Distant Memory

Jordan’s own DJ Hasan had been lobbying the organisers of Distant Heat for a spot on the main line-up ever since he first played on the Wadi Rum-Aqaba weekender seven years ago. This year, he was given the job of opening up proceedings before global heavyweights like Canada’s Glenn Morrison and Holland’s trance superstar Armin Van Buuren, who seemed to have brought half of his country with him to the desert. It was a step up for the 27-year-old, and he has exclusively charted his experience at the best Distant Heat in years for NOX magazine.

I think I have bugged Julian Noursi, the organiser of Distant Heat, about being part of the main line-up every year since I first went. I’ve played the sunset sets on the following days in Aqaba, where the pool parties on Friday night keep the partying going into a second day, but I’ve always wanted to be on that main stage in the evening. And this year, circumstances fell into place for that to happen: Spin FM, where I work, came on board as a media partner, and I was offered the chance to open the show.

Last year’s show in Aqaba has to be one of the best events I have ever played. Usually, you only get an hour, an hour and a half maximum to do a set, sometimes less, and often that isn’t really enough to create a good set with a good flow. But in Tala Bay I played for nearly four hours, and the vibe was incredible; people dancing in the pool, on the bar, just wherever they were. That set really was a turning point for my career, I think, and a lot of good things came from it.

I was excited to do the warm-up set, the first set of the night. A lot of DJs are reluctant to play that early, when the crowds aren’t there, and the vibe hasn’t really been set. But most of the big DJs around the world know that if you can do a great warm-up set, then you’re a really good DJ – so I really saw this as a great opportunity. My job was basically to get the crowd when they’re still sober and get them dancing, get them in the right vibe. It’s hard, but I love it.

Thursday was a long day. I still did my Spin show in the morning that day, and then recorded an after-party set to play on the station when everyone was driving from Wadi Rum to Aqaba. I was still burning CDs and creating my set on the laptop in the car on the way down! We arrived in Wadi Rum at around 7.30pm – which was the first time I have ever arrived for Distant Heat in daylight.

I actually started the set at 8.45pm, which was later than I was supposed to as there were a few technical problems, but the first people were coming in when I went up to the stage, so it was actually slightly better than an 8pm start. They were doing the soundchecks as I walked in, and the system was just incredible – easily the biggest I would ever use.

I started off really slow, playing tracks with about 122 beats per minute, more laid-back stuff. I don’t really limit myself to one style of dance music, whether that’s techno or progressive or electro – I’m not a “techno DJ” – I just tend to create sets with a real journey. Usually I really try to connect with the crowd, but as it was early, and the audience was coming in gradually, I was more influenced by the environment and the occasion.

When I started, there were maybe 50 people on the dancefloor. So, for the first 45 minutes, I didn’t even look up from the decks; I was so focused on the track selection and getting the right vibe going – and I guess I was also a little nervous by the fact that I was actually playing Distant Heat! I was in my own bubble, just doing my thing, and the sound was so gorgeous that I kind of forgot where I was. But the next time I looked up, the crowd was easily in the hundreds, and more people were coming in, some of them were shouting my name. The last 45 minutes were amazing.

There’s always a moment in a DJ set, like a certain track or something that makes it special. Towards the end, I threw on “Yes We Can” by Roland Clarke and remixed by Umek.
It’s a track that samples Barack Obama; not the famous one that has been going around the internet, but a darker version, and the word that kept repeating was “resist”, and in the middle of Wadi Rum all these people were chanting the word. It was epic. The whole set was explained in that moment.

I don’t actually prepare my set in advance. I know a lot of DJs do, but I just try to collect a range of different tracks that are my kind of sound that I then select depending on the mood, the place, the crowd, etc. So, in the first hour, I will throw in three or four quite different tracks to see what the crowd is like, what they’re responding too, and that will shape the next two hours. As John Digweed said, DJ-ing is 40 per cent talent and 60 per cent politics. You have to know what that audience wants on that night.

After I finished, I just stood at the back of the stage for what must have been half an hour, just trying to take it all in – the crowd, the setting, everything. It was incredible being there. Then I went backstage, and I was really buzzing. I was able to meet David Williams, the manager of Glenn Morrison and Armin Van Buuren. I literally made him sit with me so I could pick his brains about DJ-ing – I told him, “You’re not moving until you’ve told me everything!” He was such a nice guy and gave me some incredible advice.

I also got to meet the headlining DJs. I had a good chat with Glenn Morrison, who played the set of the night in my opinion; he lifted the whole place up. Then Armin walked in – he’s much taller than you would think – and I just said, “Hey man, what’s up?” and he looked at me and went, “We’ve met, right?” and I reminded him of the times we met here in 2002 when he first came, and then again in Beirut. I can’t say I’m that into trance, but Armin is one of the really good trance DJs as he’s more creative and more passionate about his music. I really enjoyed his set.

It was a very international crowd at Distant Heat this year. And a lot of cute girls, which wasn’t the best thing to say to my girlfriend! There were a lot of Dutch people, too – obviously because of Armin, who has a real following, but also I think the organisers did a great job of attracting people from across Europe. I was even on Dutch TV. A crew were backstage and they just pointed to me and went “You, DJ!” and I was interviewed for a couple of minutes. The best thing was they were absolutely wasted as well! Layalina was there, of course. But, no, I declined their offer of being photographed!

We arrived in Aqaba at 9am but I just couldn’t sleep. My brain was going a million miles an hour, thinking about the night, the party, the people there, everything. So, we decided to head for a friend’s boat, which was lined up along with seven or eight others out in the Gulf of Aqaba and we just partied through the day. I managed to stay awake until, like 6.30, 7pm, but having been awake for at least 36 hours, I just crashed! I was out for the rest of the night, and managed to miss the Aqaba pool party where all of my friends were DJ-ing. I used to be able to party for three days straight – but not any more. I was kind of upset!

Saturday was spent by the pool, eating and chilling. We set off back to Amman at 9pm, although I felt sorry for the NOX photographer, Brian, who I think wanted to head off much earlier. I kept calling him, saying it was going to be another hour, and another hour, all day. Eventually, he just said, “Dude, I’m hot and I’m burned and a little drunk… can we just get out of here?” I think we were back in Amman at 1am!

This Distant Heat was fantastic, and it really renewed my faith in Jordan as a place for DJs. I think we’d gone a little backwards in recent years, with not much happening – certainly not compared to 2002 to 2005. Then, there was a legitimate underground scene, with some clubs putting on really interesting events and bringing in DJs every week. I don’t know what happened. I was getting a little down about the scene, but I think this party might kick-start things again. I really hope I can be a part of it.  

A full version of DJ Hassan's experience recount at the 2009 Distant Heat appears in NOX36