Music in Dubai

The original story...

Music in Dubai or music scene in Dubai rather, is still in an eggshell. This is definitely my answer today, if someone, for some reasons would asked me about the music scene in Dubai. Particularly, the original music. I think everyone would agree, unless they have other things to say, like rock and roll mania had originally emerged in Dubai during 60's and the evolution of R&B music begun in Sheikh Zayed road. Well, this is of course absurd.

Music in Dubai and the music business might have started, (I say, 'might' since the Arabic music perhaps had evolved in Dubai already) since tourism became eminent in Dubai few years ago and so were the hotels, chill out lounges, pubs, night clubs, restaurants, bars and the likes. To provide entertainment for these etablishments, many bands and musicians from different countries arrived in Dubai. Most of these bands and musicians have contracts to play for a certain period of time and for a certain establishment only. These are of course talented musicians who might have their own original music but for people who have been in Dubai for many years, I don't think you been to a night club and after a band performed the Beatles', Yesterday, goes on and said - and here's our very own composition called, Sand Storm in Dubai, hope you enjoy it. Of course, they cannot just do that. Not, until recently.

Dubailime created an open mic that they later called Lime Jam last February 2007 that overwhelmed Dubai. It was the first open mic in Dubai that gathered talented musicians to showcase their original music to the public. It did not matter where the musicians from, what kind of music they played, what language they speak, they were welcome and encouraged by dubailime to participate in the open mic and it did not cost them anything. After the success of the first open mic, bunch of unlikely musicians showed up everywhere, when I said unlikely, it does not mean they are not talented. It only means that they are in Dubai doing something else before the open mic mania, they are building infrastructures, recruiting people for jobs, collecting bills from clients, making advertisements, serving meals in some restaurants or attending to passenger's comfort during a flight and so on. Dubai had listened to these 'unlikely' musicians with their heartfelt original music and Dubai was inspired.

For the past few years, we imported international bands and artists to perform in our most awaited music events, like for example the annual Desert Rock Festival or the upcoming Dubai International Jazz Festival. However, ambitious as may seem but Dubai need to and must produced or organized their own music event that features local artists with their original music and compositions. Also, if you look around there are only handful recording studios and worst one or two music producers in Dubai, I might be wrong but the point is local music activities are rare. The only amazing thing about being in Dubai if we talked about music and musicians, we could proudly say, we do not have starving musicians in the street waiting for their gigs. Since they have their day jobs as full time musicians or something else.

It is a long way for the music industry in Dubai and there are many questions and speculations about where is it heading. Going back to the music scene in Dubai, it is still in an eggshell but it will definitely hatch sooner or later - we will just wait and see what comes out. But before we forget, with the passion and effort of the people in dubailime who keep incubating this music egg and the people who supported them, it is conceivable that when the egg will hatch, what comes out would be a healthy creature with wings ready to fly.

...and keep your eyes on this page and the Dubai Band newsletter for the development of this 'egg' at the dubailime incubator!