It took three years but Ultra Abu Dhabi has finally arrived in the capital.
The popular dance music festival, which originated in Miami in 1999, has since expanded to more than 20 countries including South Korea, Japan, Peru and Brazil. It was meant to debut in the Middle East in March 2020, but was postponed because of the global pandemic — but it turns out the festival was worth the wait.
Day one of the two-day event featured headliners Skrillex, Illenium and Kshmr on the main stage while Adam Beyer closed out the Resistance stage with a massive two-hour set.
Doors opened at Etihad Park at 3pm but it was early evening before the crowds appeared. While Ultra is also known for its music, fashion is another notable aspect of the festival and Abu Dhabi concertgoers did not disappoint.
Neon-coloured clothing, light-up footwear, glowing accessories and glitter make-up were de rigueur, with attendees decked out in looks that wouldn't be out of place at other Ultra festivals around the world. During a break between sets, organisers announced fans came from Chile, Japan, South Korea, Turkey and Spain.
After the sun had set, Indian-American DJ Kshmr took to the decks alongside an orchestra and dancers to bring Kshmr: The Live Experience to Abu Dhabi for the first time. His set was an energising boost that really got the crowd engaged. The DJ played some of his hit tracks such as the Tiesto collaboration Secrets as well as his remix of MGMT’s Kids. He also nodded to the first song he ever “produced that got popular” with tones from Far East Movement’s hit Like a G6.
The cinematic aspect of his set — which includes an animated film playing in the background as a break during songs — along with the live orchestra and energetic dancers, was impressive. He closed out his performance by thanking the crowd: “I’m honoured to be part of the first Ultra in Abu Dhabi with you guys,” he said to the cheering ensemble.
Fellow American DJ Illenium was up next, opening his set with the dub-heavy track Feel Something — a bit of a switch from Kshmr's softer sounds. His songs featured a heavy bass line then slowed the tempo with a switch to pop, such as a remix of Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero as well as the tracks Luv Me a Little, Sideways and Blood.
At first the set seemed jarring, but it evened out as it unfolded. Illenium also played remixes of some EDM bangers including Alesso and One Republic’s If I Lose Myself, Marshmello and Khalid’s Silence and a remix of The Chainsmokers’ hit song Don’t Let Me Down. Closing out his set, the DJ told the crowd it was his “first time in this part of the world.”
After a final 10-minute break, Skrillex took to the main stage, opening with the newly released Ratata from his recent album Quest for Fire. The bass-heavy, in-your-face opening song explained why it made sense to have Illenium as the DJ on stage before Skrillex, as the gradual shift of the night finished with an edgier and heavy sound. Although Skrillex played a host of newer songs, he also performed some old favourites including his remix of Benny Benassi’s Cinema and early career hits such as Bangarang and Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites.
Closing out the Resistance stage for day one was Swedish DJ Adam Beyer, who brought techno to the forefront with a two-hour set, much to the delight of fans of the genre. Although a smaller-sized stage, it arguably made for a more intimate and comfortable setting than the main platform.
One of the most impressive elements of the night was that despite featuring two stages hosting performers the same time, the sound never overlapped. Whether at the main or Resistance stage, concertgoers couldn't overhear music from the other DJ. Even better, and a rarity these days, all artists followed their allotted time slots, starting and ending on time.
One notable downside of the festival was the logic behind its physical set-up. Despite being located almost back-to-back, the main and Resistance stages are difficult to switch between, with concertgoers having to take a roundabout route through the food and beverage stalls to go between the venues. Surely there should be an easier way.
Ultra Abu Dhabi has something for all electronic music fans, with an impressive line-up of artists descending upon the UAE capital. Day two looks set to be an even bigger showcase with Scottish chart-topper Calvin Harris, world-renowned DJ and producer Armin van Buuren and Belgium's Amelie Lens headlining, giving dance music fans in the region plenty to get excited about.
Day two of Ultra Abu Dhabi is Sunday; tickets start at Dh360; doors open at 3pm; www.ultraabudhabi.com
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
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