Mark Ronson and Jess Glynne will top the bill at a new alfresco festival in Dubai. The 5,000-capacity DXBeach concept, on Friday April 24, will be staged on previously unused beach area at SkyDive Dubai’s Zero Gravity venue.
The bill is rounded out with DJs Danny Howard and John Dahlbäck, alongside local talent.
Ronson is a smart booking for the inaugural event. He ranks among the most in-demand of British DJs – not least since the sudden worldwide success of throwback anthem Uptown Funk, featuring Bruno Mars.
The track comes from Ronson’s critically acclaimed fifth artist LP, Uptown Special. However to many he will always best be known as the super-producer behind other artists’ classic records – not least Amy Winehouse, who’s Back to Black was one of the UK’s top-selling records of the millennium.
Ronson built on that success to work with a host of top stars, including Paul McCartney, Q-Tip, Lily Allen and Lana Del Rey.
He'll be joined on the bill by the much-hyped pop vocalist Glynne, who arrives off the back of heavy airplay for her recent single, Hold My Hand. However many will know her best as the voice of Rather Be, the smash hit from Clean Bandit, who performed the tune at Sandance last year without Glynn.
A long-standing name at BBC Radio One, Brit DJ Howard guarantees a crowd-pleasing set. Upcoming Swedish decksmith John Dahlbäck often goes under the moniker Kaliber.
Doors open at noon and the party carries on until 3am – expect more local acts to be announced in coming weeks.
Early-bird tickets cost Dh200, with Dh250 for general admission and VIP access for Dh500. A brunch package is available for Dh495, running from noon to 3pm and including entry to the gig.
Tickets go on sale on April 1 2015 from www.platinumlist.ae, www.virginmegastore.me and www.ticketmaster.ae. Pre-register for ticket sales at www.dxbeach.ae to ensure you don't miss out.
rgarratt@thenational.ae
