Fat-toy slim
We might be diluting the essence of news with this story, but we couldn’t help it — Lego has finally revealed its first ever DJ figure. The Lego team have created 8 series of characters and this is the first DJ to appear. And in a creaky nod to purists, the figure comes with his very own vinyl record. With Christmas just around the corner, this could be the perfect stocking filler for your DJ other half (or, cough, us).
Look and Listen Rod Stewart’s Fame Pain
Ageing rock star Rod Stewart chatted to the Daily Mail this week about his new modestly titled autobiography How I Lived Every Man’s Dream, revealing that he had so many sexual partners in the 70s that he got tired of sex despite being still in his 20s. “It was the fame thing that took it to another level. There is this power that comes with being famous,” the Do Ya Think I’m Sexy/ one time partner of Bond girl Britt Eckland recalled. ‘I got bored of not feeling affectionate towards girls. I wanted to be in love,” he continued. “After a while it was sad, it was actually sad . . . You just felt empty.” His recollections matched those of unlikely 90s rock star/ sex symbol Jarvis Cocker who chatting to the Guardian in 2008 admitted to being similarly disappointed when he achieved pop star level success with Pulp. “You make it, and you’re bathing in champagne and you can snort as much cocaine as you want and f*** as many beautiful women as you want. Then you find you can do those things, but they don’t actually make you very happy.”
Under pressure
‘Gangnam Style’ singer Psy has revealed that his next single he releases will be in English. The South Korean has become an internet sensation due to the success of the track, which has racked up nearly 300 million views on YouTube and inspired a host of online spoofs. Psy revealed: “The second single is going to be in English. And the thing is, it’s too much pressure to overcome ‘Gangnam Style’. It’s really hard. “The problem is my music video is more popular than I am. That’s a big problem for me right now, so I’ve got to overcome my music video first,” he added. “I’ve got to come to the UK, I’ve got to go everywhere to promote myself, who I am and what I’ve done for 12 years in Korea.” Discussing the response to his newfound fame in Korea, meanwhile, he added: “Everybody is describing me as a worldwide phenomenon, so especially for Korea, they are thinking of me as representing our country for the new history, for the K-pop history, so they are cheering a lot here.”
LOOKING
GOOD
The American foursome Vision Quest are one of the most indemand production and DJing units in the world, comprised of Lee Curtiss, Shaun Reeves, Ryan Crosson and Seth Troxler. We caught up with the former two members to find out more about their plans for world domination Interview: Lisa Sant It’s been a busy summer for you all with your nights at DC 10 Ibiza and a host of other gigs, how do you balance your party life with getting any work done? Music production always comes first when prioritising my life. We’ve had such a crazy year with the label, gigs and traveling that it was hard for me to be in the studio making music as much as I would like to be. I was able to finish some great remixes both solo and with Visionquest and finally saw my EP “Lunatic Fringe” come to life this month. I have definitely found that, for me, balance is maintained by being home in Chicago, in my studio, eating healthy and including physical activity into my daily routine. If
I’m on the road, eating whatever I have to and sleeping whenever I can for too long, I have to come home and stay on a healthy regiment, turn my phone off and make music for as long as I can to balance everything out. What was your best memory from this summer? I had a lot of great memories this summer but the weekend that stands out was the Wavefront Festival in Chicago. It was the first year of my
close friend’s festival on the beach in Chicago and was a huge success. All of my friends were there, the weather was great and I had three after party BBQs at my house — exactly my kind of weekend. How do you run a label with five people behind it, how do you decide which tracks are released, does it go to a majority vote? The label is run by Seth, Ryan, Shaun and I, so there’s four people doing A+R, design decisions, financial decisions etc. We have an amazing label manager, Leon who more or less holds everything together. We put everything to a majority vote but find that we unanimously agree on more things than disagree. Do each of you have a distinct role in the label? Do you feel each member does their fair share of work? We all take turns and shift around with our responsibilities; Ryan has a degree in business and Seth has a degree in design so they naturally take the lead in those areas but we never have true ‘rolls’. All of our cumulative
knowledge and experience in business, music, art and this industry has proven to be a key factor in our success. You all have a great sense of humour when it comes to your marketing, do you think people are taking the whole scene too seriously these days? I don’t feel that you can ever take music too seriously, but I definitely know that you can take yourself too seriously. We love music, we love to play for people and make music that is different than what people are used to. We like to challenge our audience in a musical sense but also enjoy the fact that we’re four fairly normal dudes from Detroit with a vision. We have all been jokesters, pranksters and comedy buffs our entire lives, incorporating humour into our art just seemed natural to us. We love inside jokes and outside jokes, we are having so much fun doing what we’re doing that I think if we started getting too serious and crawling up our own asses, it would be the death of fun for us, something we’re never going to be ready to face. Your Facebook page is quite active with all kinds of stuff, do you think it’s important to keep active on social media? I post funny things I find once in a while but am usually too busy to keep up with everything I’m
doing. I actually need to post a bit more of the crazy things I’m up to next year and have some friends that are going to help me keep up.
If you could ask each other one question what would it be? Do you believe you could inflate a dog with helium and float him on the end of a string? What do you think of the commercialization of EDM? If you had a chance to make the next pop hit with Madonna, would you? I personally always knew that EDM would end up where it is. My brother reminded me that I told him exactly that about nine years ago. I think with some of the talent in songwriting, production and performing that some of the new underground artists have, the crossover into working with mainstream artists will be inevitable. I would love a chance to work with Madonna,
Janet Jackson, Sade, Kate Bush, etc. those women have some powerful voices and the producers and song writers they work with are of the highest calibre in the industry. I would not, however, be willing to compromise my sound or vision no matter who I work with but if they came looking for me to produce or write something in my style, I’d be all for it. What can we expect from Visionquest next? This is a difficult question to answer without running too long. First, we are planning several amazing releases as a label including two full-length albums with massive crossover appeal. We’re also planning on more fully immersive and conceptual Visionquest parties with visual and environmental elements. There’s talk of some Visionquest BBQ shows (as BBQing is another of our passions), and we are currently working on Visionquest merchandise with a fashion line. Some of these things are further along than others and while it’s hard to make them all happen as quickly as we’d like, we believe in doing things right and taking our time. The Visionquest website should be up and running soon to make sure everyone can stay well informed. facebook.com/visionquest.official vquest.tv
S T
E S
O
U
NT AT M TR ATT HAY 20 CH I HE I O S W D A C T E RL A CH E T P N -A A F RL CH R O ES -S A O KA U L -H
P R E S E N
S
www.jumeirah.com/360
HAPPY HOUR FROM 6PM - 9PM l DOORS OPEN 6PM – 3AM WITH UPSTAIRS CLOSING AT 2AM l 360°, JUMEIRAH BEACH HOTEL FREE ENTRANCE l +21 l ID REQUIRED l TABLE BOOKINGS : 056 682 6617 l INFO@INFUSION.AE l MORE INFO : WWW.INFUSION.AE TWITTER.COM/INFUSIONMAG l TWITTER.COM/360DUBAI
FACEBOOK.COM/INFUSIONMAGAZINE l FACEBOOK.COM/360DUBAI
Look and Listen
Album Reviews... Deadmau5 - Album Title Goes Here
Joel Zimmerman has come a long way since his genrechanging ‘Faxing Berlin’ track took the house community by storm. Now known to blend thumping electro, with progressive sensibilities - and not afraid to cherry-pick from dubstep and rock and roll on his way - he’s created a fresh musical template perfectly suited for big arenas. Which is just as well, as in the last few years his laser show and much-copied Mau5 head have become firmly established at festivals around the world. Opener ‘Superliminal’ is a good summation of his talents: eery, lost-Galaxy pads are rudely interrupted by a stabbing, wasp-in-abottle bassline, before clever beat work elevates it to a throbbing, acidic climax that Josh Wink would be proud of. From there, we’re given ‘The Veldt’, which is Erlend Oye on a night out with Eric Prydz (trust us, it works), ‘Professional Griefers’ which showcases Deadmau5’s power and precision, and ‘Failbait’ featuring Cypress Hill, a dirty, wonky hip hop/ house hybrid that showcases the risks Deadmau5 will go to to achieve his sonic dreams.
Point of View - Revolutionize the Revolutionary
Opening in a blizzard of guitar pyrotechnics that filter into a life followed by staccato drums and growling-Bear vocals, it’s clear from the start where Point of View’s influences lie. Back in the 80s, alongside bands like Guns’n’Roses (and fittingly enough, the band’s current guitarist Ron Bumblefoot Thal has endorsed the band, and even played at their album launch). 2nd track ‘Deja Vu’ ups the tempo even further, with a soft-LOUD-soft template interspersed with a guitar solo last heard on the set of Top Gun. ‘Unreal’ finds the band in more reflective mood with a mid-tempo groover that sets things up nicely for the album’s title track, a rollicking, metal-hammer blaster that brings to mind hard rock titans like Metallica and Megadeth. This isn’t anywhere close to revolutionary as the title might suggest, but their hard rock manifesto is delivered with guts and gusto and an energetic zeal that will draw fans in. Andy Buchan
Look and Listen ALBUM BITES Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes
Flying Lotus is to hip hop what Radiohead are now to indie - they both take their format, and flip it, adding in jazz exercises, skittery, sketchy beats and complex time signatures that delight and dazzle. This isn’t easy listening - ‘All The Secrets’ is Four Tet having a breakdown while hammering at a drum machine - but as the album progresses, it draws on funkier, more soulful elements, bringing a more organic feel to the techtronic hip hop jazz funk template Flying Lotus excels at. Dinosaur Jr - I Bet On Sky
Time for a little history lesson. Before X Factor, Flop Idol and all the rest of the obsequious talent shows, there was real life. And part of that real fabric of life was Dinosaur Jr, a rough-and-ready, American alternative rock group led by guitar virtuoso J Mascis, and abetted by bassist Lou Barlow (of Sebadoh fame). And now, over a decade after they split, the power-pop trio are back, at their free-wheeling best. If you’re a singles person, download ‘Don’t Pretend You Didn’t Know’, a lithe, harmonic expression of rock and roll. But be a (wo) man and get the whole album as history rarely sounds this good.
MUSIC THAT MATTERS
Send tracks/edits/ remixes to andy@ infusion.ae
DUST 1st Birthday mix Eclectic wonder through DUST’s collective record box, taking in future hip hop, nudisco and more. Impressive. soundcloud.com/dust-dxb/ Snarefield - Anyway More house music from one of the Ohm team, this being an innovative and fresh take on tech house. soundcloud. com/snarefield House Arrest - Sansa & Nasrawi Always interesting journey from the House Arrest duo through house, taking in deep, tech and everything slightly leftfield. soundcloud.com/ housearrestparty Rohann Nunez - Keys of Love Very current retro fitted house track, with a strong Hammond organ chorus and oodles of funky goodness. soundcloud.com/ rohannnunez Adele - Skyfall (Theatre of Delays remix) The slew of inevitable remixes begin, this one a very tasteful house/nu-disco reworking of the new James Bond song. soundcloud. com/theatre-of-delays/adeleskyfall-theatre-of-delays-rmx slightly leftfield
CDJ-2000nexus PURE PERFORMANCE Pro-DJ Multiplayer: Wireless compatible with rekordbox™ software (Mac/Windows) and new rekordbox™ app / Four-deck Beat Sync / Improved Master Tempo and Quantize / Wave Zoom and Active Loop / Slip Mode / My Settings / MIDI/HID control / Supports MP3, AAC, WAV and AIFF files The CDJ-2000nexus has evolved beyond beat matching to bring powerful new performance possibilities. Open the rekordbox™ app on your smartphone or tablet and the CDJ-2000nexus will access your music over Wi-Fi or USB cable, shortening the preparation cycle and enhancing live browsing. Hit Beat Sync and up to four decks will sync to the chosen master deck. This game-changing feature sets the DJ free to get truly creative with loops, hot cues and scratching, now all perfectly in sync.
see the latest CDJ2000nexus videos on
Join the community
PioneerDJ
With Slip Mode, DJs can create live edits while the music continues playing muted in the background. Release the jog wheel and the track seamlessly picks up in the right place thanks to true quantization. The CDJ-2000nexus is bursting with many other qualityenhancing features, designed to move the industry standard up to another level. See what other DJs thought on DJsounds.com
PIONEER-MEA.COM
DJ Booth: Dany Neville
One of the most respected DJs in the Middle East, Dany Neville is also one of the most sought after, thanks to his high-profile Trilogy and Jamrock residencies.
One thing you might not know about me is... I used to drive a boat at the Dubai ski club for Dhs100 a day then DJ at night to make ends meet. My worst ever job was... Flipping burgers in Beirut for the summer in 1998. My favourite ever record is... Too many to name for different occasions, but Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Cars’ is one of the tops. DJing is much like... Life. You get what you put out, talent always comes through in the end. Dubai’s clubbing scene is... Healthy. You can go out 7 days a week and feel like it’s the weekend, I love it. I’m really proud of... My UGP team. Outside of work we are family, loyalty can never be bought. If I could change one thing about anything it would be... Nothing at all, there is a reason why it is the way it is. I can’t live without... Music, muzik, musika. And scrambled eggs. My biggest DJ achievement to date is.... Being alive and well, being able to support my family amongst other awards and gigs. If you could DJ in any decade which would it be... I wouldn’t know, I missed the time machine take off. If I could go back-to-back with any other DJ it would be... Jazzy Jeff or A Trak. I’m not a politician but… I watch Family Guy. facebook.com/DanyNeville
Soundstage
DD Foxx She’s the latest aspiring Middle East pop star, mixing commercial pop and electro with a local flavour
How would you describe your sound? My sound is quite different and what makes it unique is the style and energy of the tracks which is built around the vocals. My songs have a lot of substance lyrically and musically that people can relate to, sing along to and dance to. The music is a blend of Pop, Dance and R&B. A mix of new and old school with a Middle Eastern touch. Being a musician in Dubai is much like... Being a musician in Dubai is quite difficult as there is no support as far as sponsors or/and people there to give you that extra push to take you to the next level. With that being said, I believe that input equals output and I try to surround myself with the best people to motivate me to work harder and stay focused. My first musical influence was.. Ray Charles, who is also one of my idols. I read a lot about him and watched his true story. His passion, love and dedication to music influenced me in so many ways. The best way to get noticed in Dubai is... To be at the right place in the right time. What’s the best gig you’ve played? Opening up for Sean Kingston’s show in Dubai last May. And the worst? When I was with a band doing shows (playing cover songs) for private corporate functions. I would admit we weren’t that good! If I could support any artist it would be.. Rihanna, Katy Perry, J-Lo. What’s the one thing you’d like to request on your rider? A Jar of honey! And my herbal teas. Talent shows are... An opportunity to be found and discovered. If we could change one thing about Dubai’s music scene... Have a venue where musicians can all get together and jam. The best local band is... Juliana Down.
Look and Listen
DJ TOP 1234 56 78910
To submit your Top 10, send in the below format to andy@infusion.ae
Stu Laurie Chameleon Club
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. DJ Mafio soundcloud.com/djmafio 10.
The Layabouts, Portia Monique – Do Better (Spiritchaser remix) Random Soul & Nicc Johnson – Free Love (Original Mix) ) BBwhite Ft Funkstar – Dancing (Shane D Mix) (Deep Town Music) Sneaky Sound System – Really Want To See You Again Julio Bashmore – Au Seve (Original Mix) (Boradwalk Records) 2 Good souls – Satisfaction (original mix) (Del Amore Records) Baunz – Same thing (Huxley Dub) (This Is Music) Candi Storm – Hallelujah Anyway (Defected) Hector Couto, Santi Garcia, Pablo Fierro – Let The Music Play Micky Blue – Trust (Original Mix) (All Over It Records) The Scumfrog, Nuernberg, Sting, Kruse – If I Ever Lose My Faith Rodriguez Jr – Satellite (Original Mix) [Mobilee Records] We Love, Amirali – End Of The Night (Amirali Remix) Rodriguez Jr – Palo Alto (Original Mix) [Mobilee Records] Sonne, Kollektiv Ost, Bacalao – Don't Stop (Kollektiv Ost Remix) DJ T., Mario & Vidis – Changed (DJ T Remix) [Future Classic] Hot Since 82 – Knee Deep in Louise (Original Mix) [Moda Black] Tennis – Make It Good (Original Mix) [Life And Death] Rodrigo Gutti & Mr. Laz – Do What You Wanna Do (Jnks Remix) NTFO, Rhadow – Hype (Original Mix) [Kiara Records]
Psycoustix Hypnotique
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Tristan & Magik – Wonderizer Hypnoise – Puzzling Attik – Evolved Brain (Breathead Rmx) Pixel Vs Illumination – Kandolim Killerwatts Feat. Waio – Wake Up Earthspace – Hamsa Sonic Species & Avalon – Back To Reality Kim – Freeform Jam Laughing Buddha – Kaleidosonic Spectra Sonics – Critical Moments
Indian Soul
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Aaliyah – If Your Girl Only Knew (Finnebassen remix) Kings Of Tomorrow – Show Me Lauhaus, Kabale und Liebe – Hip House Miguel Campbell – How Much That Means To Me Pablo fierro – Amarte Asi Currambero de Gamero – La Prena (Jose Marques Remix) Four To The Floor – I Still Have A Dream (Original Mix) Alias Rhythm featuring Neysa – Showing Me Love (Vocal Mix) Amana Melome – Caterpillar (Atjazz Remix) Dan Castro – Calle (Original Mix)
XDJ-AERO FREEDOM TO PLAY Wireless all-in-one DJ system: Combined player and standalone mixer / Works wirelessly with rekordbox™ software (Mac/Windows) and new rekordbox™ app* (iOS/Android) / New Jog Drum and Sample Launch / Four quantized Beat FX / Two Sound Colour Filters / Beat sync and quantized loops / USB recording / Software controller (MIDI/HID) / 44.1 kHz/24-bit sound card Join the wireless revolution with the XDJ-AERO, the industry’s first Wi-Fi enabled DJ system. Load music wirelessly from smartphones, tablets and PCs for totally hassle-free set up and truly spontaneous sets. Get your crowd involved too. They can stream their favourite tracks from their mobile devices to the XDJ-AERO once they’ve downloaded the new Pioneer rekordbox app* – giving you the power to select tracks from up to four wireless sources at once.
Manage your music on the go using the rekordbox app*, then wirelessly sync your creations to the XDJ-AERO before getting in the mix. The XDJ-AERO: freedom to play on a whole new level.
See the XDJ-AERO in action on DJsounds.com or facebook.com/pioneerdjglobal
videos on Join the community
PioneerDJ
PIONEER-MEA.COM
*rekordbox app for iOS available for download from 21st August 2012. rekordbox app for Android available for download, date to be confirmed.
Gulf Bike Week Festival, 18th & 19th Oct
Looking
GOOD Stuff to brighten up our world.
> In Focus > Movies
Jacket: Adidas Originals Shirt: Springfield Trousers: Zara Shoes: Adidas Originals Opening Ceremony - Cycling Sneakers Location: Republique Photo: Nthayi
Dubai might boast some of the most stylish clubs in the world, but its clubbers aren’t far behind. In our new section, we profile some of the best-dressed people in clubland, starting with Republique’s Friday night resident, Mr Shef Codes
Shef Codes
This was a pretty simple outfit but with my own twist to it and that’s the idea of my style to be honest — taking an idea/trend/outfit whether it’s colored pants or double breasted jackets and making it my own because fashion changes and we need to be up to speed. That’s how everyone should see it as and not just copy the same exact thing somebody else wore — it’s about individuality. It’s all about the details — something that people should recognize you by whether it’s your piercing or watch or bracelet it should distinguish you — for me I always have my watch and shamballa bracelet on. With the amount of sneakers I have now, I usually pick out everything I wear depending on what shoes I wear. I get a lot of inspiration from people like Virgil Abloh (Kanye’s Style Adviser), Kanye West himself, Swizz Beatz and sometimes even from my good friend Kris Dozign. In terms of labels, I’m not a one brand man so it’s usually a mix of Adidas, Nike & Reebok with a mix of luxury brands like Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Maison Martin Margiela and Comme Des Garcon. I’m always looking into upcoming brands like Wolf & Sparrow, Fifteen Minutes and To The Black.
MOVIE Melanchoila
Two sisters find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide with the Earth. Classification: 18 Director: Lars Von Triers Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland
Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day A live recording of Led Zeppelin’s December 2007 show in London, almost certainly the legendary band’s final performance. Classification: PG Show Times: Oct 17, 9pm Oct 18, 7pm Deira, Mirdif, MoE
PREVIEWS Ruby Sparks
Cute and quirky film in a rough Juno mold as a struggling writer finds romance in the most unusual of places, as he imagines his character into life. Classification: 12 Director: Jonathan Dayton Starring: Paul Dano, Annette Bening
Skyfall The latest — and greatest? — Bond finds Daniel Craig battling with M’s past in this high-octane thriller with Javier Bardem the excellent baddy. Classification: 12 Director: Sam Mendes Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem
Gulf Bike Week Festival, 18th & 19th Oct
Looking
CLOSER Opinions, thoughts and jiberish... > Weird News > Pan Arabia Enquirer > Cool Test
> Ask DJ Habibi 2000 > Big Q > Angry Monkey
Looking Closer
Weird News...
Bottom feeder
Hospital authorities in New Zealand have refused to reveal personal details of a man who arrived at the A&E department at Auckland City Hospital last weekend with an eel stuck in his bottom. Hospital spokesman Matt Rogers said doctors removed the eel after X-raying the patient and released him soon afterwards with no further complications. “The eel was about the size of a decent sprig of asparagus and the incident is the talk of the place,” another hospital source told reporters.” Details of the unusual case emerged several years after Vice magazine’s resident medic Dr Mona Moore identified a 50 year old patient who ‘inserted a live eel in his rectum to “relieve constipation’ and spoke of scores more cases involving ‘bedposts, doorknobs, mayonnaise jars, candles, a small pistol, a 12-inch long and 8-inch wide salami... and an ice pick’. “The only real pleasure in treating patients with foreign objects in their anus is listening to their excuses,” she added, “One man claimed he kept his cucumbers in the shower, and had slipped and landed on it.”
WEIRD BITES We will naturally review our routines and working process to ensure that this will not happen again. Ikea responds after the latest Saudi Arabia catalogue had airbrushed women out of its promotional pictures.
Stick up
Police in Poland have been slammed for releasing a photofit of the prime suspect in a bank robbery - complete with his ski mask disguise. The image — released after a £10,000 bureau de change hold up in Gronowo shows only the suspect’s brown eyes. Then to add insult to injury, detectives accidentally released the name of their sole witness, who had only agreed to speak to them if he could remain anonymous. “We haven’t excelled ourselves this time,” admitted police spokesman Tomasz Stawarski. “It was a mistake to name him. He is now under police protection,” said the spokesman.
panarabiaenquirer.com
Man forgets solution to Palestine/Israel problem he devised in Irishthemed pub DUBAI: For a brief few minutes in Dubai’s Seamus O’Reilly’s Irish Pub last Tuesday, the troubles between Israel and Palestine that has engulfed the international political arena for over half a century were all but solved. So says Angus McMahon, a Scottish building contractor, who claims that together with his drinking buddy Brian he had “pretty much sorted the whole mess out”. The only trouble is that, ever since he woke up the next morning, McMahon hasn’t been able to remember exactly what it was they decided upon. “It wasn’t a bi-national solution… something bigger than that… two-state, three-state? NO! COME ON ANGUS!” said McMahon while frantically rummaging through his trouser pockets trying to find a tissue on which he believes he wrote it all down. “The Palestinian Authority was definitely involved… obviously… and something to do with the Israeli military occupation being removed in return for access to… OH GOD, WHAT WAS IT.” McMahon claims he is about “60-70 per cent sure” that his arrangement would have seen the eventual taking down of Israel’s West Bank wall, along with the lifting of the siege on Gaza. “Was it something to do with East Jerusalem? Water supplies? Hamas? S***!” This isn’t the first time McMahon has helped fix one of the world’s major crises but forgotten the answers. In 2008, he drew up a series of “watertight” economic policies that would have solved the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the US, but left the beer mat with the equations on the back in Waxy O’Hanrahan’s pub in Dubai after what he described as “a bit of a heavy night”. The Pan-Arabia Enquirer is the Middle East’s premier source of satirical news. This means that it’s entirely made up and not intended, in any way whatsoever, to be taken as factual.
Cool REFRESHED BY FIJI WATER
Omar Ismail
Omar Shams
They’re two of the Dubomedy stars, but which Omar will make you laugh with tears of joy, and who will have you simply pointing and laughing?
Have you ever used your name or fame to get out of trouble? No. The only time I’ve ever said I always say that I know the owner. “Do you know who I am” I was kind However, this strategy hasn’t worked of hoping they didn’t... but they at DEWA. did... so I didn’t get anything. My nickname at school was? “Shams” which is my last name. None. I tried to get people to call me So not very clever. And of course, “The Lizard” in Grade 2, but it didn’t variations of this. Shams-O, take. Shamsy, and even Shamrock. It’s not big and clever but… I still feel bad about eating a box of It is big... Ferrero Rocher. My best claim to fame is… I’ve performed with comedians from That I won the 5th grade spelling SNL. bee. And I can eat incredibly fast. The funniest word in the world is... Kamchatka. Pee. Don’t judge me, I have kids. Your answer to everything is… C) The Eiffel Tower. InshAllah. Tell us your best one-liner... There is a drug that helps men No, you’ll laugh. apologize to their wives: it’s called Nosexatall. What’s the best insult you could give each other?
Why would I insult Omar? I hate to see a grown man cry.
Omar Ismail is so nerdy that if they wanted to make a movie about his life, he would require that they write the book first and it would inevitably be better than the movie.
The verdict: Tight run thing, but after literally seconds of deliberation, Omar Shams takes the victory.
ASK
Some say he’s the first DJ to have rocked ras al khaimah, other that he knows david guetta’s 3 chords off by heart. Regardless, here’s habibi...
2000
There’s often a long debate about DJ technology, and whether playing vinyl makes you a true DJ. Where do you stand on this question? DJ Afrocack It’s a pretty simple equation for me — people pay hundreds of dirhams to come and see me, and then I charge thousands of dirhams just to sit down and drink over-priced, watered-down vodka bought from Umm Al Qwuain. So, I could literally play whatever I wanted on whatever format at my Club Smug residency, and people would still pay up in this city.
But not everyone can command my fees, so I guess the question falls back onto good music and bad music, and tracks like Afrojack, Guetta and Rihanna are clearly good tracks as every other DJ is playing them non stop. Essentially, the format is irrelevant for me, although I prefer to play pre-mixed CDs which gives me long enough for me to complete my DJ routine of hand-held hearts, Champagne popping and Jesus like poses.
DJ Habibi 2000 appears courtesy of the Pan-Arabia Enquirer, panarabiaenquirer.com
Looking Closer
The Big Question
Asli: The millennium, maybe I’d have a different job then.
Ksenia: The 18th Century, I like the dresses and the corsets.
Barak: 2022, I want to check out the new iPhone!
Leanne: The 40s as I really liked the fashion.
If you could time travel to any era what would it be and why?
?
Carly: 2022, I’ll be pregnant by then.
Leyla: The Flintstones era, life was just simpler then.
Khalid: The 80s and 90s, it was my time!
Michael: Thailand, I can expose myself and be free (Ed: erm, not sure you quite got the hang of this question and answer thing). Refreshed by FIJI water
ANGRY MONKEY After the summer slump, it’s getting into ‘vote for me, I’m the beeeeest’ season, otherwise known as Magazine Awards season, otherwise known as ‘greedy companies looking to boost advertising and database’ season (cynical, moi?). And the thing about awards is that they create discussion — some of it good (the Time Out awards), some of it bad (like the ill-advised Twitter slanging match between Shaf Raisi and Natalie Brogan after the Ahlan! Abu Dhabi awards). And some just get it horrendously wrong. Like the What’s On awards which nominated nearly every DJ who’s ever played in Dubai, giving the nomination little to no credence. And then they nominated Amin Golestan, a very, very talented DJ. But also one that’s not been living in Dubai — or even the Middle East — for several years. So, I’m just taking it upon myself to nominate myself for Best Banana Peeler, 2012. In your face King Kong!
Monkey Out...