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 Saif was born in Dubai, UAE. He grew up in a military household which made him and his family relocate to different countries over the years. Growing up in a primarily Arabic household, the sounds of classical Arabic music (better known as 'tarab') filled his home. In late 97', Saif moved to Jordan. It was there he was introduced to the sights and sounds of Salsa. The moment he heard his first Salsa song, he was hypnotised, he wanted to move more than anything and just did not know how. Earlier on in his life, he was introduced to Jazz, Blues, and Latin music. For him, the sound of Salsa emobodied those three genres. He began to take dance lessons almost as soon as he heard his first song. In early 98', He moved to the USA for College. His hunger for everything that is Salsa grew. He continued to take dance lessons, but as time went by, his love for the music was slowly starting to overshadow his love for the dance. In his free time, he travelled to different states. His first stop was New York. Upon arrival, his first destination was the famous Copacabana. It was there that the music hit him more than ever before. Up to that point, all Salsa music he had heard, although good, was pretty mainstream, until he heard Eddie Palmieri's "Estamos Chao". It was a sound that, although he was familiar with, it felt new. It was then and there that he began to delve into the world of Classic Salsa, a sound that he later discovered was synonymous with New York.
Saif was primarily located in Ohio and Michigan, he had joined the Energetic Soul studios, run by duane Wrenn who was a master Casino De Rueda dancer/instructor. After his visit to New York, he began to search for people who appreciated the New York style of Salsa music and dancing. Sure enough, he met the Yoruba Andabo team. They were responsible for hosting one of the largest Salsa socials in the midwest. YASalsa were New York Salsa fanatics. This fed his muse. Over time, Saif started to support their event by DJ'ing. It was their, as well as the events that duane had organised, that had allowed him to hone his skills as a Salsa DJ.
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