
It’s easy to turn up to a festival, all you have to do is get a ticket and get in. But have you ever thought about everything it takes to make one happen? From the point of actually finding out about the festival, to buying the ticket, to how the queue is managed, everything has been thought about. I have been to many music events but until last year I had never actually been part of making one happen. Now we are just three weeks away from the 6th Annual Chill Out Festival, so I thought I’d share what I have learned about making this musical festival happen, in hopes that you will be there with me to enjoy it!
Creating the Concept
Creating the concept is arguably the most important part of the whole process. With an over saturation of events these days people need something fresh and exciting to get them to finally purchase a ticket. First off who do you want to come to your festival? What demographic are you targeting? What music do want at the event? The Chill Out Festival started out as a concept for Perrier, who wanted to reach out to a younger but classy crowd of people. This wasn’t meant to be just another beach party, but a full day event including music, art and other activities that the whole family can enjoy. The concept has worked so well Société Perrier is still our associate sponsor for the 6th year.
Music is the focal point of the Chill Out Festival but as the name implies its also about relaxing. During the day, in between the music people, like to wonder; go get some food and a drink, or maybe relax and get a free massage from our onsite spa, become an artist and paint on fresh canvas provided by Jam Jar or even try out acroyoga. As the night progresses the music turns up a notch and a party vibe is created, but its a whole lead up to that which gives the event a real festival vibe.
Chill Out Festival Dubai “What makes the Chill Out Festival different from other events in Dubai?” from Chill Out Festival on Vimeo.
The Venue
In Dubai there aren’t many options where you can host an event for over 5000 people. You have find places that have the proper licensing to allow the people, the music and the alcohol, which usually means a hotel. This is the first year the Chill Out Festival isn’t at a hotel, although our previous events at the Madinat Jumeriah, and Atlantis have been great, it was time to move on to a new place where we could keep our concept growing, which is why the Media City Amphitheater will host this years event. As most venues there are sound restrictions so after midnight we will move onto Trilogy to continue the party until 3am with the electronic music acts.
Finding the money
This the hardest part. In dealing with sponsors they are most concerned with exposure through various media channels as well as onsite, both of which we can provide. However the argument most brands give is why spend so much on a sponsorship fee when they can use the same money for an advertising campaign where they can reach potentially millions of viewers rather then thousands over just a couple days of onsite activation. Brands need to stand our these days, and being just another TV commercial, in my opinion doesn’t do that. We look for brands that want to be considered fresh and exciting, ones that want to interact with their key demographic. When else do brands really get a chance to be face to face with their audience in a personal way? The brands that understand the importance of this, and that want to be associated with our style of music are the ones you will find at our event. If you don’t manage to cover your costs with sponsors, which most events don’t, then you have to rely on your ticket sales, which bring us to the most important part, the music.
The Music
Each year we spend so much time thinking of who we want to grace our stage. Each member of the OHM team has their own thoughts but for the most part we all like the same styles, which is why we work together in the first place! Although we don’t have arguments as to who we want, it’s not easy actually getting the people we want. First off most of the people I would want to see, most of Dubai wouldn’t know. Bands like Metronomy, Apparat, or Hammock would be brilliant but in the end we have to think about ticket sales. Our major challenge is balancing cool indie acts with enough commercial appeal to get people through the door. Also money is a major factor when booking the artists. Many of the bands we wanted, ask for at least three times the price they would be paid elsewhere in the world. Also most bands don’t tour around the Middle East which means expensive flights from the US or Europe, especially since most want at least a business class ticket. So their fees plus flights and 5 star accommodations makes it really hard to finally sign the dotted line.
After all the negotiations we are very happy with our line up, which includes British Indie act The Kooks, US hip hop trio De La Soul, French Algerian Rai singer Rachid Taha, Indian indie band Shaair + Func, Nigerian jazz legend Tony Allen, iconic dance outfit Transglobal Underground plus many more incredibly talented local acts.
We hope to bring you some of the music you know and love plus some new music that will educate you as to what else is out there in the world, just waiting to be heard. I like to think I know a lot about music, but since working with this team I have learned so much more, and thats why I’m excited about being surprised again by this years performances. I especially can’t wait to see Moodymann play the main room at Trilogy!
Spreading the Word
A solid marketing plan is key to making sure everyone knows about the upcoming event and all the details. Everything from making the artwork look appealing to getting the right media partners takes a lot of time. The end goal of all of it being to get everyone to purchase a ticket. As you have read these festivals aren’t cheap to produce so we hope all you music lovers our there will support the music you love and open your wallet for what is sure to be a very memorable weekend!
That being said please find the ticketing information below.
We hope that you will come and chill out while we run around like crazy behind the scenes to make sure you have a great day!
Tickets are now on sale at:
All Zoom, Eppco and Enoc Stations
All Virgin Megastores in Dubai and the Madinat Jumeriah Box office
Tickets online:
whatsonboxoffice.com, virginmegastore.me, timeouttickets.com, and platinumlist.net
One Day pass for April 20th or April 21st
Advance/ Door : 200/250
Two Day Pass : Advance 350
For table reservations and more info call 04 397 3728 or 050 725 8277

I was featured in the February issue of Ahlan :)
Here is the Q&A which was edited to fit into the column
Who are you and what do you do?
Who I am, well I’m an Aquarian, born and raised in Canada but of Maltese decent. I moved to Dubai 3 years ago and now I work at OHM Records. My main role is to work with brands to create fun and unique ways for them to interact with their key demographic thru music, so whether its finding sponsors for our weekly club nights or creating a new event for them, Im always on the hunt for new parties to create, I must say it’s a hard work but a lot of fun!
What are your thoughts on the Dubai club scene –
Having lived and travelled to some of the best clubbing cities in the world I can say that I have become very happy with whats going on in Dubai. Everyone is so eager to keep the scene going strong, whether its supporting our vast group of local talent or the constant flow of international DJs that play our clubs. We are pretty spoiled with how frequent we get to see our favorite DJs. Of course partying in Dubai is much different then in other countries but I think in ways thats a good thing, Im not sure we would ever get any work done if clubs stayed open ‘til 8am! There is always something to do and I never get bored. Its still relatively a small scene so for the most part I think most promoters are friendly to each other, that being said I think more communication between them would really help so major events don’t collide. All that being said its still very hard to introduce new music to the crowds in Dubai, most people just flock to the big names, following each other like seagulls instead of being curious as to the new sounds that are out there. I could go on forever about this but I guess I just wish people were more independent and searched harder for new music and talent because there is so much out there, and we want to bring it to you!
Fave track of all time?
Thats a really tough one but I would have a say its a tie between Global Communication- The Way (Secret Ingredients Mix) or Frankie Knuckles- Your Love, both timeless tracks that always get me in serious groove!
Fave club outside of UAE?
hmmmm tough one, probably Womb Tokyo, best sound system I’ve heard and the vibe is always so energetic!
Person you’ve most like to go clubbing with in the world and why?
I cant think of anyone famous, I’d rather have a great night out with my best friend.
Most famous person you’ve met and/or worked with?
Probably, P Diddy, he was at DC 10 when I was there in 2004. I also met Michael Lazaridis at my university gradation… in case you don’t know he’s the guy that invented the blackberry ;)
What’s your party trick?
my party trick… dress wild, dance like you own the place, and always smile ;)
Best bar joke you’ve ever heard
Probably not the best but the most memorable for how ridiculous this pick up line was, the guy says ’ Im wearing a new cologne, its called breadcrumbs… the birds love it.’ I had to laugh its so bad lol

It’s almost time to say good bye to 2011 which has made me look back and think about all that happened this year. It definitely has been a wild ride!
January
My year started off with my mom coming to Dubai for the first time and then we made first trip of the year to Cairo, Egypt together. The bright side of living so far apart is that we make a point to do these trips together, which is such a great thing, my mom is the best travel partner, just dont put her in a car for too long! I owe my sense of adventure to my mom, and also my motion sickness, thanks mom ;) Oh and I will also give my mom some credit for my love of music. I grew up listening to a lot of great music thanks to her, so I returned the favour and introduced her to house music, now when we talk on skype I have to get her to turn the beats down so I can hear her lol! My mom isn’t shy of the dance floor either, luckily Solomun was playing the night I took her to Trilogy and she danced right til the end at 3am, my friends said I made so much sense after that ;)

February
February is always a big month for me because its the month I was born. Feb 15th I hit the big 30. I can’t say I feel any different, I’m not going to be one of those people that hides their age, because with age comes experience, knowledge, self awareness and hopefully happiness. I wouldn’t want to turn back the clock at all, I have had an amazing life so far and the future excites me, so far I am happy. Not to be cliche but life will throw you curve balls just do whatever you can do make sure you wake up happy most days, if you can’t then make the change in your life that you need to get you there.
\
March-April
For the first time in 4 years I didn’t go to WMC in March. I was hard at work with the OHM Records team preparing for the Chill Out Festival.

(The OHM Team at the Time Out Awards)
This was an amazing experience and I really learned a lot.This has been my first year working in events and I have really enjoyed it. There is so much that goes into a big event like Chill Out; I’m very happy that I got to be a part of the process. When the day of the event arrived I almost felt like it was my wedding day, so much planning and preparation, waiting for everyone to turn up and enjoy it, then in a flash its gone.
The highlights for me were seeing The Cinematic Orchestra who us speechless, the Midivil Pundits, who played such beautiful Indian fusion electro beats, Royksopp… who I’ve been dying to see for years, and played one of the best live performances I’ve ever seen, and of course Erkya Badu, who is a soul diva in every way. I’m really looking forward to seeing who the Chill Out festival turns out in 2012!

(my groupy moment with Rokysopp after their stellar performance!)
This is also the year that I left my single life after nearly two years. Standing side by side waiting for Erkya Badu to come on stage, it took just one look to know this sexy South African beside me was going to be mine :) I will admit that I was a little hesitant at first, getting into a new relationship takes a lot, and its hard to let yourself go and really trust someone, but when you finally do, and you open yourself up to that special person, nothing in the world can beat that feeling. I think I have met my match in Oscar, we are alike in so many ways; he’s always positive in his approach to life, he’s adventurous, we love the same music (which is key to any successful relationship I will be in), we were born just 5 weeks apart and apparently Aries - Aquarius matches are the best so I’m excited to see where we end up!

(This was at an 80s party we went to during Ramadan, we are 80’s babies;)
May
As if the year hasn’t been interesting enough this is when this get really crazy. It’s important for me to keep friendships alive, so when my good friend Rishi said he was coming to Dubai for a quick stop over I knew I had to join him in Beirut. We had an incredible time, the highlights being seeing Jixo & Danz at the Art Lounge, which is such a cool venue…

and then the main event was seeing Danny Howell’s at BO18, where he played a killer 5 hour set.

What I thought was going to be a long Easter weekend turned into something else entirely. When the weekend came to a close a I got the news that I couldn’t come back to Dubai because my work visa hasn’t been processed yet, and had no clear date as to when it would be…so after a moment of panic I made the best of the situation by going to see my family in Malta while I waited. So although in ways I wish I hadn’t had a month of exile it did give me a chance to spend some time with my family who I dont get to see nearly enough. It had been two years since I had been to Malta and the first time I was there solo. It was strange to be in Malta without my dad, or have my grandparents to visit (God bless them as they past they year before) but it was great to see my cousins, uncles and aunts. I spent most of my time on the beach with some friends I had met from Luxemburg and the nights mostly partying. I also got to finally get my Maltese passport, so now its finally official that Im of dual nationalities to both Canada and Malta :)

(the view from my hotel room)
On my way back from Malta to Beirut (I had a return ticket back so figured I would use it to go see my friends one more time before heading back to Dubai) I had a stop over in Rome, which as great because I had never been there and I got to take a quick tour of the city for the day, what an amazing city, its like an outdoor museum!

I really fell in love with Lebanon on this trip. The people are so warm and welcoming, its such a great party place and its also gorgeous. This was the setting of one of our all day parties!

The best thing about this trip was the friends I made, I can’t thank them enough for taking care of me when I really needed it. These are people I really can call friends, the kind that pick you up from the airport, show you a great time, open up their homes to you, and make sure you are doing ok, thank you my lovely Lebanese friends, you know who you are! I also have to mention Claudia Ptoile who I met on this trip, what a laugh we had! Memories like that can’t be forgotten, when friendships like these form you just want to see them to be able to do it all over again. We met again in Berlin where we had an incredible time, definitely going back for another visit this year to visit my wild friends!

(Claudia is a wicked DJ from Berlin and agent extrodinaire for Clique Bookings)
June
June as all about Sonar and also my first trip to Germany. First to Hamburg to see my lovely friend Florian Kruse get married to his childhood sweetheart and then to party like mad in Berlin. You can read my review of this whole trip in my previous posts.

(the huge crowd at the Crosstown Rebels party, one of my favorites of the week!)
July
This was a very special month because it was when I went to Banff, Albert to see my best friend get married. This whole experience was incredible, having my mom and dad there with me for this occasion was so special. It was a magical week we will never forget. We even got the wedding logo tattoo’d on us (me, Michelle and her sister) all bonded for life through love.. sounds cheesy I know ;) This was my second tattoo and Michelle’s first.

I think god was watching on the wedding day, as the entire wedding theme was about rainbow colours and that was the wedding gift they got! I cant wait to see this happy couple when they come to visit me in Dubai next year :)

August
I always end up travelling in July so I get stuck in Dubai for Ramadan. Ramadanadingdong boring… but we had a few good house parties but I was dying for the dance floor by the end! Next year I plan to go back to Canada during Ramandan.
September
After a long month of no clubbing we came back with a vengence at iLL Communications with some kick ass parties in the Electric Studio of Trilogy. Most noteably Kenny Glasgow who played one of the best sets of the year! What I loved about this night was that most people only know Kenny now because of his recent Art Department fame, but I have been loving Kenny for years as he has rocked the clubs in Toronto for over two decades, so I had a bit of home town pride seeing him rock the decks all the way over here in Dubai!

October
I love October because it means the temperature is getting more comfortable in Dubai, but also because it means Halloween. One of my favorite nights of the year, I always take the opportunity to dress up. This year I was inspired by True Blood so I went for Fangtasia fashion ;)

That night was also great because I got to see Beardyman play the main room of Trilogy for the first time, that dude has some serious skills! Also was nice to see Robert Babicz play a live set on the rooftop after Funk D’Void, always good to have Lars in town :) Our iLL Communications party the next night was a Big Night Out with Steve Bug!

I also need to mention it was the 5 year Anniversary of Audio Tonic, which has been my favorite party of the week for three years now. This was a great night with Scope and Ian Pooley as the guests and this very cool cake. Congrats guys and keep doing what your doing!

November
On my list of things I have always wanted to do is scuba diving, so this year I happily became an official scuba diver! Its also the first time I made it to Fujjerah. Oscar and I had a wonderful day there, we got to swim with a turtle, saw lots of great colourful fish, eels and squid, cant wait for more diving next year!

Musically this month was the first time we hosted an official Faciendo party. Faciendo is the collective I’m working with including Desyn Masiello, Tom Morgan, balErik, Dory and Add2Basket. I was happy to be able to bring down Desyn and Erik for a full night of Faciendo beats in the Electric Studio of Trilogy. Really excited to see more of these nights happen in 2012. For more info follow us on twitter @faciendotribe or on facebook http://www.facebook.com/faciendo

This is my favorite tribe mix so far, beautiful beats selected from the team and put together by Desyn. A tribe mix is unique in that each person chose 3-4 tracks and mixed them separately, then Desyn put the pieces together. Its seamless all the way through, you’d never know 4 DJs from different parts of the world actually made it, their styles compliment each other so well!
FAC-RAD-010 (Faciendo Community mix by Tom Morgan, balErik, Dory, Desyn) by FACIENDO Community
December
Its been a great month, I love December in Dubai, the weather is perfect which means there are so many events going on.
First there was Creamfields, which was a two day event this year. The first night I went to support my Audio Tonic boys who had their own tent, which also hosted Yousef, John Digweed and Danny Howells . The music was great until John came on, because unfortunately his equipment was working well with their system so everything he played just sounded way too bass heavy. The organizers should have known his rider and made what he needed available to avoid this.
The next night was way better, with Italoboyz, SLAM and Corolla all playing killer sets. Just a shame there wasnt more people, as Luciano was playing the same night in Dubai which took a good chunk of the people. It would be nice if event organizers communicated more to avoid this.

Another main event this month was the Sade concert. I’ve been wanting to see her for years so I was very excited when I heard the news she was ending her world tour in Abu Dhabi. Thanks to my mom for introducing me to Sade, her voice and words are so touching. This was an incredible performance I will never forget!

Christmas was spent with my friends in Dubai, which meant we had to have a crazy bash, so we turned the Electric Studio into our Christmas den on the 23rd and had a great time, I dressed up like a candy cane and got kissy with the reindeers :)

It’s been a wild ride in 2011; I met my new man, helped put together a major music festival, went to Egypt, Hamburg, Berlin, Barcelona, Beirut, Rome and Malta, became a scuba diver and event started bedroom djing with some vinyls. I think 2012 is the year I take DJing one step further, travel more, work hard and most of all have fun along the way!
I wish you all the best for an incredible 2012 and live life to the max! Keep smiling, dancing, loving and living your life the way that makes you the happiest.
xox

Lacoste is launching the first Middle East website to celebrate the newest arrival in the Lacoste stores, Lacoste L!VE collection.
Lacoste is looking forward to meeting the first ever Lacoste DJ Ambassador which will be selected through the Lactoste L!VE DJ Competition.
If you are living in the UAE, Kuwait or Saudi you can participate in the DJ competition by logging on the website and submitting your DJ profile, including at 30-60 min house/ techno mix (please include a track listing).
Before the site officially launches you can send me your mix, bio and pic to lisa@ohmrecords.com so that your profile is ready to go right when the site is launched, so please send me your stuff asap, today if possible!
Once the site is launched DJs can then create their own profile and you get your friends to vote for you by promoting the site through your social media pages.
The 3 DJs with the most amount of votes (one from each country) will compete for the grand prize on November 17th at Media One Hotel – 42nd floor, where the crowd will vote for their favorite DJ through an SMS voting system.
The winner of the DJ competition will be warming up for Agoria at Trilogy on the 9th of December. Then they will be flown to Paris in December to play a gig at one of the best underground house nights at club Batofar!
How to participate:
If you are a DJ
Provide your DJ profile and upload your music.
Please read the Lacoste music guidelines carefully.
DJs must be 21 years of age or older.
Then, you can enjoy listening to the other DJ’s sets.
In Store
Lacoste L!VE will set DJ stations in the following stores:
Dubai (Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall)
Kuwait City (XX)
Saudi Arabia (xx,XX)
Mix the tracks provided from Lacoste, record your mix and upload it on the Lacoste L!VE website.
Share the Lacoste L!VE website on your Facebook and invite friends to participate.
Not a DJ but still want to win prizes?
there are two ways
1. Vote for your favorite DJ’s via the LACOSTE L!VE website
If your favorite DJ’s win - you automatically enter a draw to win a full LACOSTE WARDROBE and a trip for two to Paris to see the winning DJ perform!
UAE – purchase a minimum of 1000 AED at either of the two Lacoste stores and the first 50 of you will get 2 VIP’s tickets for the final event at Trilogy.
This will be announced by Radio and SMS.
2. Strike a pose for our photo competition
What do you need to do?
Visit any Lacoste store in UAE, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, step into our DJ booth, strike a pose - click - upload on our website www.lacostelive.com/me
and get your friends vote for you!
What can you win?
If you are from Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, you could win the iconic Lacoste L!ve Polo shirts.
The winner with most votes from Dubai can win a DJ course from OHM Records.
So there you go, whether you are a DJ, a music lover or just camera happy everyone can be a winner!
New mix Erik recorded for his friends at
Some serious bombs in here! tracklist coming soon.
This ePisode has more of an eclectic format: re-edits, disco, 80s, 90s, classics, dubstep, drum n bass, forward thinking house and techno; anything goes as long as it’s good. This is something more for the adults who have been around for a bit longer and are a bit more open minded, and also hopefully a show to inspire and educate the younger generation to music or vibes they may have never heard before. Worth Checking Out… NJOY!!
Faciendo are a tribe of “Musical Shamans” and “Mix Scientists”, working together to inspire, educate and spread love through the air waves. The group’s primary focus is a series of mix compilation CDs, crossing many genres of electronic music, but each with the same goal: to represent the true “art” of a DJ mix, where all the pieces of the mix fit together in absolute harmony, and a truly new experience is created from the union of the tracks.
Alongside this, Faciendo Radio, their bi-weekly show, serves as a platform to showcase their mixing ethos with the latest sounds around the world, and also give the listener a glance into the past from the group’s musical history of timeless gems and forgotten classics. The format of the show may alternate each episode: from the club-oriented, where you’ll hear the house and techno they’re renowned for, to the more eclectic, airing the freshest in downtempo, disco, dubstep, drum n bass and whatever else that moves you.
For full info on the team, bookings, the radio show, forthcoming CD releases and worldwide parties, surf over to www.faciendo.com.
Faciendo Radio - Episode 1 (mixed and compiled by Desyn Masiello). This is the pre-broadcast 320 bit rate HQ version of the show, available to dload here only for a short period of time (100 downloads). The show is broadcast to millions of listeners world wide on the following stations bi-weekly: Delta FM (Buenos Aires), Proton Radio (USA), Udance (China), Prism Radio (France), Pulse radio (Australia), Tunnel FM (Sweden), Play FM (Dublin), Insomnia Fm (Global online), Ensonic radio (Canada), Radio Bee FM (Bangkok), audioboxlive.com (Canada), samurai.fm (Japan)