Steve Aoki has something special planned for his Soundstorm performance in Riyadh on Sunday.
The American EDM star plans to debut a number of new tracks featuring vocals from Saudi artists in his set at the mammoth four-day music festival. The move is only right, he said on Tuesday during Soundstorm’s precursor industry event, the XP Music Conference, as it matches the moment.
He recalls as a career highlight taking the decks on the main stage at the inaugural 2019 event – previously known as MDL Beast. The stage – standing 38 metres high – was awarded the Guinness world record for the tallest temporary stage.
“That was just incredible and I have never seen anything like that,” he said. “To be on a stage that big and seeing over 100,000 people having a great time really gave me this feeling of gratitude. I mean, this what you hope and do it for. At the end of the day, you just want to play to people that care.”
As for the new regional tunes, Aoki promises they will be festival bangers. “I am going to bring some fire to Soundstorm and I am going to play three big records with local artists,” he said.
“I had the opportunity to be able to be in a studio and work with local artists and it has been interesting because of the rhythms [they use]. I have been trying to mould them with my style. While I am playing three, I have a few more records with them that are not even out yet.”
Chances are the collaboration will be winners, as Aoki has form in crossing cultures. In addition to hit collaborations with Latin artists such as Colombia’s Maluma (Maldad) and Puerto Rican reggaeton star Daddy Yankee (Azukita), it was Aoki’s remix of 2017 BTS single Mic Drop that officially broke new ground.
It became the first K-Pop track to break in to the Billboard Hot 100 US charts and Aoki – born to Japanese parents – said the success confirmed an industry truth. “At the end of the day, it is really all about melody and how that makes people feel,” he said.
“K-Pop has been huge for a long time outside of the US but it was the beautiful melodies of BTS in that track that were able to crossover and I was so proud to be part of that.”
One song Aoki is keen to revive is his 2010 debut single I’m in the House, featuring Will.i.am. It was only on the flight over to Riyadh that Aoki realised the track is only available on the soundtrack to the US reality TV programme Jersey Shore.
“That’s absolutely crazy. What happened was the label that released the song went defunct and they handed me back my song rights,” he said.
“I got so busy over the years that I forgot about the song, so now I told my management team, we have to do something about this and we need to re-release this track and make it more available.”
Saudi fans will be able to experience the thunderous beats and darting synth lines of I’m in the House when Aoki drops the track at the end of his Soundstorm set.
“I don’t know about the crowd, but by then I will be absolutely sweating because I go hard in my shows,” he said.
“After, I have no problem relaxing. I am the absolute king of naps, so you may find me in the corner backstage asleep within a few minutes.”
Steve Aoki performs at Soundstorm on December 19. The festival runs until December 19 in a purpose-built location in Banban, Riyadh. Tickets are from Saudi riyals 399 ($106), which includes a shuttle bus from various locations in Riyadh. Doors open from 3pm. More information available at mdlbeast.com
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
The years Ramadan fell in May
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
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The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint
Greenheart Organic Farms
This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.
www.greenheartuae.com
Modibodi
Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.
www.modibodi.ae
The Good Karma Co
From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes.
www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco
Re:told
One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.
www.shopretold.com
Lush
Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store.
www.mena.lush.com
Bubble Bro
Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.
www.bubble-bro.com
Coethical
This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.
www.instagram.com/coethical
Eggs & Soldiers
This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.
www.eggsnsoldiers.com
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Tell-tale signs of burnout
- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more
- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
