After a long, hot summer, Dubai dance festival DXBeach make a loud, proud return this weekend.
The event is expected to attract more than 6,000 party people to Zero Gravity on Friday, October 21, for 15 hours of non-stop fun in the sun. We checked in with headliner Benny Benassi, the veteran Italian DJ renowned for fair-weather summer smashes such as Satisfaction and No Matter What You Do.
The 49-year-old has also proved a smart collaborator, scoring huge success alongside Chris Brown on singles Paradise and Beautiful People, remixing Public Enemy's Bring the Noise, and even working with Madonna.
We’ve seen visit the UAE quite a few times now. Have you lost count?
Yes, I’ve been coming to Dubai regularly for around 10 years, I guess. It’s an extraordinary place with breathtaking buildings. Always a thrill. The best show is the next one. Bring on DXBeach.
Tell us about your new LP, Danceaholic. A lot of people say the album as a form is dead, especially in electronic music. Can you imagine doing another one?
I love making albums. It’s true that with streaming and everything, there is no real need to make an album. The days of vinyl albums and CDs are over, of course. So you can put out as many or as few tracks as you like, when you like. But I like the idea of putting out a collection of tracks without having to worry about whether they are all radio-friendly singles.
What was the best and worst thing for you about the sudden EDM explosion of the early 2010s?
The best thing was that suddenly dance music became pop music and DJs became pop stars. That was also the worst thing about it.
What did you make of the great nightclub laptop ban a few months back, when club promoters enacted a blanket ban on tech in response to a younger generation of DJs without basic mixing skills?
I used to use Serato on a laptop myself, but that was some time ago. But I agree with the idea that a DJ is an entertainer, so if you stand behind the mixer and read a newspaper, for example, the club owner won’t be very happy.
We all know the massive remixes you’ve done – on tunes by Katy Perry, Enrique Iglesias, Nicki Minaj and Calvin Harris. How do you chose the tracks, and is there anyone who asked you for a remix that you turned down?
I work on all my productions with my cousin and producer, Alle Benassi. We decide what remixes to accept together. We usually follow our instinct. We only say no if we genuinely don’t have time or we’re not feeling the track, or if we don’t think we can nail it, even if we like the track. It doesn’t matter if the track comes from an upcoming DJ or a massive pop star.
What is the greatest lesson you learnt from working with Madonna on 2012’s MDNA album and tour?
Humility, commitment and an unbelievable degree of professionalism.
So, of all the famous faces you’ve encountered, who intimidated you the most?
I’ll answer by saying who I’d like to be intimidated by, and that’s Bono from U2. I’d love to meet him and work on a track together.
Will you still be playing Satisfaction at the same age as Mick Jagger?
If he plays our version, I’ll play his.
•DXBeach is at Zero Gravity, Skydive Dubai on Friday, October 21, from noon until 3am. Tickets, priced from Dh275, are on sale at dubai.platinumlist.net
rgarratt@thenational.ae