Cromwell Ojeda is a mainstay of the UAE music scene who has earned his stripes several times over, clocking gigs with as many as 30 different bands.
But the multi-instrumentalist's greatest contribution is probably still to come, after the release of his woozy electronic outfit Muhaisnah Four's debut album, A Memoir – which will be performed live for the first time tomorrow at d3 (Dubai Design District).
The unveiling comes less than two years after Ojeda uploaded the album's opening track, Home, to YouTube. The dreamy, electro-pop instrumental was accompanied by an arty, black and white, slo-mo skateboard video that encapsulates the track's sense of naive, natural wonder.
At that time, Ojeda was searching for a name to release the tune under and, flustered, plumped for the Deira neighbourhood he then called home. He had zero idea Muhaisnah Four would grow into a live outfit with enough buzz to share a bill with hip-hop heavyweights Earl Sweatshirt and Danny Brown, as he will at tomorrow’s concert, part of Dubai’s first Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) Weekender.
“I was just looking for a name for the website, somewhere I could dump all my music, photos and everything under one brand,” says the Filipino musician, who now lives in Al Nada 2. “Maybe I should have thought about it a little more.”
Such an oblique yet specific name is oddly appropriate for Muhaisnah Four’s music – slow, big-hearted, uncluttered pop songs built on fuzzy layers of spacey, sun-kissed synthesisers, beats and guitars. When the sporadic vocals arrive, they are another instrument amid the blur.
Loosely tagged in the “chillwave” bracket, it is a compelling sound, but far from Ojeda’s only voice. Muhaisnah Four is one of five musical projects he is currently involved in – which include playing drums in punk and hard-rock bands, guitar in instrumental post-rock outfit We Left As Humans, which released a debut album in December, and bass in long-standing rock juggernauts Juliana Down.
Also a father-of-three, who works full-time as a designer, Muhaisnah Four grew out of his desire to create a self-sustainable solo voice. A true bedroom project, Ojeda played and produced every note on A Memoir, with just three guest vocalists brought in for the handful of vocal tracks.
“I created this project because I didn’t want all the hassle of scheduling practices, managing bandmates’ family and work,” says Ojeda. Ironically at d3, Cromwell will lead a six-piece band, while previous gigs – which have included warming up for electronic trailblazers Dâm-Funk and Daedelus – have offered a mix of quartets, trios, duos and solo shows.
“I wanted a set-up I could do on my own, with nothing but a synthesiser and a sampler that I could fit inside one bag,” he says. “Now, I don’t know what happened to this project.”
Ojeda is still able to strip the music back down for solo engagements at intimate spaces, such as art galleries. But at such moments he is most definitely not a DJ, and while it might be electronic music, his is of the decidedly warm, woozy, sentimental kind. Tellingly, the album's song titles are often highly evocative, single words likely to conjure deep but diverse emotional reactions in listeners: Summer, Sunrise, Heart or Home.
After spending more than two-thirds of his life here, Ojeda empathically calls the UAE home. Born in the Philippines, his family moved to Dubai when he was 11. It was summer, and with two months before the school term started, Ojeda’s dad bought him and his brother a cheap acoustic guitar and Beatles songbook.
Within a year he was entertaining classmates. He learnt to play the drums from watching a cousin play Jimi Hendrix covers on holiday in the Philippines.
“Back then there was no tabs, no tutorial videos, no internet,” Ojeda says. “You had to really listen.”
Working through dozens of bands in his teens and 20s, Ojeda played guitar and bass in Sandwash, a spiky punk-rock band formed in 2002 among the first wave of original acts in the UAE, and experimental-dub quintet DubHigh. Now, he is also founder of The Board, a collective of electronic musicians, producers and beat makers in Dubai, who meet regularly and organise gigs.
“Personally, I find it hard to play in just one genre – if I do, within six months I’m bored,” says Ojeda. “If I’m playing punk and have a riff that doesn’t fit that band, I feel bad that it’s going to get thrown away – so I keep on creating new bands.
“I’m never in two bands of the same genre – it’s not healthy for the scene, or myself. This is a more productive way to contribute to the growth of the music scene – to keep creating music that nobody else is doing, that’s what excites me.”
rgarratt@thenational.ae
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
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The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
LUKA CHUPPI
Director: Laxman Utekar
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana
Rating: 3/5
