How Geeza is NOT So Quietly Reimagining Cairo's Underground Clubbing

Cairo’s nightlife has undeniably expanded over the past few years: bigger lineups, bigger venues, bigger crowds. But that growth has also revealed a widening gap. At one end, we have high-production festivals and parties drifting toward commercial polish; at the other, we have a loose network of experimental collectives operating intermittently on the margins. What’s largely been missing is a middle ground - events built around consistency, musical intentionality, and a sense of community.

That absence has been felt most strongly by longtime ravers who remember the city’s electronic peak around 2016–2017, when anonymity, secret locations, and a music-first ethos defined the scene. While the culture never disappeared, its center of gravity shifted toward mainstream pressures and polished venues, leaving many disconnected from what once drew them to the dancefloor. That disconnect prompted a group of friends - DJs, promoters, and entrepreneurs with over a decade of experience in parties and production - to launch Geeza Records.

With roots in Maadi's legendary party series, Sakanat, Geeza emerged as a response to the lack of infrastructure supporting dance music artists in Egypt, particularly in representation, distribution, and booking. Sakanat, now defunct, helped shape a more attentive nightlife audience; Geeza builds on that foundation with a broader, more sustainable vision. It extends a legacy of music-first spaces into a sustainable framework, steadily curating intimate showcases for emerging local and global techno, house and minimal artists whilst simultaneously offering a platform for innovative producers to release on their label.

For Karim S., the appeal is personal. Geeza, he says, is “what makes me want to go out again - to see old friends who stopped partying, and to listen to good music in a place where everyone feels welcome, no judgment, just there for the music and the company.”

The label and party series launched in January 2024 with a statement event headlined by Irish-born, Berlin-based DJ Sally C, transforming the abandoned palace at the historic Mohamed Ali Royal Club into an urban club setting that drew over 600 attendees. Since then, Geeza has hosted a steady run of carefully curated parties across Cairo, carving out an identity defined by intimacy, safety, and intention.

"Geeza is a space where people feel welcome, creative, and free to be themselves,” Omar Akhrass says, adding that it brings the scene together without diluting its energy.

Since its inception, Geeza has brought to Cairo some of the most sought-after underground bookings on the global circuit, such as Spray, Shanti Celeste, Alex Kassian, and Sedef Adası, whilst hosting collaborative showcases with the likes of Sunrise, the Romanian brand behind Sunwaves Festival, featuring global selectors MAKS and Priku - a sign of its growing international reach without compromising its core values.

The project has cultivated a loyal crowd and close-knit community, curating forward-thinking lineups within an attention-to-detail environment that brings artists, familiar-faces who rarely show up to the rave, and the wider creative scene. environment. For co-founder Ahmed Aroussi, that trust is palpable. “The real charm for me is the crowd," he explains. "You walk in and feel an instant sense of belonging, something that’s been missing in Egypt for a while.”

That same ethos extends to the label arm. With partners including French imprint Yoyaku, Geeza Records has become the first Egyptian label both to distribute local producers globally on vinyl, like Taher - Rival Conga, but also sell out international ones like Argentinian artist Juaan's massive Dr. Ritmo EP.

“We didn’t only want to create a space of our own built around a community we care deeply about and the music we genuinely love," Wally Mowafi explains. "We are also committed to supporting artists we truly believe in with a distinctive, special sound by giving them a platform through our record releases. That combination is what makes Geeza Records feel truly special to us”.

On January 16th, Geeza Records marks its second anniversary with an all-day party at ZED Park in Sheikh Zayed, headlined by German DJ and Magic Power Records founder Victor, joined by local favourites, Mira, Misty, AKI, Omarino, Aroussi, Horrible and Dirtybackseat. Reflecting on the journey, Mohamed H. notes that what matters most isn’t scale, but the shared understanding between artists and audiences about why they’re there. “Now, what matters most is that you can feel everyone is there for the same reason: to enjoy the music, respect each other, and be present. That kind of atmosphere doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built by the people who keep coming back.”

In a scene often pulled between excess and obscurity, Geeza’s significance lies in its refusal to choose either. By prioritising quality and consistency over spectacle and community over novelty, it offers a blueprint to elevate the local nightlife culture and reposition Egypt as a burgeoning hub in the international electronic circuit once again.