Spinning success

When I met 19-year-old Abu Dhabi resident and amateur DJ Firas Ali Haffar a week or so ago, he said he was going to show me his DJing skills. I was puzzled when the student pulled out his laptop. Where were the turntables, the CDs, the headphones and all those gizmos that make DJs look so cool?

Nope, all Haffar said he needed was his trusty laptop. Puzzlement turned to appreciation when he played a set of house and electro music that would have thrilled any crowd at a club.

Simply the best

It was quite evident why he came out tops at a recent DJ competition held by SAE Institute, Radio 1, Venuetech and M-Audio. The competition was open to all non-professional DJs aged between 17 and 25.

Prizes included a 12-week SAE Electronic Music Production Course, an M-Audio Torq Xponent mixing console and professional Sennheiser HD25-1 Pro DJ headphones. The DJ competition coincided with SAE's launch of its DJ Digital Course.

DJing is still only a hobby for Haffar as he is a full-time student taking a business administration major at Abu Dhabi University and works part time at a hospital.

New generation DJ

DJing has changed over the years and Haffar describes himself as a "new generation" DJ who uses software on his computer to put his music together.

Traditionally DJs lug around bulky turntables and CD players but with the equipment available these days, it could all fit into a backpack.

"Some clubs in Dubai are beginning to use computers, digital CDJ turntables. They are also creating their own digital libraries instead of having lots of CDs," Haffar said.

A recent start

Haffar said his love for DJing started by accident about year ago when he downloaded a DJ software programme and played around on it.

He also loves listening to Radio 1 DJ Greg Stainer's show on Thursdays and Fridays. "I just love the house and electro music he plays. He's my favourite DJ."

With inspiration from his favourite DJ he tried out new things and developed a few "tricks".

Now he is able to seamlessly blend tracks together so that they are "in time" and change tempo so that it is enjoyable for the crowds.

Keeping it in the family

It was Haffar's brother, a salsa DJ, who encouraged him to enter the competition that was advertised on the radio.

"I didn't think I was very good but he told me to just try it out. My sister-in-law also gave me a lot of support by encouraging me to enter."

He added that his entire family and friends regularly give feedback on his efforts. "Everybody except my mom — she doesn't like this kind of music," Haffar said.

In fact Haffar's uncle was a popular DJ in his native Syria. "He used to DJ in the early 1980s and was quite well known. I only found out about this after I entered the competition!" he said with a laugh.

Helping hand

Haffar said DJ Cliff who plays house music at an Abu Dhabi club helped him immensely.

"I gave him a sample of my music and he said it was a good effort."

Haffar said he has already performed about three 30-minute sets but is still learning. "I've learnt that you must pay attention to the people dancing in the crowd. They will tell you if what you are doing is good or not."

Haffar said the ability to read the crowd and not force one's own music preferences was the key to being a good DJ.

Inspiration

The young DJ, who regularly visits clubs, enjoys listening to DJs like David Guetta, Dave Spoon and Thomas Gold who are internationally acclaimed.

He said he had no plans of abandoning his day job or full-time studies but nurtured a dream of pursuing "a career in business administration by day".

"But at night I dream of being a professional DJ," he added.

Haffar also plans to incorporate more Middle Eastern sounds into his sets and hopes to be at the forefront of up-and-coming DJs in the region.

So you want to be a DJ

Firas Ali Haffar shares his tips on getting started.