Despite the dominating aura of pessimism surrounding the sorry state of Egypt s current music scene, a very few number virtuosos continue to offer a glimmer of hope with their flair, dedicated craftsmanship and originality
Grammy and BBC awards winner, Fathy Salama is a mutineer, constantly breaking new grounds with every experiment he undertakes. And take our word; there have been a lot of them. Unquestionably, he is a phenomenon, not only for being the only Egyptian to win the Grammy, but for his incredible competence to master all music genres, whether it is pop, fusion, jazz, and electronic or folklore.
He is the driving force behind several experimental initiatives, and the mastermind of the country’s pop icons, a mentor for many as well as a coach for several young bands and emerging talents.
In his last week’s concert at the Cairo Opera House, Salama introduced his latest project Luxor BreakBeats; a tasty dish of oriental electronica presented alongside the North African fusion of his venerable band Sharkiat.
With Luxor BreakBeats, Salama has treated his music as an abstract form, fusing Oriental beats and Rhythms from Upper Egypt. In the esprit de corps, Salama has worked with Mahmoud Refaat (founder of 100copies label), double-bass player Andre Segone, DJ Alix Roy and Screwdriver s guitarist Mohamed Adel, to conceive his new endeavor.
Initiated in 1989, Sharkiat, on the other hand, is not a typical Egyptian band putting new twists on established classics.
At times, the postmodern attribute of mixing the old and new or the orient with the occident can be quite tricky. For Sharkiat, it s not about remixing an old melody or a moashah. I do newly composed pieces that follow the paradigm of the past and fuse it, explained Salama.
It is a way to preserves that past and reintroduce it, Salama said. In many cases history is dead without being preserved. So I took what is forgotten in our heritage and instead of preserving it in a museum, it is renewed and modernized, and this was the beginning of Sharkiat.
Many old instruments have gone astray. The Arghul, as an example, a woodwind musical instrument made of bamboo and double pipes and has been used since ancient Egypt, Salama recalled. Besides, the Mezmar and the Rababa are no longer taught in the institute of Arabic music. Worse even, is how the opera s Arab music orchestra stopped singing Moashahat. Salama s yen for traditional and folk music led him to collaborate with numerous folk artists such as Gamalaat Sheeha (or the Queen of Imbaba), helping her to return to the spotlight and reviving an entire genre for a new generations.
I find it a shame, that a 10,000 old civilization has nothing left, Salama commented.
Salama had also composed a number of film scores. He lately composed the soundtrack for the highly anticipated gigantic production “Al-Mosafer (The Passenger) starring Omar Sharif, while his score for Oussama Fawzy s cult classic “Ganet El-Shayateen (Fallen Angels Paradise) won him a number of awards at several film festivals.
Today s films are jokes, commented Salama on his narrow contribution in the Egyptian cinema. Besides, we neither have the know-how, nor the financial means or even the will to create proper cinema. And soon, Egypt will no more be the center of Arabic cinema.
The candid Salama – who worked with some of the biggest names in Egyptian music such as Amr Diab, Mohamed Mounir and Ali El-Haggar – had no kind words either for the current pop scene. Pop music is a chance to sell and plays a vital role in improving the general taste and back then in the 80s is was still brand new, he said. I couldn t bear it later. It is becoming very toxic, merely commercial and not related to art. Their idiocy is really exaggerated.
It’s quite daunting to recap Salma s numerous contributions to the nation s music scene in few paragraphs that, to name a few, includes tutoring in various music workshops, playing in big halls, underground clubs, independent venues and even the streets.
In addition to his all of these projects, Salama has collaborated with miscellaneous internationally acclaimed musicians such as Cuban band Cubanason, Norwegian Saxophone player Trygve Seim, Italian composer Eugenio Bennato, Algerian singer and dancer Karima Nayt and, most famously, Senegalese singer Youssou N Dour.
I admire all types of music. All triggers me and all has created my musical storage, he concluded.
Catch Fathy Salama s concert with Cubanason (oriental Salsa) and Sharkiat on Feb. 6 at Jesuit Nasbian Studio, behind the Jesuite School. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/fathysalama.
