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We remember this day 10 years ago when the Sixto Rodriguez documentary "Searching for Sugar Man" debuted at Sundance, then took off for the mighty Nile River and Cairo on our Round Trip with Lizz Kalo to Egypt.
"The Drop with Danno" on GFN 광주영어방송 98.7FM in Gwangju & 93.7FM in Yeosu, Korea. An eclectic radio curation of all things musical spanning the spectrum every week. Broadcasting 8-10pm KST nightly.
Jan 19, 2022
The Drop with Danno
Rodriguez – Sugar Man
Al Masrieen – El Bahr Azra
Hamid Al Shaeri – Ayonha
Salah Rageb & The Cairo Jazz Band – Neveen
Maryam Saleh feat Maurice Louca & Tamer Abu Ghazaleh – Nefsif Akli
Hello Psychaleppo – Tarab Dub
Muslim – Abl Mansalek
Mohammed Saeed – Mehtag L Wogodk
Moustafa Max feat Xourldin – Mraite
Donia Wael feat El Waili – El 3asal
Dina El Wedidi feat DJ Totti – El koun
Salah Rageb & The Cairo Jazz Band – A Tribute to Sun Ra
Salah Rageb & The Cairo Jazz Band – Ramadan In Space Time
I.
It is 20 hours past midnight and the Nile Delta calls us tonight, so it’s time for warmer climes once again as our travel series is ready to head to the Nile on flight TD 059. And this Wednesday evening is blown into the sands of the Sahara as January 19, 2022. This is Danno as always as ever from studio 2, GFN HQ in Downtown Gwangju, how do you do? Since it’s Wednesday and it’s still cold outside, it’s time for our Round Trip and Lizz Kalo graces us once again aboard the plane as flight TD059 heads for Cairo tonight, and we’ll be rocking an Egyptian playlist for most of the full two hours to showcase the sounds and colors of a singular country in human history. The famed and ancient nation at the mouth of the Nile River is known for so many things in the public, often erroneous consciousness, but we’ll be highlighting the music tonight both old & new to showcase the diversity of Mighty Egypt this until we hit 10 bells. To start though, we start with the Sugar Man himself Sixto Rodriguez, and fascinating audio life lived in Detroit, and an even more amazing documentary. This is The Drop.
Rodriguez – Sugar Man
Back on The Drop and we are thankfully on the VIP bus to Incheon right now, as we cut it kinda close getting to the station this evening. What’s snapping and/or tapping tonight, Drop Gangsters (Korean)? Danno on the mic here in studio 2, GFN HQ, downtown Gwangju, and ready to fly to Cairo, Egypt tonight with Lizz Kalo on flight TD059. We take off at 9pm sharp, so make sure to stay right here with us for some North African adventurism.
However, for our TIGHT feature this evening we started in Detroit with Sixto Rodriguez and his signature tune that became his nickname, that was Sugar Man, released in 1970 originally. A man whose music initially developed very little fanfare in the US, he found fame much later as his tunes became hugely popular in New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia.
It was on this date 10 years ago that Searching For Sugar Man made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The movie details the efforts in the late 1990s of two Cape Town fans, Stephen "Sugar" Segerman and Craig Bartholomew Strydom, to find out whether the rumoured death of American musician Sixto Rodriguez was true and, if not, to discover what had become of him. Rodriguez's music, which had never achieved success in the United States, had become very popular in South Africa although little was known about him in that country.
Sixto Rodriguez still lives in Detroit, he’s just a regular guy, but it must be noted he makes millions in royalties from the film and popularity in these countries. Just an incredible story, in fact, the film won both BAFTA & Oscar awards for best documentary film. Great documentary film if you’ve never seen it.
Long live to a true Detroit original, Sixto Rodriguez.
#9870, @gfnthedrop, podcast details, etc.
So, let’s get some Egyptian soul on the deck to start our night and keep it old school with some Habibi Funk selections. Up next is Al Massrieeen to be followed by Hamid Al Shaeri and Salah Rageb with The Cairo Jazz Band, and This is The Drop on your Round Trip Wednesday nights over Egypt.
_________
The Drop returns tonight after the first block on our Round Trip Wednesday. The incomparable Lizz Kalo joins us after 9pm takeoff aboard flight TD 059 bound for Cairo and the Egyptian surrounds. Naturally, while we’re currently on the way to ICN, we’re getting a taste of some things from the 2nd hour on the playlist along with some that’s not to start the show, and we kept it rather old school in that first block to keep things consistent in the radio cocktail. So, to recap that was…
Al Massrieen – El Bahr Azra (…this is off a great Egypt-focused compilation by Habibi Funk, which focuses on forgotten old school tracks from all over the world, but with a focus on Middle Eastern & North African sounds. This was on Habibi Funk’s sixth release from 2017. This tune’s title means The Azra Sea, although not sure where that is.)
Hamid Al Shaeri - Ayonha (…this tune’s title means her eyes, and is the title track of a 1983 album put out by local label The Sonar Company. Another feature from Habibi Funk, who just continue to unearth crazy gems from all over the map.)
Salah Rageb & The Cairo Jazz Band - Neveen (…for those wondering what the meaning of the title is, it’s an Arabic female name meaning something new, excellent, or better than the rest. This one still scatting away below my voice is from a 1968 LP called Egyptian Jazz, appropriately and straightforward enough.)
Okay, we’ve delved into the older biz tonight, so let’s get some more contemporary stuff more in the lo-fi, trip hop realm but still definitely jazzy. Up next is a very talented woman whom we shall discuss further in hour 2 named Maryam Salah with a tune called Nefsif Akli or Mental Clearance, which dropped in 2017 titled Lekhfa or lightness, and then we’ll finish in Syria, a country which once upon a time was united with Egypt and a band called Hello Psychaleppo, and our final cut is called Tarab Dub. THIS is The Drop on your Round Trip to the United Arab Republic.
Maryam Saleh feat Maurice Louca & Tamer Abu Ghazaleh – Nefsif Akli
Hello Psychaleppo – Tarab Dub
II.
The Drop is back on the air as we await getting ticketed for the flight to Cairo this evening, departing at 9pm sharp on flight TD059 bound for the Egypt with the wonderful Lizz Kalo aboard the flight with us. Danno here just waiting to check in so thankfully we had a couple tunes right there to accompany the mix of boredom & fury that inevitably bubbles up during this process. That was…
MUSliM – Abl Mawsalek (…this title is a name apparently, meaning Abdul of Mosul. The artist was born in Tangier, Morocco in 1981, and has found a huge following all over North Africa and does spend a lot of his time in Egypt, definitely a guy with a pretty substantial following nowadays, and a very nice voice.)
Mohammed Saeed – Mehtag L Wogodk (…not even gonna try that one in Arabic, although it does mean I need your presence. Another guy definitely getting a good following in the Egyptian rnb/soul realms, and we must point out this is not to be confused with the animator of the same name from the United Arab Emirates.)
Moving along SM, #9870, podcast let us know …
Next block we’ll continue with the more contemporary artists of Egypt, and on deck is Moustafa Max to be followed by Donia Wael and another artist who features in hour 2 named Dina El Wedidi, who will close the next block. We’ll talk about all of these artists after they go off into the atmosphere and return, but for now THIS is The Drop on your Round Trip Wednesday to soulful singin’ Cairo.
_________
The Drop has arrived at the gate for the flight in a tizzy after a harrowing experience in security, which is pretty much how it goes, what can I say? Danno here ready to get on flight TD059 for Cairo momentarily, and Lizz Kalo and myself will continue with our Egyptian audio exploration while we’re there in hour 2. For right now, though, let’s run down that last block prior to final boarding call...
Moustafa Max feat Xoureldin - Mraite (…this title apparently means passed by or passed on, and this duo doesn’t have a lot out there music or bio-wise, with this being their debut single released last year in August. We do know that the featured artist here Xoureldin wrote and sang the tune.)
Donia Wael feat El Waili – El 3asal (…interesting young artist here, this one dropped very early in October. Not sure how to pronounce the title. El Fasal, El Basal? Dunno, it’s spelled (3 A S A L). Interesting artist still on the indie level in Cairo, but watch out.)
Dina El Wedidi feat DJ Totti – El koun (…this tune’s title means the universe and was produced by DJ Totti. Both are out of Cairo and are kind of joined at the hip. We’ll discuss Ms El Wedidi more in hour two with Lizz Kalo.)
Okay, we’re gonna get in a couple more tunes from Salah Rageb and The Cairo Jazz Band, with the first tune to begin the end of the first half being A Tribute to Sun Ra, and we’ll finish with Ramadan In Space Time, which must be kind of like what going through the famed Muslim fast must feel like when in the throes of it. THIS The Drop and I think I missed final call but won’t miss the flight, and it is halftime.
Salah Rageb & The Cairo Jazz Band – A Tribute to Sun Ra
Salah Rageb & The Cairo Jazz Band – Ramadan In Space Time
III & IV Round Trip
Hawas - Tal El Sahar
Maryam Saleh – Nouh Al Hamam
Dina El Wedidi - Tedawar w Tergaa
Hany Mehanna – Damat Alam
Youssra El Hawary - Bas Kollo Yehoon
Layla Mourad – Esaal Alaya
Hussein Sherbini ft. ABUSIF – Mostawa
Marwan Moussa – Compass Lost
Maryam Saleh – Wahdi
Douaa – Haditouni
Kafcamus – Meursault
87dance – Ghosts are bored
Hawas - Tal El Sahar
• Is an independent 8 man band from Cairo that was formed in 2014.
• They produced 2 of their EPs in 2015 titled “Hawas’ and “Like Water”
• The song was released in 2020 right when the pandemic kicked off
Dina El Wedidi - Tedawar w Tergaa
• Dina El Wedidi is an Egyptian singer, songwriter, guitarist, music producer and storyteller.
• She is known as a leading player in a musician ensemble that has performed a wide range of music styles by fusion of domestic and foreign music styles over the past years.
• She has released a total of 5 albums, with this song coming from the 3rd.
Youssra El Hawary - Bas Kollo Yehoon
• Youssra El Hawary is an accordionist, composer, songwriter, singer and actress .
• She has been composing her own songs, a satirical mix of social and political commentary, since 2010.
• This song is from her 2017 album “No’oum Nasyeen”
Hussein Sherbini ft. ABUSIF - Mostawa
• This song was released in 2015 by an extremely talented rapper and storyteller.
• I found some of his work on Youtube but not much information on the man himself.
Maryam Saleh - Wahdi
• Maryam Saleh, whose full name is Maryam Saleh Saad is an alternative indie singer, songwriter and actress.
• Wahdi was released in 2012 from her album “Mesh Baghany”
Kafcamus - Meursault
• I found that the song was released around 2019/2020 accompanied by a music video.
• He or they composed, produced and recorded it.