Electric Pawn Shop continues its streak of culturally-fueled sessions designed to defy traditional nightlife and entertainment expectations the city has been used to. The award-winning Asian Mediterranean bar restaurant proudly presents Pawn Star All Star Weekender that features masters in music and bartending from vinyl broker Viktor Kiswell on October 30; your favorite DJ’s favorite DJ, Lefto on November 4; hip hop veteran, DJ Amir on November 5; and cocktail designer, spirits writer and amaro expert, Matteo Zed on November 6.
VIKTOR KISWELL – Sunday, October 30
Under the iconic “No Requests” sign at Electric Pawn Shop sits the DJ booth of co-owner and turntable genius, Lobito Brigante. Behind this, he houses over 2,000 vinyl records, a humble library taken from his full compilation of 23,000. Guests that have been inspired to start or expand on their collection can now get the opportunity to purchase directly from no other than the legendary Victor Kiswell who will be bringing shelves-worth of vinyl records to Electric Pawn Shop on October 30 for a pop-up from 6:00pm to 9:00pm and a live set from 9:00pm.
Kiswell is a man of many facets, each one deeply rooted in a fervent passion for music and vinyl. For more than 15 years Kiswell has been providing the most extraordinary cuts to producers such as Q-tip, Francois K, Andres, collectors and filmmakers. While he’s not in the quest of dusty crates in Egypt, Lebanon, India and Colombia he operates his online shop from his apartment in Barcelona.
This passion soon became his business. He began selling second-hand records to dealers and collectors from his home in his 20’s, and now runs a website offering a large catalogue of finds, including, but not limited to, Bollywood, library music and early electro. His hunt for rarities is chronicled on Vinyl Bazaar, a documentary series that sees him travelling to unexplored locations around the world. More recently he’s been sharing his finds on his monthly NTS show A Kiss In Your Ear, as well as through his contributions to the musical time machine Radiooooo.com, which he founded with friends in Paris.
LEFTO – Friday, November 4
After a crowd-pleasing set, DJ Lefto is back to take over the decks of Electric Pawn Shop on November 4. Lefto whom Fact! Magazine described as “your favourite DJ’s favourite DJ”, affiliated with Brownswood Recordings, Blue Note, !K7 Records, is one of the most significant tastemakers Europe has to offer. This bearded early riser is consistently a couple steps ahead of your average early adopter. He doesn’t wait for the next thing to land on his lap, he actively seeks it out. Just take a peek at his playlists on Belgium’s foremost national radio station Studio Brussels which received compliments from Rough Trade Shops, Gilles Peterson and has featured on MTV Hive.
DJ AMIR – Saturday, November 5
Another music A-lister is geared up for a night to remember at Electric Pawn Shop on November 5. Amir Abdullah is part of hip hop history as a sample excavator, music historian, compilation curator and DJ who’s already acknowledged alongside some of his childhood heroes. One of the few hip hop veterans who is simultaneously an artist and an executive, Amir Abdullah continues to expose and celebrate a seemingly inexhaustible back catalogue of music for the benefit of sample-spotters, dancers, music nerds and adventurous music lovers. For the past 13 years Amir Abdullah has been blessed to tour the world extensively, first as one half of the trailblazing DJ duo Kon and Amir. Currently, Amir Abdullah tours internationally and runs his own label, 180 Proof Records.
MATTEO ZED – Sunday, November 6
Co-owner of Electric Pawn Shop, Lynn Lin is the mastermind behind Electric Bing Sutt, the first Middle Eastern venue to be recognized by World’s 50 Best Bars in 2019. As part of her commitment to bringing the best of bar experiences to the region, Electric Pawn Shop will be hosting Matteo Zed, a world-renowned bartender who ranked 77th in The World’s 50 Best Bars in 2022 and was named 2013’s Best Italian Bartender Abroad by publication, Bargiornale. He is also the bar manager of The Court in Rome, touted as the home of cocktail culture rebirth. The amaro evangelist will be serving his sought-after creations of Italian-made bitters on November 6 from 8:00 pm until drinks are sold out.
Spinning alongside these masters is Lobito Brigante and ensuring the Electric Pawn Shop’s signature hospitality is on point is Lynn Lin. This winning combination and talent from both entrepreneurs have sealed the venue’s reputation as an unmissable trailblazer in the cut-throat nightlife industry of the UAE.
Entry is free across all nights, so it is recommended to make reservations by emailing ask@electricpawnshop.com or by calling 0505865510 after 4:00pm. To know more, visit www.electricpawnshop.com.
