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Crisp sounds displayed, tweaked, collaged, and delectably consumed, stretch our ears to a vast hungering palette. Vibrations lead to the tingling mind’s inevitable response, guiding the body through its purity of sound. Hums and hisses are overshadowed by the DJ’s track. Lasers lights dance over the vast sweating fans. The floor is a rhythmic sea of flesh. Dance steps balanced by the DJ’s meticulous craft, as a wave of bodies succumbs to her vibrant enchanting mix, blending together as fans dance the night away.
“I discovered the artist in me on the dance floor…”
Nicole Moudaber, a world renowned DJ, holds true to the belief that the power of music brings us together as one. The beat of a drum, the very first instrument created by humans, remains at the heart of the music she creates and plays, while the diversity of her tastes, and her ability to create spellbinding club experiences, promote harmony on the dance floor.
Nicole moved to London in 2000 where she quickly integrated herself into the city’s club scene, becoming a promoter at Turnmills, holding her own party called ‘Soundworx’, which she started in Beirut. Her unrelenting desire to unite people through music couldn’t have been demonstrated more explicitly than her first party in Beirut. After the war in 1996 her “Trashy Renaissance” party was the first rave event of its kind and prompted her to bring out international DJs, including Paul Van Dyk and Anthony Pappa for the first time to the Middle East. Moudaber describes her first party as: “I threw it in the middle of Beirut city in the vicinity of a mosque and a cathedral, it was meant to defy the notion of hatred and prove we can do it together (the new generation) through music.”
The next step was to express her passion for music through production as she attended world-renowned music school Point Blank to learn the basics. From that point, she remixed Carl Cox ‘Chemistry’, which stayed in the techno charts on Beatport for three months and won her an IDMA Award in 2012. Carl Cox tipped off DJ Mag in 2009, calling her “the most underrated DJ.”
In the years since that record hit the charts, Nicole’s career trajectory has been swift and steep. She has travelled the globe playing everywhere from intimate basement venues to large stages at festivals such as Exit, Glastonbury, WMC, Time Warp, Electric Daisy Carnival, Awakenings and many of the world’s most renowned electronic music spaces. She also curates her own MoodRAW events, taking clubbing back to those grimy, raw spaces where it first started, as well as the more intimate In The MOOD parties, which have included annual sold out showcases at WMC in Miami and BPM in Mexico.
She is a regular at Carl Cox’s legendary Revolution night in Ibiza, as well as being welcomed into the Circoloco family at the seminal DC10. Her performances are full of passion and drama, cultivating musical journeys designed to reach her audience on a deeper level and make each individual’s experience a memorable one.
Away from the touring Nicole has established her label, Mood Records, as a go-to platform for any self-respecting techno fan. Releases have come from a long list of techno heroes, including Carl Cox, Stacey Pullen, Joel Mull and Carlo Lio. Remix work and originals have all cemented her reputation for high quality production, which is clearly evident on her collaboration with Skin from Skunk Anansie.
In the MOOD, a radio show, which is produced by the same team who work on shows with Carl Cox and Adam Beyer, airs on 55 FM stations worldwide and is available on Mixcloud every Wednesday, spreading her sound to millions of listeners around the globe.
Nicole Moudaber has become a contemporary icon. From her long, dark curly locks to her slamming techno sets and her intense, empowering performances, she truly stands in a class all of her own.
Moudaber is listed as a Resident Advisor Top 1000 artist. In 2015, she was ranked as the 100th best DJ in the world by the Resident Advisor top DJs poll.
She stands there above the crowds comprehending the subtlety of sound. Only a good DJ knows when to hold the beat and when to let go. Her mixes are not just music, they’re a vibe and when that bass drops, we come alive. With the synth and the snare, we are all transported into her world. Our minds are in her hands. Our bodies are slave to her beats demands. This is our one true escape and it’s entwined with her soul’s beating flow.
365 Days of Lebanon 
FOR THE RECORD, THE UNSUNG HEROES WHO SPREAD HOUSE MUSIC AROUND THE WORLD IN DANGEROUS PLACES BEFORE SUPERSTAR DJ’S DARED TO EVEN VENTURE THERE.
CASE STUDY: BERUIT, LEBANON April 1992
The induction of dance music (the term EDM did not exist then), house, hard house, acid house , goa trance and rave music to Lebanon was brought to Beirut in 1992 is really down to two gay British guys a couple (Graham & Dean) two guys who lived the 2nd summer of love 1987-89 they worked for the British Bank of the Middle East a subsidiary of HSBC they organised private themed non commercial house parties (they were free nobody paid to go in) in Mansourieh at their Villa in the mountains above Beirut from 1992 until 1996 helped by their close local friend the infamous Armenian photographer Avo Kendirjian this was (just two years after the civil war when there was only 7 Westerners working in the country at the time they arrived), the themes parties included a White party, an Ancient Egyptian party, a Made in Britain party, and an Over the Rainbow party and so on they were themselves involved in organising poly-sexual dance music events that shaped the promoters change of direction of the Kit Kat club Leeds to starting the influential club night in Leeds the notorious Vague nightclub the Beirut parties included DJ friends from Manchester and London UK who came over to visit them on holidays one of their friends included the Observer journalist Adrian Levy who they had been on holiday with in Goa, India of January 1992 those parties ceased as they were being under surveillance by the Lebanese secret police and they were tipped off by a diplomatic consul friend working at the German Embassy in Lebanon at the time the reason they survived that long was because those parties (which were wild) were attended by gay members of the European Diplomatic service working in Beirut who they were friends with and so the parties could not be raided they were also both members of influential Troll and Trade (nightclubs) in London known for Hard House and Techno DJ’s like Tony De Vit, Daz Saund and Smokin Jo and considered themselves Trade Babies it was them that brought dance music to Lebanon when everyone else was at the time was listening to easy Jazz at B 018 (which they went to) original club in Sin el Fil not the 2nd one that opened in Bourj Hammoud later and for the record Nichole Moudaber was a friend of an Armenian friend of theirs and she attended those parties before she became a DJ its these unsung heroes who opened up a different world to a country severely scared by war at the time brought a message of peace love and tolerance we should be thankful for them, for daring to stage events in highly dangerous places around the world at the time years before the arrival of superstar DJ’s.
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FOR THE RECORD, THE UNSUNG HEROES WHO SPREAD HOUSE MUSIC AROUND THE WORLD IN DANGEROUS PLACES BEFORE SUPERSTAR DJ’S DARED TO EVEN VENTURE THERE.
CASE STUDY: BERUIT, LEBANON April 1992
The induction of dance music (the term EDM did not exist then), house, hard house, acid house , goa trance and rave music to Lebanon was brought to Beirut in 1992 is really down to two gay British guys a couple (Graham & Dean) two guys who lived the 2nd summer of love 1987-89 they worked for the British Bank of the Middle East a subsidiary of HSBC they organised private themed non commercial house parties (they were free nobody paid to go in) in Mansourieh at their Villa in the mountains above Beirut from 1992 until 1996 helped by their close local friend the infamous Armenian photographer Avo Kendirjian this was (just two years after the civil war when there was only 7 Westerners working in the country at the time they arrived), the themes parties included a White party, an Ancient Egyptian party, a Made in Britain party, and an Over the Rainbow party and so on they were themselves involved in organising poly-sexual dance music events that shaped the promoters change of direction of the Kit Kat club Leeds to starting the influential club night in Leeds the notorious Vague nightclub the Beirut parties included DJ friends from Manchester and London UK who came over to visit them on holidays one of their friends included the Observer journalist Adrian Levy who they had been on holiday with in Goa, India of January 1992 those parties ceased as they were being under surveillance by the Lebanese secret police and they were tipped off by a diplomatic consul friend working at the German Embassy in Lebanon at the time the reason they survived that long was because those parties (which were wild) were attended by gay members of the European Diplomatic service working in Beirut who they were friends with and so the parties could not be raided they were also both members of influential Troll and Trade (nightclubs) in London known for Hard House and Techno DJ’s like Tony De Vit, Daz Saund and Smokin Jo and considered themselves Trade Babies it was them that brought dance music to Lebanon when everyone else was at the time was listening to easy Jazz at B 018 (which they went to) original club in Sin el Fil not the 2nd one that opened in Bourj Hammoud later and for the record Nichole Moudaber was a friend of an Armenian friend of theirs and she attended those parties before she became a DJ and was probably influenced after going to those parties therefore she did not introduce dance music to Lebanon solely its these unsung heroes who opened up a different world to a country severely scared by war at the time brought a message of peace love and tolerance we should be thankful for them, for daring to stage events in highly dangerous places around the world at the time years before the arrival of superstar DJ’s.
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Hello Dany, what a great story. Do you know where they are now and how I can contact them. Personally I’ve never heard of them, but I guess this was not around the time I started going out. If you know more about them now and how I can contact them that would be great.
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Graham and Dean unfortunately they separated after 22 years together in 2004 however they remained close friends I am still in touch with them Graham is now semi retired living in Manila, Philippines and Dean is Colombo Sri Lanka the time they spent in Lebanon emotionally shaped their character they still speak with extreme fondness of their experience in Beirut and rate it as probably the best place they have ever lived and worked in another eyeopening piece of information they were both in Dubai on business 2 years ago the bumped into the Armenian girlfriend I was talking about her name is Silva Kendimian they were staying at the Marriot Marquis and she was managing the Lebanese restaurant there they lost touch with each other in 2007 and reconnected 7 years later by a chance meeting she went into the entertainment hospitality industry herself and she admits that those parties they organized influenced her and her decision to move to Switzerland and then forge a new life for herself this is a link to an article that appeared in Time Out Dubai in 2011 for Karma Kafe an award winning venue she was involved in creating the concept for http://www.timeoutdubai.com/restaurants/features/22565-karma-kafe-wins-dubai-restaurant-award Silvia is the lady 3rd from the right in a 2 piece cream suit I will send an email to both of them and ask them if its okay they can be contacted and by they way congratulations to Nichole and the success she’s made of her life.
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Sorry in the link I meant third from the left not right
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