Phiasco Productions

Pix from Summer Sessions @ Latex Club

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 12:08:00 +0000

Summer Sessions @ Latex Club

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 12:39:00 +0000

Phiasco has secured a club night on Wednesdays @ Latex Club @ Nile Hilton Hotel in Cairo....

Summer Sessions First Wednesday of August: TEQUILA NIGHT
Special offers on cocktails, shooters

Prepare yourselves for the Doctor of Spin himself,
Dr Ra_y and Primo Geezer, Amir Sharara for the
first night of wednesday summer madness.

*Projections and live VJ sets
*Special random happy hours throughout the night
*Drinks offers

FREE Invites will be available as of Thursday night (19th July) spot any of the phiasco crew in Town and get your FREE invite or drop us an email or facebook message.

email:

phiasco.productions@gmail.com

Intelligent Hip Hop - whats this all about?

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:58:00 +0000

Believe it or not Hip Hop is not all 'bling bling' and gangsta rappers spitting lyrics about guns and bitches...

The intelligent or conscious hip hop movement is reverting back to the roots of hip hop. Back to being the music of the underdogs, the minorities & the have-nots.

In fact the official religion of hip hop is Islam, with influences starting with Malcolm X, Blak Panthers and Farakhan.

Conscious hip hop focuses on social issues, like politics (check out hardcore socialist Dead Prez or hardcore anti bush rapper Immortal Technique; any arabs favorite rapper, if only they have heard of him), aversion to violence, the economy, social justice, religion & spirituality (get a load of Common's lyrics...true deep and highly conscious lyrics - someone who knows his esotericism) . Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" was the first political and conscious hip hop track, decrying the poverty, violence, and dead-end lives of the black youth of the time.

Perhaps not so surprisingly given the low IQ of most people who listen to mainstream music, conscious hip hop is in the main underground and conscious hip hop artists usually dont attain the same success as mainstream hip hop artists.

Armed with messages of Black political resistance, Black pride, and opposition to militarization and corporatization, designed in part to counter the commercial hip-hop party-and-bullshit madness dumbing down the youth, hip-hop's lyrical descendants of the "fight the power" golden era today are booking concerts in record numbers, becoming more popular all the while. Though the audiences tend to be more white than black.

"It has a lot to do with the fact that the emphasis on the culture has been taken away (from hip hop). It's just the industry now and it's sold back to us—it's not ours anymore. It used to be anti-establishment, off the radar, counterculture. People in the streets are now being told what hip-hop is and what it looks like by TV." says Brother Ali, part owner of the Minneapolis-based hip-hop collective Rhymesayers Entertainment.

Where conscious hip-hop has been, and where it is now.
Some highlights:

1. The crack riddled 80's created a need for strong conscious hip-hop
2. The 90's went from protest to partying (think Public Enemy to Jay-Z, Ice Cube to Snoop Dogg)
3. Message songs are coming from surprising places (Mos Def and Talib Kweli)
5. However, the underground is still carrying the political torch (think Immortal Technique and the Perceptionists)
6. And the future of conscious rap is probably self-reflection instead of protest (think Common)

Immortal Technique

Dead Prez

"A derisory illusion, designed by the preachers and the authors of confusion,
this is the time, there is no sign, no writing on the wall,
for alone we must stand and together we will surely fall,
this is the fate of the collective,
as victims of the holy and religious unelected,

displace the priests,

freedom is within,
if i'm made in the image, man is god,
who be the spirit that you lase with the seed to the basement?
no wheeling no dealing,
if you give up your worldly goods you touch the ceiling,
I do cause half the fuss, but if i'm blasphemous they soon come after us,
I hear my own inner being, beleive in the all eye seeing,
displacement of the priests,

freedom is within,

shalom my brother, I come from the other side
tossed from the same mold that made you,
if you is cursed I be cursed,

bismila elrahman elrahim, now i rock the verse,
I be the rod and the staff like moses,
can i pose this question,
lesson one came from genesis, now we gonna see who the mennace is,
displace the priests"

And get a load of this, even the Ahram Weekly published an article about intelligent hip hop in the uk... Read more about the article

Its small wonder that hip hop, the poetry of the have-nots, has come to the Mid East. Question is, is it westernisation of the Mid East, or is hip hop a global phenomenon, a global voice for the underdogs of the world?

There is a host of Arabs who have adopted hip hop in their non violent protest against the occupation of Palestine, Iraq, western intervention, corrput regimes and police states.

Slingshot Hip Hop - Straight Outta Palestine

Shadia Mansour

Stormtrap - Nateejah Bala Shoughl

Life Convicts

Dam - Born Here

Beat Bazaar Pix

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:51:00 +0000

Eclectic Electric 3 - The End of the Saga - 15.06.07

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 17:18:00 +0000

Phiasco's last Eclectic party to end the trilogy in style...

Don't know about you guys, but us lot are fed up of hearing the same damn hit tracks over and over and over again, where ever we end up for the night...

Sooooooo...

Along with the usual antics, this time we're playing our wild card...For the first time ever…Phiasco presents, Wael Alaa - one shit hot producer, he'll be opening the night with a phat live session of electro/minimal sounds & beats like you've never heard before...he had the Phiasco crew bopping their heads & raving in the studio when they first heard him…Using Ableton software on his laptop and midi controllers he produces his own material and then pimps it out with his live mixing...

J Richards
Dr Ra_y
Wael Alaa

And as always Dr Ra_y with his wack VJ sets

Usual strict door policy...over 25 / couples...

Not stopping there...we were thinking of where we could chill the day after, somewhere with a pool...somewhere we can detox and get over our hangovers...somewhere where we can be ourselves, and then get drunk all over again…

Soooooooo....

We thought we might as bloody well throw a daytime afternoon detox afterparty by the pool with plenty of booze...details to follow...

Phiasco Signs Shit Hot Producer/DJ Wael Alaa

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 10:45:00 +0000

Phiasco has signed shit hot producer/DJ Wael Alaa, who for the past 6 years has been locked in a dungeon in old Cairo perfecting his skills…Combining the best of both hardware and software tools in making music and performing live. Wael's career got started after joining some radio shows like BBC Radio 1/UK with Fergie, Kiss 100/UK with John Digweed, Pulseradio/UK with Mark Ellison, and Borgeradio/Germany with John Asher. Expect great things from this chap…

And for a taste of what Wael has to offer...

Left click link below and select 'Save Target As' to download
Wael Alaa's studio set 06.07 - recorded live @ Phiasco HQ

Beat Bazaar 22.06.07

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:27:00 +0000

Phiasco Productions brings you, Beat Bazaar, the first of a series of International Independent Music Festivals. In a bid to counter pop culture, we are showcasing a number of independent musicians from places far and wide between and covering a wide range of music genres; club/electronica/trip & hip hop/baladi house/tech house/funk/drum 'n bass…Supported by 3 live VJ sets, this festival will be like nothing you nothing you've seen before…

Standard Entry Tickets 200 L.E.
VIP seated Tickets 350 L.E.

This event includes a VIP area with separate dance floor, and bars.

Free compilation CD featuring Beat Bazaar artists with the first 1,000 tickets to be sold @ Yallabina Linkzone outlets (see list page 18)

This promises to be one of the most interesting and exciting events of the year with an impressive lineup from regions such as Egypt, UK, Prague, Palestine, and Greece. The event will be held as a showcase for independent music, including visual projections and diverse and electrifying performances.

Seeking to put Egypt on the international music map by nurturing a multi cuiltural dialogue between people, this is only the beginning of many things to come.

Line Up

Kenny Palmer – UK
Electro / Afro-beat / Club
www.myspace.com/kenny_palmer

Soundstrike - Prague
Techno / House / Electronica
www.myspace.com/soundstrike
J Richards
El Tachud
John Waller

Ramallah Underground - Palestine:
Down-tempo / Electronica / Hip Hop
www.myspace.com/rucollective
www.ramallahunderground.com
Boikutt
Stormtrap
Aswatt

Shisha Sound System – UK:
Alternative / Club / Freestyle
www.myspace.com/shishasoundsystem
DJ Una Musica Brutal

Amir Sharara ra ra ra – Cairo
Progressive/Electro/Tribal
www.myspace.com/amirsharara
www.amirsharara.com

Shekaphonia - UK, Cairo
Electro / Afro-beat / Club
www.myspace.com/shekaphonia.com
www.shekaphonia.com

Dr Ra_y - Greece, Cairo
Techhouse / Funk / Acidhouse

Ticket sales outlets Available 12.06.07

Beano's AUC Mohamed Mahmoud street, next to the AUC, Downtown

Beano's British Council, Kornish El Agouza, Agouza

Beano's City Stars, Shop number 433 - 4th Floor - City Stars Commercial Center - Nasr City

Beano's Dandy Mall, Shop number 36 - 28 km Cairo Alex Desert Road - Dandy Mall

Beano's in front of Shooting club, Intersection of Tiba st. with Mecca st. infront of shooting club, Dokki

Beano's Korba, 15 Baghdad St. - Korba, Heliopolis

Beano's Maadi 1, Shop no. 73 - Street no. 9

Beano's Maadi 2, Shop no. 12, st. no 257

Beano's Nile City Mall, Inside Premium stores

Beano's San Stefano (Alexandria), Shop number 41 & 42 - Lower ground level - San Stefano Mall

Beano's Semouha (Alexandria), 37 Vector Emmanuel Sq. - Semoha, Alexandria

Beano's Stanely (Alexandria), 271 (El Geish st.) Cornish St. - Stanely - Alexiandria

Beano's Zamalek, 8 Al Marsafy st. - Zamalek

Link.net offices, 3 Mousadak St. Dokki

Link.net offices, Gezira Club

Link.net offices, 132 EL Marghany St. Heliopolis

Link.net offices, 77 Misr Helwan el zera3y st. Maadi

Gelateria Roma Nozha Street, 24 el horreya street, 7 3omarat, Heliopolis

Makani Heliopolis, 27 Hassan Sadek street behind the Baron Palace, Heliopolis

Makani, 9 Amr street, off syria street and wadi el nil street / 8 el fala7 street, from el hegaz street, Mohandessein

Roma pizza 2 go Ard El Golf, 83 nabil el wakkad street , ard el golf, Heliopolis

Virgin Mega Store, CityStars, Nasr City

Makani, Sharm

Kotob Khan, Laselky, Maadi

LINK Dubai, Internet city, Dubai

For more info call +2 012 110 5996
or email phiasco.productions@gmail.com

"Cairo Connection" Album Launch

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:08:00 +0000

The Phiasco crew are thrilled to announce the Launch of the Album

Cairo Connection By Soundstrike (Prague)

Track Listing
1. Old Times, New Days - A-Man & J Richards
2. Tricky Groove - J Richards
3. Love Remains - A-Man & J Richards
4. Latin Law - A-Man & J Richards
5. Sunrise - A-Man & J Richards
6. First Decision - A-Man & J Richards
7. Inside - A-Man & J Richards
8. New Beginning - A-Man & J Richards
9. Rumble - A-Man & J Richards
10. Another Step - A-Man & J Richards

All tracks produced by Soundstrike
www.myspace.com/soundstrike
Sound Mastering By Phiasco Music Unit
Label Phiasco 2007

Underground Sessions - Sharm El Sheikh

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Mon, 28 May 2007 14:27:00 +0000

Album Launch Party
Cairo Connection - By Soundstrike (Prague)

The Phiasco crew are heading up to Sharm to unwind and have fun after the hard work they have put into the Beat Bazzar music festival in Cairo...and launch a new album while they are at it...

Date Tuesday 26.06.07
Time 10 pm

Line Up:
J Richards - Prague
El Tachud - Prague
John Waller - Prague
Amir Sharara - Cairo
+ Special Debut VJ Set by Phiasco's very own, Mistress AMZ...

Special packages inclusive of tickets & accomodation can be arranged

Standard Ticket 150 L.E.
VIP Lounge Tickets 250 L.E.

Venue:
Noos Karting
Fanar Rd in front of Ritz Calrton Hotel
Hadaba Om El Seed
Sharm El Sheikh

For more info call +2 012 110 5996
or email phiasco.productions@gmail.com

Eclectic Electric 2 31.05.07

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Sun, 20 May 2007 11:55:00 +0000

Pix from Eclectic Electric Party @ Topkapi

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Tue, 15 May 2007 09:49:00 +0000

J Richards on Nile FM

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Mon, 14 May 2007 15:56:00 +0000

Yes folks, make sure you tune in to Nile FM on June 21st 4-7pm Cairo prime time for a 3 hour set by our very own heavy weight turntabalist J Richards.

And so you can never say we are not good to you, here's another track by J richards to wet your appetite...

Right click on the link below & select 'save target as' to download courtesy of Phiasco Productions

Tabla Me

Beat Bazaar 22.06.07

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Wed, 02 May 2007 12:11:00 +0000

Eclectic Electric 11.05.07

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 16:31:00 +0000

Phiasco is throwing a small gig @ Topkapi Bar, by the Nile, opposite the Four Seasons Hotel in Garden City, Cairo.

Eclectic Electric will feature DJ Sets by:

J Richards
Amir Sharara
Dr Ra_y

VJ set by Dr Ra_y

Guest list only
Tickets @ the door (9pm - 4 am)

Call 012 110 5996 for reservations

New set By J Richards & Shekaphonia - Recorded Live @ Phiasco Studio

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 12:59:00 +0000

Right click on the link below & select 'save target as' to download courtesy of J Richards & Shekaphonia - exclusive to Phiasco.

Soundstrike Vs Sheka - 15/04/07

New Set By J Richards AKA Blondie - Broken Tech

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 20:53:00 +0000

Right click on the link below & select 'save target as' to download courtesy of DJ J Richards - exclusive to Phiasco.

Broken Tech - 04/04/07

This banging tunage is the result of a live studio session recorded in Phiascos Music Unit studio, Cairo. Mixed in Ableton Live, it incorporates a fusion of acid and funky techno with breakbeat and, yes, even hip-hop elements provided by Roots Manuva. This is a high octane, highly energetic mix full of inventions, constatntly fusing of three trax together.

New Set By DJ J Richards - Broken Tech

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 20:53:00 +0000

Right click on the link below & select 'save target as' to download courtesy of DJ J Richards

Recorded at Phiasco Studio

Broken Tech - 04/04/07

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 11:10:00 +0000

Underground sessions_2989

A few days is all it takes. To fly in, to fly out, and in between make contacts, create a concept, and of course record. All the things that go into the making of an album or a movie soundtrack…

Audio artists Anders ‘AC’ Christensen and Lasse ‘Illinton’ Jensen gathered some of Cairo’s most powerful and inspiring musical talents in their vision for the soundtrack of the up-coming Danish movie, Maa’al Salama Jamil [Go in Peace Jamil]. In a sense it’s a “Sergio Leoni kind of soundtrack,” with its striking resemblance to spaghetti westerns.

Music always has friends even in far-off lands, and they were helped by many here in Cairo: Karim El Hakim boarded them and helped establish initial connections with A. Maghrabi, who organized recording sessions with musicians on violin, arghoul and accordion. In addition, Philippe Dib helped bring in some of the talent (Karima Nayt - vocals, Adham El Saeed - vocals, Ahmed Omran – oud), as well as playing the santour himself for the soundtrack.

Late in Cairo traffic for an interview at Talaat Harb’s Café Riche, it was fate that had the upper hand in saying how things went from here.

The Lebanese producer I was to sit down with had another meeting, but he agreed to give me 10 minutes of his time, and in a kind gesture allowed me to slip in a whole interview.

Sat to have a qahwa mazboota while I waited to check if anything major fell through and if that were the case, if he’d be kind enough to give me more of his time. When I started downloading the photos I was not thrilled with the quality of lighting. Had to get more photos.

As I sat there, one phone call led to a meal and it was then that I noticed that Haze had stepped in for a meeting with this producer. Quick hellos and nimble chits in order, we followed through and we left, him to his meeting and me to my vegetable penne- no oil.

When all was done, Gerard [Haze] waited for a few minutes while I got a few snaps in, courtesy of our kind and humble producer. We talked, then walked and talked, then after a quick stop at the kiosk, smoked, walked and talked some more. I hadn’t seen Haze since he’d married and we took this as a chance to catch up- I’m sure you know how those newly-weds get those male-bonding issues, kind of like a quiet squeak with a faint “I’m freaking out! I cant believe I’m fucking married!” drone. [maybe my own insecurities were at play here]. But anyways..

Our walk brought us to the house of another nice chap by the name of Philippe. Unbeknownst to me, and as Haze was to later clarify time and again, Philippe was recording with two musicians, One of whom- Illinton was, [to quote Haze]- “the Christian Dior of electronic music”. The other musician, “AC”, was Europe’s top double bass player, and from what we witnessed a mean keyboard player and pianist who has managed to touch on many different musical styles.

These were truly people that lived and breathed music. Anyone could see that.
We sat through a few cigarettes and a most breathtaking recording session with Philippe’s santour, then we were on our way to Karim’s house- another friend who was just back from abroad. The recording was to move there. So after Gerard took leave, Karim and I busied ourselves getting things in order to receive the musicians that would be arriving…

[confession: I didn’t do much except the glasses. Clean glasses for drinks, that was my contribution. Unless it came from a can I guess.]

First it was Philippe’s santour, then it was Amin’s turn on the arghoul and kawala, then the first night ended with Karima Nayt’s gipsy-esque vocals.

Day two.

AC and Ellington have been out arranging appointments with artists for today’s recordings.. I had to shuttle down to Zamalek for a quick interview with a photographer.. Then shuttle back just in time to witness the accordion player.. And Omran’s oud efforts.

After all was said and done, and a lot of cheesy takeout, and video, and snapping, and of course recording.. We finally had officially arrived at the end of the sessions. Out of a party of 10 celebrating Karim’s bday and the successful conclusion of the recording, only AC, Illinton and I were still standing. It was now ok for them to talk about what it is they were doing, now that they could relax [ 6 hours before their flight back to Denmark ]. We collapsed on our respective couch and chairs, camera rolling, and managed to fill in some blanks about their music and their experience of the sounds Cairo had to offer.

Scene 1..
Right before fajr prayers,
project complete
AC playing trying out the lute sets the background music
Illinton and ego..

Illinton : it looks like somebody slept with my clothes on for 4 days.. We’ve been working like no way..

i: but that’s what actually went down..

Illinton: that’s exactly what went down..

i: you’ve been actually working non-stop for 4 days what do you expect to see
Illinton: yeah, we were dropping off on the floor..

i: but you look great for someone whose been up for 4 days been working their [asses] to the bone ..

Scene 1 contd.

i: how powerful is music as a tool of expression ?

Illinton: I actually think it’s the most powerful tool.. Because you can [use it to] communicate with any creature really.. And its actually proven that by playing Mozart.. think it was Bach.. They played Bach for different plants and that actually increased their growth over a period of time, and then they played something else and nothing happened.. But its to do like with our 7 chakras, each corresponds to a different note.. And between the chakras ..we have this whole other system, but we’re not gonna go into that now..

i: you mean the meridians ?

Illinton: it’s the meridians, the chi flow, the frequencies that influence your aura and their tones, and then you have light.. Serious light.. You don’t wanna play music without light.. Because the thing is the gift we get is when we realize that we are messengers. All great musicians I feel are like messengers. They get emptied down, and they give it out as energy.. As light. And that’s Peace, and that’s Love. If it’s not done in that form don’t play music, in other words because it’s not true music.

i: it’s anti-light ?

Illinton: it’s like a fuckin blackhole dude
Everybody laughs.

Silence.

Ac picks up once more on Oud.

i: you think electronica is the rock and roll of the future ?

Illinton: I don’t know.. what is rock and roll ? To me rock and roll is Elvis and shit .. Hey I love Elvis.. I don’t know what’s gonna happen really.. I think electronica is going to be a part of it.. It’s kinda shown its strong sides and weak sides now.. So I think live music really, and live musicians and shit are going to come back so big. Because there’s only that much you can do with a tool or an instrument.. Its not a thing for itself. Music is still another level.. Infinite.. You never get there.

i: so radio killed live performers..

Illinton: yes and then radio killed itself.. And record companies killed themselves too, because they got too fuckin greedy..

i: so what brings it back to live performers ?

Illinton: because.. There’s space for them now..

i: the time is right..

Illinton: yeah, it’s now. It’s happening now. It’s not tomorrow, it’s not yesterday, it’s now. It’s starting to move, that’s the message.. So just kick ass. We should have no fears [about making music], it’s now that the world needs it.

i: Electronics can still be a part of live music ?

Illinton: recording-wise.. And effectivity when you record and you produce your finished product.. It can help, especially to travel around and record in weird places and weird times and come up with an amazing product. As a recording tool and a producing tool, it’s an amazing thing, but it needs to meet with life halfway. It can be a unit on its own for a while, but it can’t be a part of you in the same organic way that an instrument can. Its all about the growth of your skill and controlling your instrument that is so different, a different kind of thing…

[silence]… I believe.

Laughs.

Scene 4 -Philippe’s
Philippe, ego and Omran to arrive..

i: Do sessions like this happen often in cairo ?

Philippe: things always happen for sure. I am not a professional musician, I’ve just been playing music for many years. Started with a band here.. It was pretty successful and we had a big concert in Ewart Hall. That was before I played santour [ pre-qanun-shaped instrument, played with sticks, originating from the Mongols and central Asia].

i: what was the band called ?

Philippe: The band was called Zuweira. It was me, Akram, yanni, my brother.. Karima, Karima was also in this band, and Mudu, the first time he ever played a concert was in this concert. In many ways I think that concert was a sort of opener for things to come.

i: wasn’t someone playing the sitar ?

Philippe: it was yanni playing my brothers bouzouki.
Singing bird bell goes off.

Enter Omran

Omran: All’s well ?

i: All’s well..

Philippe: did you see ego [handing him a copy]

Omran: which ego, the ego the people have ?

Philippe: the ego everyone has..
…
i: it was nice to see some exceptional musicians come together for a project in cairo, why don’t people like you get together more often ?

Philippe: I think now there’s a lot more happening than ever before.

i: is that true, is this the right time for live musicians to make a comeback ?

Philippe: I think that now a lot of new bands a lot of young people are getting together and creating bands all over Cairo. Now the concept of bands has become popular. A lot of people are mixing with other people through artistic projects, exchanging ideas with musicians coming from abroad. There’s a lot of people involved now, more than ever before.

i: is the relationship with your instrument important ?

Omran: A lot of people here don’t respect their instruments. In one rehearsal I attended I saw two well-known musicians stand up to each other and bicker, [motions with his hands like fighting cocks] . Then all of a sudden we find guitars flying through the studio. I kid you not, flying guitars, like paper airplanes.. Such a beautiful scene. Wish I had a camera.. So I’ve seen people here dealing with their instruments on many different levels. There are those who love their instruments so much that they get no sleep unless it’s in their arms. And those who fear their instruments and keep at a distance because they feel the instrument is more than a handfull. For them it’s too much of a risk to get up and try to get to know it. And there are those who send them flying like paper airplanes through the studio.
Brief trance courtesy of Philippe’s santour..

i: a lot of people seem to think that the pooling of local talent and the participation of musicians in more than one band and more than one sound, makes them unable to maintain a strong focus in any one direction to produce a sound rich enough to grab people’s attention. Do you believe that the pooling of talents and the interaction between the young musicians, and the different bands or sounds is a negative thing ?

Philippe: on the contrary, I think it’s very nice that people are interacting. Eventually they will grow as musicians enriching their relationship with their music and with others. Other styles, other ways of approaching their music. Maybe some bands are not as interesting as other bands. Maybe some bands have not spent enough time in trying to create something with depth. There is also another phenomenon that I find sometimes in extremely talented musicians. But sometimes people find success in something and because they have had success with it, they spend their time imitating themselves. Music is about communication, yes you have to live and eat and whatever, but the true essence of music is communication, at a level beyond words. Music is a language that is accessible to anyone round the world. Because if musicians from abroad come and mix with musicians here, immediately [snaps finger] they are involved in a deep form of communication. This is the beauty of music. Good music gives you so much without even realizing it. Sometimes you have the feeling that music can heal you. And it’s because you vibrate.. You become a resonant case for the music. If you like the music and resonate with it, you’re gonna have an impact on the music itself, and the music will become more beautiful. Your body becomes a resonant case that reflects these notes and tonalities on the music itself. Each space like this space, because of the space. has a tone. This room has a tone, if you reach that tonality then the sound will become bigger. Just like when an instrument is well tuned suddenly the sound, becomes richer.. bigger, even in volume I think. It has much more reach.

Scene 3
Lasse Jensen ‘Illinton’, Anders Cristen ‘AC’, Ego
Blues blaring in background of dimly lit living room

i: what is your name sir ?

Illinton: My name is Lasse Jensen, and that’s aka Illinton and I use that when I do housy techy stuff..

i: when were you born, how’d you get started with music ?

Illinton: I was born in Denmark, in 1969 and I started playing the piano because my dad, his two other brothers, and his father were arguing like mother fuckers all the time.. And I was almost 4 or 5 years old and I’d escape into this other room and close the door, and there was a piano.. So I started playing because I didn’t want to listen to their shit, and that’s the start.

Laughs…

Is that real ?

Illinton: it’s true!

Laughs

i: so how did you get started with the music industry ?

Illinton: I was 17 or something.. And there was a house party thing starting in Denmark.. And I did a coupe of tunes and it was actually some of the first house to come out of Denmark and that area. So we went to London and did big shows, Ibiza.. Spain..just touring around. I was eighteen and living in Ibiza.. that’s when it all began to take form.
I then did more of hip hop and had a couple of tracks in top 10 and top 15 in America.. And that was in the days.. I worked with Queen Latifah as well.. Back then as well.. And since then its been going up and down and up and down.. And now its up.. It’s time to spread the message.. We gotta work a 100 times as hard.

Laughs

i: AC.. How are you doing ?

AC: I’m doing well.. I’m pretty pleased with myself and Lasse’s work..

i: name ?

AC: my name is AC.. Yea everybody calls me AC so it’s my name ..AC. AC is the initials for Anders Cristensen.

i: how did you pick up on music ?

AC: my dad was a piano player and my grandmother was an organ player in the church in Denmark, and so was her grandfather. So it was always in the family, I always liked music. But I actually picked up the piano because I wanted to impress girls, but that soon turned into something more serious. Yes, it’s pretty much been my life since I picked up the piano at 7.

i: but I also hear that you’re the best double bass player in Europe..

AC: I don’t know who said that..

i: somebody said that..

Illinton: I said that. It’s true. It’s true.

AC: Everyone here has been such an amazing spirit. Coming here and Karim taking care of us, Philippe, you and then having all these amazing musicians. I don’t know if they liked the music or not..

i: absolutely amazing..

AC: it was amazing the way they gave it everything they had. Everyone was just giving the right vibes. What do I know maybe they’re all professional here. But really what they gave us is more than we could have ever dreamt. More than any expectations.

i: Care to explain what this project is about ?

Illinton: a good friend of ours decided to make a movie, and so he called Anders to lay the music. And Anders called me and told me if hey you wanna do it together. And I said yes I will.. And that was like a year and a half ago man..?

AC: almost a year and a half. But we can’t talk too much about this film. We can say a little bit.
…
i: whats the name of the movie ?

AC: ma’a salama jamil.. Go with peace jamil

i: whats the directors name ?

AC: Omar Sharkawy
The film Ma’a Salama Jamil, captures Sunni vs. Shiite violence on the streets of Copenhagen through the eyes of its Lebanese director. A very violent movie, that holds a very anti-violent message.

i: if there is one thing you could say to young musicians ?

AC: rehearse

Illinton: if you don’t get it right go home and practice and do better next time. You can always do better next time.

By Islam Mohamed

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 10:50:00 +0000

Fathy Days : Soltany Salama

I caught up with Fathy Salama at Sawy prior to the launch of his new album Soltany, to ask him of his views on the bubbling musical scene in Cairo…

What does that Grammy award mean to you ?

Its when you plant something from the very beginning. You do something with real effort and you do it your own way, not in a commercial way or someone else’s way and you receive a Grammy for it. That it is possible to achieve if you combine originality with good ideas in your own special direction. I wasn’t trying to win a Grammy. I was just trying to do something good. My favorite part was the fusion between traditional Egyptian and Senegalese sounds and collaborating with Youssou Ndour, I really enjoyed seeing my idea translate to sound.

Winning a Grammy instantly transforms you into an authority in music…?

I started this whole scene that they call alternative music right now. That’s history. Because Sharqiat existed since ‘88. That’s a very long time. Also many of the bands that are on the scene these days were inspired by Sharqiat.

How do you stand when it comes to the new bands trying to make an impact?

I’m with them, not against them. I’m with people who try to work and try new ideas. I think many of them have good ideas, a special direction, one that is different. But what they lack is that many need to work on their abilities, because many of these musicians are missing a lot in order to become true instrumentalists. So if we take the guitar, for example, regardless of the style the musician he/she should have enough knowledge of the guitar to play that guitar and do it justice, not to mention being in tune. Yet these things are somehow forgotten here amongst some of the new bands. They flow with their idea, and sometimes they’re happy with a little success they may encounter and they’re floating with imaginary visions, that they forget that they need to be standing on solid ground first. So they forget the basics, or rush them.

So they sail off into space as a price of not establishing roots ?

Exactly. And there’s nothing that can bring them back.

In the future what kind of music should we expect from local bands ?

In any case we are still talking of a minority. Local bands are still very much a minority. Mainstream and commercial music are in control, so the future is not in the hands of these bands. I think the commercial scene will stay the same, if only get more stupid. And maybe, and I’m saying maybe, the alternative scene may make a launch and start to get a bit bigger. And maybe one day it may have the chance to fill the place of the typical commercial music being produced now.

The alternative scene may make the mistake of trying to be commercial, and I think that’s what is happening right now. They’re just producing, with nothing new or original. So instead of providing an alternative they try to catch up with the mainstream and not really being able to, so they end up in the middle, neither alternative nor mainstream. They don’t know what they want. They’re focusing on making more money and selling records to more people rather than on their music. I’m not against WAMA, or Wust El Balad or anybody, or even Nancy Ajram, but I like the idea that we’d like to see different things start to happen. The musicians should try to be more of musicians and less commercial.

So what’s the best advice you can give talents who seem to be moving faster towards commercialism ?

They have to go back home and practice, before doing anything. That’s my advice.

By Islam Mohamed

Ramallah Underground - Hon 7abess

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 12:26:00 +0000

Right click on the links below & select 'save target as' to download courtesy of Ramallah Underground

Hon 7abess - Feat; Stormtrap, Aswatt

Ramallah Underground - Dameer Mustater

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 12:04:00 +0000

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Dameer Mustater - Feat Aswatt, Boikutt

DJ J Richards - Broken Electro House 19.03.07

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 20:58:00 +0000

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DJ J Richards - Broken Electro House

DJ Amir Sharara's September 06 Set

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 20:51:00 +0000

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DJ Amir Sharara's September 06 Set

Shekaphonia Discovered

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 14:12:00 +0000

One day, back in the late 90's, Sheka was sat in his flip flops at his favorite watering hole in Heliopolis, Cairo. A tired and world-weary musician, he liked to look out onto the street and watch the hustle and bustle of daily life. He tended not to move much, only occasionally calling the old and wrinkled Nubian proprietor to change the charcoal on his well-worn waterpipe.

That night, he was with his friends crowded around a game of backgammon, everyone drinking and laughing. In one of the balconies above an old woman was hanging her washing. As she reached out, she slipped and fell onto a power line, shocking herself, before tumbling down onto Sheka's backgammon board. She looked up at him; open mouthed, frazzled, her hair sticking up wildly into the air.

Sheka looked back at her. He smiled. He had found the answer. For him, all this old dear needed was a bit of electricity to sort her out.

Since that moment, Sheka has dedicated himself to combining the vibrance and spirit of the East with crunching, pumping, deep fuzzy blips. Whoever gets an earful of his tunage feels the uncontrollable urge to dance the night away in a mad, crazycool frenzy; open mouthed, completely frazzled, with their hair sticking up wildly into the air.

And in Sheka's eyes, that is simply beautiful.

The man behind Shekaphonia is 29 year-old musician Ashraf Helmi. A Londoner born and bred, Ashraf has spent time traveling across the Middle East playing with many incredibly talented musicians along the way. His fascination with the region's rich musical heritage, which receives such little attention in the West, has led him to experiment with its theory and tradition.

But somehow, that wasn't enough. One evening at his favorite watering hole in Cairo, he decided to embark on the electro-fication of its essence and fuse it with electro, breakbeat, and dance elements.

Nothing new, some might say. But categorizing Shekaphonia under the dubious label of "World Music" is well wide of the mark. The sound is aggressive and edgy, and presents the cultural fusion in a raw and direct way.

The Shekaphonia project was born from a desire to create something new, challenging, and diverse; a sound that slaps static musical genres squarely in the face and draws on influences that have been hidden from many of us, for many years.

Sheka has recently collaborated with a talented up and coming mc/producer, Shugmonkey. He has one of the freshest mc-ing styles in the UK, and is featuring on a soon-to-be-released Trans Global Underground record. Go to his myspace page and check out the "Sirens" vocal mix.

He's spent the last few years traveling to both the outer and inner reaches of the Middle East and beyond, armed with recording equipment, a bottle of water and a tube of salt n' vinegar Pringles. After some serious studio time, today marks the launch of his website.

Right click on tracks below and
select "Save target as" to download

Les Djinns

Soundstrike's DJ J Richards Comes to Cairo

phiasco.productions@gmail.com (Phiasco Productions) — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 17:35:00 +0000

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Utimately Funky vol.2

Its our pleasure to feature Soundstrike's very own DJ J Richards on our latest podcast. DJ J Richards, AKA Blondie, brings you the freshest sounds from Prague. His unique style skillfully blends funky to progressive house, tech and breaks and beats all in one set....firey hot music if you ask me. Watch out for this chap in venues across Egypt.

We will b featuring weekly tracks & mixes by this miracle worker so stay tuned folks...

In fact he is one of three taking the controls at Phiasco's private, invitation only, house party 07.03.07. Call +2 012 110 5996 for details.

Biog

Mr. Blondie has been a veteran of the Eastern European dance scene since 1997 and a driving force behind some of the best dance events in the Czech Republic. He was a regular guest in free dance parties in and around London.

This technical wizard was one of the few pioneers to combine the use of turntables and software technology such as Final Scratch 1 at such an early stage in the evolution of dance music technology. J has been composing his own tracks for nearly five years now. Feeling right at home in the studio, the tools of his trade now also include turntables & laptop, efx unit, DJ mixer, Ableton Live, audio composing, editing and mastering software, samplers, synthesizers… His skill becomes self evident once you notice how he cuts up his mixes, and his unique cross-style inventions, blending and crossing genres with ease and precision hard to attain. Do not expect any kind of compromising, whether he's spinning house or tech, all you will get is raw energy.

Styles:
- Pumpin`House (fusion of progressive, tribal, funky, electro, breakbeat)
- Funky Techno (highly energetic fusion of tribal, electro, funk, acid and tech-trance)

In 2002 he founded Soundstrike, a collaboration of DJs, technicians and organizers from Prague and Southern Bohemia who share similar ideas and approaches to the craft. Soundstrike organized countless events around the Czech Republic and Slovakia bringing their styles to thousands of devout clubbers, generating a considerable following.

2005 saw the legendary series of Soundstrike Parties kick off in Roudnice, a town near Prague, where parties such as Creamfields or Carl Cox and Friends were held. J was involved in organizing the after party for Carl Cox and Friends where he played for wide audience of international clubbers.

During 2005 he was also working in cooperation with one of the biggest music servers www.poslouchej.net at orgatnizing a DJ competition for newcomers.

J is a resident dj in regular club nights such as Soundstrike, Essence, Crystal… and has played alongside the likes of Alex Bau, Lucca, Chris Sadler, Ladida, Emilio Ferreira, Pavel Krejdl, Apocalypse, Michael Burian, Orbith, Texx,Trava, Airto...

He has performed live sets for Evropa 2, Kiss FM, Cesky Rozhlas Plzen, Faktor, Sensegenerate…
CDJ Demo Cup 2005 : in this prestigeous DJ competition his set Hard&Funky was evaluated as best techno set

Find out more about DJ J Richards

www.soundstrike.org
www.myspace.com/soundstrike

For Soundstrike bookings please call +2 012 110 5996
or email phiasco.productions@gmail.com