New monthly night Breakin’ In welcomes the UK’s Audio Bullys to the Basement this Thursday, for the first of a new session that will focus on some of the underground musical styles that have so far often been overlooked on Dubai’s clubbing scene – specifically the bass-heavy elements of breaks, D’n’B, Bass House and bassline garage.
The launch night guests are probably best remembered for their Nancy Sinatra-sampling 2005, UK number three hit Shot you Down, though purists may note that breakthrough hit, 2003's We Don't Care from their debut album Ego War is more representative of their snarling, punked-up take on electronica. The Basement's Entertainment Director Marko Ben-Aicha says: "Over the last few months, though not always, historically, the club has pretty much focused on house and techno, and I wanted to do something different. I knew I didn't want to put commercial R'n'B or anything like that in there so I needed to create some new events, so I decided to do something taking a variety of bassline sounds and rolling them into one night. I did a bit of research and looked into some artists - and Audio Bullys are a firm favourite, for a long time, of mine. They were available, so we booked them." Local Superhero - Undermoon will open for the Audio Bullys. Bassline may not be the biggest draw in the world of Dubai's five-star designer venues, but Ben-Aicha is convinced there's a solid market for the more underground sounds: "There's a decent scene for the breaks market here, and a couple of other nights around, but I'm trying to avoid the familiar names too and look at artists who may not be so familiar to local crowds. I've got some really special plans in the pipeline, though obviously I'm not saying too much till we have confirmations."
From what we hear on the grapevine, Ben-Aicha has some very nice, leftfield surprises on the cards for regional bass and breaksheads, so we’ll be watching with interest.
Breakin’ In launches at The Basement, Boutique 7, Tecom, Dubai on Friday 5 February. Entry on the door is 100AED.
On racial profiling at airports
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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GAC GS8 Specs
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
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- 600-seat auditorium
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
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Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.