The Warrior Code

Dion Mavath, the man at the heart of the Dubai’s house music scene for the past eight years, is celebrating a double success — the launch of his debut album Warrior and the signing of seven of its tracks by several leading international record labels.

Before making the leap into the world of DJing, he was brokering stocks with a law degree under his belt. Ambitious to the core, Mavath is all about feel-good music meant to make the masses dance. He reveals his own personal Warrior code in an honest and open conversation with City Times.

Tell us about the tattoo on your arm?

The whole thing is supposed to be done in brush strokes, but I got it done in a few different countries, and some artists are better than others. It took four installments of seven hours each to complete it. It’s a Celtic symbol and I drew it freehand, so I always liked doing things that are irrelevant to me. I also have this tattoo in Chinese, which represents the four principals of my life: treasure, to do your best, enjoying yourself and courage.

Tell us about your new album Warrior?

It’s been a process of three years. It has nine tracks of original material. There’s no sampling anywhere, just my music. My style is energetic house music but it goes through funky house, progressive, tech and it’s all got vocals. The self-titled track Warrior means more to me than anything else on the album because it’s about following your dream and getting knocked back with all the setbacks and obstacles you’ve got to go through. You have to be mentally strong to keep on going, and that’s what the song is all about.

How have you evolved since you began working as a DJ?

I used to be an R&B and hip-hop DJ, but then I matured into a house music DJ. I listened to one CD and just fell in love with it, so I’ve been doing it for the past 12 years now. I’ve never had a love or hate relationship with any music, I just love it all. If it’s good quality, energetic and makes me smile or dance, then I like it.

What was it like when you landed here eight years ago?

When I got here I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t know a soul when I moved out. Back then the clubbing scene was stale, and I was working seven nights a week in a club, which gets you down after a while. Most clubs were playing hip-hop, R&B and Arabic; house music was non-existent. But the lifestyle was fantastic. I always felt like when you’re not working in Dubai, it feels like you’re on holiday.

What is it like behind the scenes?

I love what I do, but I don’t think a lot of people see the un-glamorous side of it. Like any job, you’ve got to do the dirty work to do the fun stuff. The production side of things can get incredibly mundane and boring, listening to the same beat for hours over and over again just to make sure it’s perfect. I get sent a thousand new tracks every week from producers, labels and promotional companies. So I spend two days a week writing up reports on the music. People just think you turn up and DJ for a couple hours, but it doesn’t work that way.

If you weren’t entertaining as a DJ, what would you be doing?

I would probably still be working as a stockbroker. I was in university for eight years getting lots of degrees, including commerce and law. Stock brokering and DJing are both very adrenaline-based and exciting, so there are a lot of similarities. I left that life to do what I love.

Has your family ever come to see you perform?

My mum is actually totally deaf, so when she came to one of my performances in the club, her whole body was moving because of the bass. She thought it was amazing.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned along the way?

Stick to your guns. If you believe in what you’re doing, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If you’re creating something and it’s making you dance, let other people hear it.

Warrior is available in all Virgin Megastores and all big record outlets, priced Dhs60.

EVENT DETAILS

What: Warrior Album Launch Party

When: December 3, 11pm

Where: Quantum Venue, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dubai

Entry: For table bookings contact 050-2424037

kadry@khaleejtimes.com