Latest news with #AbdelHalim
Identity
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Identity
Why Can't Egypt Throw a Proper Music Festival — Like, Ever?
With Morocco's Mawazine Festival kicking off — 24 years strong since its birth in 2001 — a nagging question echoes louder than ever: Why doesn't Egypt, the country that gave the planet Umm Kulthum, Abdel Halim, and Amr Diab, have a single proper music festival that represents us? And no, it's not about talent. That excuse expired long ago. We have range. The fans are here. The artists are here. The sound is here. So what's missing? Simple answer: the platform. Sandbox in Gouna is the only festival with consistency, but let's be real. It's niche, expensive, and curated for a very specific crowd. It doesn't represent the larger Egyptian music culture or reach the wider audience that's craving it. Other concerts happen occasionally, but they're scattered and usually brand-led. No identity. No community. No long-term vision. Just noise. And while Egypt fumbles through one-off concerts and disconnected sponsor activations, Saudi Arabia went from zero to MDLBEAST, a multi-stage EDM empire that doesn't just pull global headliners but also exports a whole new Saudi cultural identity through music. Tunisia has been hosting the Carthage International Festival since the 1960s. That's decades of investing in music as national pride. And Morocco? Morocco has Mawazine, a festival so massive it regularly attracts both Arab legends and global icons. What's Egypt's excuse? Let's be honest: Bureaucracy is a nightmare. Organizing a live music event in Egypt feels less like planning a cultural experience and more like navigating a minefield of paperwork, paranoia, and unpredictable shutdowns. You're more likely to get a 'no' than a permit. There's no infrastructure to build on. No designated festival grounds. No streamlined logistics. No real investment in stage design, safety, or long-term systems. The music scene itself operates in silos. Artists are blowing up online, selling out shows, making noise, but they're disconnected. It feels like almost no one is staying to build something here, collectively. Then there's the sponsorship problem: brands jump in for a product drop, a hashtag, or a flashy Instagram moment, and disappear the second the campaign ends. No one's sticking around to nurture the scene or invest in the long run. And looming over it all is cultural fear. Anything too 'Western' or unpredictable? Shut it down. Need proof? Let's talk about Travis Scott's cancelled 2023 concert at the Pyramids. It was set to be a global moment, the kind that brings international attention, tourism, and cash. But Egypt's Musicians Syndicate shut it down before it even happened, citing 'moral concerns' and 'threats to Egyptian traditions.' A once-in-a-lifetime event, gone. Out of fear. We're not just lacking festivals, we're blocking them. And at the same time, Egypt still doesn't have publishing royalties or proper collection systems. Music that plays in cafes, concerts, or clubs barely translates into revenue for artists. But let's imagine, just for a second, what a real Egyptian music festival could look like. Picture this: stages across the desert or the Nile, each one dedicated to a different sound — trap, shaabi, indie, electro, jazz — all coexisting without apology. Local legends, rising stars, regional collabs, and international names, all in one lineup. We're talking real Egyptian energy: food, art, dialect, movement. The sounds of the street and the pulse of the underground on full display. Brands that actually care about the scene — not just their billboard presence. And no, it's not just about the music. It's about jobs. Stylists, sound engineers, stage designers, filmmakers, vendors, photographers, editors, transport, tourism, the whole creative economy gets a boost. A festival is infrastructure. A festival is storytelling. A festival is soft power. That could be Egypt. That should be Egypt. So what exactly are we waiting for?
Ya Biladi
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Ya Biladi
Abdel Halim Hafez's family objects to Mawazine Festival's hologram concert
A dispute has erupted between the organizers of the Mawazine Festival and the family of the late Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez following the announcement of a hologram concert featuring the « Dark-Skinned Nightingale» at the festival's sixth edition. The family accused the organizers of proceeding without obtaining prior permission, insisting that the artist's artistic and literary rights are exclusively theirs and cannot be used without consent. Meanwhile, the organizing company stated that the concert is being held under a legal agreement with producer Mohsen Jaber, who they claim holds the rights to exploit Abdel Halim's songs. In response, Mohamed Shabana, the artist's nephew, denied Jaber's ownership of these rights and affirmed that the family plans to take legal action in several countries to protect Abdel Halim's legacy, especially after previous incidents they believe have harmed the artist's image.
CairoScene
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Artist Spotlight: Disco Misr - The Trio Turning Archives into Anthems
Disco Misr celebrates 9 years of remixing regional classics, and becoming one of Egypt's most sought-after acts along the way. May 28, 2025 It's been nine years since Disco Misr began reworking classic regional hits into fresh, dancefloor-ready tracks. Whether sampling Abdel Halim or giving a Shaabi tune a new twist, they've created a sound that's equal parts homage, humor, and party. What began as a cheeky rework project between friends has evolved into one of Egypt's most recognisable musical identities, spanning across remixes of classic tunes and chart-topping originals. To mark the occasion, we spent a day with the crew at ZED Park where they're gearing up to launch their new album '9 Tla2y' on May 30th. The title plays on the Arabic phrase "تسعى تلاقي" and perfectly sums up their mix of hustle and happy accidents along the way. Looking back, they shared how they started with zero formal training, just a bunch of ideas and a lot of instinct. Now they're working with some of the region's top musicians and digging through old Egyptian films to find just the right visuals that match their vibe. At one point, the chat got emotional. What started as jokes about crying at shows turned into quiet moments admitting it's already happened, as their journey from small beginnings to sold-out shows has truly sunk in. The album launch at ZED Park on May 30th will be a full day of music and laughs. Alongside Disco Misr, Ash, NEDZ, and Wust El Balad will perform, with standup from The Goats and Khaled Mansour as the MC. The park will be decked out with two giant living rooms and games where guests can win prizes all day long. It's a family-friendly celebration open to all ages, so bring the kids, bring your friends, and get ready for a day to remember. Watch the full interview here:
