Interview with DJ Yani

Yani is used often in Arabic through general conversation and a couple of my friends started calling me Yani and its stuck ever since. 

What got you interested in DJing and who were some of your influences?
Well I've always loved listening to all types of music and when I grew up there were the likes of Danny Rampling, Judge Jules, Seb Fontane, The Chemical Brothers and many more. Some of the music these guys produced was incredible and still is today. From straight out of high school I went into the Nightclub industry and ended up running several large Super-clubs around London and the South of England. This is when the buzz came from seeing DJ's controlling the crowd. Ever since then I have never looked back. It's an addiction but a healthy addiction. What could give you more enjoyment than playing out to hundreds of clubbers who are dancing and having a good time. As DJ's we are paid to entertain the crowd and I think sometimes this has been forgotten in recent times. 

What music would we find in your car?
(Laughing) if you look in my car at the moment you will find 2 of my latest mixes, 1 Electro, 1 Techno / Progressive, you would also find Buddha Bar, The Gallery live with Tall Paul, Global Gathering, Steve Lawyer, a classical CD and learning French with Michel Thomas. I think there are a couple more but forget. 

How is the French Going?
Slowly ...........(laughing) 

Who would be your favourite artist and why?
  Tough Question. There are many good artists out there and are all good in there own way. You would have to go under the different genres to give a fair answer. If I'm in a trance mood then I think still to this day Tiesto is up there, he has done very well to keep producing and he rarely disappoints. I will say though one of my favourite DJ's has to be Laurent Garnier, this guy is awesome.. Every time I have seen him play out, the crossing between different genres is great and he is a top performer. Keep up the good work Laurent. 

Are there any up and coming artists that you really like? 
There are so many artists nowadays trying to break through. I recently heard Darwin & Blackwall from Sweden and I think these guys will be huge in 2009. 

What would be your ultimate gig and why? 
It would have to be a festival somewhere to thousands of clubbers over a long weekend. I personally think there should be a lot more festivals however in Europe it is always hard to predict the weather. In Dubai it is far too hot and the scene is not the same as mainland Europe. 

What are your plans for 2009? 
I am looking at playing on a more Global Scale throughout 2009 and also looking at producing my own track.