I remember when I first got involved in the music scene in Egypt, the sickest sound-system you could get was the TX; the go-to if you wanted to get killer sound – for a school event or something, that is. The bigger the venue, the more TX sets you’d stack, and it’d all sound just fine, as long as you have the right amount of laser machines and colossal LED screens  to really make party into a show - that was the shit back then. We were, as a scene, really behind the time — and that was only eight years ago in 2010. TX was the answer. At the time I used to notice how sound systems installed in clubs abroad were their selling point — because you knew that by going to this place, you'd listen to the best representation of the music. 


Fast forward these eight years and it isn’t about the LED screens anymore. Suppliers and organisers began to realise that sound was the key element – let’s say they gave it the attention it deserved. We saw the import of these monstrous silver Funktion One systems begin to change the game. It meant crisp sound, no ground noise and defined bass. Gone were the Chinese Montarbo systems that were no better than the system a tuk-tuk had. Things took another leap this year, when a new player arrived on the scene – the red, aircraft engine-looking, triangular beasts carrying the name Void Acoustics.

 

The arrival came at the at the hands of RedLine Sound and Light – a company that can rightly claim to have elevated what a single event can be, after becoming the official Void dealership in Egypt, just four years after coming to be. Having been used from everything from the world’s top festivals, to the most intimate of clubs, Void has certainly improved the quality of events in Egypt. Behind RedLine are a four figures who are all involved in the scene in various ways – promoters, Coco Mokhtar and Islam El Mahdy, jet-setting DJ, Abou Samra, and the unsung hero of sound supply, the man known only as Fox. We sat down with the latter three to explore an often ignored, but wholly and utterly important, part of the events scene in Egypt.



How did you guys start RedLine Sound and Light?

 

Fox: I used to work as a technician 15 years ago and in 2003 I started working with venues like Sea Horse and started to buy equipment and grow a clientele. In 2010, I met Abou Samra at the first edition of Elrow, and every time he’d come back to Egypt from Spain, we discussed buying a really nice soundsystem.

 

Abou Samra: Yes, I was involved in the party scene there and started doing my parties here [in Egypt] too, this is what made me think about it. We partnered up even before getting Void — we used to rent Funktion One systems, until we decided to get the Void dealership.

Islam: I was working as a promoter in 2008 and this is how I met the guys. I used to rent all the gear from Fox and he kind of used scammed me *laughs*.

What is it that made you go for the Void dealership?

 

Abou Samra: The first one who told us about the Void Speakers was [Egyptian DJ] Misty. I mean, we knew it from partying outside of Egypt, but we never considered getting them until Misty gave us the idea. We kept mulling it over for three years, because it was really expensive. It wasn’t till we got it that we realised how much of a difference it really made – it blew away the Funktion One. Not that Funktion Ones are bad, but it’s just a matter of taste, and when we got it to the market, the tastes went towards Void.

Fox: I was a bit afraid in the beginning. I didn’t want to risk it and try and introduce something new to the market. It’s Islam that convinced me.

Do you feel that Void is associated with a certain sound or genre?

 

Islam: No, and this the edge it has here in Egypt. Everyone loves it — the bands, wedding DJs, Arabic DJs, everyone.

Abou Samra: The speakers are monster. In the Tale of Us party we did in Sahel, we had eight stacks and they were even too much for the 1200 people there. Void’s sound engineer came from London and told us we could’ve even done it with only four stacks.

Does the fact that you work so deeply in the scene mean that you end up partying more than you would?


Fox: Yes, if I wasn’t working with Void, I probably wasn’t going to attend the kind of parties we supply for. I was going to settle down, I think. I'm too old for that shit *laughs*.

 

Fox, do you enjoy this line work? Is there something to enjoy in being a supplier?

 

Islam: He doesn’t. He calls me every day complaining. Man he fucking hates it *laughs*.

Fox: But if I didn’t love it I wasn’t going to keep up with its shit and last this long. I’ve been in the business for 13 years now. It’s a business and it pays the bills – this is what keeps me going. 

 

What are the challenges of the job?

 

Fox: It’s not as easy as people might think. The most basic things you need in order to make a warehouse stand on its legs are good manpower and someone who understands how to store the equipment in a clever way in order to get them out quickly. Sometimes there are venues that will require you using over 500 meters of electricity cables. No one thinks about all of these factors. We have EGP 400,000 worth of cables in the warehouse. It’s not just plug-and-play, you know?

Islam: It’s not just about connecting the speakers and you’re good to go. You need to make sure the electricity is fine and you need a good sound engineer to operate everything.

So what’s the next step soundsytem evolution, let’s call it – what are the next sexy speakers you’re getting?

 

Abou Samra: We have plans and kickass speakers that we’re going to get, but we can’t mention it now. We’re preparing a new dealership, but we can’t talk about it until it’s the right time.

Islam: But we’re getting more Void Systems soon, before New Year – the Airten and the Air Vantage. We also just installed a Void system at Dusit Thani LakeView hotel’s newest restaurant.

A Void system in a restaurant? Are you turning it into a club?

 

Abou Samra: Not at all. Void has models that can fit any place. Even if you’re looking for a personal surround system for your living room. We can get it for you.

Do you feel that this particular field is competitive in Egypt?

 

Islam: Of Course. Very few people might actually understand that, but if you take a deeper look, you’ll find that it’s really competitive. It’s a big business, too. Some suppliers have EGP 50 million worth of equipment. But we’re the only company that has all kinds of equipment — our warehouse has sound, light, screens, everything.

What do other suppliers do then?

 

Islam: They give you what they have and rent out the rest of the equipment needed from a third party.

Fox: People don’t want to call several suppliers, one for the sound, one for the light, etc. They just want to call one supplier that will get them everything.

Abou Samra: And this is one of the things that created a reputation for Fox in the field.

Islam: Fox can do everything – he can even help you sell tickets for your party if you want *laughs*.

What was the reaction of your competitors when you first took the Void dealership?


Islam: Everyone gave us a hard time and tried to stand in our way. Some people even thought there was a big investor behind us.

Who’s your favorite local DJ?

Islam: Abou Samra, of course *laughs*.

Fox: Yeah, Abou Samra – when he’s a good mood.

Abou Samra: For me, Misty and Aly Goede. I really respect them.