Tech house Boogie

If you\'ve been in Dubai for any length of time, you\'ll know all about the legendary Peppermint parties - once weekly, they\'re now mammoth events hosting the likes of Armin Van Buuren, David Guetta and more. And a large part of their success is thanks to their residents, including South African export Afroboogie...

You\'ve played some big gigs, notably Creamfields and opening for Luciano. What\'s been the most memorable? 

I can\'t actually say as I have had many great gigs, some here in Dubai and many back home in South Africa where I was a big part of the warehouse party scene during the early, mid and late 90s. If I kept it local I have to say my most memorable would be the nights at Peppermint Club where I was a resident.

And who\'s been the best DJ you\'ve played alongside? 

Most recently I have to say it was Luciano as I really like the sound he plays, but more so the surprise tracks he drops in his sets. However, I\'ve had great nights here and another great DJ I heard when he played at Peppermint was Victor Calderone, that guy was blazing!

There are quite a few South African DJs in Dubai - what made you move from SA to Dubai? And is this your permanent home now? 
I actually moved from Belgium where I stayed for 3 years prior to coming to Dubai and my move here was for various reasons but I can say that for the forseeable future, my home is Dubai.

There are several high profile DJs in the city who have their own style - do you think a DJ from Dubai can break out internationally? And if so, who would your money be on?

A Dubai based DJ can certainly break out internationally but that person will be the one who is consistently releasing quality productions and I like to believe I could be one of them. But notably there are guys like Raxon, Vas Floyd, Smokingroove and Greg Stainer who are releasing good music on a regular basis.

You have a signature sound - dark but uplifting tribal tinged house. Who was your idol growing up?
I\'m not quite sure my sound is that dark anymore, Dubai DJs need to adapt to the overly commercial clubs, people and promoters who often have no clue about quality house music. My current sound is actually quite a happy sound still, with a big percussion and bassline driven vibe, but I\'d say a lot more housey sounding as opposed to being too deep and dark. In the early days I was a big fan of Junior Vasquez and still very much Danny Tenaglia. I was influenced by the NY underground sound and to this day a lot of it is a Spanish sound, so I am a big fan of guys like Coyu, Mendo and of course Chus & Ceballos too.

You\'ve been a long time Peppermint resident - what\'s in store for the club brand this year, a new weekly home perhaps? 
I don\'t think there will be a weekly night again as much as I\'d love to see it happen. As far as I am concerned, there never was and still isn\'t a club quite like Peppermint Club. However, the Peppermint brand lives on in the form of the Peppermint Experience events which happen throughout the year and which are always massive events down at the Dubai World Trade Center.

How will you make 2012 a bigger year for Afroboogie than 2011? 
I am trying to be more consistent with my release schedule. I have a new manager who is motivating me so I can\'t let him down either.

And when can we see you in action next?

I am starting a new residency in the capital in February. Retroflex is a new Friday night concept which will be housed at the Shangri La\'s Pearls venue. I will be playing a nice long set in which I will bring something completely new to my DJ sets, lots of re-edits and other party pumping tracks while still keeping true to my signature sound. So, if ever you are in Abu Dhabi on a Friday night, swing by to Pearls and come say hi!

Listen to his mix here