Stunning new album series from the man in Dubai
Interview by Joel Sumerling
Tobie Allen went to live in Dubai in early 2014. He soon realised there was a whole pool of talented ex-pat producer/DJs and local talent (like producer Nick Hussey) eager for a conduit to release their music – Ma’ana was born (Ma’ana means ‘together’ in Arabic). The new album features over 16 producers and 21 tracks on this 1st compilation of what will become a series and a whole lot more.
Hi there Tobie – good to speak to you. How’s Dubai life?
Hi DMCWORLD! I think I should be saying thank you to you for having me on board and the support for the album. Dubai to be frank is hot. No restbite from the sun at this time of year but I won’t moan as it could be raining! It’s also the month of Ramadan, which is a fantastic time of year – a time for everyone to reflect, give back and be grateful for what they have. As an Englishman in the Middle East it’s great to see how other cultures go about practicing their faith.
Tell us a little about the ‘Ma’ana: Sounds of Dubai’ album concept, how did it come to be?
Ma’ana is the result of a vision I had around 6 months ago to support the local scene and to give producers the platform from the region to release their music. I moved here around a year and half ago and in that time, having hopped around club to club, chatting with friends and industry peers when I noticed that Dubai wasn’t just about the glitz and glamour. There are some seriously talented producers here. Some of those are already known on the dance charts and also some that hadn’t even released anything yet. So I think the album is a combination of the established, like Raxon, Nick Hussey, Matthew Charles, Conan Liquid, Shaun Warner and Tom Chubb, and the new wave, such as Ted Numan, MXD and Ilona Maras.
We just listened. 21 quality tracks is great value. You clearly enjoy a challenge! Was it hard to get together so many exclusives for the album?
You are correct on that I really do like a challenge, but this album, although its taken around 4 months to get together, has always been done with a smile, for my love of music and for the artists. It’s their work that has made this album a reality so really proud to have worked with all of them on this project. I really wanted to cover as much of the 4/4 spectrum as possible, to have a little something for everyone – that was the biggest challenge and hopefully we got there. In the end we only licensed 3 tracks out of the 21 so really chuffed that we had so much unsigned material to work with.
Some legendary names behind some the music on the album like Nick ‘AWESOME 3 – DONT GO’ Hussey. Do the expats all stick together out there?
‘I cannot bear to see you leave me I’m begging you don’t go’ – how many times we all sung those words over the years?! Its great to have people like Nick with their history and knowledge of music scene here in the sandpit spreading the love. This country really is a multi cultural place. There are so many cultures and different faces representing the music scene, from Iranians, Canadians, Lebanese, Indians, Somalis, South Africans, Ukrainians and English to name a few – it’s great to get so many different influences and views of the industry from across the globe.
What about homegrown local production / DJ talent, do you intend to develop any artists from the region via the label?
It would be amazing to be able to promote Emirati’s that make dance music. It’s an ultimate goal but in reality there’s not many if any – however the search will continue!
Which Dubai producer is really hot right now?
I really wouldn’t like to single one person out but really do think all the artists on the album are making waves in their own right. They all have a story which is great. They all have the passion and desire to make music and get it out to dance floors across the globe. As long as they keep their passion Dubai will continue to be a destination on the musical map and not just a tax free shopping weekend stopover.
You got plans to do more with this album series?
I have been really humbled by the response here and will definitely been doing some more. The Ma’ana series can go any number of ways such as Ma’ana: Middle East to cover vibrant scenes like Egypt and Lebanon, or can split into sub genres. Its been a great finding the producers and look forward to working with many more from the region.
You started Bootleg Social in London and moved the operation over to the middle east, has the transition been easy?
The great thing about digital music is the fact you can press ‘enter’ anywhere in the world. Being based here in Dubai has been great for BSR label to be able to expose the labels music to other cultures. I’ve been really grateful to the welcoming of my peers here they’ve all be very supportive. One must remember there have been guys here for over 10 years making the scene, so without all of them doing the hard graft over the years I wouldn’t have been able to do the Ma’ana project. Credit really must go to all those that have created such a vibrant scene here in Dubai.
How does Dubai clubbing differ from the London scene? What can one expect in Dubai?
The main differences are that the clubs close at 3am and it’s a drinking culture – (actually nothing different on that front to the UK!). There’s is always an abundance of internationals on a weekly basis playing here which is n ot always necessary as the local DJ’s can definitely hold their own behind the decks. There is a lot of champagne sparklers here in various clubs which is not my cup of tea but fills a need. There’s also some fantastic producers which hopefully shows on the Ma’ana album.
