People by Crystal Abu Dhabi has a new resident DJ. Yuri Omneari, who performs under the name DJ Neari, has been in the booth since the 1990s in his native France and the UK before recently venturing to the UAE.
Known for his deep and progressive house style, Omneari’s experience should keep the clubbers happy on a weekly basis. We caught up with him to find out about his inspirations.
My first musical memory was Jamiroquai in Verona in 2002. No words can describe this performance, you just had to be there. I am not sure if it was the Italian crowd but it was truly magical.
The first albums I brought were when I was six or seven years old. I broke my piggy bank to buy a double vinyl pack called Essential Best Slows. I remember the vinyl box was fluro-pink. Inside were songs by The Platters, Elvis Presley and some of the cheesiest music ever made. I was so young. The second and third albums I ever bought were Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet and De la Soul's De la soul is Dead. I was raised on hip-hop and was under the music's influence throughout my youth before I sharpened my ears to electronic music.
My very first DJ set was in a club and it was anything but planned. I was 17 years old and used to spend time at this club near my house, it was called Le Blue Night in Grenoble, France. One of the DJs was the son of the owner and a good friend of mine, he was sick and asked me to replace him behind the booth. I had been waiting for my first set in a club for so long and it was the greatest joy I had experienced. It was a Monday night and it was not meant to be busy but I couldn't care less, I gave it my all and my energy was into making these people dance. When I think about it, I must have been funny to watch. Two months later I had quit school and signed with the club. 20 years later I am still in the business.
My favourite musician is Papa Guyo. He was the drummer of Sly and The Family Stone. He also played in a band called Days of Wild. We played a show a few years ago on the beach in St Barth's.
A song I wish I wrote would be Bob Marley's Redemption Song. There are a lot of beautiful songs out there that I wish I had written and this the first one that comes to mind.
• People by Crystal Abu Dhabi is located in The Collection at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort. For details click here. For reservations call 050 826 9698
sasaeed@thenational.ae
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
GROUPS
Group Gustavo Kuerten
Novak Djokovic (x1)
Alexander Zverev (x3)
Marin Cilic (x5)
John Isner (x8)
Group Lleyton Hewitt
Roger Federer (x2)
Kevin Anderson (x4)
Dominic Thiem (x6)
Kei Nishikori (x7)
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Company%20Profile
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
