In Partnership with
In Partnership with
Artist, Sound of Dunes
Special K (Mohammed Kamal - 1985) known in the desert as Papa Kamal, born and raised in Lattakia, Syria only moving to Dubai in 2011. He has played a major role in the underground scene in the region from initiating the very first musical gatherings of their kind in Syria in 2003 and bringing it all the way to Dubai in 2013 by Co-founding (Desert Dream Community). This community was inspired by the burning man and other festivals of its kind. He carried out this vision deep in the desert away from the hustle and bustle of the city and in between the dunes. With time he became the key player in the city focused on electronic music festivals, he created and collaborated with most successful festivals (Desert Dream - Elements - Kaynouna- Eunoia- Sandance….. etc.) around the Middle East.
Musically, Special K has always been a pioneer searching and spreading knowledge of the most innovative trends on electronic music, applying a meticulous musical choice on his sets, crossing styles of House and Techno music, traveling from Oriental / Downtempo, Organic house to Progressive/ Melodic rhythm cause he goes with the flow and has on occasion gone on to play for 24hrs straight, although always with surprising with a complex musical selection. Very rhythmic, full of groove and energy.
He mostly performed during events/ festivals which he either created from the ground up or participated in to assist the organizers. He preferred to be behind the scenes which helped him be more creative till the pandemic (Covid-19) showed up , so he is one of the 1st who started live streaming through Desert Dream channel along with most talented local & international Djs.
From that day he decided to adapt and share his talent with the world, so he completed what he used to do with Desert Dream ( talent’s hunter ) and founded Trinity Festival along with Hot Air Balloon festival & Yalla Festival which already did few trials and are ready to be published once the restrictions are gone.
He streamed for many entities for human rights, Africa Children. As he did some live streams for HAB festival from the sky (Hot air balloon), Cafe De Anatolia from the desert and working on a few projects.
He was represented by Expo 2020 Dubai & the Syria Pavilion for a show called “The Lost Tale of Aqhat” , a journey of Oriental house fusions inspired by sounds from Ugarit 4000 BC and the Mediterranean sea.
Since his landmark performance at Expo 2020 Dubai, Special K has taken his unique fusion of oriental and organic house to international stages. He has played internationally captivating diverse audiences with his deep, culturally rich sound. Through these global appearances and continued community-building in the Middle East, Special K remains a driving force in shaping the region’s electronic music scene.
“IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, YOU CAN DO IT”
