He might not be Egypt’s most well-known DJ, but Youssef Erfan, who goes by the pseudonym of Joey, is one of the few Egyptian producers who always deliver top notch music. He’s slowly but surely cementing his name as one to watch out for, having played for some of the biggest promoters around town, including Nacelle, Cache and even at our very own Noise Sessions to name but a few. While the hype always goes to the peak-time DJs who play the most ‘banging’, crowd-pleasing tunes, people sometimes forget about the guys and girls who know how to deliver without going too hard and unbalancing the rest of the line-up. The warm-up set is an art unto itself and Joey’s solid and groovy micro-house sound is what makes him stand out as the perfect warm-up DJ. He proved exactly that point during Nacelle’s Sandbox festival this year, where he perfected getting the crowd going, without burning them out.
Dentist by day DJ by night, his numerous years in the game have proven that he clearly knows his shit when it comes to sitting in his cave fiddling around using Ableton, with his distinctive sound borrowing elements from minimal and house, while - surprisingly - still staying away from the typical so-called Romanian minimal.
As the latest entry into his production repertoire, ‘Trouw’ is a sonic journey and interpretation of a YouTube cover-come-mashup of The Foo Fighters and Bobby Caldwell performed by the eponymous Elise Trouw. A little more unusual to Joey’s sound, the piece starts out with a sampled guitar from the cover, topped with rattling shakers, until the kick and claps come in to complement the groove. Shimmery ‘80s strings occasionally come in on top of the guitar loops, giving depth and a mind-altering edge to the track. Although Joey’s music carries a small room vibe, the foley sounds and his reverb-soaked vocals (yes, Joey sings, too), give "Trouw" a spacey and psychedelic feel.
Keep up with Joey on Soundcloud.
