Erstellt am: 6. 9. 2014 - 06:00 Uhr
Exploring Egyptian Music
Abdel-Rahman Hussein
Sammy Khamis hat bereits 2013 Abdel-Rahman Hussein und dandin.me porträtiert.
by Abdel-Rahman Hussein
It’s been over a decade in the making, but Egypt’s alternative music has begun to flourish in a manner that bodes well for its future. The proliferation of musicians in various genres means that – despite numerous obstacles – contemporary alternative music may continue to thrive in Egypt.
Getting the requisite caveat in nice and early, this is by no means an exhaustive or definitive list of the Egyptian contemporary music scene, and that should be obvious, for there is a breadth now that has been augmented by easier accessibility to musical equipment and the role of the Internet in connecting artists and an audience. This is merely a short personal list of recommendations for a diverse scene that boasts many talented artists (as Dandin.me is an Arabic website, just click the orange play button to listen to the music).
Aly Talibab
It would be a disservice to label him an urban beat poet extraordinaire, Talibab effortlessly weaves spoken word, poetry and rap, but it is his passionate delivery and the weightiness of his lyrics that sets him apart. Watching him perform live supported by the consummate musicians of El Manzouma which includes the guitar chops of Youssef Abouzeid of PanSTARRS is mesmeric. Talibab articulates the dissatisfaction of a segment of Egyptian youth that struggles under the yoke of political, social and economic oppression not just with what he says, but how he says it. This is best exemplified on the 13-minute opus "A’n Mudaga’et El-Waqe’i" - "On The Reality That Fucks You" that builds up to the final lyric, "If the words are not to your liking, well sir reality is uglier".
Aly Talibab
Bikya
One of Egypt’s very few Folktronica bands, Bikya are definitely a class apart. The trio’s debut eponymous album was released in 2007 and they are currently at work on a new one, much to the pleasure of their long-waiting fans. The band comprises Maurice Louca, Mahmoud Waly and Mahmoud Refat, who is the head of the 100 Copies music label, which has been championing electronic, hip hop and electro-shaabi music for years.
Bikya
Abdullah Miniawy
A perfect example of the young up and coming talent we get to be excited about, Miniawy has a voice that belies his tender years. Hailing from the city of Fayoum, Miniawy is originally a Sufi singer and fuses that with a loquacious classical poetry style on collaborations with electronic musicians such as SomeMud and Ahmed Saleh of Telepoetic He is currently working on a full length album with Saleh. His standout track is "Tofy Bey" - "Float With Me".
Abdullah Miniawy
WETROBOTS <3 Bosaina
Glam electro with a pumping kick and distorted bass synths that wouldn’t sound out of place in Berlin or LA, this band is made up of producers Ismail Hosny and Hussein El Sherbini of Epic 101 Studios with vocals from Bosaina. As raucous as they are live - and Bosaina is a terrific front woman who certainly brings the noise onstage - the music is superbly crafted, has fantastic energy and oozes groove like nobody’s business.
WETROBOTS <3 Bosaina
Nadah El Shazly
Another captivating talent, it’s always fun to register the reactions of those in an audience who are seeing El Shazly for the first time. She’s quite the talent, and allies her haunting vocals with an eclectic approach to musical arrangement that incorporates elements of electro and the dulcet tones of her Oud (Lute) playing. A standout track is her collaboration with Lebanese rapper El Rass on "Athar Nawaa" - "The Atom’s Trail".
Nadah El Shazly
Abyusif
Though Hip-Hop in the Middle East is generally more associated with Levantine artists, Egypt also boasts a vibrant rap scene and a plethora of artists in the genre. One of the standouts is Youssef Altay who goes under the moniker of Abyusif. Altay started out as a drummer in Heavy Metal bands before finding his way to Hip-Hop. What makes Abyusif stand out from his contemporaries is his brooding style, both musically and lyrically, which is almost always a nod to quotidian ennui and a deconstruction of the obsession with Egyptian pop culture.
Abyusif