There’s nothing like music to set the mood for your summer adventures, pool sessions and parties. Egypt has been a hub for electronic music since the 90s and our local talents have been lighting up dancefloors at home and abroad. Whether you’re basking in the sun or partying under the stars, these Egyptian DJs will heat up your summer with fresh beats that leave you craving more. You can find them on Soundcloud or playing in clubs across Egypt including Cairo, Sahel, El Gouna and beyond.
A. SALAH
Whether setting the mood behind the scenes or igniting the dance floor, A. Salah stands out as one of the most electrifying figures in the Egyptian club scene. Born in Alexandria and now rocking Cairo, A. Salah’s passion for electronic and house music took flight in April 2009. Since then, he’s become a force to be reckoned with, hosting and transforming events at top venues like Rituals, Cairo Jazz Club, Aurora, Alegria, and Exit Club. Salah’s talent hasn’t gone unnoticed – his magnetic sets have earned him the chance to share the stage with legends like Nick Warren, Patrice Baumel, DJ Chus, Notre Dame, Savage & She, Yamil, Cioz, Sparrow & Barbossa and many more. Always pushing boundaries, he recently took his sound global, captivating audiences in Dubai and Zanzibar, where he lit up the Keep On Dancing Ibiza showcase. As a producer, Salah is making waves with two hot tracks poised for release under major international labels. Currently, he’s in the studio, collaborating with renowned international DJs, crafting beats that promise to take the scene by storm. He shared that, “collaborating with artists sparks new ideas and pushes me to innovate in my production process.” This summer, he’s inspired by, “vibrant festivals and music events happening around the world,” finding that, “the energy and creativity of these gatherings motivates me to create new music and explore different styles. With a relentless drive and a flair for innovation, A. Salah assures us that the best is yet to come.
AL SHARIF
Cairo-based music producer Al Sharif weaves organic, Afro, progressive, tech house and downtempo beats to create a feel-good atmosphere with deep, infectious dance grooves throughout Egypt and beyond. He’s renowned for his larger-than-life on-stage personality and his soulful, liberating performances. Currently in residence at Odin The Pool House Salt Beach, Al Sharif has also performed at clubs and festivals such as Cairo Jazz Club, The Tap, Cactus Festival, and Chill O’posite. Though he debuted his music career in 2018, Al Sharif has been interested in music from a young age. As he shared, “Throughout my childhood, I listened to different kinds of music, especially ethnic sounds such as Afro, Latin or Middle Eastern sounds, and I was always imagining these songs or tracks with added tunes.” This summer, he, “can see that Afro house with its all genres is invading the market parallel with the tech house scene, and this will scatter the shades over a lot of artists this summer, which will add diversity in the market.” He’s currently working on a new EP to be released later this year, backed by a beautiful live set on all platforms – and we can’t wait to check it out.
AZAAR
A master of ceremonies, conductor of groove and emancipator of dance floors, Azaar has become synonymous with Egyptian nightlife. It’s a given that if he’s behind the decks there will be table tops rumbling with a mix of house, tech-house, minimal deep tech, funky house and deep house beats. Azaar’s father owned Egypt’s first-ever record label importing English and French music in the 80s and 90s and his gift to Azaar on his 14th birthday of a suitcase full of cassettes, vinyl and CDs labeled “not for sale” got him listening to, in Azaar’s words, “every single genre you can imagine coming from Europe and the US.” He started weaving tracks together as a DJ and, around the time he entered a student DJ competition in 2014, he saw a video of Roger Sanchez sharing about how being a resident DJ helped him evolve his mixing career. Thus inspired, Azaar became a resident DJ at Aurora El Gouna where, in his words, “I had to face different crowds and different age groups every weekend – so I had to play literally all of the music on my laptop, not just a specific genre.” He’s since made quite the name for himself as resident of some of Cairo’s most exclusive parties, bars, clubs and festivals, including Clubbing Purposes, Sandbox, Urban Picnic, SACHI Park Street and ByGanz alongside artists such as Max Dean, Dimmish, Hugel and more. This summer, Azaar is inspired by friends, parties, good food and generally living by the principle that “surrounding yourself with the right mentality and the right people inspires you on a daily basis.”
DOU
For the original Adham Mohamed, better known as “DOU,” life is music. Based in Egypt, his worldwide search to seek out melodies, unknown sensations and hidden talents are part of everyday life. His musical quest is, above all, full of curiosity and passion. His style is a hot mix of progressive, deep house, tech house and R&B. Dou has performed with many legends like Black Coffee, Blondish, Loulu, Vintage Culture, Caiiro, Themba, Diass and more, and at most of the high-class venues in Egypt such as SACHI, KIKI’s, Scalini, The Lemon Tree & Co., Rituals and Cairo Jazz Club. He draws inspiration from a wide variety of sounds, genres, movies and cartoons, and seeks out varied experiences and audiences. DOU’s playful personality is part of his distinctive charm, and this comes out in full in the summer. As he said, “Summer is my favourite season and it’s every person’s escape season. I love it. I love the sun, the sea, the sand, the beach, the weather and everything. I come from Alexandria, so I always see summer and the beach as life. During this season, I love to perform happy sounds and make people happy.”
LOULII
Loulii brings deep organic hypnotic soothing sounds that raise the vibrations of the dance floor to leave audiences in a positive energetical state of being. Based in Cairo, she has been spinning across Egypt and internationally at spots like Aurora El Gouna, CLSTR 11, Cairo Jazz Club, Odin The Pool House and Coya Paris, as well as in festivals like Chill O’posit, The Monastery Festival and The Seekers of Light at ADE with The Gardens of Babylon family. Loulii began her electronic music career in 2012, inspired by the decision to, “start doing things the way I’ve always wanted to do, even if they don’t make sense.” A lover of music and dance, she aimed to craft music, her “most favourite thing,” that would inspire herself and others to dance. Over her career, she’s challenged herself to, “let go, trust myself, live more and, most importantly, enjoy what I do.” This summer, she’s enjoying, “spreading the love,” by, “playing music that touches the soul, inspires the body to move, and raises the vibrations up.” Feel the vibrations for yourself by finding Loulii’s music online or in one of Egypt’s hottest clubs.
OUZO
Ouzo has “grown-up” in the club scene. He first encountered electronic music while in high school in Switzerland in the late 90s, and has been in the profession since 2001, after returning to his hometown of Sharm El Sheikh. He held the prestigious residency at the premiere party place of Pacha Nightclub in Sharm El Sheikh and has lit up clubs and festivals around Egypt and abroad. Since the year 2015, Ouzo slowly started to get inspired by new sounds from ethnic multicultural electronic wave. He started a series of podcasts on Soundcloud called “Tarabeen,” well known for its flawless mix and storytelling that takes us to a world without borders or geographical boundaries. When asked about what is inspiring him this summer, he shared, “My wife, Karima. Her support and partnership help me explore new musical journeys and keep up with not only the music world, but also love itself.”
SEBZZ
Sebzz has been cultivating his exceptional and diverse taste for most of his life in the Egyptian and international scene. Having grown up listening to everything and anything handed down to him by his family, from classical opera to disco and beyond, a life changing-trip to the Love Parade in Berlin in 2001 led Sebzz to delve into clubbing culture. In 2012, he started working with Nacelle in operations and booking before moving to New York City to learn music production. After coming back to Egypt, he left his day job to become a full-time DJ. Since 2014, his “House of Sebzz” sets have set Cairo’s party-hungry scene ablaze, and his adept ability to tune in to a crowd has seen the egoless DJ make quite a name for himself. You can find him at clubs, parties and festivals such as Sandbox Festival and Chill O’posite Festival alongside the likes of Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren, Sasha and Damian Lazarus, to name a few. When he’s not spinning, Sebzz is writing music this summer, crafting the lyrics and soon the beats to three new songs he’s pretty excited about. He also shared, “This summer is a summer of change for me. I’m trying to become a better version of myself, concentrating more on myself and my good things come to those who wait,” and Sebzz is just getting started.
