JEDDAH – Greg Stainer is a name synonymous with revelry in Dubai. Be it for Hollaphonic, his radio show or his music on board every Emirates flight, Stainer is a popular name among Dubai's buzzing nightlife. “Dubai has definitely given me more opportunities to emerge as an upcoming artist. Here in Dubai I have achieved a lot.” Now he wants to take it a step forward and go international. He said: “I am 100 percent self taught on the art of deejaying and music production. I believe if you are passionate and hard working you can pretty much do anything.” He said YouTube and the Internet are a producers' best friends. “You can literally find tutorials for everything.” Music became the obvious career choice for Stainer on a night he experienced how people react to music played by a DJ. He was mesmerized by the ability of DJs to uplift and control the crowd's energy. He said deejaying is an art form in its own right and he dreamt of a day he would be on stage and in control. “Having the power to make a crowd of people feel great.” He said: “Even though he was really just playing other people's songs, it was the way the DJ mixed and blended the track, the timing of which track to play at which point of the night, and how long to play each track for.” Stainer got his first DJ gig when he was fifteen and still at school. He started producing music at the age of twenty and has released over 50 tracks including his own album. “I have been passionate about music for as long as I can remember. I love music in all its forms. I guess the beauty of EDM is that as a producer, it's accessible. Even if you didn't study to play an instrument and read/write music or have a great singing voice, you can still produce a hit.” In 2012 Stainer joined forces with rapper/song writer Olly Wood and formed Hollaphonic, which was soon signed to EMI records. “Olly Wood and I met at a beach party event in Dubai a couple of years back and we got chatting about working on some music together. Our first session in the studio eventually happened and we set out with the goal ‘go big or go home'. Both Olly and I already have successes in the underground music scene, and we thought lets have a try at doing something commercial and mainstream. On the first day in the studio we had produced 90 percent of the track ‘I don't want it to end' and within two weeks we got signed to EMI records for an album deal. Within six months, the track reached number 1 on iTunes in the Middle East and was play listed all across the region on radio and TV. So we soon realized that we might actually be pretty good at making commercial tracks.” Stainer said Hollaphonic's first album is in its final stages. Their second track “Found You” featuring Dia is number two on iTunes in the region. He plans to release many house and Deep House tracks he has been working on. “But mainly we want Hollaphonic to do more live shows in UAE and around the world.” Grateful of what Dubai has done for his stance in the Middle East, he said: “Dubai and the rest of the Middle East have been very supportive of Hollaphonic so far.” He said signing to EMI and having their tracks played on radio and MTV across the Middle East was a step in the right direction for Hollaphonic. “We are working on live shows and tours to really push the fact that there is real EDM talent here. Hopefully Hollaphonic will pave the way for more artists to emerge from the region. That has been our goal since day one.” Stainer has worked with Karl Wolf, Wiley among others. “I've also shared the stage with the likes of Tiesto, Deadmau5 and Tinie Tempah. There are many artists I'd love to work with, right now like Ed Sheeran, Macklemore and Sia would be a nice collaboration!” He was awarded a gold disc for collaboration with Karl Wolf on the track “Mash It Up.” In his personal life, his biggest achievement is his baby daughter Keira. Discussing his dreams and plans, he said: “It's a clichéd answer, but I am already so grateful for what my life has afforded me, so my dream is to continue living my dream.” Currently, Stainer has a DJ residency at Zinc in Dubai, a radio show on Radio 1 (www.myradio1.ae) and his own channel on board all Emirates flights.
