TALAL BUDEBS Publisher
CHARL CHAKA
Managing Partner charlchaka@infusion.ae
ANDY BUCHAN
Editor andy@infusion.ae
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CONTRIBUTORS:
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SAY WHAT? Fact that’ll make you feel old
Home Alone was released closer to the moon landing than it was to today.
Dancefloor Dictionary
Bottled it: As in, ‘that promoter has bottled it,’ meaning he’s given out 10 bottles of complimentary booze to fill his night with literally anyone who’ll drink for free.
Old Jokes Home
You can tell the sex of an ant by dropping it into a jug of water. • If it sinks: girl ant. • If it floats: boy ant.
Money talks
Apple has $178 billion in cash. It could buy… Uber Dropbox Tesla SnapChat Twitter Airbnb ...and still have $20 billion left. Netflix SpaceX
GUEST LIST Just a month after we royally bigged it up as the home of the underground, it’s been announced that The Basement has closed and been turned into an Arabic club. Boo! Is it just us, or are all the public holidays falling on a weekend recently? More holidays, happier workers!
BLACK LIST
Nothing quite like Ramadan to recharge your batteries and come back to the city fresh. Not quite like our sales director, who hit up Sonar and Ibiza during his time off and came back a broken man. Level 41 is where it’s at this summer, with big hitters every Thursday and Friday night, including three House of Afrikas until September.
NIGHT VIBES FEAT. BOB MOSES @ TAMANYA TERRACE
PLUS MINUS ft MATHEW JONSON @ LEVEL 41
LOOKING
FORWARD
Where we filter out the best things that are coming your way...
• Local News • Cover Story • The Last Time • GoodLuck • EinMusik • Ibiza Guide • Kasabian
Looking Forward
Local News LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER
Happy days air guitar fans – 80s rockers Bon Jovi are playing du Arena in Abu Dhabi on Thursday October 1. The American group have sold over 130 million albums worldwide, and have a huge dedicated fan base who have been watiting 7 years since their last UAE appearance. Musically, expect plenty of singa-long guitar classics, including ‘Wanted Dead Or Alive,’ ‘It’s My Life’ and ‘Livin’ On A Prayer.’ Tickets are AED295, and are onsale now from ticketmaster.ae and Virgin stores.
OAKEY DOKEY
XL are coming back in style after the month-long break, with Candypants presenting the Mega Brunch featuring Paul Oakenfold. The party brunch runs from midday at the fully air conditioned XL Club, before Andy Swift, Adam Graca, Simon B and more warm up for Tom Novy and electronic legend Paul Oakenfold. Brunch tickets are AED350, with the brunch after party free form 4-9pm.
HIP HOP HOORAY
A mainstay in the Dubai calendar, The Hop Fest returns to the Irish Village from August 27-29. The three day affair, now in its 11th year, will feature the usual winning combination of live music, and up for it crowd and dozens of imported beers and ciders.
L X X X
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DUBAI MUSIC WEEK RETURNS
Dubai Music Week returns to the city from September 23-26, bringing with it a 4 day program of A-list performances, celebrity guest speakers, master classes and an interactive entertainment village. Held at Dubai World Trade Centre, the event returns after its launch in 2013, which featured Selena Gomez (pictured), Will.I.Am, Quincy Jones and Timbaland. There will be 4 big concerts this time around, spanning pop, urban, and Arabic with 30 Seconds to Mars likely to be the rock headliner. For the 2nd Dubai Music Week, organisers World Trade Centre have teamed up with Live Nation, bringing some heavy weight influence in the live music arena with them. More details are promised soon, so we’ll keep you posted! facebook.com/DubaiMusicWeek
AL MURRAY RETURNS TO DUBAI
There’s plenty to smile about after summer as UK hit comic Al Murray is returning to Dubai for one night only on Friday October 2 at the World Trade Centre. Celebrating 20 years of laughs, Al Murray The Pub Landlord will bring his new show, One Man, One Guvnor – 20 years at the Lager Top to Dubai. Tickets on sale via www.doneevents.com.
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Looking Forward
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吀䠀唀刀匀䐀䄀夀 ㈀㌀爀搀 伀䘀 䨀唀䰀夀 ㈀ 㔀 吀䤀䌀䬀䔀吀匀㨀㔀 䄀䔀䐀 簀 䐀伀伀刀匀 伀倀䔀一 䄀吀 倀䴀 匀唀倀倀伀刀吀䔀䐀 䈀夀㨀 匀吀唀 䰀䄀唀刀䤀䔀 簀 䔀䨀䄀娀
吀䠀䔀 倀䄀䌀䠀䄀 圀䔀䔀䬀䔀一䐀 圀䤀吀䠀
⌀倀䄀䌀䠀䄀䤀䈀䤀娀䄀䐀唀䈀䄀䤀
Looking Forward MOTLEY ABU DHABI
More big news for the country’s rockers, as Mötley Crüe are coming to the capital on November 20 at the du Arena. Part of the band’s farewell tour, the band are finally calling it a day after 34 years of live shows and hard living. Alice Cooper has been announced as the support for the UK legs, but no UAE support acts have yet been revealed.
RE-LOADED
Rock and indie heavyweights Loaded and Step On have joined forces for a series of free entry summer parties at Casa Latina starting on Friday August 14. Both nights have a long party history, with Step On providing an indie soundtrack in the city for nearly a decade at various venues. The Step On and Loaded DJs will be playing everything from Jimi Hendrix to Jurrassic 5, and The Jam to Jamie xx, with the usual drink deals at Casa Latina alongside cult cartoons and films on the big screen projector.
Feline Good
AMERICAN EDM DJ AND PRODUCER DILLON FRANCIS KICKSTARTS THE NEW SEASON AT PACHA ON THURSDAY JULY 23. AHEAD OF HIS MIDDLE EAST DEBUT, WE LOOK AT 7 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT THE HARD-HITTING DJ 1 Dillon Francis is fun. You
already knew that as he’s posing on the front cover with a cat on his shoulder on a pink background. His bio tells you he’s 27 years old, he loves ‘the internet and annoying your Mom and Dad (especially if they’re hippies)’. And he’s just started a Donut awareness week on Facebook, with the hashtag #DonutFrancis #DonutsInCrisis. So yeah, he’s fun.
2 He’s the guy behind the huge ‘Get Low’ 2014 collaboration with DJ Snake that’s currently racked over 110 million plays on Youtube.
3 He’s the biggest
Moombahton DJ out there. Which for non-Moombahton fans might be like explaining the Grexit in Hungarian, but for us dance music types it’s pretty cool. Moombahton is a slowed down, beat heavy version of house (with a little hip hop), and he first came to prominence in 2010 with ‘Masta Blasta’ and went on to
have the first Beatport No.1 with a Moombahton track.
4 He has 5.5 million
Soundcloud followers, which is about the same number of people, goats and camels that are in the UAE.
soundcloud.com/dillonfrancis
5 Dillon had a very
unconventional childhood. The son of an entrepreneurial herbalist and Yugoslavian immigrant, Francis attributes his Puritan work ethic to a strict childhood. “I had to watch two hours of Sesame Street and study Hooked on Phonics [educational books] every day,” he says. “I didn’t even know any curse words until I was 15.”
6 He’s had some interesting
fan encounters. ‘There was the guy in the green suit. I drew a d*** on his head. He had a green suit on and he’s like “I can’t see. Draw whatever you want.” So I drew a d*** on his forehead.’ And he had a hard time with nude photos when he first started. ‘That was like
way back in the beginning of my career and then I realized that was the scummiest thing to do, [jokingly asking for fans to send nudes via Twitter]. I was just trying to do what Diplo was doing! I got some really bad ones… I got some dudes, and I think that’s when I took it down. That’s why I also stopped using Snapchat.’
7 He has some very cool musical friends. His new EP, This
Mixtape is Fire, is a return to his Moombahton roots, and features collaborations with Skrillex, Calvin Harris, Chromeo and Bro Safari. We’re guessing his Facebook Friends list is pretty impressive. Dillon Francis plays Pacha Ibiza Dubai, Thursday July 23, 10pm-3am, AED150.
We have a pair of tickets to give away, head to infusion.ae
WIN AED2,000 WORTH OF
TICKETS
T O ANY EVEN T IN THE UAE* EN T ER T ODAY BY GIVING US YOUR DE TAIL S. REGISTER AT: T I C K E T- L I N E . A E / PRIZEDRAW
Terms and conditions
*The competition is only open to people aged 21 years or over. Closing date for entries is Sunday 14th June 2015. The winning prize is tickets for one public ticketed event only up to the face value of AED2,000 between specific dates. For full terms and conditions visit www.ticket-line.ae/prizedraw. This promotion is being run by Ticket Line LLC, PO Box 478418, Dubai, UAE
THE LAST TIME
LOW STEPPA
With more aliases than Fatboy Slim, prolific bass house DJ and producer Low Steppa takes our Last Time questions ahead of his Superheroes debut at Level 41 on July 30
The last time I drank too much was… Every weekend. The last time I was impressed by another DJ was… Rare if I'm honest these days, Andy Baxter in Ibiza is dope. The last time played a request was… To be fair the requests are all for my own tracks so I don’t mind them these days. The last time I had to explain what I did for a living was…Regularly to family, haha. The last time I ditched an alias was… 2012. The last time I wondered what I was doing in the music industry was… Again, around 2012, haha. The last book I read was… Peppa pig, a good read. The last club I played was… Sankeys, Ibiza. The last piece of music I loved was… This beat I worked on last night. The last time I lied was… A long time ago. The last track I play in Dubai will be… Couldn’t tell you yet, depends on if I drink. We have a pair of tickets to give away, head to infusion.ae
Superheroes feat. Low Steppa, Freestylers, Olly Wood and residents, Level 41, Media One Hotel, Thursday July 30, 9pm-3am
5 minutes with…
South African trio Good Luck are the latest electronic band to make global waves and will be heading to Dubai to play House of Afrika on Friday July 24. We caught up with the band to find out more about Goldfish comparisons, famous brothers and hypnotic vocals A very warm welcome to the city – what have you heard about Dubai and our music/club scene? We have heard that Dubai has an epic live music scene and a very sophisticated but fun club scene, so we are excited to see if the rumours are true!
You share a family member with Goldfish, who we've brought out here before – is having a famous brother a help or hindrance? Neither really, a help or a hindrance. When we are lucky enough to spend time together we generally talk about surfing and on the odd occasion that we pass each other at the airport it’s a quick hug and we move along. Describe your sound to people who might not have heard you before…Electronic music (in all its shades and light) with nuggets of organic sounds. Mainly deep beats, saxophone and some hypnotic vocals.
You've had a busy year of touring so far, what have been the highlights? We had a really great tour to Singapore this year where we performed to a completely new audience and we were blown away by their reaction to the show! We also enjoyed Olso, because again we were playing to a new crowd and they ended up showing us a huge amount of love. It’s really cool when you see how far music can reach without realizing it! You've got a couple of sponsor logos on your website, like Diesel and Mini – how important are endorsements and sponsorships like that in today's economic climate? It’s very important if the brand is right for the music and vise-versa. We have been lucky enough to have really fun brands to work with and we get up to all kinds of crazy projects together... like recording albums in the desert.
Streaming has been big news recently – how much money do you make from streaming, are you for or against the way it's been done by Beats and Spotify? We have no issue with streaming because it seems to be the way the people want to consume music in the first world. Obviously it would be nicer if they paid the artists a bit better, but to be honest it doesn’t bother us too much. We just want the people to have the music at the end of the day and enjoy it! And how does your live show work, who stands where and does what? Our live show has been developed so that our performance can include as many elements from the studio recordings as we can possibly put on stage with us. To the extent that we tour with a full studio setup which we install on stage for each show. That station is on the left and controlled by Ben so that he can take all the instruments and Jules' vocal and process them the way he would in the studio in Ableton live in real time – it’s crazy complicated but allows us to have the best sound. He mixes that with electronic drums and percussion and our live visuals which include 3 live streaming GoPros. On the right we have Matthew on a hybrid setup of keyboards and VST synths running off his mac, and of course his saxophone - he has to sometimes juggle pretty quickly between the keys and sax and it definitely keeps him on his toes! Then Jules jumps around and sings great vocals over the music and jams her awesome custom LED Tambourine! We all get our own inear mix sent from Ben so that we can hear exactly what we need to. This is all controlled wirelessly by our Sound Engineer on his iPad. We also run a DJ set which is stripped down for nightclubs but we still have some live vocal and sax in that setup as well.
House of Afrika feat. Good Luck and Boddhi Satva, Friday July 24, Level 41, Media One Hotel, 9pm-3am.
My Music:
Einmusik We asked German music man Samuel Kindermann AKA Einmusik, and the driving force behind prolific label Einmusika, to dig deep in his record box ahead of his show with Edu Imbernon on July 31 for Plus Minus
The track I’ll be opening my next DJ set with is… “Night Train“ from my new album. Smooth in, and unstoppable. The track I always play to rescue a dance floor… I normally don’t need to rescue it, but for special moments I always pick “Screaming Hands.” The track I’d play to show off my eclectic tastes is… At the moment “You” feat. Jonas Saalbach. It brings a really fresh attitude in my set. The track I’d play at a family members wedding… Haha hopefully I never have to play there. They’ve tried it several times, but no way, the job must be done by somebody else. The track I wish I had signed to my label is… From Third Son, which was actually released on Noir Music. I
really, really love it! The best track by my favorite new artist is… Not a really new artist but I just discovered the work of Marc DePulse and I’m really happy that he is releasing an EP on Einmusika. “Imagine“ is a really inspiring tune. The best track your label has released is… That’s hard to decide. No, I think I have a few tracks which are favourites like “Waterkristallen“ from Arjuna Schiks, “A Long Story Short“ from Betoko, “Horus“ from Midas 104 and “Nika Yumi“ from Jonas Saalbach. The track I’d listen to before going to bed is… Mostly one on a documentary. I’m done with tough bass lines when I’m coming from daily studio work and then I mostly want to listen to world music, some ethnic stuff, that’s good inspiration for me. The track I’d play at my funeral… Puhhh, nothing I hope, silence. It is nice in such a moment and afterwards some old tracks from Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode. `Plus Minus feat. Einmusik & Edu Imbernon, Level 41, Friday July 31
We have a pair of tickets to give away, head to infusion.ae
Ibiza where to go,
what to do and who to see Ibiza veteran and Sankeys, Amnesia and Pukka Up resident Chris Wright gives us the lowdown on summer 2015
Pre-club bar
There are many pre-club bars in Ibiza; one that stands out as the most popular is of course Café Mambo. Located on the busy sun set strip, this particular area is everyone’s favourite. You can enjoy dinner and drinks whilst watching the sun set and listen to some of the biggest DJs in the world. There is no place like Café Mambo that offers the ultimate VIP experience, when the sun goes down you can you can often get a selfie with the big name DJs, many of them willing to have photographs and take shots with the customers. There is truly no place like this in the world.
Beach club
Ocean Beach Club has got to be the best day-to-night party venue. Open 7 days a week, guests can soak up the sun whilst chilling on VIP beds floating in the Pool. Every day they have different branded events, and one of the most popular events is SIN Sundays, which sells out every time. Over 2,000 people attend this event every month, with the concept including live acrobats, dancers and special guest DJs for the ultimate pool party experience. Running on June 7, July 5, August 9, September 20. www.oceanbeachibiza.com
Biggest move of the summer
One of the biggest brands in Ibiza, We Love has moved to a new venue after 17 years hosting weekly parties at Space. They have now secured every Wednesday at Sankeys starting from June 17 through to Septembr 23. Some of the Artists playing across the season include Modeselektor, James Zabiela, Skream, Alfredo, Hot Chip, Jeff Mills, Groove Armada, Underworld, Aphex Twin, Rudimental and loads more.
Club most likely to be full every night
Pacha exceeds capacity every night of the week with an impressive and diverse line up including John Digweed’s Insane night every Friday, Steve Aoki hosting Playhouse on Mondays and Solomun’s +1 every Sunday. One of the most unique events is Flower Power hosting every Tuesday; the party is dedicated to the original days of Pacha. There’s a strict 1960s dress code and a complete club transformation; you will think you have gone back in time.
Local Djs to watch out for
There are lots of local DJs in Ibiza, but two of my favourites are Paul Reynolds who is the resident of Ushuaia and Space, hosting his own event every Monday on the sunset terrace. You can sometimes catch a 7-hour set from this guy, and I can assure
you won’t stop dancing from start to finish. Paul has a unique sound that takes you on a journey, bringing different sounds from different eras into his set. Another favourite DJ of mine is local hero Jonathan Ulysess, who’s been playing for over 20 years; this guy is a real Ibiza legend.
Best line ups of the summer
Together at Amnesia have invited Defected to host the Mixmag terrace every Tuesday with probably the most impressive line up. This is definitely a night not to be missed, with Chase & Status hosting the main room. Some – just some – of the acts playing on the terrace include MK, Gorgon City, Hannah Wants, Julio Bashmore, Groove Armada, Hot Since 82, Deetron, Pete Tong, Dennis Ferrer, Shadow Child, Detroit Swindle, Oliver Dollar, Noir, Riva Starr. Big!
Best club for actual clubbing
Unlike most clubs, Amnesia offers a diverse range of brands so you can go every night and experience something different. They have the best underground brands including Music On and Cocoon, plus everyone’s favourite ‘Cream’ hosting every Thursday with a huge weekly line up. It has the most advanced sound and light system and it’s a historic, iconic club which is celebrating 25 years in Ibiza this season.
Best Ibiza experience
There is nothing better than being out at sea listening to the biggest tunes of the summer, with 200 people on a boat party. Pukka Up has been voted the Number one boat party in the world, hosting over 10 boat parties a week every Tuesday and Friday. It’s also a great
opportunity to grab your self a bargain deal, as every ticket includes a 3 hour sunset boat party, transport and club ticket to after parties including Amnesia, Ibiza Rocks, Sankeys & Ocean beach club. www.PukkaUp.com
Surprise news event of the summer
Cadenza’s Vegabundos night has made a surprise move to Space every Sunday. Starting from June 7 until September 27, Luciano and Guests will be host each Sunday at the legendary Space in Playa Den Bossa.
Biggest DJ caner
One of the biggest party animals has got to be Mr Marco Corola. He’s a hardcore DJ, sometimes playing for more than 7 hours at his residency Music On at Amnesia. I remember being at the closing party and the sunlight was shining through the roof and I looked at my watched and it was past 7am. This guy would DJ for 24 hours if he had the chance; he’s a true hardcore Ibiza caner.
Best hotel
With another incredible schedule lined up for the summer, Ushuaia has got to be the best Hotel to stay at. Experience the biggest DJs in the world right on your doorstep. The venue is in a prime location right on the beach offering the best of both beach party and pool party. Plus, if you’re staying in the hotel, you’re likely to bump into big names like David Guetta, Avicii, Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso plus many more, who’ll be hanging around the resort. Follow Chris Wright and his Ibiza season via his Twitter feed, @ DJCHRISWRIGHT
INFUSION MEETS TOM FROM KASABIAN “It’s like a boxing match. Ding ding we’re in”
Before their great set at Blended our resident superstar/comedian/supermodel (delete as necessary) Sam Moult caught up with Tom from Kasabian to talk Glastonbury, honesty and gremlins…
You’ve played in Dubai before and with such a large British expat community, does it feel like a home gig? No, definitely not a home gig, it’s in the middle of the desert! Playing on sand. There’s lots of Brits here but it’s not a home gig because were surrounded by sand and camels. And the weather is boiling too. It’s completely different but it is nice to have a connection to people from home though. You headlined Glastonbury last year. How was that? Fantastic. It went over very quickly. We got the news about two Christmases ago and had to keep it quiet, then it came around and it was gone so fast. But the adrenaline was incredible. Now we can’t go back for another five or so years. Having done gigs all around the world do you get nervous in new places? We’ve been together a long time now. Nerves aren’t there anymore. It’s like a boxing match. Ding ding we’re in. We definitely enjoy playing a lot more now though. When we first started we had something to prove and we had to chase it, now we just enjoy it. We try to mix it up as much as we can. We put in our monsters so people don’t get upset and we try to remake it. Make it different from the last gig. Maybe sometimes now we will play a song and just go on for ten
minutes more because we’re just feeling it. Can we expect some of the classics in your sets as well? It’s a mix of everything. We’ve picked a bit of everything. It’s so hard to choose because we’ve left so many good ones out! You and Serge are often quite honest in your interviews. Has there been a time when you wished you weren’t that honest? Sometimes you say what’s on your mind and sometimes you can’t say half the stuff you want to say because you’ll get in trouble. But you want to be honest. That’s how we are. We aren’t going to lie and hide behind the truth. What’s next? First up is this summer. A few gigs and festivals. V Festival and T In The Park and some others around Europe. Then we’ll stop in August and see how the mood is whether we get back in the studio or take a bit of a break. If you could describe your band mates in a word, what would they be? Serge: The Leader Ian: The Animal Chris: The Thinker And you? I don’t know. What would they say about you? Oh that’s a tough one. I don’t know. The Gremlin [laughs. The Nuisance, maybe.
ON THE THE RADAR ON RADAR
AUGUST 14 LOADED VS STEP ON Casa Latina
SEPTEMBER 15 Eelke Kleijn
AUGUST 27 Superheroes feat. Jack Beats Level 41
SEPTEMBER 17
AUGUST 28 Hopfest Irish Village
Spandau Ballet Trade Centre
SEPTEMBER 24
Superheroes feat. Plump DJs Level 41
SEPTEMBER 25 30 Seconds To Mars World Trade Centre
For a full list of what’s on, please head to infusion.ae
OCTOBER 1 Bon Jovi du Arena, Yas Island
OCTOBER 30
OCTOBER 2 DAVID AUGUST Level 41
OCTOBER 30 Karmon Eden Beach Club
OCTOBER 8 Dave Matthews Band Yas Island
NOVEMBER 27
Sensation Meydan
Jamie Jones Blue Marlin Ibiza UAE
DECEMBER 25 Butch Eden Beach Club
We’ve re-worked our listings – one-off events will appear in the magazine, for everything else please check infusion.ae for our day-to-day listings. For inclusion, email andy@infusion.ae Pick up a copy from our Infusion Magazine stands at these locations and more across the city Every A+E outlet, Every MMI outlet, Double Decker, Media One, Zero Gravity, 360 club, Casa Latina, Barasti, Pure Sky Lounge, Beatz and Cuts, McGettigans JLT/DWC, Music Room, China White, Nasimi, Story Rooftop, El Fuego, The Basement, Bliss Lounge, Zinc, Pulse, Cinnamon - Raddison, La Terrasse, Fashion Lounge, OcactI, Serafina, Soul Al Bahar, The Scene
THURSDAY 23 Laughter Factory, Movenpick JBR
Dave Fulton and Funmbi Omotayo are joined by cult comic Sean Hughes. 9pm, AED140.
FRIDAY 24 INFUSION PICK! Fresh Cream, Music Room Leading Cream tribute act Fresh Cream bring the best of the 1960s supergroup sound to Dubai, including ‘Sunshine of Your Love,’ ‘White Room’ and ‘I Feel Free.’ 9pm, AED100.
INFUSION PICK! House of Afrika feat. Goodluck & Boddhi Satva, Level 41 A big double header, with South African live electronic trio Goodluck joined by previous HOA headliner Boddhi Satva. 9pm-3am.
Laughter Factory, Movenpick JBR
Dave Fulton and Funmbi Omotayo are joined by cult comic Sean Hughes. 9pm, AED140.
INFUSION PICK! Paul Oakenfold, XL A 400 capacity brunch and after brunch party, followed by Tom Novy and electronic pioneer Paul Oakenfold. Midday-3am, AED350 brunch, free from 4-9pm.
TUESDAY 28 Laughter Factory, Societe Another new venue for the popular comedy night, with Dave Fulton and Funmbi Omotayo joined by cult comic Sean Hughes. 9pm, AED140.
WEDNESDAY 29 Laughter Factory, McGettigans
Another new venue for the popular comedy night, with Dave Fulton and Funmbi Omotayo joined by cult comic Sean Hughes. 9pm, AED140.
THURSDAY 30 Laughter Factory, Grand Millenium Dave Fulton and Funmbi Omotayo are joined by cult comic Sean Hughes. 9pm, AED140.
INFUSION PICK! Superheroes feat. Freestylers & Low Steppa, Level 41 The popular bass night is back, with breakbeat heroes The Freestylers joined by bassbin warrior Low Steppa, alongside Hollaphonic’s Olly Wood on MC duties. 9pm-3am.
FRIDAY 31 INFUSION PICK! Plus Minus feat. Einmusik & Edu Imbernon, Level 41 Popular house and techno night Plus Minus return for their new season, with label head Einmusik dropping a live set, and Imbernon returning after impressing last time around. 5pm-3am, free until 9pm, AED100 until 10pm, AED120 until 11pm, AED150 after 11.
LOOK AND
LISTEN Music be the food of love, so read on...
• Music News • Album reviews • On The Record • Soundstage • DJ Booth • Music That Matters
Look and Listen
Music News...
BEATPORT BOOST FOR PRODUCERS
Good news for producers – Beatport have announced they’re creating Beatport Upload, which lets label A&Rs have access to your unsigned music. The music will also be publicly available, giving you a new platform to get your music heard, and also help you build up a loyal following.
NIGHTS OVER EGYPT
Osunlade (above), Atjazz, Karizma and a dozen more soulful house DJs are coming together for the Nights over Egypt festival from November 5-8. There’ll be several parties over the weekend, including 2 beach parties, and one located in the heart of the desert. Held in the up-market Laguna Vista Beach in Sharm El Sheikh, there will be over 18 DJs from 7 labels including Yoruba Records, BBE Music and R2. All inclusive packages, excluding flights, start from around AED1900. www.nightsoveregypt.co.uk
both, u could be o y e c n e c li quor W ithout a li E THE RISK! K DON’T TA
The process couldn’t be simpler, just follow these 3 easy steps.
STEP 1 Complete the Application Form and get it stamped by your employer.
STEP 2 Attach copies of the required documents.
STEP 3 Visit any MMI shop to submit your Application Form and documents.
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Look and Listen
Album Reviews
NOCTURNAL SUNSHINE – NOCTURNAL SUNSHINE Electronic // soundcloud.com/nocturnalsunshinemusic
MAYA JANE COLES IS NOTHING SHORT OF PRODIGIOUS, with dozens of releases and remixes, as well as a well received album to her name. She’s also inadvertantly entered a new phase of popularity after Nicky Minaj sampled ‘What They Say’ on new single ‘Truffle Butter,’ opening her up to a totally new audience. Maybe as a way of cleansing her musical soul (Google Truffle Butter, we dare you!), she’s concentrated on her Nocturnal Sunshine alter ego recently, which deals exclusively in darker, dubbier music. Spanning dubstep, house and garage, Nocturnal Sunshine isn’t an album solely designed for the dancefloor – its 12 tracks are seeped in sepia, a head nodding album of after party vibes. There are pockets of sunshine amidst the swampy vibes, with the helium vocals of ‘Take Me There’ dovetailing nicely with the shuffling deep house of ‘It’s Alright,’ while ‘Can’t Hide The Way I Feel’ is a garage-influenced house joint you could imagine Four Tet (or Jamie xx) dropping. But generally the album is downtempo and introspective, with the dubstep womp of ‘Footsteps’ and ‘Bass Bin’ her tributes to the original Croydon sound.
JAMIE XX – IN COLOUR Electronic // www.jamiexx.com
AWAY FROM HIS DAY JOB AS THE XX’S SOUND MAN, Jamie xx has become one of the UK’s most treasured electronic selectors and producers in recent times. Despite his incredible Gil Scott Heron collaboration, and a few well received singles, this is his first solo album. And that delay can be heard in the precise nature of each track – everything is perfectly calibrated, every sound perfectly positioned, tweaked for perfect resonance. The 11 track album is Jamie’s interpretation of rave and dance music, filtered, distorted and reimagined for generation xx. Nowhere is that clearer than on call to arms opener ‘Gosh.’ Lego brick slabs of bass erupt and shift and mutate, with shuffling garage riddims underpinning things, until a quite gorgeous keyboard riff comes in and takes the proto-rave joint to the next level, unleashing a Seratonin bomb in your brain. Fittingly, he’s got the band-members on board: Romy lends her vocals to twinkling house track ‘SeeSaw’ and the euphoric ‘Loud Places,’ while ‘Stranger In A Room’ features Oliver Sims on a lonesome, stripped back guitar work out that could have been off their previous album. The entire album is gorgeous, melancholic but uplifting, dark yet full of sunshine, with highs and lows. Album of the year contender right here, and one of the most complete electronic albums we’ve heard in a long time.
ON THE RECORD
KZ
Records One of the most prodigious producers in the region, Abu Dhabi DJ Moe Turk has released on big time labels like Armada, Spirit Soul and King Street. But he’s now launched his own nu-disco and tech house label, KZ Records, and gives Infusion the low down on what’s coming up…
NEED TO KNOW
RUNNING SINCE: March 2015 NUMBER OF RELEASES: 3 and counting GENRES COVERED: Nu disco and tech house MAIN ARTISTS: Moe Turk, Joe Mitri, Nubah, Patrick Podage, Andy Buchan WEBSITE: moeturk.wix.com/kz-records
The best thing about running your own label is… Receiving amazing demos The worst thing is… Filling out release information. You've had hundreds of releases, what made you start your own label? I’ve got no idea, it was random! How would you describe your label's sound? We do a bit of everything but mainly vocal Nu Disco. Our biggest seller is… Moe Turk, Joe Mitri ft Sanna Hartfield - Figure It Out (original mix). We’ve had support from… Saccao (Toolroom/Armada), Alex Kentucky (Ibiza Global radio) and Sâmara Lobo (Mixfeed). The best online portal for us is… Beatport and Soundcloud. How do you make yourself stand out? I’m always looking for new good tracks from new people. You should keep an eye out for… Nubah, an Irish DJ and producer who’s released on Spirit Soul and Milk’n’Sugar. How does a smash hit happen? By accident! How involved are you with UAE producers, how can people get in touch with you? I’m very involved in the local community, and can usually be reached through Facebook or via email, moeturk_@hotmail.com. How hard is it to make money as a record label? It depends on the artist name, the genre, and many other factors but our first release has done very well. And what’s next for your label? We’ll be throwing a label showcase in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. soundcloud.com/k-zrecords
Soundstage
ANGEL
Next up in the hot seat, is Angel, the resident Sunday night singer at Iris Dubai
My first musical influence was… Celine Dion was and continues to be my role model. I used to listening to her growing up and was just fascinated by her voice, her music and the way she sings with such power and ease. My favorite song of hers is ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me”. The last pop star I liked was… Lana Del Rey represents the new generation of female singers who aren’t afraid to be who they are and sing what they want to sing. I first heard her on the radio, her song was ‘Video Games’. My favorite song is of course ‘Young & Beautiful’ from the Great Gatsby movie. Best piece of advice you’ve received? Trust your instincts, from my mother, the way mothers always give the best advice. I have used it in every aspect of my life from my personal situations to my music career. What’s your musical guilty pleasure? Karaoke. My favourite Karaoke song is Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You’ve Been Gone”. Our friends get together at a friend’s house and we have the Karaoke machine and as usual I always win. We have these Karaoke nights every now and then. Best lyrics of all time? Ed Sheeran’s lyrics: ‘ Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end’. Our sound is best described as… Not one particular sound – a mix of Pop, Jazz, Blues and commercial songs. My musical motto is… Music is therapy. Angel @ Iris Dubai, every Sunday The Oberoi, Dubai (27th floor) www.irisdubai.com
DJ Booth: Jon Besant
The History of House promoter and Zero Gravity DJ gives us the low down on his DJ career (and why he wants to go back to back with Paris Hilton) One thing you might not know about me is... I use my DJ wages in Dubai to feed the labour camp workers. My worst ever job was‌ I was an estate agent when I left school, discovering night clubs and workings Sundays at the same time was tough! My favorite ever record is... Last Rhythm Last Rhythm (Vocal mix).
DJing is much like... Being a fat kid working in a cake shop, you get paid for what you love and I look forward to going to work. I guess getting new tunes are like new cake toppings to the fat kid! Dubai’s clubbing scene is... Amazing! I was here 7 years ago when just Chi and Barasti seemed to be the only places to go, the variety is now rivaled by Ibiza only. I’m really proud of... My charity work and the History brand really making waves over the world. What track could you drop in every set? Sandy B, ‘You Make My World Go Round.’ The way people cheer every time that riff kicks in is a banker! It’s also a long tune for when you need a toilet break. I can’t live without... Social media! Due to all our events it’s just continuously promo promo promo, I just want to shut it down but can’t! My biggest DJ achievement to date is... I would say some of the artists I’ve played with at BCM in Mallorca are special. One gig that will always stand out was with Charl Chaka on NYE at Barasti beach in 2008, seeing 12,000 people jumping up and down on the beach rocked! What is your guiltiest pleasure? Listening to Whitney Houston every morning on my bike rides. I feel lost in my own little world and can’t access social media for a few hours which is bliss. If I could go back-to-back with any other DJ it would be... Paris Hilton, but not because of her music or mixing, but because the after party would be something else. I’m not a politician but… If I ruled the Middle East I would change the rules of the labour camps, it’s heartbreaking. And I would demand Charl give all his staff a weeks paid holiday in Ibiza once a year (sorry Mr Chaka!)
Look and Listen
MUSIC THAT MATTERS
ROGER SAAD – DECADANCE Stereo Arcade’s new Friday night resident, gets his retro mix on with this fun 60 minute set that includes Michael Jackson, Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams. soundcloud.com/roger-saad/decadance-with-rodge-set-14-mix-fm RAXON – SIDE EFFECT Audio tonic’s Raxon makes his EP debut on Noir, with this stylish, stripped back but funky as funk 4 tracker, with ‘Monotype’ our pick. soundcloud.com/raxon/sets/raxon-side-effect-ep-noir RICO – SOUL TERRAZA Deep, soulful house vibes from the Pacha Ibiza Dubai resident, recorded live from the Rooftop soundcloud.com/pachaibizadubai/rico-soul-terraza-080515 ASH HAMMAN Tropical Afro pop joint from DXB singer Ash Hamman. soundcloud.com/ashhamman/wahala-trouble-ft-igho-orezi
WOODLE – MAY 2015 Live recording from the Bassworx main man, with 76 bangers across the 2 hour mix, including cuts from Marky, Pendulum and DC Breaks. mixcloud.com/BASSWORX_DXB/drum-n-bass-dubai-may-2015woodle MILITAN – DEEPNOLOGY Hour long mix of D’n’B rollers from dancefloor warrior turned DJ, Militan. mixcloud.com/Militan/deepnology-vol-2/ MASSCON – MC01 20 plus track mix from the Something Big resident that moves from liquid drum and bass grooves into more minimal, bassheavy vibes. soundcloud.com/masscon/mc01 FIDGIT – KAZE Oriental, chilled out grooves from DXB’s Fidgit that Panda Bear fans will appreciate. soundcloud.com/fidgit-offical/kaze MOODY BOY – ARKANOID Double track EP with two pumping, big room techno tunes from the Dubai based DJ and producer. pro.beatport.com/release/arkanoid/1521196 DAVID JONES & GLASSEBOYS – GLOW IN THE DARK (SHAUN WARNER REMIX) The Hed Kandi resident and new Dubai DJ and producer reworks this release on Tiger Records into a deep, driving track with a haunting vocal build and loop. soundcloud.com/shaunwarner/david-jones-glassesboys-jamielee-wilson-glow-in-the-dark-rouge-shaun-warner-remix
Send tracks/edits/remixes to: andy@infusion.ae
LOOKING
CLOSER Opinions, thoughts and gibberish...
• Weird News •The Spin • Movies • Angry Monkey
Looking Closer
Weird News... LIMBO DANCING
The future of self-healing could just have been discovered thanks to the moon jellyfish. The California Institute of Technology discovered that instead of regenerating a new limb, the jellyfish will simply move its appendages around to maintain its symmetry. Which is pretty cool.
BREAK POINT
Look away now if you’re of a weak disposition. An Australian rugby league player broke his arm live on TV during an arm wrestle, with the right arm snapping just a few seconds in. Ben Ross, a former NRL player, was taking to hospital, while the shocked TV hosts sent the production straight to video, but not before the crowd all did a little bit of sick in their mouths.
THE SPIN JULY 2015
PAGE 217
ISSUE 22
UK historian says Dubai stuck in UK Garage time warp
Danny Twostep, a leading UK dance music historian and physicist, has revealed that Dubai is currently in the middle of a UK Garage time warp. ‘The city has been enveloped by a strong atmospheric burst of UK Garage vibes,’ he explained. ‘It’s an unexplained phenomena like crop circles, and it was last seen hanging around Greek islands like Ayia Napa, but it hasn’t been spotted for years until now.’ Symptoms include clubbers pulling gun salutes (especially those who would never dream of pulling their trigger finger) as well as repeat performances from DJ Luck and MC Neat. Promoters in Dubai have enjoyed the unexpected time warp, with record sales for all things UK Garage over the last 6 months.
Dubai definitely not the new Ibiza says clubber after getting heatstroke from just looking out of the window *These stories are not true, this is not a real newspaper. This is a parody/fiction/satire/joke. The Spin is not intended, in any way whatsoever, to be taken as factual.
MOVIE PIXELS It’s on like Donkey Kong in this fun animated film that will have retro gamers chuckling. When aliens misinterpret video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, they attack the Earth in the form of the video games. Classification: PG 13 Director: Chris Columbus Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan
ANT-MAN
Marvel’s latest release finds Paul Rudd armed with a super-suit and the ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength. Con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world. Classification: PG 13 Director: Peyton Reed Starring: Paul Rudd, Michal Douglas
PREVIEWS PAPER TOWNS
Super model Cara Delevingne takes to the cinema as the star in this popular book adaptation aimed at tweens. A young man and his friends embark upon the road trip of their lives to find the missing girl next door. Classification: PG 13 Director: Jake Schreir Starring: Cara Delevingne, Nat Wolff
TED 2 After the original took in half a billion dollars (read that again), the sequel was inevitable as the foul-mouthed bear and his Thunder Buddy return for more escapades. Newlywed couple Ted and Tami-Lynn want to have a baby, but in order to qualify to be a parent, Ted will have to prove he’s a person in court. Classification: 15 Director: Seth MacFarlane Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried
DISCLAIMER: Film release schedules are subject to change, please check reelcinemas.ae, novocinemas.com and voxcinemas.com for full schedules.
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吀䠀唀刀匀䐀䄀夀 ㈀㌀爀搀 伀䘀 䨀唀䰀夀 ㈀ 㔀 吀䤀䌀䬀䔀吀匀㨀㔀 䄀䔀䐀 簀 䐀伀伀刀匀 伀倀䔀一 䄀吀 倀䴀 匀唀倀倀伀刀吀䔀䐀 䈀夀㨀 匀吀唀 䰀䄀唀刀䤀䔀 簀 䔀䨀䄀娀
吀䠀䔀 倀䄀䌀䠀䄀 圀䔀䔀䬀䔀一䐀 圀䤀吀䠀
⌀倀䄀䌀䠀䄀䤀䈀䤀娀䄀䐀唀䈀䄀䤀
So, there’s a new Hollywood movie about EDM, We Are Your Friends. I actually thought it was a parody at first, I was laughing so hard at Zac Efron being all earnest and sh*t. It’s full of amazingly bad quotes, the sort that make you want to repeatedly stab your David Guetta voodoo doll in the bad places. This is our favourite though: ‘1 laptop, some talent and one track is all it takes.’ Congratulations. You’ve basically distilled 40 years of club culture, 40 years of disco, house and techno, 40 years of love and struggle into a crappy epithet, a truly staggering achievement. Frankie Knuckles is literally turning in his grave (RIP) at the thought of his hard work and ‘Tears’ being stained by your p*ss-awful, lowest common denominator version of dance music. Another nail in the commercial coffin of dance music.
Monkey Out...
The Angry Monkeys’ views are his own, and don’t necessarily reflect the views of Infusion Magazine.
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