Not many know him as Adnan, as he is famously known as Dany Neville in the UAE. A common name in households, he is definitely one of the most favored voices on the radio. Dany started with Radio 1 when he was 17 years of age. Born in Dubai and raised in Sharjah, he remembers his time in Lebanon with dismissive feelings around him. “Many” he claimed, dismissed his claims of getting serious about the music business. But he had one supporter, and she is, till today, his biggest inspiration. “I love my mom,” he said smiling. “My mom did everything for me. She allowed me to go forth and follow my dream.” He studied audio engineering in the US and returned to Dubai shortly after in Aug. 2000.
Dany talked about giving up his career at MTV Arabia, as he had started out in setting it up. “It was a hard decision, but it proved worthwhile. I had to make something of my own, create something.” He said he is just not the guy who can sit at a desk and complete the 9 to 5 hour shift. “Although it was a great experience, really helped me.” Dany was one of the few who was part of the MTV Arabia team since its conception; however, he had to make a choice between televised popularity and his own dream. This is when he went back to radio and the studio to make it big in his dream field: music. Unsure and extremely young, he called the shots and is grateful he did so.
He interned at Radio 1 and remembers how he got his graveyard shift. He said his boss reluctantly gave him the shift from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m., giving in to his unmistakable passion for music and to “test” it out. Dany then picked up his people, his music and followers. He still plays music on his show, “The Edge,” on Radio 1 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. every Saturday night.
When asked who he really wants to work with, he explained he is already working with the talent he loves and wants to work with but definitely appreciated and expressed desire to work with Damien Marley and Abel Tesfaye from The Weeknd. Popularly known to spin reggae tracks and Drake songs, he shies away when asked about the girl attention and how they love him for “dropping Drake songs” at his events. He admits: “I don’t play one artist; it is about whatever feels good at the time.”
Dany has worked with Snoop Dogg (recently in Abu Dhabi as well) and Karl Wolf. In fact, he was the first Arab to ever perform at the EMA in Liverpool along side U2, Paul McCartney, Kanye West and more. He has also been vouched for by the likes of Eminem, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Beyoncé, Akon and many more.
Sitting with Dany, you fail to understand the sobriety of his success. Having worked with big names and being the founder of the first ever international team of producers from the Middle East, Underground Procedures, he tends to mumble successful stories, unlike the famously spoiled braggarts of the music industry in the Arab world.
What you see is what you get. The real person, aka DJ, son and proud Arab, is a soul mix of pure revelation. He can sit there and charm you with his stories of friends, crediting more often than not the likes of Karl Wolf, Omar Offendum, The Narcicyst, Damian Marley and his new found talent Robin (young bombastic Lebanese rapper) amongst other local talents.
He has gotten used to this life even though his day starts after the sun sets. Yet this is the direction he has chosen, he confessed, and his life now revolves around his music, his people, and of course, that undying love for a mother and his brethren. Dany works with his boys making music and does exactly what he opted for. He recently performed with Omar Offendum at the American University in Dubai for a cause serving Palestine with other rappers. He also manages to play at Rooftop and Armani Prive in Dubai, balancing a mix of a musical personality that his supporters love him for.
Thursdays are famous for Dany’s Jam Rock. You can find his mixes on his Facebook page or on his Twitter page (@danyneville).
He seems to be looking under the surface and you can tell that when he sees himself, there is more to the man in the mirror.
