A new beat spins in Jeddah. With the success of Vinyl Disciples from Los Angeles to Boston to London to Beirut, it’s only natural that the Arab-half of the DJ duo brings the music home. Freshly returned from a nineteen-year sojourn in the UK and the States, Mishaal Alireza, brings his unifying progressive vocal house beats to local ears. Meanwhile, the other half of the duo, DJ Mete “Mad Turk” Aslan, spins for the fan base back in the US with their manager Kevin Fitzpatrick.
The beauty of music is in its ability to suspend time. To hold a moment, a feeling, a memory, even for an instant. Lyrics like “don’t let it pass you by,” from their Tales from the Decks album, attests to the prowess of music’s ability to freeze frame a moment in order to fully appreciate it and seems to be the very ethos at the decks of the Vinyl Disciples. They spin, they groove, and they conquer. As emphatic as they are about chewing their music, it pales in comparison to the verve and loyalty of their fans. So, it was only natural for the DJ’s with big hearts and a whole lot of soul to incorporate their love for their fans in their music. Paying them tribute across the globe, Departure, the most recent mix from the duo, opens their sequence with forlorn messages from disciples from Boston, New York, Ireland, San Juan, Italy and Tokyo, among many other capital cities and is extended beyond its normal run time of 80 minutes, to a unique 2 hour mix based on the requests of their fans.
In fact, some well respected and much loved heavyweights in the House music industry also account themselves as part of the fan club, even mixing alongside the Vinyl Disciples. Their collaborations on the decks read like a who’s who roster of DJ legends: Sharam (Deep Dish), Roger Sanchez, Axwell, Kaskade, Tom Novy, Funkerman, Sarah Main, Miss Nine, David Tort, Julien Ingrosso, Ross One, Andy Caldwell, and Julien Ingrosso. They do however look forward to playing alongside some of the local talent they respect in the region like DJ Baloo, Anmar and Ali Ajami out of Dubai!
Vinyl Disciples are as serious about having a laugh as they are about their music. Mishaal lets us in on his devious plan to share the laughter, “last summer we printed out a bunch of Vinyl Disciples stickers for the fans. We gave them out with the CDs, and told them that wherever they were around the world, if they had a moment that they thought about us, or heard a song from a CD of ours somewhere, to take a snapshot of the moment, and send it to us.
We got some amazing photos of fans from around the world; some truly priceless moments! We then made a video of all the pics taken that summer with the stickers and added some music to it and sent it out to the fans that participated. Sort of like our thank you for actually taking the photos. It was a lot of fun.”With downloads of their mixes well approaching the six-digits annually, if Vinyl Disciples aren’t part of your creative lifestyle yet, it’s not long before they will be. Poolside, beachside, at your office desk, or in your car, iPod or iPhone, they’ve got a mix for every occasion. To get a taste of their music, you can check out their podcast page on iTunes. Simply search for Vinyl Disciples, and enjoy the show. Be sure to leave a review! It’s about time someone for our neck of the woods left one! “It’s not just mixing music; it’s a lifestyle of creativity in everything we do.” “Chew Your Music.” Whether on the decks playing for their loyal following around the world, or coming up with a new hat or t- shirt design, they have maintained their loyal international following despite their attempts to stay out of the limelight. The fans are always integrated into every part of the creative process. “We went on tour in the summer of 2009, and wanted to make a CD of the best chill out stuff we had heard on the road… so, we came up with titles, and the fans chose Tales from the Decks. The idea being, these songs tell the tales of our DECKS (decks is slang for Turntables), so it’s the tales of the records played & heard on that tour”, explains Mishaal. For them, music isn’t the only creative outlet! From their limited edition clothing line, to their CD titles to their CD covers, every aspect of who they are involves careful designing in order to encourage people to fully appreciate moments in life! The fanfare of this dynamic duo comprises more than just music lovers like you and I, but creative minds in general.