Firsts is something Greg Stainer seems to make a habit of.
Those include being the first person to introduce regular house nights at a Dubai club, the first person to outshine a four-piece band and take permanent residence on stage and the first person to market himself as a "human jukebox" for weddings.
But this month, Stainer's string of firsts reached an all-time high when he became the first Dubai-based DJ to be signed by the major record label Universal.
"It is a dream come true," said Stainer, 32, explaining he is still struggling to come to grips with it.
"I have enjoyed a long and varied career of lucky breaks and human jukeboxing [where he takes requests, rather than playing his own playlist] at weddings to stay afloat. All with one goal in mind which is now becoming closer to reality each day."
Stainer recently released Call Me, featuring Leon King, the first single from his debut album 6mil 2headphones which was released last week and went in at No 11 on the Virgin Weekly Chart, putting him in the company of Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga and U2.
The track has already received international acclaim on Seamless Records and has been played by major DJs across the world, including by Roger Sanchez.
At just 16 years old, Stainer says he knew he wanted to DJ and did whatever it took to get behind the decks.
"I asked my parents to buy me a set of speakers and promised I'd make enough money in a year to be able to pay them back. I was so determined, and my success stems from this passion.
Depicting the journey his life has taken 6 mil 2headphones is a title Stainer says will always be close to his heart.
"I have come so far and I never gave in. In the early days, I was working on a construction site shifting what's known in the business as 6 mil - a plastic sheeting. I was DJing on the side taking whatever I could by way of gigs," he says rolling his eyes.
Times were tough in Stainer's home city of London, and the then teenager would often find himself doing shows for little or no money.
"I would show up at clubs around London praying the resident DJ was ill and the manager would be so desperate he'd have to hire me."
And eventually his annoying persistence paid off and he secured a resident slot at The Gas Club at London's Docklands.
"I was doing something right as the club started with just 30 or 40 people each night. I got all my friends down to support me and in time I had the club packed every night. It was a great feeling," he smiles.
With Call Me having featured on the playlist of Sanchez's Release Yourself show for the past two weeks, Stainer says he is "over the moon" to finally be making an impact.
"Being a DJ is easy - anyone can play and mix tracks. Being a good DJ is much harder and it takes an unselfish creative mind to keep the dance floor pumping," says Stainer.
"It's not about the music but the right music. Whether you're at a wedding or in the top clubs in the world, being a great DJ means keeping your audience happy and on a high. That's it really."
Stainer has worked with Dubai-based band Abri as well as Leon King for this first album, which is making history as the first CD featuring Dubai-based original house music.
Happiest behind the decks, Stainer has rocked dance floors in more than 30 cities across four continents. But it's here in Dubai he feels most at home, hosting a cutting-edge radio show on Radio 1 and keeping the punters moving with his residency at club Zinc at the Crowne Plaza.
"I am so excited about the release of this CD. I have spent the last 18 months chained to my studio chair," he laughs.
"I have done a lot of original tracks and remixes over the past few years, the hardest part was choosing the best ones to represent the real house sound of Dubai," he continued.
"Hopefully I've done the city proud."
Check Greg Stainer out online
myspace.com/gregstainermusic
youtube.com/gregstainer.
You can also search for his channel on youtube
