Dubai Design District’s three-day music bonanza

Meet 12 of the most intriguing acts playing the huge Meet d3 cultural happening in Downtown Dubai this weekend.

Mashrou Leila. Courtesy Mashrou Leila

We don’t like to do things quietly in the UAE. That is why, perhaps, the inauguration of the new Dubai Design District – known as d3 – was never going to pass with a simple ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Instead the trailblazing design hub – which sits in the shadows in Downtown Dubai and will offer a mix of office space, boutiques, workshops and studios – is launching with Meet d3, a huge three-day community celebration of art, design, fashion, food and music.

It features an awe-inspiring bill of some of the hippest acts from across the region and beyond, kicking off tonight with John Newman and building to a crescendo of talent performing all day tomorrow and Saturday. And best of all, they are all completely free. Here is Soundcheck’s rundown of the acts you need to see.

Your Chin

This is the solo project of Raxit Tewari, frontman of the Mumbai electro/punk outfit Sky Rabbit, who gained solo momentum following a couple of strong EPs and a support slot for Gotye. Expect credible ­indie-electro pop sounds.

• Friday, 7pm. Also at the NJAL space at 4.30pm tomorrow

Mashrou’ Leila

This Lebanese art-rock quintet are a revelation – an edgy, inventive culture blur who meld contemporary indie and electro sounds with regional folk melodies, all thrown together with a brazen DIY ethic. A rare rock band who sing entirely in Arabic – and are not afraid whom they offend by doing so, taking on societal norms and prejudices with controversial frontman Hamed Sinno’s openly antagonistic lyrics. Having toured extensively across Europe, they rank as one the Arab world’s most successful crossover stories.

• Friday, 8.30pm

John Newman

Sharp-dressing, quiff-sporting soul-pop singer Newman blasted everywhere with omni­present 2013 smash Love Me Again – but he proved far more than a one-hit wonder with an assured set that nearly stole the show at last year's RedFest DXB. His was also the voice that powered Rudimental's Feel the Love and Calvin Harris's Blame – both UK number ones . Newman is positioning himself smartly as a bona fide hitmaker in his own right – and he's still only 24 years old.

• Friday, 10pm

Talvin Singh

Schooled as a tabla player, Singh became a centrepiece of the 1990s UK-Asian Underground movement, blending elements of traditional Indian classical music with electronica and drum 'n' bass. He won the esteemed Mercury Prize in 1999 for his debut, OK, and has worked with the likes of Madonna, Massive Attack and Björk.

• Friday, 5.30pm.

Zahed Sultan

The Kuwaiti producer Sultan merges beats and live instruments to craft moody, atmospheric soundscapes. Arriving off the back of last year's ambitious album/multimedia concept Eye Am Sound, his distinctive mix of electronica, trip-hop, house and Arabic influences isn't always easy to digest, but offers plenty to intrigue.

• Friday, 7pm.

Bei Ru

The name and sound might make you expect a genre-bending Lebanese indie-electro band, but, really, Bei Ru is just one guy – and he's based in Los Angeles. Recent release Saturday Night at the Magic Lamp is spellbinding with its cross-pollination of Middle Eastern melodies and instrumentation with funk, hip-hop and house. Utterly compelling.

• Friday, 8.30pm

The Narcicyst

The Dubai-based and Iraqi-born Canadian MC remains a massive local draw for his politically tinged raps and forward-thinking philosophies. Which is why he commands a Friday-night headline slot, despite having the cheapest travel expenses.

• Friday, 9pm

Yarah Bravo

The Berlin-based, Latin American/Swedish, Afro-sporting Bravo brings soulful smoky vocals and smooth raps to trip-hop-tinged neo-soul grooves, bursting with funk and feeling.

• Saturday, 5pm

Autostrad

This cool Jordanian six-piece blend Arabic melodies with reggae rhythms, tribal choruses, brass blurts and sonic wackiness to create captivating and genuinely fresh-sounding guitar music. One of the region’s most promising acts, and highly likely to rank among the weekend’s highlights.

• Saturday, 6pm

Tania Saleh

A veteran of Beirut's underground scene, Saleh, 46, continues to endure, releasing three records in four years. She won worldwide acclaim for her role co-writing the soundtrack to the Lebanese cinema smash Where Do We Go Now?, while her latest single, She Doesn't Love You, showcases her offbeat, kooky blend of western, Latin and Middle Eastern approaches and is as engaging as ever.

• Saturday, 7.30pm

Qusai & Malikah

A pairing of two regional hip-hop heavyweights. The MTV Arabia presenter Qusai – said to be the first hip-hop artist from Saudi – pairs up with Lebanon’s Malikah, known as the “Queen of Arabic hip-hop”.

• Saturday, 8.45pm

Dub FX

Beatboxin’, rappin’, loop-­station-packin’, the Australian street performer Benjamin Stanford aka Dub FX is known for thrilling/confounding audiences with his huge, multilayered sound grooves, constructed live on the spot entirely using his vocal cords. A sight to behold.

• Saturday, 9.45pm

• Check out www.meetd3.com for the full line-up and more details