The most common complaint heard from musicians and producers in the Middle East is that there are simply too few platforms to get their music out there.
This is why the clubbing community united in applauding the launch of Ma'ana: Dubai, a compilation showcasing some of the' best dance-music producers in the Emirates.
Released last July, the 21-track online release was billed as a regional first – and thankfully, it was not a one-off.
This month sees the release of Ma'ana: Sounds of Dubai 002, an expanded 25-track set that features returning favourites and a host of new talent.
Most significantly, the digital-only release signals the birth of a new regionally focused Ma’ana Records imprint, with further compilations already in the works.
Behind the project is DJ, producer and label head Tobie Allen, a British expat who hatched the idea after moving to Dubai two years ago.
“I’m a strong believer in respecting a city,” says the 41-year-old. “Respecting the people who created a scene, the people who had the passion to play to empty dancefloors on a graveyard shift – it takes time, graft and drive to build something.”
Ma’ana loosely translates from Arabic as “together”, which highlights the sense of community that unites UAE producers – a sentiment that is a little unusual when compared with clubbing cultures elsewhere in the world.
As the new guy in town, for the first edition of Ma’ana Allen says he simply sent out “an SOS” to producers asking them to submit tracks for consideration.
He received 65, of which 21 made the cut.
Featured talent ranged from bedroom beginners to established Dubai regulars, including Smokingroove, Conan Liquid, Arcade 82, and Raxon.
“I wanted to observe Dubai,” says Allen. “See who was who, see what people would send in.
“I had come from London and I was amazed to come here and find such positively – and such talent. I just wanted to pull it all together and create a platform for people to release their music.”
The first compilation was published on Allen’s long-standing London-based Bootleg Social label, but the project was such a success, it inspired him to found Ma’ana Records as a dedicated regional brand for this second release.
Both compilations were published in partnership with Sony Music Middle East.
Now more entrenched in the scene – Allen is co-founder of techno night and podcast Dysfunktion – this time round, he simply approached producers he admired to compile the second edition.
The new arrivals include a collaboration between Scott Forshaw and Hollaphonic’s Greg Stainer, Moe Turk, Darko De Jan and Todd.
With a run time of more than two hours, the audio spectrum swerves through deep and tech house, to take in breakbeat and techno.
The only criteria for inclusion was that the artist lived in the UAE at the time of signing.
Abu Dhabi artist Tanvir Ahmed contributed the closing track, Emoticon, a swirling, psychedelic, seven-minute workout track that he remembers cooking up in a mall coffee shop last summer.
"Having something like Ma'ana is really important for artists here in the UAE," says the 23-year-old Bangladeshi, who has lived in the capital for two decades.
“It helps put us all on the map. But it also helps bring us together – I do feel a sense of family.
“Living in the UAE, it’s very hard to get your music to people, very hard to express any new sounds.”
Ahmed’s sentiments are clear – as nice as it is to have the compilation do the rounds among friends in the UAE, the real goal is to get sounds from the country out into the wider world.
It is a goal towards which Allen clearly thinks they are making progress, with work already started on a series of themed follow-up releases aimed at capturing distinct musical moods.
Looking further ahead, he hints at plans to release Ma'ana albums focusing on other Middle Eastern cities.
“There’s an amazing amount of talent in this country and it comes from so many different places,” he says. “The thing about music is it has no race, no colour, no creed – on the dance floor, we’re all together.
“We’re a small country with so much talent, and I’m just helping to put everybody under one roof.”
Ma'ana: Sounds of Dubai 002 is out now on various platforms, including iTunes, priced Dh55
rgarratt@thenational.ae
