Intercity Connections: Dubai’s Very Mayan New Year’s Eve

There are some countdowns that you don’t forget; as 2018 kicks in gently, I’d like to recount one of them.

I’m sure a lot of people can relate to being away from MTL as the city continues to bubble with exceptional events. While in Dubai, to drown the FOMO, I decided to attend the Mayan Warrior Official NYE Celebration! Although there’s no place like ((( home ))) or a good old FrontRite rave, this was certainly worth the excursion.

The Pachanga Boys (Kompakt, Hippie Dance) captained the first instants of the new year over an impressive backdrop: fireworks blazing above the Dubai skyline, dancing purple lights, glistening waters and a performance that touched every body on the dance floor with the same positive groove. Upbeat energy harmonized with blissful light projections made for a memorable moment.

Burning Man’s Mayan Warrior car weaves a unique artistic thread from Mexico City to the Black Rock Desert. It exhibits timeless symbols and traditions from ancient Mexican cultures and peoples, blasting them through the lens of contemporary immersive psychedelia. The audiovisual production and curation constantly pursues innovation and spectacularity – exactly what I wanted for my NYE. With a total of 9 hours spent at El Chiringuito and a lot of amazing and welcoming new friends in tow, I’m happy to say it was a success!

It was with pleasure that I discovered a talented roster of Dubai resident artists – such as Sam Farsio, JC Pinto, Hoolz and Deep Like co-founder Joséphine de Retour – opening the evening with promising beats, some progressive and some deep melodic house.

Meanwhile, the vibe was perfected through an impressive and immersive light show conducted by VJ Zaria, who successfully married traditional and futuristic styles with their constantly hypnotizing projections, progressing through different colour schemes – the preview below doesn’t do it justice!

We danced through the night surrounded by Burning Man decor and costumes, only adding to the positive energy, with many guests visibly feeling at ease and at home. The audience, a mix of music heads and a local party crowd, made for an eclectic environment.

Dramian’s time on stage set such a bright, dancing tone to the evening – his blazing beats drew the crowd in with tech builds and erupting into deep and bouncy tracks. His presence and smile were unquestionably communicative – I look forward to seeing him live again!

Ultimately, my heart goes out to the guys who brought in 2018 in style for so many of us. The Pachanga Boys, who try “to make the world a better place with their Hippie Dance!” were excellent – in their energy, their track selection, their crowd responsiveness and their transitions. The combination of smiles and stellar sound paired with a varied, captivating light show was the type to make you feel like nothing else was needed in that moment.

They seamlessly hopped their deep house to jungle, indie dance or acid beats, flirting with melodic techno and painting a soundscape as bright and varied as the light show around them. As closing time loomed nearer they brought out a delicious selection of disco tracks for the loyal dancers remaining, adding to the smiles on peoples’ faces. Below’s a selection of my favourite songs of the night.

This upcoming week, the Pachanga Boys will  be moving on to the beaches of Tulum to rock Maceo Plex’s Mosaic venture, alongside Ben Klock, Tale of Us, Dekmantel Soundsystem and Agents of Time.

The Mayan Warrior fam and event organizers succeeded in exporting the eclecticism and talent of their playa performances to another sandy warm destination across the globe.

Thanks to Deep Like and Zone+ for their wonderful welcome. These guys work hard to develop and consolidate a solid local electronic music scene, making everyone’s Thursday better and brighter by bringing in artists such as Miyagi, Britta Unders, Armen Miran, and our very own Kora. Deep Like channels an authentic love of music with quality productions, and we’re excited to see them continue to shake up the Dubai scene.

Article by Lola