DemosNews: A glimpse into DJs and the dance culture in Egypt
A glimpse into DJs and the dance culture in Egypt
By: Shaden

We have all heard and read about DJs, parties and raves, today however, things have changed; dance music has become in a very powerful position, not only does it communicate directly through physicality, but its capable of reaching people on a global level and in great numbers, sending messages, raising money, dancing to increase awareness to prevent HIV. This allows a much larger opportunity for change and understanding around the world regarding Dance Culture.

To be able to understand Dance Culture, you have to get inside the ways in which the music is presented and performed, there have been plenty of interpretations put forward regarding the culture itself, but few have really addressed DJing as an art; that it requires a lot of talent, research, thought, self-examination to reach beyond simple entertainment and to provide something worthwhile and long lasting- is often overlooked. This form of unawareness is not helped by the growing amount of DJs who are very capable of entertaining people and elevating them at the same time.

However, there needs to be some discussion of the more complex aspects of the art; among the many rising and talented DJs in Cairo, I took the opportunity to discuss the subject with twenty four year old Amir Sharara, holder of a BA in business, major finance, from the Arab academy for science and technology;
"A person has to like music it self, has to really feel it and have the passion for it. There are different styles of music that suit the different needs of people; understanding the crowd is very difficult, and being able to deliver what they desire is even harder," stated Sharara.
"After coming back from Ibiza in summer 2001, I was blown away by the different types of music at the clubs so I decided to give mixing a try. By 2003 I recorded my first set that was aired on one of Cairo's local radio stations, this started it all, and since then I didn’t look back."

Egypt does not recognize DJing as an art, as opposed to western and European culture who take this form of "career" seriously, " International producers/DJs are renowned as musicians, because they reach a point where they collaborate with artists from different genres, even produce a soundtrack to a movie, for example Sword Fish by Paul Okenfold. This is all due to their hard work, time and money spent on promotions, in addition to that there is huge audiences abroad, which add to making it happen" said Sharara.

However, in Egypt, building a career in that field and being successful at it, is harder, even though there is an audience but being recognized as a DJ artist, is almost nonexistent, " record labels and production companies focus on the mainstream and signing with a label in Egypt cannot happen, since the majority of the Egyptian population do not listen or appreciate this genre of music. Unfortunately the term DJ is often misunderstood for someone who plays pop music in sequence, whereas being a DJ is composing, creating new sounds, having a unique style and type of music; it is an art," said Sharara, " what also helps, is the production company sponsors the DJ locally and internationally, advises him, leading him to international recognition, fame, and reaching the ultimate point of this job. This is what separates an International DJ, than the stereotypical one."

Clubbing has always been part of Egypt's scene since the late '90's, international DJs such as Tiesto, Paul Okenfold, Sonique and many others, have frequented Cairo or Sharm El Sheikh, if not once then several times.

However, regardless of the amount of raves, dance events, parties have been held there has always been a misconception towards this scene in particular "Parties can be a great success, if there could be cooperation between the Ministry of Culture, the police and party organizers, it could be flawless. These DJs are respected internationally, and have their status. When a DJ plays abroad, it is more like a concert, with amazing surround sounds, lighting systems, laser shows, live vocals, dancers, giveaways, etc… it becomes a massive production that entertains thousands of party goers. People go to these "concerts" not just to listen, but to dance, to be entertained, all this is added value." Said Sharara

Regardless of international recognition, promotions and fame, Dance Culture in Egypt is still misunderstood by plenty, "…due to certain behaviors' that do not apply with our culture, gives a negative feedback to society. Some party goers take it to an extreme, whereas other party goers don’t. A lot of criticism takes place, from any substance abuse, to bizarre sexual behavior, which gives the impression that these events are done for people to get wasted. Being frequented with this type of criticism, I believe that these events are poorly organized therefore lacking quality; which ends up in an event that is not up to standards. A lot of effort and dedication has to be put by organizers to sustain that kind of success, also media and tight security will help keep the flow of a healthy and organized environment, for the sake of the organizers reputation and also for the safety of party goers."
Sharara believes that with "appropriate queue lines, advanced ticket sales, closing doors and meaning it at a certain hour, can make a difference, its all for the safety of the party goers. So if our responsibility as DJs is to help others navigate reality then we must seriously use all our energy and skill to make sue we are reliable guides," however, not all events and parties turn to disasters;
"…some of the highly successful events that take place in Egypt happen to serve a small community with its own database, or a guest list of almost 300-400 names, creating a perfect balance of males and females; a party of such doesn’t have to be huge to be successful"
Sadly, when big events as such become advertised publicly it loses its value, in London or Washington D.C. a renowned DJ plays for a small crowd of 200 people, at a common famous club, like our Latex for example thus minimizing risk of failure and damage from all aspects. It is not the venue that matters, again its tight security, respect to the regulations, adding added value to the whole matter."
A lack of awareness and knowledge is one of the reasons that make Club Culture and DJing in Egypt, misunderstood and abused, but also there are pro's and con's to being a DJ in Egypt, according to Sharara, " it takes a lot of hard work and faith to be successful in this field, one has to be familiar with the artists that are related to the genre, have to update regularly regarding new music, new technology, new software, composing your own music, failing at times, succeeding at times."

"Creating your own sound is not as difficult as before, but it takes a lot of time, research and money… We need to be critical of our own performance, actions and behavior. We need to be able to connect with ourselves first and then with others. Being true to oneself is essential,"
DJs must take care in their role of entertainers, for it is not the glamorous position it is made out to be, in fact it is very difficult; "I have faced a lot of obstacles trying to reach my goal, apart from my day job, I needed a lot of time to prepare and practice, I had to be totally dedicated which was a bit hard at first. Some people gave me a hard time, didn't believe I could be good at it, which actually made me work harder, I traveled, attended parties to give me new ideas, I met new people, collaborated with different talented DJs, I practiced with friends, till I felt I was good enough to upgrade my equipment to a professional level, and now I am where I am!" Sharara added.
When discussing influences, Sharara said that "Michael Jackson was my number one artist who plays a big role in my love for music, as for DJs there are plenty; Paul Okenfold, Sasha, John Digweed, Sander Kleinenberg, Hernan Cattaneo and many more. There are a lot of amazing producers and composers that I have a lot of respect for"

Dance Culture has assisted the situation of music which is challenging enough to stimulate and change people, but which is also accessible enough to take stimulating art out into the real world.
Dancing, besides giving physical happiness to one self, can have psychological effects. Feelings and ideas can be expressed and communicated; sharing rhythms and movements can make a group or a person feel unified and healthy. In some cultures, people dance in order to heal themselves or others. The modern field of Dance therapy developed as a means to help people express themselves and relate to others.
There are some people who take dancing as a healer, as a way of feeling free, and what's best than a DJ who caters to the need of a dancer to make one dance and feel revived?
This is the art of DJing, no less no more. It is yet another branch in the rapidly growing tree of the art of music. Not only is music and dancing intimately connects a person with their own psyche, but with reality as well. We can communicate new messages; explore aspects of life through the power that music creates. And as Sharara concluded "I doubt that anyone can live without music."

© 2024 Shaden of DemosNews

June 29, 2007 at 8:45am
DemosRating: 4.9
Hits: 1831

Genre: Arts (Leads)
Type: Critical
Tags: DJ's, Dance, Culture, Music, Cairo-Egypt

Herb Poole   perhaps you can coax mr. sharara or some of his favorite art...
M. Brun   I would like to applaud this statement for its veracity with...
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