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Egyptian Musical Superstars To Invade The University of London

The University of London is hosting "Music From Egypt and Sudan - Oxford Maqam" enlisting the musical efforts of some of the biggest names in the Egyptian music scene.

Staff Writer

Looking for a unique dose of Egyptian and Sudanese music, hungry ears at the University of London have booked some of the biggest names in Egypt's music scene, including Cairokee, Dina El Wedidi, Egyptian Project, and Oxford Maqam. The University of London will be welcoming and celebrating inspirational artists from both Egypt and Sudan on Friday January 22nd at 'Music From Egypt and Sudan – Oxford Maqam', a unique event organised by Marsm to showcase the soundscape of the region - ranging from traditional Folklore to Alternative Rock. 

Sure to be one of the series highlights is Dina El Wedidi, who has managed to take her beloved sounds well beyond Egyptian borders, finding international success with partial thanks to incredible mentorship under one of the fathers of Tropicalia, Gilberto Gil. The Brazilian music legend's contribution should not be understated as his guidance transformed El Wedidi from a talented amateur into a professional musician with a signature sound, fusing cultural influences on her successful debut album from 2014 entitled Turning Back

Further representing Egypt is the band aptly named Egyptian Project; as one could guess, this project hails from Sudan. Just kidding. In fact, this Electro Pop outfit was founded by French artist and producer Jerome Ettinger, who enlisted help from three talented Egyptians: Sayed Emam on vocals and playing the kawala, Salama Metwally on the rababa and violin, and Ragab Sadek on percussion. Together, the group finds its sound at the intersection of Trip Hop, Electro, and Folk, so we guess you could call their sound Electro Folk Trip. Also taking the stage is Oxford Maqam, an ensemble made up of both British and Egyptian artists whose sound is rooted in the Levantine and Egyptian Folk music that dominated the mid-1800s up to the early cinematic era. With only a handful of acts shedding light on this historically important and musically rich period, Oxford Maqam will sound uniquely fresh even if it's extremely dated.

Rounding out the performances is one of Egypt's renowned bands - Cairokee. After eight years of playing music without finding much success, this outfit managed to write a song during the January 25th uprising that became one of the unofficial anthems during Egypt's historically defining moment. Joining Egypt's musical talents at the event is Sudan's beloved Rasha, as well as Sudanese-American Alsarah. 

If you happen to be heading to London this week, or know friends who are desperately starved for Egyptian music in the UK, then the University of London is where you need to be this Friday.

For event details, click here.