But after a transient and sometimes infrequent existence, the iconic Dubai clubbing ‘brand’ is enjoying life in its permanent address.
It’s been almost a case of ‘if it matters to you, you’ll find and follow it’.
So, in almost typical fashion it’s first permanent home is inside a discreet space at the rear of an Al Barsha hotel.
A fashionable black facade greets visitors and the hotel website gives no clues.
So far, so hidden away...
Such things might be deemed a set-back, but you sense the music aficionado has in some ways battled the odds since beginning his crusade to bring big names and alternative sounds to Dubai that might otherwise have merely transited through.
This evolution from wandering music fixture to fixed music venue seems to have gone rather smoothly.
The venue - previously occupied by Casa Latina - is a decent size without being a warehouse, spread over two zones.
A bar lines one wall of a mostly standing area with a partial wall defining that zone and the main music area.
Here you’ll find a stage that has performers at audience level and a smartly designed DJ ‘booth’ that lowers into place when musicians aren’t in action.
Another aspect returning Analog Room regulars will find is a menu - and not just bar snacks. Everything from on-trend healthy salads to an Analog Room signature curry and one of the tastiest servings of filet mignon this writer has enjoyed is served by a dedicated kitchen.
The main area is set up with white clothed tables to give the place an edgy Ronnie Scott’s vibe.
That said, once the evening gets going you can’t help but take in the scene and wonder if you’re not in New York or London - this is anything but a typical Dubai club or bar...
Mehdi takes up the story of Analog Room via our Q&A...
“This was always our dream to build a cultural hub for artists and likeminded people to have their sacred space to gather, socialise and express themselves. It is very important for any cultural hub to have its own space that allows independent programming. There are not many places in town that offer a quality standard and stand for a type of entertainment. One of the big problems with bars and clubs is that they don’t stand under a certain flag and they all fade out without any identity. One night is HipHop, one night techno, including ladies nights and brunches. That’s why venues with a certain sound sustained better.”
What prompted the move to this location in particular and what were the requirements in your search for a permanent space?
"Size and location definitely was the big deal for us. This hotel is the perfect size, in the perfect area. Also having its own door in the street and not related to a hotel makes it very special.
Now we have the luxury of being in charge of all the programming. Also with the setup and productions. Everything is a part of Analog Room here and it is us. Also being able to have more time to programme and cover the ideas that we always had but could not fit in our weekly nights."
How important is the food offering to analog room’s new set-up and business plan?
"We are a nightclub by weekend and bar-café by week. We had to have different types of F&B presented through different programmes through the week and with the complete kitchen that Ibis offered us, we had no excuse but to develop a tailor-made food menu of our own. Siamak Amidi has designed the food menu with a lot of attention to detail and research, which reflects the quality of his work as the artistic director of Analog Room, but this time in the kitchen."
Word of mouth has been a strong part of drawing audiences to analog room - has that continued with the new venue?
"Yes. We are vey lucky to have our following and to be the place for the ones who know. Getting into the PR and marketing game for us is very hard and takes away from the magic of what we do. We prefer to not be just one of the many ads in a magazine. We prefer to be the place you would want to go because your friends said it was great."
"Very good. We got so many good feedback and it was overwhelming to hear everyone complimenting the decision we made. We are so happy to have some great people around our city.
The only thing makes us be able to do such a project is our establishment and support we get. From industry to agents, suppliers and definitely people. We use all in our power to make magical thing in a very humble environment."
How important is analog club to locally-based talent and how important is that locally based talent potentially to the development of analog room?
"We are programing evening for young and break through artists to come and express their art through our stage. This will help people to be able to participate and inspire others and get inspired themselves.
Analog Room always worked as an institute; for the people close to it or people on the other side of the world. People who worked closely from the beginning now have their own thing going on and took it to the next stage - Analog Room being the place for them to learn experience and inspire. We get emails from Iran, India and South Africa - fans who appreciate the content we present in our space and online. This means a lot and we are there for them as they are always around to help make this go further day by day."
Would you say there is more of a need now for somewhere like Analog Room in a place like Dubai where influential music (either live or via a DJ) is often in short supply?
"The need of art is directly in relation to the existence of it. If it's out there, it will find a place to be heard. We believe there is a minor industry for such environments that can get very crowded just by the hype, but you need more than that. Analog Room is a gateway for people to start letting better content through their mediums.; talented and smart people who can recognise art from business. Past years have been better and so many more people in town are looking for such natural and urban spaces - not a café that looks like a German beer bar."
What is the balance of live music versus DJs in the new Analog Room?
"We always try our best to present lots of live content in electronic music and other instrumental genres. The balance is more towards DJs as there are less local live acts, and flying in a live performer is definitely costly, but we have a couple of electronic dance music live acts each month and a few instrumental ones."
"The philosophy behind a higher stage is that people far from it will be able to see the artist perform. This is a small room venue and parties are more like a house party and that’s what makes it special. To have someone like A Guy Called Gerald, who usually plays for thousands of people, perform for 150…it’s exclusive. Artist like to be in the middle of the club and within the crowd."
How has the music policy evolved since Analog Room first began?
"We actually started very edgy and made no compromise. We wanted to lead and not follow what the city is interested in. It was all about delivering what we called ‘real’ so we did and that was the difference people found. To this day it is very important who performs and this is not the stage for people to do their first gig. At Analog Room we are responsible for presenting cutting edge content that is very hot right now, not yesterday. Now we have more days and we try our best to do much more every day."
Is the music policy broader now you are in a new venue and have more Analog Room nights to programme? Presumably having a full-time venue rather than one-off nights gives you a lot more scope for including more variety or styles of music.
"Definitely, As you know we do present experimental jazz, groove, Hop and more on other days of the week. Just stay tuned and you get most of the good stuff that our city has to offer."
DETAILS:
TO find out who is on their way to Analog Room, click on www.analogroom.com