Watch ‘Lefto presents: 24 Hours in Dubai’

A new short film looks beyond Dubai’s shiny surface to uncover local music and culture in just 24 hours. Belgian DJ Lefto visited the city just before lockdowns were imposed in the Emirate and in his home country. ‘Lefto presents: 24 Hours in Dubai’ is the result.

Despite a pressing timeframe, Lefto connected with locals to learn more about the underground Emirati music scene. In the film, he chats with local DJ Somalie, Satwa 3000’s Maxime Cramatte and Analog Room co-founder Mehdi Ansari. The Belgian DJ samples local food and visits The Flip Side record store.

DIY Culture

“The desert city is known for its huge skyscrapers and luxury but that’s not what I wanted to show the viewers,” said Lefto. “I wanted to shine a light on their small Emirati music scene with a strong DIY culture.

“I’ve been booked in Dubai before; I love the young generation of creatives and music lovers and their initiatives. Anywhere in the world I go, I end up finding likeminded people. We talk about the struggles of expressing yourself, creating art and promoting events. It’s exciting to talk with locals while touring, as every scene has different rules they need to live by and struggles they need to overcome.”

Unfair

While outsiders looking in often call Dubai a sterile city, Lefto defends the Emirate. “If you don’t dive into the real Dubai, you might find that sterility, but I find that’s the case in a lot of cities. It helps if locals surround you to understand a city truly. You need to experience their hospitality, even if they’re not from there originally, which is often the case in Dubai. So, to state Dubai is sterile is pretty unfair, in my opinion. As they say, never judge a book by its cover.

“I want to shout-out to all the locals and expats who try to make Dubai more vibrant: from musicians to promoters,” added Lefto. “If you can make it in Dubai, you can truly make it anywhere.”

Watch

Created as part of Red Bull’s Elektropedia series, ‘Lefto presents: 24 Hours in Dubai’ is worth watching. Check out the eight-minute film below.

Listen

Complementing ‘Lefto presents: 24 Hours in Dubai’, Satwa 3000’s Maxime has compiled his favourite tracks from the city into a Spotify playlist. It features music from local artists Nasrawi, Somalie, PAV4N, Freek, Seki Supervillain and more. Listen here.

Lefto’s radio show ‘Think Outside the Kiosk’ is on the digital airwaves every Sunday on Kiosk Radio. Listen back on Mixcloud.

Main photo: Walid A/Unsplash

Also read: Documentary Captures the Birth of Dubai’s Underground Culture