Currently in Egypt, there are only a select handful of artists who can truly be seen as being on par with their international counterparts. As harsh as it sounds, underdeveloped ideas and worn-out sounds along with the scarcity of dependable feedback has led to an atmosphere of mediocrity that often still lingers around our scene.
But this image is slowly being dismissed, as more and more producers emerge from our scene with truly stunning music being recognised globally. Most of us might know Bashar Galal for his beautiful wistful photography, but perhaps fewer people are aware of his music-making moniker - BASH.Based in Berlin, his sound has been garnering attention and fans both here and abroad for the past couple of years. This year alone he played two of Berlin’s most iconic clubs, Chalet alongside Einmusik and Ipse with Maayan Nidam and several other artists. Locally he was a part of the latest Desimana event featuring Rominimal pioneer Barac.
But BASH is more than just a formidable DJ, there’s more to the buzz around him than brilliantly curated sets. He’s been uploading a string of tracks to his Soundcloud page for the past several months, although none of them has been signed - all of them are of irrefutable quality. And in the space of only four uploads, he’s cemented his signature sound in our ears. To our joy, Galal’s music finally got picked up by London/Paris-based Signatune Records for a three track EP entitled Gefrankt, and he’s managed to surpass expectations with this near perfectly crafted release. The first track is called Easy Does It and as the name indicates, it’s a track of very simple elements. A lingering mellow synth in the background with a thumping bass line, little variation in the top notes and a recurrent vocal sample with an overall celestial vibe to it.
The EP’s title track - Gefrankt has more of a rolling feel to it, as its flanged synth in the background keeps resurfacing, underlying the main melody. The final production on the EP is called Tuff Cookie, it features a chunkier bass-line, a heavy house melody with a classic vibe to it. The track keeps progressing with the aid of high hats and very brief breaks in between.
Follow BASH on Facebook for more updates and head to his Soundcloud for more music.