Renowned Egyptian producer EL Waili is known for his unique production style – not a ‘signature’ that most producers acquire over the years per se, but rather a style of laying out beats that makes his tracks instantly recognizable to his frequent listeners. Though the producer often releases his own music, these days with singer/songwriter Donia Wael, for his latest release EL Waili decided to remix an existing track. Whose track, you ask? None other than Egyptian rap icon, Marwan Moussa.
Moussa recently released his EP ‘Beeny we Benek’ which included a track entitled ‘Ya Salam’. This came with a cinematic-inspired instrumental and an unorthodox vocal mixing method, making the track an interesting stand-out from Moussa’s usual releases. What further elevated the x-factor of this track is the fact that Moussa chose to join forces with EL Waili, who completely reimagined it through his own distinct style. The original version of ‘Ya Salam’ is a hard-hitting, kick-heavy trap track, with a gradually progressing melody line, bringing things to a sweet culmination by the end of the track, concluding with a sinister violin solo.
EL Waili, on the other hand, offered his typical touch on the remix, leaving out the drums in the first section in usual Waili fashion. Melodically, the producer makes the use of an arpeggiated synth-line with a violin riff acting as adlibs, being played in a call-and-response manner alongside Moussa’s bars. Groove-wise, EL Wailli decided to switch things up from hard-hitting trap to a more psychedelic-influenced boom bap beat.
Overall, EL Waili’s version takes a more mellow direction than Moussa’s hard-knock production. The choice is open for the rap community, whether to enjoy EL Waili’s euphonious vision for ‘Ya Salam’, or Moussa’s unsparing original.
