Hassan Abou Alam Mix
Hassan Abou Alam is one of Egypt’s musical exports, steadily publishing his work since 2008 and he’s here to take over Tapes #90.
He has been featured on diverse labels across the globe such as Banoffee Pies, Rhythm Section, naive, Casa Voyager, and many more! For the past 15 years, Hassan has been playing around with his gear, forging multiple live performances. A hard to pin down sound that utilizes analog and digital instruments, a form of organized chaos that he portrays with extreme finesse—his Boiler Room set is a testament to his genre-bending capabilities. Through Red Bull’s RBMA Abou Alam was given a chance to mingle musically with the ancient people of Luxor. The result? A phenomenal live performance in Cairo fusing traditional folklore with electronica, successfully pinning him as one of Egypt’s most versatile musicians.
TRACKLIST
Lubelski ft. Ardalan - Just The Way (Danny Goliger Remix) [DIRTYBIRD]
Cocktail Party Effect - Racka [Sneak Social Club]
K Wata & Sputnik One - Back Innit [N-FACE]
Protect Ryan - SE4 [Gutterfunk]
Alec Pace - Future Now (Stenny Remix) [Early Reflex]
Syz - Headspin [Banoffe Pies]
georg-i - ???
Gamma Intel - Trust [Nerve Collect]
DJ Sosa RD - Mami QTQ [Tratratrax]
Sha Ru - ???
Granul - Aksayan [Hassan Abou Alam Remix] [YUKU]
Le Motel ft. Nah Eeto - Piga Makofi [YUKU]
ZULI - Trigger Finger (Chevel Remix) [HAUNTER]
An Avrin - RUMBLE (Bellycrap DUB)
Cocktail Party Effect - Fixing The Roof [Nervous Horizon]
YAANO - Christian Dubstep [Critical Music]
Sputnik One, EMBY, Honeydrip - Supa Natural (Honeydrip & Spud Remix) [N-Face]
Glimmerman - One Hundred & Sixty times [N-Face]
Hey Hassan! Great to have you on the series - why don’t you start by introducing yourself?
Hey, truly honoured to be on the series. Thanks for having me. I’m currently based in Cairo, Egypt. I’ve been making music since before 2008. Worked on music across all kinds of genres over the past 15 years.
Tell us a bit about this mix - Where was it recorded? Favourite track inside?
The mix was recorded at a friend’s place here in Cairo. It’s hard to pick a favourite track from the mix, they’re all special for me to be honest.
The ideal setting to listen to it?
In your car maybe or while you’re commuting between places.
Let’s talk about your productions - after a series of works on Naive, Not For Profit and Rhythm Section; your release on Banoffee Pies has been doing the rounds! What was the inspiration behind it?
During covid, I started working on a lot of music. I became more comfortable with my methods and instruments. I found a more productive way to write music. Thank god I’ve been in that same headspace since then. So, I’d say quarantine is responsible for my releases in the past few years.
Your most recent release ‘Ice’ on Nezah Records really hones in on that eclectic/fusion sound between techno/breaks/bass. How do you approach constructing your tracks?
With each track it’s different I guess. I try to offer music that sounds unlike anything else out there. Normally, I just record my instruments while jamming and then resample parts that sound interesting and then I reprocess them and experiment with these sounds and see what I come up with in the end.
You’re based in Cairo - what’s the music scene like out there? Are there any local DJs/producers or promoters to watch?
The scene here is more on the commercial side of things but we do have a small underground experimental part of the scene that’s been growing over the past few years. My favourite artists include ZULI, 3Phaz, Abadir, Rozzma, Hashem just to name a few. Favourite Promoters: Jellyzone and MOSHTRQ
What's next in the pipeline? Any upcoming gigs/releases?
I’m cooking up a couple of releases for this year and a few remixes here and there :). Also, trying to hook up an EU tour at one point this year!