Om:Dubai
Om Records (11/20/07)
Dance / Electronic / House
So apparently Dubai is the new Ibiza. Well, not quite, but it’s jumpin’, folks. JUM-PIN. Over the past decade, the United Arab Emirates exclave has certainly replaced Abu Dhabi as the tourist’s choice, and a lot of it has to do with Dubai’s liberal (by regional standards) and Western-friendly policies. It’s not quite New Orleans, Tijuana or Amsterdam, but it’s still a great party destination for those who can afford it. Despite being located right in Saudi Arabia’s backyard, it’s been challenging Tel Aviv for the premier club spot in the Middle East, and the DJs have been tripping over each other to get a gig in this desert paradise.
Yes, I’m sure there’s plenty of homogenized crap being played at Dubai’s clubs, like “Sandstorm” or “Castles in the Sky”, but luckily Om Records has established a presence (much like the other major club-music imprints and party organizers), and on the two-disc Om:Dubai compilation mix, we’re treated to a taste of what exactly is getting bodies moving over there.
Since Dubai’s nightlife is primarily tourist-driven, the music doesn’t reflect the Mideast setting, instead, in this case, opting for some wonderful deep and funky house cuts.
The first disc features a mix by DJ/producer Andy Caldwell, the mastermind behind funky trip-hop group Soulstice, While most of that group’s material (save for the Illusion remix project) carries more of a downtempo lounge vibe, this set takes that sleek lounge sensibility and combines it with some wonderful deep house that would be perfect for either a high-class martini lounge or nouveau riche dance club. The set kicks off with a couple of lush offerings from up-and-coming German producer Florian Kruse, the first of which is a fantastic dub-infused remix of Samantha James’ “Deep Surprise.”
The set then proceeds into a few darker, more minimal tracks before the impending doldrums are broken up by the funky, classic-house-tinged “Guessin’ Again” by Mark Grant, and soon thereafter with the chunky funk of “Changes” by DJ Disciple, David Tort and DJ Ruff. I wasn’t particularly digging the two minimal house tracks that followed, by Ladybug Mecca and K-Scope, respectively, but “Woman of the Sun” by Onionz was a fantastic way to get out that rut. The remainder of the mix goes back into some more minimal house before ending things on a funky note with “When I Sleep” and “Unity”, great tracks by The Changes and Jamie Lewis, respectively.
While the set has some really good standout tracks, the more minimal and darker material dispersed throughout makes it difficult for the thing to really resonate. I was expecting the lush, soulful tone set by the first two tracks to continue on throughout the mix, but instead it’s more of a roller coaster ride of colder tracks with the occasional funky tidbit thrown in for good measure. While I’d probably enjoy it more while sipping on a cocktail in Dubai, the mix as a whole felt somewhat lacking.
As for the second disc, it features a mix by Dubai resident Charl Chaka, who’s been credited with introducing the San Francisco house sound to the region. His mix begins with a brief Arabic language intro, which segues into the jazzy house Johnny Fiasco remix of “Fire in My Soul” by Soul Deep Collective. The next two tracks are a couple more gems from Johnny Fiasco, as we’re treated to the deep, funkadelic “The Message” as well as the aptly titled “Go Deep!”. Tommy Largo’s “Robbin’ & Stealin'” continues the jazz-funk tone with some Bob Sinclar-esque French house, as this mix already has more resonance than the Caldwell one. Joshua Heath’s “My Headphones” has all the right elements, with a nice buildup to mark the middle of the set, while Quality Control’s “We Doing It” brings more of that lovely jazzy house, and “How Ya’ll Feelin'” (again by Heath) nicely samples vocals from Run-D.M.C.’s “It’s Like That,” along with slowed-down version of the bass line from Devo’s “Whip It.”
The set is rounded out by strong tracks by the legendary DJ Sneak (Mastiksoul remix of “Funky Guitar”) and Candy Dealers (“Sultan of Swing”) as the Charl Chaka mix is this double-album’s saving grace. With all due respect to Andy Caldwell, who’s done some amazing work throughout his career, this collection should have solely consisted of Chaka’s set, as it’s not only much stronger and flows much better, but because he represents the Dubai massive scene.
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