Cairo-born, UK-based rapper and producer Xander Ghost just released his newest EP ‘Fayadan’ during an intimate listening party in Cairo last Friday, June 2nd.
Over the past couple of years Xander Ghost has been experimental mixes and original tracks with a diverse sonic palette, utilising a combination of Arabic and English vocals that illustrate his captivating creative vision. He entered the rap scene last year with his debut album ‘Galeedi’, and now he’s cementing his place by releasing his emphatic Synth-Trap EP ‘Fayadan’.
Consisting of seven tracks, the album takes us through a profusion of sounds we’re not really accustomed to in the Arabic rap scene. From industrial synth waves to retro video-game adjacent sounds, stirring percussion and bass that flow through several emotions to eerie alien-like backing vocals, it is apparent that his decade-strong experience in electronic music production is coming into integrated fruition.
The album includes two robust features. The first is ‘Ogra’ with Rap mammoth Marwan Pablo, which debuted as a single three months prior giving us a taste of what’s to come. The second feature, ‘Habash Feek’ with scene disruptor Ziad Zaza, was co-produced with Ismail Nosrat.
“With ’Fayadan’ specifically I was increasingly influenced by more personal experiences I had gone through,” Xander tells SceneNoise. “I put a lot of effort in writing the lyrics to evoke a storytelling aspect. Things were more calculated than with some of my past work.”
Ghost expressed that whilst recording a song he is constantly thinking about the visuals, and that is very obvious when we watch his music videos. When the ‘Ogra’ music video first dropped as a single, it sent fans into a whirlwind with its mesmerising visuals and clean aesthetics, and he’s done it again with the music video for the album’s sixth track, ‘Belize’. Shot in Japan, viewers are bombarded with bright lights, vivid colours, sharp transitions and swift visual effects, complimenting the song’s eclectic feel and hard-hitting lyrics.
We can also see the rapper and models in the music video flaunting vigorous shades from Xander’s eye-wear design company ‘A Better Feeling’, showcasing the different lengths the rapper goes to to integrate between his versatile creative catalogue.
Listen to the full album on Spotify now!
