All things ‘MUZIX’: Egypt’s first music expo
BY AMINA ZAINELDINE and MIREL SOLIMAN
@A_ZAINELDINE and @MIRELSOLIMAN
![Luka performs on stage at MUZIX, singing an adaptation of Salah Jahin’s poetry [Zaineldine]](http://www.auccaravan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/IMG_1789-copy-e1446328104548.jpg)
The booming sounds of the ‘MUZIX’ expo shook the ground, as a plethora of musical expertise took center stage at the Greek Campus on October 23 and 24.
Star headliners like Nesma Mahgoub, Luka, and Massar Egbari performed to raving audience cheer.The first exhibition of its kind in Egypt and the Middle East, ‘MUZIX’ gave musicians, producers and other music enthusiasts the opportunity to gather and connect in one place.
“It’s is a complete musical weekend,” said Anis Abd El Meguid, an AUC mechanical engineering senior and ‘MUZIX’ organizer.
“It has an educational hall with seminars, panels, and workshops, an exhibition hall with all the latest musical brands, and a performance stage with amazing headliners,” he added.
The music scene in Egypt is ripe with a multitude of professionals ready, willing, and able to guide emerging artists.
Many keynote speakers gave speeches and seminars about their experience and expertise in professional music.
These speakers included film score composer Hesham Nazeeh, recording studio Epic 101 studios and many more.
Nazeeh told The Caravan that this was the first lecture he had ever given.
“But as I was preparing for it, I felt that I have much to say about the music industry. The things that I want to talk about can’t be found easily on the internet,” he said.
A dominant theme throughout the event was the encouragement of amateurs and rising stars to take the initiative to innovate and to find their place within the market.
Co-founder of digital marketing agency MO4 Network and music marketing panellist Timmy Mowafi, commented on how smooth and professional the event’s organization had been and that he had never seen a platform like this in Egypt before. “People are here taking notes; they want to learn.”
Mowafi and his fellow speakers Ahmed Fahmy of organizers Electrum Records and Metal musician Al-Sharif Marzeban agreed on the importance of self-marketing, creating a unique identity and networking.
“Just making friends with people will get you so many places, especially in Egypt,” said Mowafi. “There’s a lot of nepotism here.”
Music producer and DJ Mohanad Mohamed, 19, was among those who gained much by attending the event. “The lectures were to the point and helped me in learning new things. In less than two hours I learned things that would take me weeks to find on the internet,” Mohamed said.
British-Egyptian Producer and live Electronic performer Funky Pharaoh, who offered a production workshop in the educational hall, said that he had received emails from many people over the two days of the event. “They were hoping to chat with me at length and thought that the workshop wouldn’t be enough.”
Funky Pharaoh was especially interested in hearing personally from the musicians who had attended the event, both to advise them and to listen to their music.
Not only were artists focused on playing music and teaching the rising stars what they know about music, others expressed their ideology behind it.
Drummer Sabrine El Hossamy, better known by her stage name Sabrine Darbuka, was as keen to guide emerging musicians. As a woman who drums, she thinks that her instrument has been associated exclusively with men for far too long.
“After years of playing and always trying to be as strong and fast as a man, I discovered that women were drummers in the ancient times.”
Sabrine took it upon herself to revive this notion of women drummers, and has been encouraging girls to drum ever since.
“Ninety percent of my students are girls,” said Sabrine. “And they’re amazing! They’re all beautiful and successful, and doing things with their lives. I can see every day how drumming empowers them and how it makes them feel good.”
Various artists from all around Egypt introduced many genres and styles to the audience through their performances.
Singer and songwriter Hassan Ramzy explained that his songs are sung in English, though they will have an oriental twist. “So yes, it is Western music, but it still has the essence of home,” Ramzy added.
In spite of the relatively low turnout, performers, organizers, and audience alike were satisfied with the outcome of the event. “Anyone who’s a musician is in heaven here,” Mowafi said.
