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Arguably one of the venues around town that has defied Dubai’s ability to get bored of venues is Sho-Cho at the Dubai Marine Resort and Spa. Being old friends of ours we paid them a visit recently and had a chat with the Diamond DJ himself, Turkish-Cypriot DJ Gem.
Arguably one of the venues around town that has defied Dubai’s ability to get bored of venues is Sho-Cho at the Dubai Marine Resort and Spa. Being old friends of ours we paid them a visit recently and had a chat with the Diamond DJ himself, Turkish-Cypriot DJ Gem …
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So what are your DJ origins?
Well I actually started back in Cyprus as an R&B / Hip-Hop DJ, but I found that it was a bit too commercial and there was no real underground scene. So then I discovered House and that there were so many different varieties: Minimal, Funky, Electro, Tech-House; so I decided to move into House because there are no limits to it. Every week I was updating my playlist with new songs so that people don’t get bored.What clubs have you played around the world?
I used to play in one of the biggest clubs back in Cyprus to 2500 people every week, that was great. I’ve DJ-ed in Turkey, at Harry Karnas in Bodrum and also in Ankara and I’ve played all over Cyprus, like in Ayyia Nappa. I also DJ-ed in this club called BR1 in Bromley. I’ve also got some connections in New York, so I’m hoping that I’ll be playing there soon. I hope that during the Ramadan period I will do a tour around Europe; maybe start in Lebanon then go to Cyprus and then hopefully Ibiza; if you ever want to be a big DJ then you have to play Ibiza.
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Who are some of the top artists you’ve opened up for?
Some of the best have been Benny Benassi and Arash – an Iranian R&B singer – that was a great gig; I played to 4500 people. And I also DJ-ed for Massari. The biggest crowd I’ve played to is 7000 for a Turkish pop star’s concert in Cyprus. My target is to play to 20,000 people, hopefully all there for me! And where are you playing now?
Well, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I’m playing at Sho-Cho’s here in Dubai and Thursday and Friday I’m playing the new Sho-Cho’s in Abu Dhabi. It’s in the new Shangri-La Hotel in Abu Dhabi. It’s a real nice place.
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How is it playing at Sho-Cho’s?
I love the bar here. One thing about this place is that if anyone ever comes to visit Dubai, people will definitely bring them to Sho-Cho. It’s definitely one of the best bars in town and I get to play some great music here too. Abu Dhabi is the same, although on certain nights we go a bit more commercial with the music, which is sometimes more suited for Abu Dhabi’s market. What I try to do in Dubai is that I try to give the people as many different types of House as I can. I never stick to one style; I like to refer to my style as Uplifting House; I start off quite slowly, but once I get people up dancing, then they’re dancing for the rest of the night. And you’re a producer as well?
Yes, I have a studio back home with a Roland 909. I used to play keyboards and so now I never use any samples. Everything you hear is original … I used to play with live musicians all the time
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Do you get to play your own music?
Back in Cyprus I used to play my own stuff all the time because it’s a very small community – everyone knows everyone – so you’re not afraid that anyone will steal your work. I find that in Dubai I don’t play that much of my own stuff because it’s a bigger community and I just don’t know everyone here like back home. Basically, I don’t want to play out my stuff until I get it signed to a big label, maybe Sony BMG or EMI. I hope to start playing it soon, because when I played the songs back in Cyprus I used to get a great reaction from people who would tell me that it was such good quality they didn’t believe it was mine! When did your interest in clubbing begin?
Well I actually got into music through my Grandfather who was a great musician back in Cyprus, but clubbing? I remember I used to sneak out of the house when I was a kid and run down to a club near to us – this was in the afternoon for under-age discos, but there was still alcohol. I remember it, because I used to hide when all the way to the club because my father’s office was right next-door and I didn’t want to get caught! I just remember going to these parties and thinking that music just made me feel good.
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While I was listening I would think about what songs the DJ should be mixing and I thought maybe I know what music people want to hear. From then, I begged my Dad to buy me a cheap mixer for my birthday and from then I started learning how to mix on my own. I had my first gig at 17, but then they threw me out when they learned I was underage!So, why Dubai?
I think there’s so much potential in Dubai for me to make it as a DJ. There isn’t a huge community or so much competition as there is in a big city like London. In London, even if you have great songs there’s no guarantee that you will be a success because there’s so many people in the market. Dubai is a new market that’s getting better all the time, I have some great connections here and I’m hoping that I will be able to release an album in about 1 ½ to 2 years.
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What do you think the secret to DJ success is?
Being a successful DJ / Producer needs the full package: you must be good looking and you’ve got to have talent; if you have both of these things and you have strong marketing and you know where to sell yourself, then you can do it – you don’t even need to work too hard if you have these things. This is my dream: I just want to travel all the way around the world and people to come and enjoy my music. Head down and check out Gem adventurous Uplifting House style at Sho-Cho in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. |
