FROM MY BLOG:
Over the weekend, spent Thursday night in Kuwait doing a "Polysexual Night" as I'd like to call it. The Venue (Movenpick- Kuwait) is not all that great... never has been except for one gig back in November 2005 where 60 min of house music is all they were able to handle.
Then Friday morning flew back to Dubai via Bahrain to warm-up for Steve Lawler@Peppermint Club. That was excellent! Place was packed early, and everyone was already moving to low-volume music!
2,800 people in that one room really is the best clubbing atmosphere here (that rhymes!) in Dubai. Lawler (real name Stephen by the way) requested I keep the BPM (beats per minute if ya don't talk DJ talk) at 125. With all respect, I did keep that speed (even if I had to slow some songs down to fit the mix + mood). Lawler got on and blew the crowd to shreds with his mix of "dirty" electronic basslines and "to the point" house beats with great build-ups.
Saturday morning went into the GearOne office for a few hours just to organize some stuff for one of the TV Programs I'm producing. Then caught a flight to Beirut with Lawler & his manager at 5pm to be in Beirut at 7 (passing on my EFX-500 to Amadeus to deliver to the venue).
After clearing the Beirut airport, went home to see my parents & catch up on things. By 9:30 I made my way up to the warehouse in Mkalles. The place (as it was during Digweed a few weeks ago) was all nice n dark. After checking the set-up and talking to a few of the promoters and friends the announcement was "Doors opening at 10:15".
Started off ambient, then minimal, a touch of electro... and the crowd just kept coming. Time was ticking & I knew sooner or later Desyn Masiello was arriving to play the warm-up set. Luckily for me he was late = longer set!
Just took the tempo & tone up into harder electro house since the crowd kept filling up. Desyn eventually came and after greeting him I apologized for taking it up too much. Being the cool guy that he is, he simply said "YOU KIDDING ME MAN??? GO AHEAD AND PUMP IT!!!"
Green light to play 3 tracks I was planning in my head. Finished off the tracks, handed the decks over to him and he did an excellent warm-up with a selection of electro, uplifting and rocking house tunes. All new stuff, and a great sound Desyn plays.
Lawler got on at 1:30 with a suspenseful intro that grew after 3 min of ambient into a simple 4/4 beat. Then he went back to ambient... and then kicked right back in with a much different selection of tracks than the ones he played in Dubai the night before. He just pumped and pumped and mixed acapellas, effects, new tunes, new mixes... and the crowd loved it!
The venue was not FULL as it was during Digweed's event, hence it got cold & fast (Beiruty winters are drastic!).
Nevertheless the crowd just kept screaming for more. Lawler finished at 4:30 with newcomers Gunther & Stamina taking over & delivering an excellent follow-up set.
In the few hours that went by, I slept for a few hours, then at 9am was dropped off at the "Rafic Hariri International Airport" in Beirut.
4pm arrived in Dubai to transit to Oman at 7pm for a test drive of the new Jeep Commander for one of the TV shows I'm working on.
Customs in Oman didn't like the looks of my CD case, so they confiscated it for 24-hours (got it back on my way out of the country)
Anyway here are the pictures:
Dubai:
Set-up is XONE 92, 3 CDJ-1000, 2 EFX-1000
Beirut:
Who's this guy? Anyone know? he was on the stage early, kept snapping picutres.. so I took one with him
Early
Later
with Desyn (me distracted by one of you)
Amps in Racks (sorry- habit of taking pictures of them, can't stop it!)
Crowd Shots Later on
Lawler's music (notice? 4 CDs per cardboard sheet? look out for his new product.. like a "steve lawler case logic!" he told me all about it on the flight from Dubai. Easier to highlight tracks you wanna play!
Lawler in the MIX
Anyone know who they are?
Armenian Raver!
Mad & Dan
I HATE BOEING! 767/737/757 SUCK! Overhead storage NEVER fits my UDG... It's official- I'm an Airbus 310/320/330/340 man!
I'll load some videos to youtube.com and link them tomorrow.. must SLEEP NOW!
... AHH! Had to upload it... NOW!
Dubai
http://youtube.com/watch?v=GgyKA7bC8A8
http://youtube.com/watch?v=G7MybqhL680
Beirut
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NMmZUCZpF94
WHEW! How was your weekend?
(too many ! marks)
