KARAK HEADS
For far too long, outsiders have labeled Dubai as fake, shallow and lacking substance. While we may be surrounded by elements that tick these boxes, it does not represent the entire city and its desert dwellers.
The 264 Cru have taken it upon themselves to dispel such sentiments, by paying homage to the locals of Dubai - and who better to feature in this campaign than our very own karak heads!
All of them are from very different walks of life, bringing different cultures & experiences to the table, but are unified in their love for karak, shawarmas and regularly throwing down with The 264 Cru!
Via this campaign, we will showcase people that were hand picked by The 264 Cru (based on their answers to our questionnaires), their interests and their unique personalities, giving the wider community an insight into the 'real' Dubai - outside of the flashy, materialistic image it has in the world today. The objective of this campaign is simple : to bring the true core of Dubai to the forefront for all to see.
We hope you enjoy our first Karak Heads series - subscribe to our page to keep up to date and if you're interested in being part of the next one, come chat with The 264 Cru at any of our events.
Photography by Marianne Zammaria - Rockstar Photography
Click one of the Karak Heads' name to jump straight to their section
Akhil SR | Dario De Angelis | Ali & Aliya Anwar | Wayne Pereira | Dan Mellor | Saheer Thinguji | Maya Sisters | Joanne Achiro | Hyku Desesto | Ratish Chadha | Marianne Zammaria | Amirah Tajdin
Akhil SR
“Dubai has always been home. Originally from India, I was born and raised here in Dubai and watched the city sprout up and bloom to where we are at now - loving the direction we are taking in terms of media art and music”
How would you define the ‘local’ culture? “I would define the "local" culture as being in a transitional stage towards a more urban chic culture. I define that by the community I am surrounded by… Events like Sole DXB , TAP Talks - The Awareness Projectand generally everything The Mine is doing, all great stuff!”
“Everything in moderation” - agree or disagree? “Disagree. Passion would dictate otherwise. If it’s music, art, athleticism etc, sometimes I believe you go well beyond moderation. Look at our greats today.”
Tell us about your first Karak Beats experience: “Saying it was epic is an understatement, I feel like the night was made for me. Didn't know I had an animal in me that would respond to the music like that … don't often dance as much. Big up to all the DJs that bring the heat!”
Dario De Angelis
“I have been in Dubai for 1 year and some change. Before Dubai I was in Milan, before that Venice, before that Rome, before that Brussels, and before that I was in Pisa. Originally, I’m from the most beautiful country in the world, Italy!”
What do you hate and love about Dubai?
I hate the state of numbness in which many people fall after moving to Dubai, the decreasing curiosity of people who stop noticing things. I love the stories; everybody in Dubai has a culture and a story different than mine and that makes me grateful and curious.
What medium/type of art do you like the most?
Music has been fundamental in most of my life. I also love to write poetry as a relief valve of my thoughts. For some reason both mediums allow me to just take everything that is inside of me, give it a shape and share it and this makes me feel immediately better.
Ali and Aliya Anwar
Of Turkish and Indian origin, moved to Dubai from London in 1992 and have been here ever since. While Ali is running the family’s high-end audio business, Aliya is launching her own jewelry line, “By Alara”, in hopes to expand into a fashion label in the future.
Ali -
What do you search for in music? I look for so many things, consciousness, creativity, emotion. I love music that mentally transports you.
Which fictional character do you identify most with? Pumba.
What do you do for a living? Work for the family business, Dubai Audio. It’s UAE's first high end audio specialist. I have taken what the family has been doing for over 21 years and now pushing to expand, keeping the core values intact but evolving with the times and my beliefs.
What medium/type of art do you like the most? Music. It can make you see if your blind, hear if you’re deaf. It can make you time travel...Music.
If you had the chance, what would be your ultimate creation? Consciousness Ray Gun.
Aliya -
What website would you say you never go a single day without viewing (other than Facebook & YouTube)? Definitely either http://www.pointerpointer.com OR http://heyyeyaaeyaaaeyaeyaa.com
5 of your favorite music artists? It’s so difficult to choose only 5 so I’m choosing today’s top 5 - Gaslamp Killer, Wax Taylor, 10 ft. ganja plant, Flako & Autechre.
What medium/type of art do you like the most? Surrealism
How close are you to realizing your image of yourself? Still buffering.
In which environment/s do you thrive most in? Discotheques and bibliotheques !
Wayne Pereira
Born and raised in Dubai for 29 years, but originally from Mumbai, Wayne is a videographer who calls Dubai home and loves it. “…There's a healthy balance of old and new emerging cultures.”
Favorite local eatery and/or meal & drink?
“That’s hard, as I have favorite joints for different cuisines, but at the moment, my new favorite joint is this place called Sea Food In A Bucket in Karama.”
How close are you to realizing your image of yourself?
“14 questions away”
What would you do differently if you knew no one would judge you?
“Hire a white British butler, legally change his name to Alfred and have him address me as 'Master Wayne'”
If you could travel to any one destination today, where would you go? (doesn’t have to be on Earth). “Bora Bora”
Which fictional character do you identify most with?
“Michelangelo (the turtle not the artist)“
Dan Mellor
Originally from the UK, Dan moved here 2 years ago, and refers to himself as a ‘Master Barber’
Is there anything you are currently working on/involved with that is fresh and would like to share with us?
Yeah, for sure! We have opened up Akin Barber Shop just recently and are changing the game in barbering over here.
What do you hate and love about Dubai?
I love how all the different races and cultures mix together everyday, but hate it when people try and take the piss out my accent!
If you could be any animal on a carousel, what would you be, and why?
A big bear - just sit back and chill the f*ck out
“Everything in moderation” - agree or disagree? Explain
Agree. Ever heard the term ‘slowly slowly catchy monkey’? ...Take one thing at a time
Saheer Thinguji
Saheer is a Keralite who as been in Dubai for 2 years now and is working as a graphic designer for a digital advertising company.
What is Dubai to you? How would you define the ‘local’ culture?
For me, acceptance of diversity is a great attraction, and that is something you will come across a lot in Dubai.
Why should you be chosen for the Karak Heads campaign?
I love music, art and beauty of diversity. The Karak Heads campaign brought that spirit and love to art in a single beat
5 of your favorite music artists?
Bob Marley, Ravi Shankar, Mehdi hassan, Amjad Ali Khan, AR. Rahman
What medium/type of art do you like the most?
I have yet to establish myself, however I do abstract but subjective digital drawing and I’m currently trying to apply that on canvas & acrylic paint
If you had the chance, what would be your ultimate creation?
Complete happiness in the world, without religion, colours or boundaries
Julia and Iryna Maevskaya
Also known as ‘Maya Sisters’, moved from Ukraine to Dubai 2 years ago and now consider this metropolitan desert their second home. Their goal is to achieve financial success in their business development ventures, while also feeding their souls by discovering the country and surrounding region.
What do you hate and love about Dubai?
We have a love-hate relationship with Dubai. Dubai is one place where you can discover the world in one town, because of the immense mix of different nationalities, mentalities and cultures. It is the city of the future, growing steadily in front of your eyes and realizing it’s impressive goals. At the same time, it means we need to deal with the noisy construction sites!
What scares you more - an early death, or an endless life? Why?
Iryna: Endless life. I’ll go into details after a couple of glasses of wine, so come buy me a drink at the next Karak Beats and we can chat!
Julia: Early death. I need to do everything on my TO DO LIST and it’s endless...
Favorite local eatery and/or meal & drink?
Our favorite food, which we have come to love, is definitely the Fattoush salad - whenever we get the chance to order it, we will. Social House is definitely a special eatery for us. It was one of the first places in Dubai that we stumbled upon, and we still love it!
Is there anything you are currently working on/involved with that is fresh and would like to share with us?
We have recently started our page on Instagram (@mayasisters_dubai), which is focused on Dubai’s lifestyle and culture, through our eyes. We share our discoveries and adventures, in an effort to show people that life in Dubai is not just posh and touristic, but also cool, genuine and organic at the same time. We hope to shine light on the day-to-day life that most of us experience but very few outside of Dubai know about!
If you had the chance, what would be your ultimate creation?
If it were up to us, we’d like to create the ability to give ourselves magic powers, specifically, the ability to stop time or to be in two places at once.
Joanne Achiro
Joanne bio : Joanne, known lovingly as ‘Jo’, is a London girl of Ugandan origin who moved to Dubai 3 and a half years ago. Her background is in fashion design, she specializes in children’s wear while also designing across both men’s and women’s wear. She originally came here to pursue a design position, but has since gotten into Social Media Marketing and currently manages the operations for WEST LA Boutique.
What is Dubai to you? How would you define the ‘local’ culture?: It's very much a fast fun lifestyle culture for me! There's always something happening which has only really been the case in the past 1.5yrs or so i've felt, so it's great that week after week you still get excited for the weekend and where it’s going to take you.
What do you hate and love about Dubai?: I love the diversity of people here, and although I am a London girl, I'd say I've met a larger mix of nationalities in my 3.5 years here than I have in my 29 years there. I hate that the process of MOST things takes twice as long as it really needs too to be completed! That goes for EVERYTHING!!
Favorite local eatery and/or meal & drink? That's a difficult one! I am quite partial to the selection of wings at Wingsters in Marina! I mean over 30 different ways of smothering those babies!!! But the lamb chops at Ravi's in Satwa gets me EVERYTIME!!
How close are you to realizing your image of yourself? I like to think today I am close but I doubt this time next year I'll be the same person I am right this moment, so maybe not close at all!
If you had the chance, what would be your ultimate creation? A BAD VIBES BLASTER! So I can zap people with negative/bad vibes away from my space cause I'm not about negativity AT ALL! Peace, love and all that jazz! I'm just a hippy at heart, as my friends like to say.
Who would you vote for - a turd sandwich or a giant douche? Giant Douche! You can't turn sh*t into gold, but perhaps you can work a little magic into making a giant douche a not so giant douche!
Hyku Desesto
Hyku has been a Dubai resident for almost 6 years now, but is originally from Philippines, where she briefly hosted a show, while also selling spa treatments and dabbling in photography and videography. She then decided to move to Dubai to pursue photography full time, and now successfully runs her own team and company, known as Hyku D Photography. If you hadn’t noticed already, Hyku and her team are behind all the great photos that are taken at our Karak Beats nights! Usually behind the camera, she’s agreed to reverse the roles for The 264 Cru!
Tell us about your first Karak Beats experience... I was having so much fun shooting it! So much freshness all over and the crowd was just so sincerely happy and having fun, that it wasn’t a problem getting good shots at all! I was shooting ‘till midnight...then I put my camera down, had a drink, and the rest is history.
Favorite local eatery and/or meal & drink? KIMCHIKIN and BUBBLE TEA!
What is Dubai to you? How would you define the ‘local’ culture? Dubai has been a wonderful playground for me. The person I am today, is because of Dubai. Most of our clients from our shoots, may it be at local weddings, engagements or parties, are now really good friends. They have opened my eyes and have shown me how it’s possible to have fun without bending the rules; that it’s possible to live life to the fullest without going against their religion... they are also talented, career driven and some of the most generous people I have ever met.
If you could travel to any one destination today, where would you go? In your heart. <3 (It’s a Filipino joke. Google it)
Ratish Chadha
Born and brought up in Dubai, Ratish left home to the United States to study and ‘sin’, eventually finding himself living in one of the funkiest cities in the world, New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally from New Delhi, Ratish is an accomplished audio engineer who’s travelled across America with his African influenced instrumental band, Toubab Krewe, as the band’s go-to ‘sound reinforcer’ at various concerts and festivals.
What is Dubai to you? How would you define the ‘local’ culture? To me Dubai is a melting pot for all types of individuals to come together and cultivate, if their heart is in the right place. The culture is ambiguous, one side is cool, the other side is fake. I have a love/hate relationship with Dubai; it is progressive yet repressed simultaneously.
Is there anything you are currently working on/involved with that is fresh and would like to share
with us? Recently helped a friend launch a website called The Sound Gaarden (www.thesoundgaarden.com). A platform for promoters and local artists & bands to connect and make magic happen.
Name some of your favorite music artists. Phish, Debashish Bhattacharya, Bonobo, Groundation, Fela Kuti, Derek Trucks, Lettuce, Snarky Puppy, Club D'elf.
Which fictional character do you identify most with? Mr.Hanky, the Christmas poo.
Marianne Zammaria
A post producer by day and a photographer by night, Marianne moved to Dubai from Lebanon 2 years ago. Hoping to do photography full time in the near future, Marianne is currently working on her photography portfolio that will feature rockstars, models & food (you can check out her stuff at http://www.mariannezammaria.com/) and is also the talent behind the camera for this series of Karak Heads!
Why should you be chosen for the Karak Heads campaign? My family name is awesome. I have a rock n’ roll scar, named Slash, on top of my lip (a drum kit fell on my face). I can re-‐organize the remaining pizza crust in the shape of a full pizza slice. If that’s not Humans of Karak material, then I don’t know what is.
Everything in moderation? - agree or disagree? Explain. EVERYTHING?! No...never. There’s no use of living a life in utter moderation. All the good things should be celebrated outrageously. Pain, anger, sadness, alcohol and funny substances, now, those are things that should be dealt with in moderation.
What would you do differently if you knew no one would judge you? Probably eat my own weight in fries.
What is Dubai to you? How would you define the ‘local’ culture? Dubai is the equivalent of a comfy high-end cocoon. A temporary home where you get to be recklessly pampered. A place that vibrates with opportunities, and positive energy. The ‘local’ culture is based on a mishmash of languages, flavors, musicality and dreams.
Amirah Tajdin
And last, but definitely not least, our final Karak Head of this series is Kenyan artist and filmmaker, Amirah Tajdin. Traveling between Nairobi, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Dubai, this multi-talented artist dabbles in everything from fashion, music, documentaries, short films and commercial projects. Her latest short film, Marea de Tierra, was premiered at the Cannes Director's Fortnight as well as at the Sundance Film Festival. To see more of Amirah’s work, check out: http://amirahtajdin.com/ (she also clearly does not like answering questionnaires in much detail....)
Is there anything you are currently working on/involved with that is fresh and would like to share with us? https://vimeo.com/102048513
Favorite local eatery and/or meal & drink? China Sea
If you had the chance, what would be your ultimate creation? Taking photos with my eyes
If you could travel to any one destination today, where would you go? Neptune’s Kingdom and party with Pincoya
What are three of your favorite cartoons or anime series? Bojack Horseman, The Jetsons, Bobs Burgers