A Cultural Revolution

Egypt Today brings you a list of some of our favorite artists of the revolution. Enjoy.

Unlike the rest of the songs that were inspired and created in memory of the revolution, the rock-and-roll band Digla were looking for a reason to introduce their latest track “Tamam Ya Fandim.” According to the band members, the January 25 Revolution seemed to be the best time to do so. Composed and produced by Digla, this song is a shout out against oppression and all dictators. It is also the band’s first attempt at creating an Arabic song.

“The story of the song is as big as the song,” explains their lead vocalist Tarek El Borollosy. The song was inspired by Sabry — the vocalist of this song — a aaskary (low-ranking police officer) stationed near El Borollosy’s house. Sabry was always singing famous Arabic folk songs, in addition for being known for saying the famous phrase, “Tamam ya fandim, tamam ya beh.”

Using this phrase as a starting point, Digla decided to write and produce a song for Sabry to sing. After the music came together and hours of practice with Sabry, the song was finally ready for release last December. This project was three years in the making; it was like the song was waiting for the perfect time to be heard.

What makes this song really stand out is its music: A unique blend of East meets West that forms a catchy and uplifting tune, despite the seriousness of its lyrics. According to Digla, there are no immediate plans for an official release yet, but the thought is definitely there. “We do not want to really benefit from it, but it is a good song,” explains El Borollosy, “and we want to help promote Sabry as well.”

Digla’s official website: www.diglamusic.com

Digla’s official YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/DiglaOfficial

Only a couple of days following its widespread release on YouTube, “Sout El Horreya” became the seventh most-viewed video on the popular website. The video was first uploaded on Thursday, February 10.

This creatively shot video features the vocals of Hany Adel from Wust El Balad and Cairokee’s lead singer Amir Eid, as they walk through the hordes of protesters in Tahrir Square.

Written by Eid, this song is a collaborative art project by several young talents, created to bolster the spirits of the people in Tahrir and promote their cause.

“People were starting to lose hope and this was our way of telling them to hang in there and not to lose hope,” says Mohamed Shaker, the director of the video. “We wanted to defend Tahrir in an artistic manner. We wanted to make the Egyptian people look good,” Shaker explains.

The entire crew agrees that working on the video was the hardest part of the song. Using live footage from the square, the video features shots of different protesters carrying posters as they sing along with Eid and Adel. The lyrics are strong and inspiring and talk about breaking barriers and the voice of freedom taking over the country. The music, lyrics and video can best be described as Bob Dylan-esque with an Egyptian twist.

 “In every street in my country, the sound of freedom is calling.”

View the video on Amr Eid’s official YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/amireid

DJ Fahmy is not new to the music scene: In addition to his career as an electronica DJ, he is also co-owner of Electrum records, Egypt’s first record production company. He also owns and manages his own TV production company, specializing in comedies — think Nashret El Khamesa Wa El Eshreen (25 Hours News) on Moga Comedy.

“Dear Mr. President” was originally not Fahmy’s idea, but that of his friend Fady Dabaa, an aspiring rapper and songwriter. Fahmy fell in love with the song, however, and decided to do a remix.

“A couple of my friends, Seif Marzouk and Fady Dabaa, made the original track, which was sort of hip hop, and I liked the lyrics, so I got them into my studio, re-recorded the vocals and did the house remix.”

After only 48 hours of work, the song was up and running on YouTube. “I haven’t really thought of an official release,” Fahmy admits. “This was really done at the time of the crisis intended for internet. With the positive feedback we got, maybe we could work on commissioning more remixes and doing an official release.”

The video is posted on YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/hkably

Produced and sung by the duo Aziz El Shafie and Ramy Gamal, this patriotic and tear-jerking song is dedicated to the martyrs of the revolution. The lyrics are a message from a fallen revolutionary to his country and his mother.

The video of the song features a series of photography stills from the 18-day revolution, in addition to a few photos of the fallen protesters.

A word of advice: If you are listening to it for the first time, make sure that you have a box of tissues near you.

The video is posted on the YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/Threadyman

Like many other artists, up and coming graphic designer Ahmed Nagy was inspired by the turning events of the January 25 revolution, and wanted to use his skill and talent to create something to depict that. So, he picked the best way he knew how — through design.

He started working on T-shirt designs dedicated to the January 25 revolution. Think T-shirts a la “I [heart] London” and the “I was there” style so popular in souvenir shops. To view the options or purchase any of these T-shirts, visit his Facebook page; choose one of the 11 designs in either red, white or black; and email him the specifics along with your contact information. And voila, you have your very own custom-made revolutionary T-shirt.

Ahmed Nagy on the Web:  www.ahmednagy.com or www.facebook.com/ahmedNDG