By E.M.A is wasting no time finding her Dubai rhythm. After relocating to the Emirate, the UK DJ and producer released her Psycho Killer EP on Klexos Records in March. Now the Bournemouth lass has unleashed Sayin’ on Not So Serious Records. So we think it’s the right time to find out exactly what E.M.A has to say…
Before moving to Dubai, I was…
living like a hippy in a treehouse on a Bali beach for 18 months. Going from living barefoot in a bikini and shorts to dressing up in the glitz and glam of Dubai was a little bit of a culture shock.
My earliest clubbing memory is…
Cheeky Little Monkey in Bournemouth, England. I was 16 years old. It was a hard house night and Lisa Lashes was playing. It was the first time I’d ever heard hard house and I fell in love with Lisa that night – she was absolutely amazing on the decks. I danced from start to finish and hugged a few speakers in between. I interviewed Lisa years later and we are now great friends. We released a track together called Power of Dance feat. Howard Marks. It’s crazy how things turn out!
My first festival experience was…
Glastonbury in 2003. My Dad was also at the festival, camping separately from me and my friends. I was 18 at the time so I definitely did not think it was cool to be hanging out with my Dad! Glastonbury festival is massive though so there was little chance of bumping into him. Or so I thought. Making our way to the Pyramid stage for Radiohead, we spotted my Dad and he spotted us. We legged it into the crowd and pushed our way right down the front. When I looked up Norman Cook – aka Fatboy Slim – was standing right next to me. He is my absolute DJ hero. I had my photo taken with him and we rocked out to Radiohead. Good times. My poor Dad though!
The dancefloor moment that changed my life was…
the opening night of Fatboy Slim’s ‘Tuesdays on Mars’ at Pacha, Ibiza, in 2018. It was the first time I’d seen Fatboy Slim DJ live and I was in total awe. His set was on another level. Everyone in the club was raving right from his very first tune. After that night I decided that’s how I want to DJ. I want to still be rocking clubs like Fatboy Slim at his age. What a ledge!
My first DJ gig was…
with Howard Marks – aka Mr. Nice – at Eden Festival in Scotland. Howard played a big part in getting me into DJing. We used to do back-to-back rock & roll sets. Bez from the Happy Mondays was also playing that day, with his DJ partner Vince Vega, and for some reason our sets were in the chill-out tent. When me, Howard, Bez and Vince walked through the tent to the decks everyone was just chilling out. We pressed play on the first tune and the tent went off. It wasn’t so chilled any more! I wanted to keep playing all night!
The three dance music legends I’d invite to dinner are…
my DJ hero Fatboy Slim. We’d be dancing barefoot on the table together by the end of the night and I’d ask if we could make a track together. Second guest would be Fisher. And finally Avicii, if he was still alive, because I fancied him. I’d ask him to marry me!
The track I wish I’d made is…
Gala’s Freed From Desire. I get goosebumps every time those first keyboard cords start up at the beginning of the track. The vocals and lyrics are ace. When I drop this in my set – either the original or a remix – it’s guaranteed the place will go off.
The vocalist I’d most love to work with is…
Dolly Parton. She’s an absolute legend and I reckon we’d have a right laugh working in the studio together on some country vocals versus tech-house beats.
The best advice I’ve ever been given by another DJ or producer is…
if you want to be taken seriously as a DJ you need to start producing your own music. So I did. Allister Whitehead told me that. And Lisa Lashes told me, “To be good at your job, practice, practice, practice. Don’t let anyone put you down, don’t follow any trends, do the opposite and just play what you want to play.”
I’d love a day in the studio with…
Norman Cook. I’d ask him to show me from start to finish how he made Praise You and Right Here, Right Now. I’d also ask if I could have all his samples.
Recently, I’ve been listening to…
Straight From The Heart (feat. Norskov) by Rudimental. I’m a massive Rudimental fan. One of my DJ highlights was warming up for them at BH Mallorca. This is the first single from their new album Ground Control, which is out in September. I loved the original version of Straight From The Heart by Doolally. It was the soundtrack to my first girls’ holiday away in Greece. Rudimental smash it with their version. It’s got their classic sexy trumpet vibes going on and Norskov’s vocals sound ace.
A little known fact about me is…
I’m the one and only DJ to ever turn up to DJ at Space, Ibiza, with a loaf of bread!
For the rest of the year I will be mostly…
DJing in Dubai, producing more music and finding a husband. I’ve also started a girl band – Dolls House DXB – with me on the decks, a vocalist/sax player, a trumpet player, percussionist and a hype girl. We perform live mash-ups of house and electronic dance tunes plus a few random tracks in between.
Listen to Sayin by E.M.A below.
Also read: Where is the UAE’s Perfect Party Spot?
