Inside 1001 Music Festival: A party like nothing you’ve seen before
Set against the Saudi desert, 1001 Music Festival brings together global electronic artists, regional talent and striking stage design for a stunning blend of music, culture and celebration
By Bea Isaacson
It’s Thursday night somewhere outside of Riyadh and DJ Snake is on the decks. The French-Algerian DJ is exuberant, he’s waving his arms in the air and speaking excitedly to the masses beneath him between track drops.
His energy is matched by the audience and eclipsed only by the huge stage design behind him, a mammoth creation of a Sultan’s palace, in which glitzy graphics are projected upon tiers of faux windows, as strobe lights illuminate the greatest stage production I’ve ever seen. Fireworks erupt scattering vivid colours into the dark night’s sky and the dancing bodies underneath cheer to his 2013 hit Turn Down For What. It’s the desert opulence of Aladdin meets the night-time rush of an All-American movie party scene.
Welcome to 1001, Saudi Arabia’s brand new EDM festival. Organised by MDLBEAST – that’s pronounced Middle Beast – it is a larger-than-life playground in which wildest imaginations are brought to life by astounding design. The two-day event is an extraordinary fusion of music and art that showcases international EDM and promotes regional artists, all while celebrating Saudi Arabian history and heritage, for a festival experience that feels otherworldly in scope and awing in achievement.
From food vendors repurposed to resemble ancient souks, to the giant Burning Man-style camel that greets attendees upon arrival, there is a real story-telling element to this dreamscape. “The inspiration came from our rich regional heritage, especially the timeless folktales that have shaped our identity for generations,” says MDLBEAST CEO Ramadan Alharatani.
“The stage design is next level,” says Brazilian DJ and producer Mochakk. “The thematic stage I played at with the big camel head on a huge ship was something else. And seeing how many people turned out and how much energy they brought to the dancefloor was amazing.”
MDLBEAST Chief Creative Baloo says it’s all about creating positive moments. “The fact that we can inspire this joy, in these numbers… That’s our objective. It’s cool seeing them interact with the stages, doing their thing, dressing how they want. It’s beautiful to see, because this is something that we used to travel to experience, but now we can experience at home.”
The line-up includes legends of the genre DJ Snake and Eric Prydz, up-and-coming names Mochakk and Nooriyah, and regional favourites Majid and Dish Dash. They play across four stages, all lushly designed and extravagantly detailed. It could slide into kitsch – and lose the effect entirely – if it all wasn’t so finely organised. There is a careful geometry to the design; there is control that underlies the all-encompassing energy of this new world. There is no rubbish on the floor, there are signposted women-only zones, and perhaps most noticeably from a British perspective, no one is drunk.
Like anyone that’s been to Glastonbury, I have long and smugly assumed I’ve experienced the absolute apex of the live music experience. And yet I’ve never felt anything like the vibe, the sound, and the audience energy of 1001.
“To me, this is probably my favourite festival of all the Middle East festivals,” says DJ and producer Sokkary. 1001 is “very electronic music focused, which is what I like, what a lot of people here in the country also like.” Sokkary, who owns a record label himself, joined the MDLBEAST team just over a year ago. “I’ve had this experience myself as an artist first, I’ve seen what they’re doing, and I follow it 200 percent.”
“To be able to connect these dots together, to be able to get that huge stage and present our brand with this line-up, it’s the perfect match. I don’t think it can get any more perfect than this for us.”
I arrive on the Thursday and head straight to Nooriyah’s set at the Qafilah stage. Playing upon a stage shaped like a ship towering above us, she takes her young and almost all Saudi audience through a world catalogue of tunes, from noughties classics to Latin hits. Weaving Arab sounds through the heart of it all, the Saudi-born, London-living DJ is the ultimate tapestry-spinner of global music, and the audience love her. Guys decked out in sunglasses and babushka-style scarves tongue-in-cheek belly dance, and girls swing their arms around each other.
“It was really fun,” says Nooriyah when I catch up with her after her set. She’s just flown in from playing at Coachella, and is, in her own words, knackered. “I have to say, this festival feels a little bit different sonically. So, I’m really excited to come back here.”
I tell her how much the crowd was loving her, and she beams. “I’m just an artist who loves music. I play all sorts. I just so happen to play music that, you know, has not been showcased in such a way on a global stage, and I think that’s what people gravitate towards,” she says. “I really love showcasing my culture, because it’s so rich, but honestly? I’m just an artist who loves music.”
Highlighting regional talent, whether raised in Saudi Arabia or across the Middle East, is crucial to Saudi-raised Baloo, who is also a DJ and label head. “When you create this petri dish for creativity, you start seeing abruptions of it from local thinkers, local minds, local musicians, people get really creative. There’s a lot of creative work that’s going to come out of Saudi. You’re starting to see it now.”
Baloo explains how this generation are experiencing a different country to the one he grew up in. “It’s really surreal to me,” he says. “I’m 47. I genuinely feel like I’m living in a very different place, I still have culture shock. Remember when we didn’t do this? It’s surreal. It’s almost like it was such a long time ago, this other version of home.”
Sure, the newness of live music in the country most definitely feeds the excitement, but there is a certain magic about the festival that commands you to lean into the sheer fun of it all. I’m most aware of it at R3HAB’s set, where the DJ remixes 2010s bangers that’ll make any millennial nostalgic for teenage parties. Around me, the 1001 party goers are enjoying themselves with an uncompromising love for music and a zest for a good time. I can’t help but join in. When R3HAB says jump, we jump. With glee. This is a collaborative experience. Gone are the curated poses and careful posturing of Coachella, the jaded head nodding and unbothered cigarette-rolling of London day festivals; in Saudi, underneath the festival lights and the desert stars, the country’s youth are laughing and dancing.
“Saudi Arabia is now the centre of the universe,” one attendee says to me excitedly. He laughs. “Well, at least- it should be!”
All images credited to 1001 Music Festival