Since this blog is dedicated mostly to that which describes my life in Dubai, I'm only going to share the inspiration that has come with the friends that I have met here in the Middle East, starting with my very first Dubai friend, Reiner Erlings.
Reiner and I met during one of my first weeks here at the launch of his newest album to be produced here in Dubai for singer, Jonas Desai. We became instant friends. The reason for that connection wouldn't be realized until much later on, but the important part was that it was made at all, and unlike some of my other "connections" in Dubai, this one really stuck.
At the time that I met Reiner, I was supposed to be writing online articles for Spin magazine, and meeting Reiner felt like hitting a gold mine, as he is one of the only and foremost music producers local to Dubai. Not only a Producer, he's also a Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, Film/TV Scorer and orchestral composer. He does everything from composition and sound design for award-winning ad campaigns, scores for films, documentaries, features and shorts by acclaimed filmmakers, some of the most creative musicians from the Middle East, composition and arrangements for the UAE Philharmonic Orchestra to a number of internationally acclaimed artists, from Flo Rida, Snoop Dogg, to Lumidee & Sean Kingston.
"Awesome" doesn't cut it.
Immediately, I made a point of adding him to my "to do" list which meant interviewing him and meeting some of the artists that he was producing. Much to my luck, this warranted time in the studio with him, even during album rehearsals and recordings.
The funny thing about music producers is that their work and "art" rarely get seen to the full extent. Of course the musicians themselves get to see it and know it for the creative genius that it is, but all too often we take a song to be more about the musicians and less about the production of the music, when the production really is SO important and special. I, thankfully, got a chance to be inspired by that of Reiner's.
Shortly after meeting her, the two of them began dating and I cannot tell you the explosion of creativity that happens when two musicians with opposite personalities come together to make music. They are absolutely STUNNING as individuals, but as a couple, they will knock your socks off.
Reiner produced Gayathri's first full length album, Disengage (title single can be heard here), which really put her on the map here in Dubai and abroad. Together, they are currently working on what I believe to be THE most creative musical project yet to be seen in the UAE, called Movement. Think of it as the symphony meets the underground. A collaboration of live visual artists, dancers, musicians and a full 24 person choir with Gayathri and Reiner writing and composing the entire production. To say the least, its an extraordinary project and one that I personally cannot wait to see come to fruition.
What inspires me most about the two of them is their dedication to their dreams. Reiner has a degree in business and was never formally trained in music. He doesn't even read musical notes on paper and yet has created his dream-career out of a passion and commitment to music that is all his own. He couples that talent with more humility and kindness than anyone I know here and keeps his feet firmly on the ground while enjoying his flight to stardom. Gayathri is a music machine. Plain and simple. She never stops going, moving, creating, brainstorming for ideas and then backs them up with the follow through that I personally find to be the most inspirational thing of all. She believes in her dreams and fights for them. Every single day.
These are the people that flank my social life here in Dubai. A day doesn't pass that I don't thank my lucky stars for being granted the gift of having the two of them as friends...and constant, constant inspiration.
