A pioneer of minimal techno and micro house, Chilean-born and German-raised DJ Ricardo Villalobos is widely regarded as one of the kings of the underground. Now clubbers in Dubai can discover for themselves why his sets have become the stuff of legend when Villalobos heads up the Cocoon party making its way to Groove On The Grass.

Billed as Cocoon Dubai, the mini festival at Emirates Golf Club sees Villalobos headline alongside Romanian jock Raresh on Friday, December 13.

Villalobos is celebrated in the underground dance scene for pushing the boundaries, and mixing up contemporary and classic sounds. Describing his sets, musical director of London club Fabric and fellow DJ Craig Richards said: “When Ricardo plays he’s like a flood: overwhelming and impossible to contain. I consider him to be an incredible DJ. Great DJs make other people’s records their own, but still allow them to remain powerful. It’s a real skill to let the music breathe. Deep techno, soulful house, Latin rhythms, classical music and abrasive experimental electronica are all played with confidence in a style that’s truly his own.”

The techno artist just recently put a twist on Royal, a dubby, jazz-flecked, loping techno workout by Royal Dust. Out on Berlin’s Haunt Music, Ricardo’s mix brightens up the original by bringing a vibrant bass guitar riff to prominence, sending strung-out horns and wispy atmospherics into the mix. Check it out for where he’s at stylistically right now and mark his Dubai debut in your diary.

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Meanwhile, Underground techno party Analog Room are firing on all cylinders for the club’s approaching first anniversary. Fresh from hosting A Guy Called Gerald for a special five-hour set recently, the Analog guys are bringing over Move D from Germany and the UK’s Mr G for the birthday bash on November 28.

Move D’s records with partner Jonas Grossmann, as Deep Space Network, and his own solo releases continuously challenge techno’s limits. And Mr G brings spade loads of funk – check his epic Boiler Room gig for proof – injecting the spirit of James Brown into his chugging techno sets.

The Q, Holiday Inn, Al Barsha
Metro: Sharaf DG. 
10pm to 3am.
Dhs75, ladies free before midnight. 
analogroom.com