What’s On profiles John Morales  (M&M Productions, BBE Records) the New York disco legend as he plays at Story Rooftop Lounge.

Also this weekend…
– James Zabiela at Nasimi
– Kry Wolf at Dek On 8
– Radio Slave at Blue Marlin

In a class of his own, New York disco legend John Morales (M&M Productions, BBE Records) drops back into Dubai with three decades of the finest funk, disco and house. Our friends at Hype caught up with him…

– “My DJing started when I was young. My father owned a bar, and when they took the jukebox out, he asked me to play music. I was maybe 12 and used an old box record player that played 45s, and I continued through my youth in small bars and clubs.”

– “The vibe and the feeling is lost in today’s music. While there are some good things being done today, they just don’t carry the soul of what we were doing back in the day.”

– “I’m always feeling challenged and motivated. I think it’d be hard if I just worked on one style all the time. Today I could go down to the studio and work on an acoustic ballad; tomorrow I could work on a big dance record. I love what I do and it’s a different challenge every day.”

– “I really don’t see myself as a ‘legend’ and when people ask for a photo or an autograph, I feel kind of weird. It was weird to Google myself one day and find all of these articles and see myself on Wikipedia and everything.”

–  “I’ve been a fan of all types of music all my life. I’m sure that fact has helped me appreciate so many different styles of music and apply different things to my work. You can’t be close minded or shallow.”

– “I always loved music and, like many frustrated musicians, used to play the guitar. I was gonna be the next Jimi Hendrix. Guess that didn’t happen, so I constantly looked for ways to get into music.”

– “One time I remember rushing something out because I was sick and it became a Top 10 track in the UK. I couldn’t believe it. I went to the UK and worked there for quite a while after that. Maybe I should get sick more often.”

– “I try for every party I play at to give everyone the best experience and the best music. I don’t care if it’s for ten or 10,000 people.”

– “I don’t want to be thought of as that guy that just did stuff back in the day, with a disco ball spinning and John Travolta standing in the middle of the floor. I mix in stuff that I appreciate and love.”

Dust presents John Morales, Story Rooftop Lounge, Behind Zayed University, Dubai Media City. Thursday, 8pm to 3am. Free before 10pm, Dhs100 afterwards. Metro: Nakheel