| Meet Egypt’s first, and only, live house music band |
| By May El Khishen |
| Bright lights flickering, electronic music pumping and roaring fans shredding the dance floor. No, this is not a scene from a DJ Armin Van Buuren party. It is a scene from a live Soopar Lox concert. Sopar Lox is our premiere house music band, and by the looks of it, their popularity and fan base are skyrocketing with each performance. Egypt Today went behind the scenes with the band members during one of their rehearsals at Studio 32 to get an insider’s look at the creators of Egypt’s house scene. Getting it Together The seven-month-old Soopar Lox is the brainchild of Akram Al Sherif, guitarist and co-owner of Cairo Jazz Club (CJC) and Cairo Jazz Club Agency. With several years of experience in the music industry under their belts, the Soopar Lox band members aren’t just a group of young enthusiasts who want to shred a guitar on stage.They are looking at matters from a producer’s perspective. “I basically had this idea of creating a ‘house’ band, and at the same time playing our original music. I didn’t want us to do covers; I wanted us to do something fresh and original, [but also] something that would make money,” says Al Sherif. “I come from the Jazz Club background; we also have an agency that manages talent. I have a good grasp of what sells and what doesn’t sell,” he says. And sell it did. Soopar Lox first came together shortly after the January 25 Revolution. The extra time the band members had on their hands when the entire country seemed to grind to a halt, gave them enough time to form the band, rehearse and get ready for their debut concert last May at the CJC. “After the revolution, everyone sort of went on an open vacation, which gave us time to rehearse. If it weren’t for the revolution, we wouldn’t have had time to create this band,” explains Al Sherif. Since their debut concert, Soopar Lox has performed seven more times. Five times at the CJC, once at Terrazzina in Sharm El-Sheikh and once at a private party on the Nile Pharaohs boat. “The first night we played, the people were blown away. The crowd loved it. We also got the same reaction in Sharm,” says Al Sherif. The band is now hoping to land a gig at Sharm’s clubber haven Pacha Sharm. Even though crowds have been eating up their music, Al Sherif is still not very happy with their performances. “I’m very happy with people’s reaction, but I’m not satisfied yet. We can sound so much better. The whole genre is new; it is not just our musical talent, there is a technical bit as well. Most of the equipment we use is brand new. Things that have come out within the last six months to three years,” says Al Sherif. Upon hearing Soopar Lox perform, it is difficult to pigeonhole their music into a single genre. Even though it is a house music band, and the music is predominantly house, their songs are so much richer than that. Soopar Lox’s music is more like a fusion of genres: From house to rock to a bit of jazz melded together with various oriental influences. And most of the songs they play have minimal lyrics. In fact, some songs are purely instrumental. “It is very difficult to name genres these days. At the end of the day, it is house. Rock house. But we also have some Arabic songs with an Arabic rhythm and percussion,” says Al Sherif. From Startup to Stardom From where Al Sherif stands, the future for the band looks bright, and Soopar Lox still has many plans and surprises for its fans in the works. “I’m giving it another six months of shaping and tightening; making it solid,” says Al Sherif. “Hopefully, within six months, we’ll try marketing the band abroad. I’m aiming to hit clubs in general. Our music is designed to be played in clubs. This is our plan, so we’ll see how far we go, but I think that we have enough connections to put [us] on the map. I believe that we will go places. Wait for us, we are still coming.” |
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