A quick word with... Stew Magoo

One of the prime movers and shakers in Abu Dhabi, it was high time we caught up with Stew Magoo, one of the Immaculate Touch resident DJs...

You've been nominated as the best Dj in Abu Dhabi - what would the award mean to you if you had won?

It's always great to get recognition especially for doing something you really enjoy!

How does the Abu Dhabi scene compare to Dubai? 

We need more people to understand music here in Abu Dhabi and find they're own styles instead of following TV and radio. Unfortunately Abu Dhabi still has a long way to go to catch up to Dubai, Dubai has its bad points too though, we don't have too much of the 'my bottles bigger than yours' scene here yet!

The Al Maya Island parties seem to have a great reputation - are they as fun as they sound? 

Of course, Al Maya is about pacing the day, we start with a chilled atmosphere and we progress through into the night taking the music up a notch at a time.

Hopefully were building our own little scene in Abu Dhabi for everyone to enjoy.

How has your musical style changed over your time or since playing in the UAE? 

No not too much I don't think, as far Djing goes we all evolve but when it comes to quality I hope I've not given in to pier pressure like some. If DJing becomes your full time job it shouldn't mean that you should be told what to play and act like a juke box, you should be allowed to entertain in your own little way.

Do you see a lot of up-and-coming Djs in the scene, do you have any advice for them? 

Play tunes to make them big, not big tunes to make you feel big, play the music you love and always try something new! 

What's been your career highlight to date?

I've had some great experiences so far. Here in the UAE I've had the chance to play for some great club nights including Defected, Salvacion Ibiza, The Gallery, Hed Kandi, Gatecrasher and also played alongside and before some great  DJs, local and international. The most recent one was warming up for Laidback Luke at the Yas forum.

What would your dream club night line up be? 

To be honest I've never really followed DJs as such, I would love to see Daft Punk live, or maybe a collaboration gig between them and The Rolling Stones, that would be interesting for sure! 

And what are your Ramadan plans? 

Tough decision between Tokyo, New York or Rio!