CAIRO: In Egypt, entertainment is sometimes in short supply, with many complaining that there is simply not enough activity taking place. That was the case until last December, when the nightlife scene took a turn for the better, introducing a higher quality of music and people. The two men behind this are Aly El-Awady and Hany Sadek (DJ Samba), who started an event management company called Lipstick to perk up the local night scene.
“We cater to people who like good music, have positive energy and like to enjoy their time, says El-Awady.
The pair has been in the DJ business for quite a while now, and began to feel that the club scene was going downhill, becoming too underground and attracting too many young males and not as many females.
So, they decided to take action and attempt to transform parties into a more relaxed scene, providing a place for people between the ages of 19 to 35 to feel comfortable, letting go and having a good time.
“We provide everything in the event from A to Z … Decoration, technical support, live acts and so on, explains Sadek. Their events are always well organized, with exceptional DJ line-ups (local and international), good lighting and sound quality and spiced up with a live saxophone and/or drummer.
The most important tactic they use to guarantee a good party is to attract as many girls as possible. “The parties are good because there are more girls then guys. It’s the girls who make a party, not the guys, says El-Awady, who chose the name Lipstick to reflect that concept.
More girls at a party help to contain any fights that may break out between males, a common nuisance in the Egyptian party scene.
Lipstick’s events stay exclusive because they never advertise their social parties. There are no text messages or flyers, preferring word of mouth as their media tool.
I think their events are well managed and the duo has a lot of spirit and energy, which rubs off on everyone else. They know how to promote their parties well to appeal to girls and guys alike, says Shaimaa Fayed, a supporter of Lipstick parties.
Besides containing fights, keeping out trouble is easy, because the music they play does not attract the drug abusing type, Sadek explains.
After the success of the first event they produced, the team was sucked into so many back-to-back events that they still haven’t had the time to create a logo or business identity.
In the past few months, Lipstick has thrown some extremely well-received parties in Cairo and Sharm El Sheikh, including “Let’s Go Red with Ahmed Ganzoory, “Muah Valentines bash with Tania El Chiaty and “Spring Fling with Omar El Dewey and Ahmed El Aguizy.
Lipstick has been working on many corporate events, including the launch of new compound Rihana and an event for British American Tobacco. Their latest event was a fashion show at CityStars, launching some of their new shops like Guess and La Senza, which took place yesterday evening.
It was not their first fashion-inspired event. With promoters Tribal Entertainment they held a fashion show for Polo (shop) at the First Mall and a few months prior to that, a fabulous party for Fashion TV (FTV) that was voted one of the best five parties of the year, from which they created a one-minute demo that airs on FTV.
Sadek, 28, started playing music when he was 16. Even before that he used to be in charge of putting on mix tapes at his friends’ birthday parties. He is now one of the most wanted DJ’s in town.
El-Awady, also 28, who has a day job as a real estate manager (Coldwell Banker Zamalek branch), was mixing for fun at his friend Khaled Abdel Rahman’s, a pioneer DJ in Egypt, and “one tune just clicked. He’s been playing as a hobby since 2002 in Cairo, Agami and Sharm El-Sheikh.
Right now they are looking at expanding “Lipstick and are in need of a female vocalist to create live house music that will add even more charm to their events.
