At the backend of 2019, a rag-tag collective of Egyptian rappers, singers, producers and visual artists under the name of Kafr Kafr El-Dauwar Records (KDR) unleashed their first official release – one that proposed a different kind of shaabi music.
Ya Khal from group members, Ibrahim X and Yunis, bears the hallmarks of the popular genre – thinkhypnotic beats, saturated base and sharp synths that drive through your ear. What made the record stand out, however, was the delivery of Ibrahim X, who played the role of the nabatshi, or MC. Doing away with repetitive hooks and auto-tuned vocals, the lyrics are more akin to colloquial poetry. From then on, it was clear that this handful of creatives from Kafr El Dauwar, one of Egypt’s largest industrial towns, were doing things their way.
For the label’s newest release, Al-Symillat, producer Shah moves even further away from the typical shaabi sounds and towards a sonic landscape that’s informed by a range of different influences, the most compelling being dance music, techno and, wait for it, 80s Egyptian pop.
Each of the six tracks on the record – named NO1 through to NO6 – is coated in what can only be described as a retrofuturistic sound. Track NO1 is the perfect gateway, taking you through a delicately atmospheric intro that builds through layer upon layer of sound – though it never quite gets to the crescendo or peak it promises to deliver. Track NO2 is where you begin to recognise shaabi sounds, with a simple, fast-paced drum pattern giving urgency to an almost sinister melody that peaks with trademark shaabi synths.
There’s a similar use of synths in track NO3, although the beat lends itself much more to club music. Equally as sinister-sounding, the melody here is almost orchestral at times and carries with it the most 80s pop inspired sound. It’s a masterful piece of music that, from around the three-minute mark, teases and tugs for a good 45 seconds, before exploding into a sound that’s carried by dancehall-inspired beat, as the 80s-inspired synth goes into overdrive.
NO4 bears many similarities to it, but is saved from being branded as samey by synths that would be comfortable on any pure shaabi track, with its rapid change of pitch making for one of the albums more danceable tracks. NO5, meanwhile, kicks off with a beat that almost mimics that of a march – it’s powerful, consistent and unfussy. It too takes a turn, though, with the beat once again turning to something akin to a dancehall beat.
It's track NO6 that’s the most far removed from the rest, wading further into techno and dance influences. It’s by far the most atmospheric track of Al-Symillat and it has a grandeur that sets it apart from the rest of the album – one inspired by traditional tarb music, but one that would also easily make for comfy listening in a club.
Overall, Al-Symillat is a remarkable 30 minutes of music that sees Shah distinguish himself from the rest of the KDR quite spectacularly – an impressive feat considering this is one collective that already exists in a space of its own. Each track has a story to tell and isn’t burdened by the ebb and flow usually required to accommodate vocals in shaabi music. In fact, Shah’s music is so intricate and measured at times, that vocals would do it an injustice. It’s not shaabi, it’s not electro-shaabi and it’s not mahraganat – it’s something entirely unique, but also recognisable, a difficult balance to reach in any genre of music.
Find out more about the unique Kafr El-Dauwar Records with SceneNoise's in-depth documentary on the collective below.
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Main Image: Shah/Abdulrahman Saeed
