Nothin' Sez Somethin': Egypt

It appears prescient that we would have reached this point in our journey at just this exact time.

Organizers of a mass protest scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday June 30) against Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi claimed today that more than 22 million people have signed their petition demanding the Islamist leader step down, asserting that the tally was a reflection of how much the public has turned against his rule.

There is a sense among both opponents & supporters of Morsi that Sunday's rally is a make or break day. The opposition feels empowered by the petition, known as Tamarod, or Rebel, but it has as yet offered no proof regarding the 22 million figure. If true, it would mean that nearly double the number of people who voted for Morsi a year ago are now calling for him to step down.

Morsi is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. The demonstrations planned for Sunday reflect the growing polarization of the nation since Morsi took power, with the president & his Islamist allies in one camp, with opposition from seculars, liberals, moderate Muslims, & Christians on the other.

The 22 million signature announcement adds to a sense of foreboding on the eve of opposition-led mass demonstrations that many fear could turn deadly & quickly spin out of control, dragging the country into a dangerous round of political violence.

Although Egypt is part of Africa, for all intents & purposes here it is the first country of the Middle East. Egyptian music is some of the most popular music in the Middle East & some of the Middle East's biggest musical stars have been Egyptian. Since the Nasser era, Egyptian pop music has become increasingly important in Egyptian culture, particularly among the large youth population of Egypt. Unfortunately, this popular music is for the most part dominated by slickly packaged songs that are mainly formulaic & for the most part uninspired. But a few bands are providing an alternative. One is Black Theama, which combines Nubian rhythms with R&B, hip-hop, reggae & African-influenced sounds, with lyrics sung in colloquial street Egyptian Arabic.

Getting to hear Black Theama isn't easy, even for Cairenes with a taste for music found off the beaten path. The band refuses to work inside the commercial music industry, preferring to painstakingly save money to produce its own recordings one at a time, with the help of friends & supporters. As such, it has almost no records to speak of, & its shows are not heavily advertised. Nevertheless, Black Theama's avid underground following regularly packs venues.

Nubian actor Amir Salah Eddin is one of three singers who front the band. He says the group takes its name, ‘Black Theme’ seriously, as it does its goal of avoiding standard pop-music cliches in its lyrics. Their song ‘Sheraton’ features lyrics describing an early-morning Cairo scene as ordinary Egyptians walk home to their poor neighborhoods, shuffling past the tourist-filled towers of the five-star hotels that line the Nile River.

Singer Mohammed Abdo, who met Salah Eddin through theater work, says they try to celebrate the black experience in Egypt through their music. "Being dark-skinned in Egypt is always connected to the South" Abdo says, "& people from the South have their own character, their own culture, even their tone of voice is different." Ancient Nubia included much of northern Sudan & southern Egypt. Southern, dark-skinned Egyptians are invariably referred to as Nubians & traditionally they were given menial or servants' jobs.

What Black Theama provide is very personal, street-level views of Egyptian life. Amir Salah Eddin says young Egyptians are familiar with alternative bands from other countries, & that they're eager to embrace a homegrown group that bypasses the music industry to speak directly to them. The band has tapped into a hunger among young Egyptians for something that feels authentic to them today. While mainstream Egyptian singers may croon about starry-eyed love & teenage heartbreak, a character in a Black Theama song responds to his fiancee's question about marriage by asking:

"Why not ask me about the corrupt politicians who stole my dreams? Or about wealthy countries with children sleeping under bridges?"

Black Theama is: Amir Salah, Mohammed Abdo, & Ahmed Bahr - vocals; Amro el Shimy - keyboards; Medhat Ali - Spanish guitar; Mostafa Guida - bass; Mohamed Samy - kaman; Amro Gahien - oud; Mahmoud Abdulaziz - drums; Mohamed Zatona - percussion; & Adel Mikha - tabla.

Black Theama – The Collection, Arabica Music, 2009.

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Tracklist –

2eflet Zemam
Hor
Ana 2alaZy
Black Theama
Eih ya3ne
Ensan
Forsa
Hely hala
Kol mara
Koun Sa3ed

Black Theama – Bahar, Arabica Music, 2010.

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Tracklist –

Konna Seghar

Oul Aah

Bahar

Ensan

Eih Yaa’ny

Ya Sadeek

Andy Serr

Zahma El Metro

Aalo Aal Hob

El Magnoun

Eflet Zemam

Zahma

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Destiny in Chains was the first deathcore / metalcore band from Egypt, formed in Cairo in 2006. The band started their music career with a determination of making their sound different from all other local bands. They were influenced by bands such as As I Lay Dying , ATR , & Lamb of God. Destiny in chains recorded a six song demo which was never released. Two of the songs were later re-made for their debut Last Forever.

Before for that happened, however, in 2007 the band went through some major changes. Because of financial difficulties, the band line-up changed & along with it the bands overall sound changed as well. Ahmed Abdel Men3em & Sheva took over guitar duties while Lolo took over on drums & their sound solidified. There was a huge lyrical
change along with changes in tempo, guitar riffs, drums, bass, vocals…nearly everything but their desire to play metal & be unique in the Egyptian music scene. On Last Forever the whole band shared their vision which raised their music to a higher level.

On Last Forever, Destiny in Chains are: Zander – vocals; Sheva – guitar; Men3em guitar; Moose – bass; & Lolo – drums.

Destiny in Chains – Last Forever, Five By Five Records, 2010.

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Tracklist –

Breaking the Point (intro)

Arise & Stainds (sic Stands???)

I Know I’ve got Something You Don’t

Black Days

Last Forever

Make me Sick

Shout Your Name

We will Always Bleed

Last Forever (version two)

Just Trying to Be

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Born & raised in Alexandria, Kareem & Belal, the GebRiel Brothers are taking the Egyptian dance music scene by storm with their energetic Trance productions & DJ sets. Their first big break came after playing the notorious Sling Club. After that they DJed various other prestigious parties around Egypt where they were able to excite the crowds with their new sound.

After completing their military service, the brothers built their own production studio and enrolled in sound & mastering degrees, finishing at the top of their class.The brothers are now taking the next big step in their career as both DJs & producers, determined to make a mark on the world with their epic productions & killer remixes

They began their work in early 2000 & started professional production in 2004. At that time they started concentrating exclusively on pure trance. They first caught people’s attention with remixes of Paul van Dyk’s ''Far Away'' & Sean Tyas’ ''Melbourne''. They followed these with two originals for Discover Records ”Flashback” & “First Light”. On the strength of these two tracks they were invited by Paul Trainer to do a remix for Mitchell Claxton’s “Lumin” which reached a ranking of no.# 3 on Trackitdown.