music

Sharing secrets onstage
Art news

Sharing secrets onstage

Kinan Azmeh’s music is hard to classify. It gently captures the audience’s soul, with its smooth mixture of jazz, classical…
Backstage at the premiere of the AfriCairo Music Festival
Art news

Backstage at the premiere of the AfriCairo Music Festival

The politics were somber, the mood was buoyant. The audience was small, about half the capacity of the El Sawy…
Blog: Sing for the factories
Art news

Blog: Sing for the factories

During late President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s reign, Egypt was generally seen as a site for booming industry, with factories erected…
Album review: Otaak Band’s ‘Bejawiya’
Art news

Album review: Otaak Band’s ‘Bejawiya’

There’s something infuriating about Otaak Band. Their CD release party at the Cairo Jazz Club — which saw six musicians…
Album review: The secret to ‘Roaming Your Streets’ is poetry
Art news

Album review: The secret to ‘Roaming Your Streets’ is poetry

Last year, Egyptian singer Mohamed Mohsen got into a heated debate with leading musician Hany Shenouda about the future of…
Drumming away, Han Bennink in Cairo
Art news

Drumming away, Han Bennink in Cairo

Han Bennink looks amazed to find himself under a bridge in Cairo. The famous Dutch drummer and multi-instrumentalist is making…
Finding vinyl in Cairo: Living the city’s history through sound
Art news

Finding vinyl in Cairo: Living the city’s history through sound

Many Cairenes are moving away from listening to vinyl records to CDs and MP3s. Still, for some, the experience of…
‘Sing Egyptian Women’ showcases local talent
Art news

‘Sing Egyptian Women’ showcases local talent

Sixteen Egyptian women took to El Sawy Culture Wheel’s River Hall stage in front of a packed audience on Saturday…
Cairo’s Music Freedom Day celebrations break ‘taboos’
Art news

Cairo’s Music Freedom Day celebrations break ‘taboos’

Since the 25 January revolution broke out last year, many musicians have been looking to Egypt for inspiration and at…
‘Songs for Tahrir’: Music for and from liberation
Art news

‘Songs for Tahrir’: Music for and from liberation

Most times that Palestinian artist and musician Reem Kelani was in Tahrir Square, she took her tape recorder along. She…
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