| Online media has given Digla a bigger fan base abroad than at home by Mariya Petkova |
| Late on a Saturday evening, toward the end of El Sawy Culture Wheel’s Music Festival in December, I arrived in the darkly lit River Hall where groups of fans were hanging out waiting for the curtains to open. The MC finally showed up and announced the next band. Within seconds the crowd rushed past me to fill the space in front of the stage. The lead singer in a white half-unbuttoned shirt smiled at the front row and hit the guitar. The loudspeakers blasted a rock n roll tune that threw the crowd straight into “woo-hoo” mode.The air was getting hot and onstage it was jungle-wild: An electric guitar was piercing the sky, the bass was swaying close to the ground, the acoustic guitar sounded like strings were about to snap and the drums were banging shingles off the roof. Out of nowhere a tabla player emerged and plunged into an oriental beat. When Digla takes the stage, five songs feel like a night of mayhem. The culprits of the evening were four otherwise innocent-looking guys: Tarek Borollossy (lead vocals and acoustic guitar), Mohammed Hakim (bass), Omar Refaat (drums) and Sary (electric guitar). Digla’s history goes back almost a decade when Tarek and Omar started jamming at home, dreaming, like many teenage boys, of rock stardom. The band was on and off for the past six years, often divided geographically, but their dream continued. And who says that dreams can’t come true? On the rock star checklist, Digla has already scored two out of three. They still don’t have a record label deal, but their music is heard internationally and they definitely have a sizable female fan club. “Our music is not specifically for Egypt, it’s made for the world. We have quite an international fan base,” said Tarek. “We have fans in Brazil and Morocco,” chimed in Omar. Online social media has made the concept of “local underground band” obsolete. Though Digla has never performed outside of Egypt, they seem to be more popular abroad than in their own country. According to Digla, while they are referred to here as an underground band, their music by Western standards is actually more akin to mainstream alternative rock. Myspace and Facebook have contributed enormously to their fame beyond the nation’s borders, while iTunes and Amazon have helped them take their music overseas. Last year, their hard work paid off with the release of their first CD entitled Free Your Mind; with the track “Highlights” becoming their first video, shot at locations around Cairo over the course of two consecutive days. MTV Arabia is currently airing “Highlights” across the region, while MTV World is also distributing the video online. The way it works in the rock n roll world is that as long as the girls like you, everyone will. By that standard, the band’s future looks quite promising. To be honest it was a bit difficult to keep the musicians focused during the interview. Outside River Hall, groups of female fans were persistently passing by to compliment the performance and say hello. Sary does not keep it secret: “Oh women? They love me!” “Yeah, they do,” confirms the rest of the band. I point out that their lyrics keep referring to a woman. “I can tell you one thing: It’s definitely not the same woman,” replies Tarek. I try asking them about their one or two favorite artists, and the conversation somehow comes back to women again. “It’s an unfair question. It’s like loving many women, and having to choose two,” Sary shook his head. Though women seem to be quite a motivation, Digla have come together for the sake of music. “It’s all about the passion,” says Sary. “I completely agree,” nods Hakim. First thing this month, Digla will be mixing passion with rock n roll and a secret spice of their own at a local studio. Stay tuned for their second album coming out soon. |
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