Transforming Doha's Party Scene: One Day At A Time

While Qatar’s nightlife scene is currently flourishing more than it ever has before, introducing a new concept of partying in a city like Doha - dominated by a certain type of events - is no easy feat. However, the electronic brand, One Day At A Time (ODAAT) managed to forge its way into the city’s nightlife fabric, fostering a real sense of community of like-minded people through their immersive clubbing experiences.

As the brainchild of Lebanese curator and DJ Joe Abou Rjaili, ODAAT is the vehicle through which he aims to bring the vibrant spirit of Beirut’s clubbing scene to Qatar, as well as a platform spotlighting the breadth of homegrown talents and introducing the local crowd to different types of music from across the globe.

Over the past few years, ODAAT hosted collaborative showcases with established regional and international collectives and festivals, such as Lebanon’s Retrogroove and Float along with Spain’s Pieces of Life, welcoming a roster of notable electronic acts like Romax, Space Motion, Kasango, Yamil, Thimble and Clemente, Manuel De La Mare, Oliver Dollar and Was Bou Malham, aka Gharam Electric.

We sat down with Joe Abou Rjaili, founder of ODAAT, to discuss how the party series got its start, where it is heading and how he plans to elevate the clubbing experience in Doha.

SN: Can you give us a little background about you and what made you decide to establish One Day At A Time?

Joe: I have always been interested in electronic music since a very young age, so I found myself joining the nightlife scene in Beirut early on, from DJing to curating live entertainment events. Over the years, I became more inspired by the beauty of the Lebanese music community, and I began creating events with my friends in a camping ground called ‘Wanderlust’, which was all about bringing people together to escape city life in a secluded place where they can simply be themselves, and connect through their love for music, nature and art. After the port explosion, I felt like I had to leave to be able to explore other opportunities, so I chose Doha, where my family is based.

SN: What is the background story of ‘One Day At A Time’ and how did it get its start?

Joe: After living in the limbo of looking for like-minded people who shared my passion for music, I found a gap in the Qatari market. Everything felt superficial and money-driven, lacking real substance and soul. I decided to take a risk by starting One Day At A Time, a project that aims to foster a real sense of community through music and partying, which has been living in the back of my mind for years.

I chose the name One Day At A Time because it is a statement that reflects the way I go through life. It revolves around the common experience of anxiety and worry about the future of humanity, which can sometimes lead to disconnection. However, I found in music solace that allows temporary release from worries, as well as comfort during such times of uncertainty.SN: What is ODAAT’s mission? What is it bringing to the table and how do you see it contributing to the nightlife scene in Qatar and the MENA region at large?

Joe: ODAAT’s mission is to redefine the clubbing scene through a unique blend of creativity and music. Steered by our core values, we aspire to be the pioneers of the industry, creating not just events but unforgettable experiences with a real sense of community.

One of the biggest factors that differentiate ODAAT is attention to detail, covering everything from the music curation to the on-ground activations, aiming to make our community feel like they are not just attending the party but are part of the process that makes it come to life.

SN: Did you face any challenges when you first started hosting parties, and how did you tackle them?

Joe: One of the main challenges we faced at the initial stages of launching our brand was building trust. Introducing a new concept in the party scene is difficult, especially in a place like Doha, where people are used to certain types of events. So, I had to find like-minded people to join the team and after searching I found Zena Kreidieh (Creative Director) and Anwar Mohamad-Ali (AKA Laymoon, Marketing Director), two people who shared my vision of building trust and building something special. Later on, we grew the team further and now we have a group of passionate people working day and night to elevate the nightlife experience in Doha.

Qatar’s nightlife scene is relatively small yet quite competitive so it is not so easy to build a community, you need to show the people the vision clearly, which is a long road of trial and error. Again, this is where the efforts of the team come in translating our ideas to real-life unique experiences that send the right message to the crowd.SN: What is the concept behind your ODAAT’s ‘Rendez-Vu’ party concept and are there any other concepts you are planning to launch soon?

Joe: We pride ourselves in being a brand that listens to its people. We always look into their feedback for areas of improvement and insights into what’s really working. The idea of our rendez-vu came about randomly during one of our gatherings in a coffee shop because we noticed there was a gap in the market that called for a type of party that starts early during the day, during which people could meet up, mingle, and dance.

We’re always generating new concepts, keeping our eyes out for new ideas that can have a positive impact on the local scene whilst catering to different crowds.

SN: What is the process or strategy that you adhere to for the lineup curation for all of your parties, and what is the one thing that you always try to focus on when selecting the acts?

Joe: Before deciding on the lineup, we begin with setting the vibe we want the party to have, which then determines everything within the party from the stage design to the music. When thinking of the lineup, we try to always bring in international DJs, but instead of focusing on what trending track they might have, we look for artists with a diverse overall vibe, aesthetic and skill in music selections. We do extensive research about them, by looking at their SoundCloud sets and the music they produce. In the end, we want people to trust that we’ve made the right choice in our music curation.

There’s a diverse range of talents in the local underground scene, so we are always aware of that and try to match the right local selectors with the right international artists to help bring out the best in them. Some of these selectors have been regularly vital in building the name of our brand such as Chino, Steve Paris, Oh-Fi, Sery, Nammoura, Matar, Laymoon and FWRS, just to name a few.

SN: What is your approach to attracting a wider audience?

Joe: My team is beyond creative, always coming up with cool ideas to make each campaign unique, funny and playful, capturing the spirit of the brand. For us, building a community isn’t about attracting a wider audience, it’s about attracting the right people. This is why through our marketing, we put familiar faces from within our community, whether it’s dancers that we met through our events or even venue owners who we’re collaborating with, we want to be relatable and real.SN: Since the inception of ODAAT, you’ve brought notable international names to Doha, as well as hosted collaborative showcases with some of the region’s top collectives. What are the motives behind these collaborations and how did they come to be?

Joe: Qatar itself is ‘almost’ an untapped market with a lot of potential in terms of dance music. What we do to improve the scene here is bring experienced brands with their own culture as showcases in collaboration with us, as a cultural exchange. In fact, our first party ever was a collaboration with Retrogroove where I wanted to bring a piece of Lebanon to Doha - a new style of house music that is rarely played here. We later brought Pieces of Life with Yamil, Thimble, and Clemente, who are pioneers in Spain’s underground electronic scene.

So, we basically choose DJs who have a distinctive and unique style to be presented at our events. A collaborative event is always beneficial not only in terms of the diverse music selection but also in opening new doors and diversifying the clubbing scene in Doha.

SN: Last year, you collaborated with Float to host a 12-hour beach festival. How did this come to be and what was it like?

Joe: I’ve been in contact with Ronin, the founder of FLOAT, since our very first ODAAT event with Retrogroove, and we have been looking for new ways to collaborate our brands because we share the same creative approach to partying and that funky fresh vibe. The idea of bringing FLOAT to Doha through ODAAT naturally manifested itself when we started hosting parties at a beach club. We thought of doing a 12-hour beach party because it was never done before in Doha, and we turned it into a playground for people to explore different kinds of music from across the region.

SN: Are there any projects you are currently working on that you can share with us? And, how do you envision the future of the brand?

Joe: This season our main focus is Rendez-Vu where we will be introducing new collaborations and more international DJs as well as elevating the production and creative perspective of the party.

Our persistence to grow in Qatar is not slowing down anytime soon, we are working on new concepts to introduce to the market. Meanwhile, we have loads of plans in the pipeline to take ODAAT abroad, especially within Europe and the Middle East.

I am very lucky and proud that ODAAT was born in Qatar, as it was very challenging to bring to life yet at the same time inspiring. But, the ultimate goal has always been for it to go big globally. Of course, we still have a long way to go and we are just getting started. As we continue to grow, there is unlimited potential to introduce our brand to new regions and spaces sharing the spirit of ODAAT and all that it has become with the world. Although we have a long-term vision, we continue to take things One Day At A Time.