James De Valera, aka Break DJ Lobito, a famed music curator and
supporter of vinyl culture, and also street art here in the MENA region brought
along more than just a bag full of records, he initiated an innovative idea of
‘Art After Dark’.
Break DJ Lobito at his best
Being recently counted amongst the top 5 DJs worldwide and
having entertained massive crowds of at least 37,000 people at once, De Valera
eagerly took over the DJ job at No 5 Lounge & Bar in the prestigious
Ritz-Carlton Hotel, situated within the bustling Dubai International Financial
Centre (DIFC).
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| No 5 Lounge & Bar in the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Dubai |
After closely working as
the co-organizer of the DIFC Art Nights, where the galleries host daily open music
evenings and entertain guests with great tunes and food, De Valera was sparked
with an ingenious idea of further lengthening the area of the outdoor terrace and
thus conceptualizing the idea for Art After Dark.
What casually began as
the official after-party for DIFC Art Nights, has now turned into an every
Sunday evening event where in an artist exhibits his or her work and partakes
in a live performance. De Valera, also provides a kind of artistic compilation
for the schedule of events. When asked about how he would explain himself as an
artist he states, “I’ve never been the kind of DJ that plays to the crowd or
goes down the commercial road, so I have quite a bit of artistic integrity
about what I do. I felt that The Ritz-Carlton has always supported art and
culture so it was a good match.”
The Sunday evenings at
the Ritz-Carlton are drowned in an inspiring creative energy as every week, De
Valera chooses a new artist who is allotted the terrace to be used as a gallery
space for hosting a solo exhibition in which the artist can display his or her
artwork that allows a portrayal of his or her artistic flare, and is also expected
to perform a live piece for the guests as an extension of their artistic
expression. The emphasis of the Art After Dark event is principally on street
art and aerosol artists as De Valera feels they are often represented with bias.
“What’s interesting about
aerosol and street art is that galleries often bunch artists together without
letting their individual talent show. We want to show the whole history and
culture of street art and celebrate its temporary nature by having the show go
up and down in one day”, expresses De Valera when asked about what his vision
is behind the Art After Dark concept.
De Lavera also goes by
his moniker; “Melancholy” claims the Art After Dark show being his first solo
debut as an artist, which overwhelmed him into giving his best performance. The
artist has received a fine arts degree from the Philippines and expresses that
street and aerosol art is good for him and most of his work is greatly inspired
from the hip-hop culture. He says, “I was into a Surrealist style, so I still
use that but now I work it in with calligraphy and letters. I’m definitely
happy to show my work and I think this event is a great idea for people like
me.”
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| De Lavera aka Break DJ Lobito |
He has also
started laying the groundwork for his first every begun documentary project
where in he aims to explore and display how the regional youth express
themselves through art, music and dance, while focusing on the street
subcultures which have rapidly surfaced over the past few years and continue to
grow everyday. Also, recently he co-founded Raqs Records, which happens to be a Dubai-based record label committed
to quality music.
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