The Story of Boogie Box, Ending This Year. Hassan Alwan

Live:STR SELECTIONS

by Alexandra Mansilla

The Story of Boogie Box, Ending This Year. Interview with Hassan Alwan

22 Oct 2024

The closest big event where you can catch Hassan Alwan playing? The Crowd Test Festival — the first-ever Art and Music Festival by The Sandy Times — on November 16, 2024, at Monkey Bar, Dubai.

Tickets are available here

In 2009, Boogie Box parties arrived in Abu Dhabi, bringing a breath of fresh air to the local scene — something entirely new that no one else was doing. At that time, Abu Dhabi wasn’t known as a party city (especially compared to Dubai), and Boogie Box definitely sparked a revolution.

Now, 15 years later, Boogie Box is getting ready for its very first festival. But here is the twist — it is also their last chapter. After this, the parties will end. We caught up with co-founder Hassan Alwan to reminisce about how Boogie Box started, why they had mannequins at those early events, and what led him to make the decision to close this chapter.

— Hey Hassan! My first question is a bit random — I saw your description: "Iraqi Canadian. Kebab King. And Wine Drinking Champ." Care to elaborate on that?

— Haha! You know, all the bios are like, "Yes, I discovered music at a young age — since I was 10, and my father gave me this tape, and I started..." And I was like, okay, we all loved music as kids. I didn’t want to create a boring description, so I went for a tongue-in-cheek kind of joke instead.

And the joke about being the Iraqi kebab champion — well, it is a joke, but within the Middle East, my friends and I (especially those who are Iraqi, Lebanese, Syrian, and Pakistani) always argue about whose kebabs are the best. Everyone claims theirs are the best, and I would always say, "No, Iraqi kebabs are the best!" That is where that whole joke came from.

I was a pescatarian at some point, not vegetarian — that is why I wrote "borderline vegetarian." And now, I am back to eating kebabs and everything else. The pescatarian diet was actually really good. I loved it for six or seven months. My wife and I felt amazing during that time. But one day, we went back to eating everything.

— Okay, great, thanks — that makes it clear! I have also spoken to a lot of DJs, and almost everyone has a full-time job. What about you?

— I run a few things — a total of about four companies, mostly in the fields of audio, sound, lighting, and video. My main company is called Levels AV. We design, supply, and install AV systems for restaurants, bars, beach clubs, nightclubs, and festivals. We have offices in Dubai, London, and Saudi Arabia, and we work on projects globally.

I also have a second company called Selecta DJs, which is a DJ equipment retail shop — kind of an immersive experience for DJs. It is a place where you can come in, jam, try out equipment, and really get to know it before buying.

My third company, Diatone, specialises in acoustics consulting and installation. We design acoustic isolation systems and treatments.

And recently, I launched a fourth company, which is also focused on AV installations.

— Okay, now, Boogie Box. Could you dive a bit into the story of how it was founded? And how did you and Shadi meet?

— Growing up in Abu Dhabi, we were all friends and into music around the same time, even though we ended up in different cities. I ended up in London, then Montreal, and then back to London. Shadi was in Switzerland and Berlin, and another friend was in Toronto. We all scattered across the world.

In 2019, Shadi and I both found ourselves back in Abu Dhabi. I moved back from London, where I was throwing parties, running a small digital label, and DJing. Shadi moved back from Switzerland and Berlin, where he was producing and gigging. We came back to Abu Dhabi and, honestly, we were just really bored. Nothing was happening, and we were just wasting our weekends away. We tried finding something to do, we played a lot of music together regularly, and then one day, out of nowhere, we just said, "F*** it. Let’s start our own party."

We weren’t really thinking much beyond that — just "Let’s come up with a name, design a flyer, and bring our sound system to a bar." We talked to a place in the city, and they said, "Yeah, you can throw a party here." And that is how it all started.

— Were there any other names you suggested?

— Oh, it is funny! I think Shadi still has the notebook somewhere, and we actually remembered it the other day, but I honestly don’t remember. It was definitely something along those lines. I mean, we came up with fifty names, brainstormed, and all that, and then one of them just stuck. I think he said something like "boogie", and I said something with "box," and we were like, "You know what? Let’s just combine the two." And that is how Boogie Box was born.

— Okay, let’s talk about the first event in 2009. Can you remember it?

— Our first event was in 2009, and honestly, it was at a pretty... well, not even average — it was kind of a mediocre venue, more like a lounge bar than anything else. I think the reason we chose it was just because it was the first place we approached, and they were like, "Yeah, come give it a try." So we packed up Shadi's turntables and mixer, and we had a friend who ran a very small audio company bring in a couple of speakers.

I can't even remember if Facebook was really big at the time, but I think it was around then, and we made a Facebook event. We also printed a bunch of flyers. I remember handing them out to friends and stuff. What were we expecting? Honestly, we had zero expectations. We knew our friends would show up. We had both grown up here and had a lot of friends, so we were counting on them to come through.

In the end, I think we got somewhere between 200 and 250 people, maybe even 300 at max. Were we expecting that? Not at all. We were pretty surprised — and pleasantly so. The venue was happy, too. The manager said, "This is great! Let’s do it again!" And we were like, "Okay, sure, let’s do it again." And that is kind of what kickstarted the whole idea of throwing parties.

Honestly, at first, it was just about having a party where we could play music. That was it. Neither of us was working at the time; I didn’t have a job, and Shadi didn’t either. So we had the time, we had the energy, and we just wanted to do something because we were really, really bored. And that is how it all started.

— Okay, I can already see the title. It will have words like, "We were bored when we started Boogie Box." Right?

— That is true! We were just sitting on the floor of his bedroom — he was still living with his folks at the time, and I was living with mine because neither of us had a job yet. I would go over to his place, and we would just play records all the time.

So, there we were, just sitting on the floor of his room one day — he was playing records, I was on the floor — and we were like, "F*** it, let’s just do it ourselves, why not?" And that was it. That was the little spark that started it all.

— At your first parties, you brought mannequins. Why? I am sure there is a story.

— I think it was my idea! Our parties would usually be at the same venue, happening monthly, and we would keep the same venue for at least a year, sometimes two or even three years. I liked the idea that every time you showed up, the party looked a little different. I wanted to create a fresh experience each time, not just for the sake of appearances, but to make people feel like, “Hey, it’s not just another party. There is always something new and interesting to see.”

The idea of mannequins was more about aesthetics and design. Mannequins are great because they are almost human-sized, and you can do whatever you want with them without any limitations. We could suspend them from the ceiling, make them look like they were flying, whatever. It was just about having fun. Once, I even wanted to make fun of all the people who crowded behind the DJ booth trying to look cool, so we put mannequins behind the DJ booth as fake “groupies.” It was really just about being playful.

And, since it was a DIY party, we had access to a lot of textile and clothing stores around here that were constantly getting rid of mannequins when they brought in new ones. We would tell them, “Whenever you’re throwing out mannequins, let us know — we’ll come pick them up.” That is how it all started, and it ended up being part of the theme for our parties for maybe three years.

It even got to the point where people started taking mannequin parts home as a kind of party souvenir. We would start with 10 or 15 full mannequins, and after each party, more and more pieces would go missing. The funniest part was that friends, or just random people from Boogie Box, would send us videos after the party of them doing weird stuff with the mannequin parts — like having a mannequin at home with them or just doing ridiculous things with it. It became an ongoing joke. Eventually, we ran out of mannequins because people kept taking them, but it was a fun ride while it lasted.

— In an interview from 2016, you mentioned that it wasn't easy to reach the level you are at today. Could you elaborate on that?

— You really need to distinguish between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. We were in Abu Dhabi at the time. And, honestly, in Abu Dhabi, there was nothing. Zero.

Dubai has always been seen as a party city. It has everything — big events, international bookings, gigs, clubs, tours, you name it. Abu Dhabi, on the other hand, has always been more low-key and laid-back, despite being the capital. People tend to go to beaches, islands, or just chill out.

The general belief in Abu Dhabi was that it just wasn’t possible — everyone would say, "Abu Dhabi will never have a scene. Why are you wasting your time here? People don’t get it." Everyone said we should just head to Dubai because it did have a scene, and a lot of our friends were doing really cool stuff there — techno parties, other electronic music events.

So, I think the idea that we lasted as long as we did in Abu Dhabi was kind of surprising to everyone. Eventually, Boogie Box became somewhat of a household name within the dance music community — not just in Abu Dhabi but even in Dubai. We started seeing people come over from Dubai to our events, which we honestly never expected.

But we really had to create that from scratch because we had nothing.

— Okay. Every project has its own timeline. If we look at the timeline of Boogie Box, how would you describe it, part by part?

— In terms of key moments across the 15 years, I think the first two to three years were just very DIY. We weren’t thinking beyond just getting a sound system to the club, inviting people, and seeing what happened. It was very innocent, very basic. We had great times — it wasn't about good sound or production or booking DJs. It was just Shadi and me rocking up, setting up the sound system, and playing records.

I think around the third or maybe fourth year, we moved to a venue that I saw a lot of potential in. It wasn’t big or anything — it was on a rooftop, kind of a blank space but with character, where you could really do a lot, even though they weren’t doing anything with it. We had one party there, and it was super successful. The venue was excited to keep working with us, and they actually came back asking, "What can we do to make it better?" which was amazing. It was finally a venue asking us how they could improve as well.

So, two things: first, we needed better sound, and second, we needed to do something about the way the venue looked. Coincidentally, that was around the time I had just launched my AV company, which was in 2014 or 2015. We ended up installing a sound system, and we also convinced them to invest in some décor and aesthetics. That is where the idea of the mannequins came in.

That was a key moment because we decided that we wanted every party to look different. From that point on, for another two or three years, whether we were at that venue or somewhere else, it was all about production — upgrading the sound, creating great décor, and making it more than just a party. That was a really important phase for us.

2019 was another big year. That year, we were approached by the government to consult about some of their events. The Department of Culture and Tourism brought Boiler Room to Abu Dhabi, and they asked Boogie Box to help curate the lineup and market the events. My AV company also did the production — the sound, lighting, all of it. Then, the Louvre Museum brought in Amon Tobin and The Molecule, and we were also asked to get involved in that. Basically, the Department of Culture was supporting institutions to promote tourism, giving them funding to do festivals, book big DJs, and bring people into Abu Dhabi. They would ask me to consult or advise on their behalf just to make sure everything was done right.

That was a defining year because there was a lot happening from that perspective. And then, of course, in 2020, COVID hit, and we couldn't do anything for a while. But with government support, we were able to host what was probably the first return-to-normal party in Abu Dhabi, and maybe even the UAE — the first time we had a dance floor back.

We had originally planned our nine-year anniversary in 2019, with Mathew Jonson, Roman Flügel, and a few others, but COVID hit, and we had to postpone it. So it became our ten-year anniversary the next year, and the government gave us the green light to bring back the dance floor, as long as we had precautions in place. We threw the ten-year anniversary party, and it still gives me goosebumps when I think about it — such a beautiful moment.

Shortly after that, I moved to Dubai, which opened up a whole new chapter. Dubai is a completely different ballgame. You re competing with a lot of people — many other promoters, and there are so many good things happening. Sometimes, people are almost spoiled for choice when it comes to what to do. But we had the pleasure of working with some amazing venues.

In Abu Dhabi, most of our events were focused on local and regional DJs. We did have some international headliners, but that was never really part of our strategy. We didn’t need it. But in Dubai, when you are competing with everyone, you start thinking, “Okay, I need to book some interesting acts.” So, while most of our events — maybe 70 to 75% — were still locals and regionals, we also started bringing in more international headliners once we were in Dubai.

— So, in 2023, you wanted to launch your first festival but had to postpone it because of the tragedy in Palestine. And now, this year, it is going to happen. But it also says on the website that this will be the final Boogie Box event ever in Abu Dhabi, right?

— Yeah, this is it — this is going to be the final Boogie Box in Abu Dhabi. I have been reflecting on this for quite some time, probably about a year or a year and a half now. I have talked it over with my wife, picking her brain as well, and it has been on my mind to bring it to a close for a while now, especially over the past year.

I think it really hit after the last festival got cancelled. Boogie Box started feeling more like a chore, almost like a job, rather than the fun it used to be. It has been causing me stress, just juggling life, work, and all of this. And that was one of the main reasons for deciding to stop.

Plus, there are a few other creative projects that I want to explore, but I just don’t have the time to pursue them between my companies and Boogie Box. So, over the summer, I made the decision to stop Boogie Box. I plan to do two or three more parties — one final one in Abu Dhabi and probably one last one in Dubai — and then that will be it.

— What should we expect from the first and last Boogie Box event?

— We have done a lot of festivals before — around a thousand to two thousand people, multiple stages, 12 to 16-hour parties — we have done it all. But this is the first time we are doing something on this scale, with this level of production and lineup, and with the kind of energy and resources we are putting into it.

To be honest, the main reason, or the main driver, for me wanting to do a festival like this is because I have been going to a lot of events, gigs, club nights, and festivals since the late '90s, but I honestly never really liked most of the typical festivals.

The first festivals I went to were in the UK, like Global Gathering, which I attended twice. It had eight to ten stages, a packed lineup, and everyone had their own music preferences. I would go to see people like Craig Richards, Tyrant, Ricardo Villalobos, and others I admired at the time, but it was always the same: they would come on, play for 45 minutes or an hour, and it just felt underwhelming. It didn't give you enough — 45 minutes isn’t enough for a real set, in my opinion.

Then I went to Amsterdam’s Lente Kabinet Festival many years later, and I absolutely fell in love. I finally felt like, “This is what a festival should be.” It wasn't just the setting, which was beautiful and outdoors with this incredible landscape, but also the lineup. It wasn’t about bringing in only the top 20 or 50 DJs; it was about respecting the artistry of the music and taking DJs who were typically known for club sets and putting them in a festival setting. It wasn't just the usual big festival names like Carl Cox or Marco Carola. Instead, it was DJs like Moodymann, Ben UFO, and Joy Orbison — people who were mostly known for their club sets. And they weren’t playing 45-minute sets; they had two to three hours, sometimes even more, to really take you on a journey. I loved that approach and wanted to bring something similar to the UAE.

The UAE never really had anything like that from a festival perspective. There are some independent festival organisers here, but most tend to lean toward the typical heavy hitters and short set times. Then you have the mega-clubs doing their big festivals with huge headliners, but nothing that offered a truly different experience, especially from an independent perspective. That is what inspired me: giving DJs you wouldn’t typically see at a festival a platform to perform and really allowing them to express themselves in a beautiful setting.

We are thrilled about our lineup — Young Marco, Hunee, Adiel, DJ Boring — none of them have ever played in the UAE before, so we are really excited about that. The festival is happening at this beautiful spot called Al Hudayriyat Island. It is known for its islands and gorgeous natural beaches, and we are hosting the festival right on the shoreline. The backdrop for every DJ booth will be the ocean, with those beautiful islands in the background. It is a stunning location, and for Abu Dhabi, it is something that hasn’t been done before — an original, authentic festival with a very special lineup.

We are just incredibly excited about this.

— Boogie Box has been on a 15-year journey, and now that you are ending it, I think it is the perfect time to share some of the weirdest stories that have happened at the parties. Can you remember the most bizarre story ever? It could be anything!

— Well, I remember one very clearly, actually. It was maybe our third or fourth party ever, and it was at that venue, Left Bank. It was a great party — everything was fine, everything was great — right up until the end.

We were literally playing the last track when a fight broke out on the dance floor. It turned out to be two of our friends fighting with each other, even though they didn’t really know each other. I remember Shadi laughing, and I went down, trying to break up the fight. The bouncers stepped in and started pushing everyone toward the fire exit.

I was trying to stop things, trying to defend one of my friends who wasn’t very big — he is actually kind of skinny and small — and the other guy he was fighting was huge. So, I was there trying to protect him. We made it to the fire exit, and then, suddenly, the skinny friend’s other friend assumed I was attacking him, and he punched me right in the jaw. In all the chaos and adrenaline, I had no idea what was going on, but luckily, the bouncers were able to hold everyone back. They knew it was my party, so they made sure I was fine.

After that, I went back into the DJ booth, super pissed off — like, “What is all this effort for?” I was packing up the turntables, still fuming, and Shadi was doing the same, looking just as angry. I asked him, “Why are you so angry?” and he was like, “Man, somebody just punched me in the face!” It turns out that Shadi also went down to try to break up the fight, but he ended up getting punched, too.

The funny part is that both of us woke up the next day with bruised faces just from trying to be the nice guys and break up a fight. That is definitely a moment that sticks out.

by Alexandra Mansilla

The Story of Boogie Box, Ending This Year. Interview with Hassan Alwan

22 Oct 2024

Tickets are available here

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by Alexandra Mansilla

The Story of Boogie Box, Ending This Year. Interview with Hassan Alwan

22 Oct 2024

Tickets are available here

More from Music

From Moscow to Dubai: Leonid Lipelis’ Underground Vinyl Journey

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