Moud Music

She divides her time between London and Ibiza, but found a spare weekend to unleash her deep, deep house for the grateful punters at Nai’s Disko’tek in April. NOX was amongst the arm waving hordes and managed to slip in a few questions between Red Bulls to Nicole Moudaber, a Lebanese DJ with
a very international reputation.

NOX: First things first, we loved your mix of Tiger Stripes’ Beach Buggy – anything up your sleeve that will help get us through the summer?
Nicole Moudaber: Thank you! I have releases coming out on various labels this summer such as Viva Music (UK), Plastic City and Yellow Tail (Germany), and Rawthentic (Canada). I will be playing at Space Ibiza with Carl Cox on September 8th, which is really exciting, as well various gigs in Europe. Summer is looking hot!

NOX: So what brings you to Jordan?
NM: It was always a place I wanted to visit because of its history. I was invited through friends of mine who actually pushed me through the right channels. It was great fun.

NOX: What do you think of the club scene in the Middle East? Beirut’s back, Dubai’s hanging in there...
NM: It’s picking up, that’s for sure. I launched the clubbing scene in Beirut with a dear friend, Maya Hajjar, back in the mid-1990s. We brought the first DJs ever to the city after the war, and we have come a long way since then. I hope I can bring inspiration and creativity through music.

NOX: What kind of sounds are floating around there that have inspired you recently? How do you keep things fresh in house music?
NM: House is coming back – underground pure house, that is. There’s an array of styles that can be merged cleverly to create different and unique sounds. I listen to a lot of world music in my car, on planes, a lot of Spanish too. But my ears are drawn to house and techno most of the times.

NOX: You’ve developed a reputation for championing new DJs, are you hoping to uncover any in Jordan or the Middle East?
NM: I have uncovered one from Jordan called Ali Hayari. I heard him play in Ibiza and he blew everyone away. I’m always on the search for people who can inspire me.
 
NOX: You live in Ibiza for much of the year. Can we get an invite?
NM: Ibiza is a really magical place, discovered by the Phoenicians – who are of course Lebanese! It’s mind blowing and very spiritual at the same time, a melting pot of the rich, the famous and the gypsies. Day and night the island evolves. You’re always welcome to come over, but I’m afraid you might never leave…

Check out Nicole’s latest mixes at: www.myspace.com/worldbeats