Nic Fanciulli gets rather wistful when he thinks of the UAE. The DJ and producer from the UK was one of the first wave of the dance music artists to become a regular in UAE clubs, with his first shows dating back to 2006.
Speaking to The National from London, Fanciulli, 40, says he misses the good old days of popping over regularly to Dubai to spin records at the now-closed Trilogy nightclub in Jumeirah.
It was a period, he says, where the UAE dance music community was underground, and its members solely cared about the tunes. "Great times," he says, wistfully. "The scene back in the UAE was really different then in that there were not too many clubs. This made the community less divided, in a sense. I would come to Trilogy regularly throughout the year and I would build the audience and meet the same people. It was almost like a residency. Now that the scene has grown, a lot of DJs come back and play a different venue each time."
While that may be the case, there is always going to be a space on the decks for Fanciulli. As well as amassing his own local fan base, he continues to release adventurous material displaying the wide breadth of the techno scene.
His latest EP, Leap of Faith, released under his own label Saved Records, has him collaborating with Swiss DJ Black Circle for two tropically inspired tracks. The album's title song melds a strong melodic piano line with Afro-Cuban rhythms, while the second track, The Breakfast Club, has a futuristic sounding synth paired with a riot of Latin American percussion.
Not only does it all seem effervescent and ready for the summer club circuit, Leap of Faith is an example of the deeper creative territory Fanciulli is delving into when it comes to his craft. "Timeless – that is the kind of experience I am looking to create," he says, regarding his approach to the studio and live sets.
“It’s no longer about just getting your hands up in the air. It’s more about taking people on a journey and having them with me while I am creating this more sophisticated sound that I worked so hard to get to.”
It is also a sound he looks forward to bringing back to the UAE, eventually. He views the country's rapid expansion as the region's most popular party spot as inevitable. The UAE's growing cosmopolitanism meant the country's entertainment landscape was only going to evolve.
With that also comes a new generation of fans. Fanciulli and many of his techno peers are beneficiaries of this new wave, which has taken them from clubs to massive open-air festivals.
So, for someone who proudly views his music as “underground”, how does he feel about performing in front of thousands at festivals?
“Well, if you really break it down, that term ‘underground’ can’t be applied to a sound. Instead, it is more [of] an attitude thing,” he says. “Because what is EDM? It means electronic dance music and that is what I have always played. Now, while the term has been stigmatised to mean commercial, I feel that you can still be a so-called EDM artist and be underground by how you conduct yourself, which is to be fearless, uncompromising and not conforming to what people expect.”
This is one of the insights he offers to up-and-coming artists.
“When I was younger, I wasn’t really paying attention to things, but I just feel like it’s now time for me to be giving back to dance music what it gave me,” he says.
“My advice to people today is to really take it professionally. There is a lot of talent out there, and with technology today, anyone can be a DJ. But from watching the people at the top of their game, what I can say about them is that they take what they do very seriously and have a very professional approach to dance music.”
THREE
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RACE CARD
6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
RESULT
Norway 1 Spain 1
Norway: King (90 4')
Spain: Niguez (47')
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Three ways to get a gratitude glow
By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.
- During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
- As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
- In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Fixtures (all in UAE time)
Friday
Everton v Burnley 11pm
Saturday
Bournemouth v Tottenham Hotspur 3.30pm
West Ham United v Southampton 6pm
Wolves v Fulham 6pm
Cardiff City v Crystal Palace 8.30pm
Newcastle United v Liverpool 10.45pm
Sunday
Chelsea v Watford 5pm
Huddersfield v Manchester United 5pm
Arsenal v Brighton 7.30pm
Monday
Manchester City v Leicester City 11pm
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5