The World of Raisani

“Having launched UAE’s first independent record label Raisani Records is just one of the many talents attributed to Haneef Al Raisi. Rabiah M. talks to this workaholic and dynamic entrepreneur about Raisani Records, Raisani Entertainment, Raisani Foundation, Raisani Retail & Raisani Hair Salon’s; this is the world of Raisani.”

He could be labelled as the first entrepreneur who dared to experiment into a not so traditional music business in the Middle East, he has revolutionised the Gulf music market by introducing Soul, House and Dance music. He could also be called as the ‘Middle East Godfather of House Music’, Haneef Al Raisi is a home grown Emirati who has brought UAE to an international scale when it comes to launching his record company ‘Raisani Records’.  He is a household name for producing excellent music and his business ventures branch out beyond musicology. His modesty and straightforward attitude are what best describe him. He is thankful to God as he believes he is a gift from God for his parents since he was a child, he is a record label executive, an entrepreneur, and philanthropist during the day and by night he is a DJ/Producer. “All glory is to God, I am just glad he’s blessed me with being able to do so much in life with different roles. I am proud to run Dubai’s premiere independent House record label and I am also in the early stages of developing the Raisani Foundation.”
Being blessed with talent for carrying out several ventures at once, Haneef is not afraid to dream, he is not afraid to mould his ideas into reality. Having artistic abilities and having a very optimistic personality allows him to work harder and he attempts to always be ahead of the game.
His ambitions are not only to do his best at what he does but also to make change and to leave a legacy, to make it easier for the next generation and to empower the people who create.
Golden 5 years- the album

This is the latest compilation that Haneef has finished producing and mixing earlier this year; this is a celebration of their fifth anniversary of the brand Raisani. It holds a special place in his heart; as he goes on to explain: “It is the first compilation that has a collection of our best releases from my two record labels Raisani & Deeper Sounds of Raisani. The package has been done in a special manner with an eight page booklet with photographs and some information on the organisation. “I am very excited about this project and our team has given into every detail from the music selection, artwork and packaging. I just can’t wait till it hit’s the stores globally in 2009.
This compilation is very personal to me; it is an extension of what I am all about musically and what we do as a label. I am very proud of this release.”
French orgasm- oh la la

At first it may sound very thought provoking and very outrageously conceptualized but Haneef puts these doubts to rest when he explains the track itself has no lyrics and it’s purely instrumental based on the sound of drums, guitars, bass and other instruments. ‘We wanted people to question why came up with such a title and honestly I don’t have an answer and we prefer to keep people guessing. I wouldn’t say it is controversial, it is simply a catchy title.” Surprisingly, the track received an enormous positive feedback, it was number one in several download charts for weeks and was played by every renowned DJ globally. “We were sold out with our first vinyl pressing within days of it’s release and as a rule we never go to press after the first run to keep it exclusive.”

Music scene in UAE

Haneef believes the music scene in UAE is doing pretty well and the word is spreading around the world for Dubai being a great destination to play for DJ’s. Undoubtedly it is considered as one of the most happening destinations among the others such as: Ibiza and Miami. He points out that some of the clubs who comprehend the real House music are doing a great job and even few of the promoters are bring up some quality DJ’s in town. Despite talent being available, the most important factor in helping local talents was good marketing, promotion and good PR, this has been achieved by Haneef’s brand as they are currently working with local producers and DJ’s, their work is then distributed globally.

On the go

Multi-tasking is a very normal task for Haneef, he manages to keep up with the pace of his businesses, but all good work is produced by not only motivation but in his case, it is passion and love, this he accounts as the ‘soul-food’ that keeps one doing what one loves doing.

The energetic Al-Raisi is very inspired by several kinds of people, firstly they are his favorite artists, these would include the likes of legends such as: the late Michael Jackson (R.I.P), The Late Larry Levan, The Late Mel Cheren, The Late James Brown, Prince, MFSB and many others. Secondly, in terms of business, he regards entrepreneurs such as Warren Buffet, Richard Branson, The Late Howard Hughes, The Late Napoleon Hill and Donald Trump as his mentors. Thirdly, when it comes to spiritual strength, he is truly touched by people like Deepak Chopra, Dalai Lama and Sun Tzu.

A Good Entrepreneur

He believes it is all about being able to tell what makes money and what does not. A good entrepreneur can tell a good idea from a bad one in a second.  He emphasizes: “ Some people who call themselves ‘ entrepreneurs’ think that business is all about making money but in reality, it is not the amount of money that you have that is vital, it’s what you do with the money you have and how good investment you make with that money.”

The key ingredients to a successful entrepreneur as per Haneef are passion, good contacts, perseverance and more over believing in you.

The big U turn

In 2001, Haneef moved to the Virgin Megastore as the regional head buyer for the music department. It was at this point when he found it hard to get decent music in UAE, he thought of importing all major independent record labels direct to Virgin stores as the local distributors didn’t want to take the risk, so in November 2002, Pure Multimedia Ltd was created as a sister company to Virgin, this was later changed to Daxar Music in early 2003. He recollects how strenuous it became for him as he was doing two full time jobs: “It was a bit of hell for me but I loved all that hard work and working long hours, it was the whole excitement of meeting people from the industry worldwide. I had the opportunity to attend music conferences around the world from Popkomm in Germany, Midem in France, Sonar in Spain and WMC in USA to getting in touch with thousands of labels around the globe and bringing all those good music that you see in UAE today.

Time out

When Haneef gets the opportunity to get some time off his hectic schedule, he manages to do island hopping in the Mediterranean and in winter he loves to relax in the Swiss Alps with his friends. “If I am in the Emirates, then I prefer relaxing at my farm house in Al Ain with friends or touring the islands in Abu Dhabi sailing.”

Soul/ funk culture

The soul funk culture has been influential for Haneef, this has played a role in helping him set up his record label. He narrates the story in a very chronological order: “It was back in the 80’s, when I was a kid residing in Al Ain. I was instantly turned on by what I had heard on the radio and it so happened that my friends at the school were listening to the same genre. I’d have to say that the late 80’s Soul/Funk culture as a whole had a marvelous influence on me. As silly as it might sound, I still find myself tapping my foot to the sounds of James Brown and Michael Jackson cuts. However, there have been other artists who I have been influenced by too; these would consist of Reggae legends: Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Sade & Aretha Franklin, the list is simply endless.

International artist

Haneef’s list of international artists may mount up to over hundreds who he would love to work with. Amongst them is the legendary artist Michael Jackson, who recently passed away. Haneef chose to list him first as he says it is a dream working with an artist of such a talent and caliber. When he first started his label, he imagined working with legendary Tom Moulton who reinvented the ‘remix’ and the ‘12 inch vinyl’ and also invented ‘the break’ into a song.

Raisani Foundation

This is a new project that has been initiated to support children who are suffering from natural diseases, disasters and children in need of basic education. Despite the foundation hasn’t officially launched, Haneef has always wanted to help people and he considers this as a moral duty to support the ones who don’t get to see the light of the day. He describes the significance of this project: “ We have done a few fundraising events since 2005 and that has raised funds for the UNICEF Dubai but when I retire then the foundation is the only thing I will be concentrating on the rest of my life, helping others, especially children. We have even finished recording an album especially for the foundation which we release once the foundation is launched and all the revenue will go to the foundation to support various causes.”

Designer World

There is more to add to Haneef’s many businesses that are setting off, they are interlinked, he ventured into the world of designing outfit, he has focused on the ‘elegant’ concept for real people. “We are becoming more of a lifestyle brand rather than just a music or events business. Fashion had deep connections with music and I would love to connect my brand with several other things such as: boutique, hotels, hair salons, accessories, perfumery and other things. I share a passion for fashion and one day I would follow the footsteps of Armani, YSL, Versace, Zegna and others.”

2009: Big Year

This is a big year for the world of Raisani Record as they have jus celebrated five years of the brand and with the brand new website launched, new compilations, world tour, parties all around the globe, big singles from world famous producers and artists, there is no stopping for the events and happenings taking place for the label.

Future Ventures

Just when you thought fashion would be the last stop for the young, hip and workaholic Haneef, you are wrong, he is launching the Raisani Hair Salon chain in August in Dubai followed by Abu Dhabi. “ I am working on quite a few things which are all big to me but the focus is my own clothing line and a concept lifestyle Boutique which is going be one of its kind, hopefully in the world. We have also moved into the retail business with textile chains and slowly into the clothing chain. Earlier this year I started an imports/exports business and we have quite a few products lined up to be launched in October and later this year we are launching a new brand of Mobile phone which I am really excited about.”