SceneNoise

Despite having to balance his budding DJing career with the demands of med-school, Cairo-based Youssef Yasser is in a constant state of hunting, digging for the rarest of rarest mind-blowing tracks - an M.O that has seen him make appearances on Rinse FM and ZULI’s show on NTS.

Music has always been a part of Yasser’s life, having learned to play the guitar at a young age. It was in the realm of electronic music where he really caught the music bug, however, and the sheer variety and eclecticness of his selections that separates him from the crowd. Ultimately, his battle is a noble one, as he looks to expand the Egyptian scene’s horizon’s beyond the eight electronic genres local ears have become accustomed to.

From post-club, electro-shabi and experimental ambient, to house, minimal and funk, this is one DJ who spits on the very concept of genre. For his Select mix, he’s chosen to go down the road of funk and house - enjoy.

When he isn’t performing his daytime role as digital marketeer, you can find Amrr on the decks spinning rare tracks. Known for his peculiar selections and methodical mixing style, Amrr enjoys mainly messing around with house and its sub-genres, namely deep house and minimal, as well as adding some break-ish house alongside ear-punching electro.

His introduction to mixing was digital in 2013, before he later learned to spin vinyl. Amrr quickly found himself in the limelight after making his debut in the 2nd volume of Fresh Meat, and he has continuously been on the rise since.

Having played at Glasshouse and Cactus Festival, as well as having a residency with Cairo-based party concept Funkhaus, Amrr’s love affair with electronic music commenced in 2018 during an outing for his favourite party concept, Sakanat, and he hasn’t looked back since.

For Scene Noise, Amrr presents a one-hour house mix, ideal for pool parties and beachside days with a selection that features the likes of Noah Fisher, Vincenzo, Giammarco Orsini, and Thompson Twins.

A computer engineering student who later discovered his love for melodic techno, Marawan has been at it for almost three years as he works to continuously refine his sound selection. In doing so, Marawan launched his own series of sets, M Series and D Series, mixing melodic and deep house, before integrating both genres into one sound.

Recently, Marawan and friends launched their own music label ‘Realm’, where they provide a platform for little-known techno and house talents to release mixes and EPs.

For Scene Noise, Marawan collects hypnotic and mesmerising sound selections from the likes of Stephan Jolk, Mathame, Fideles, David August, and Jeremy Olandur.

Doctor by education, DJ by artistic talent, the young selector has made his mark these past couple of years. After turning heads with his debut in the third edition of our FreshMeat series, Alï earned himself bookings among heavyweights within the local scene, as well as various international acts. Meanwhile, over the past year, Alï launched his own party series ‘Funkhaus’, working to elevate Cairo’s clubbing culture by platforming underground sounds within the community.

In his Select set, Alï presents an obscure selection of inspired diverse sounds, curated for your beach cravings during the seaside season. He doesn’t centre any certain genre, but lets intuition guide a selection that features the likes of Dubrunner, Soichi Terada, Jun Fukamachi, Izumi Kobayashi, and more.

Born and raised in Cairo, ZEYAD entered the electronic party scene in 2017 with an enthusiasm for minimal, house, and techno. A year later, he began working with boogie platform Desimana as a party promoter, which led him to promoting for Glasshouse, Outside, Jellyzone, Funkhaus, and even our own Noise Sessions.

Somewhere in between then and now, ZEYAD began mixing, practicing through the Strictly Vinyl course with Ahmed Samy in 2019, as his love for minimal and house made way for the fast-paced bounciness of electro and breaks.

His Select 139 mix features the likes of DJ Mell G, Jensen Interceptor, Hermeth, and 7uka.

Growing up in Saudi, the DJ also known as Myhand began his music journey listening to guitar-based genres like rock and metal, even playing the guitar for some time. Eventually, he formed his love for electronic music and the Egyptian underground scene, which led him to Strictly Vinyl, an Egyptian DJ school, where he took his first steps in the mixing world.

His genres range from minimal to electro breaks and sometimes show a hint of drum and bass. In this mix, he opts for showing his minimal colours, with tracks from the likes of Acid Kids, Sean Guillermo, Eddy M, and Parsec.

While he juggles the pursuit of a Masters Degree in Berlin, Egyptian DJ and producer Deeb wants to make a scene in the techno capital. With a curation inspired by the likes of DJJ Lion, Truncate, Maya Jane Cole, and Bend Sims, Deeb presents his case.

A set which goes for a lighter overall sound that incorporates raw hypnotic techno, it still hosts his instinctive inclination for hard-hitting sounds as well as love for percussion and sub-frequencies. Having been hitting the drums since the tender age of six before learning to mix at 12 years old, Deeb’s work has always been years in the making.

With a Palestinian ancestry, the US-born, London-and-Amman-raised, Brooklyn-based Felonious Funk is an embodiment of a ‘child of the world’.

Inspired by the life and times of American jazz icon Thelonious Monk, Felonious Funk is a self-described musical soul who was never very good at colouring inside the lines. Alongside her curation for radio shows and funky getdowns, she’s also an international lawyer who does screenwriting on the side, telling #SceneNoise that she is “serious about not taking things too seriously.”

Offering a blissful hour of disco, funk, soul, and jazz by the likes of Peter Brown, Purple Disco Machine, DJOKO, and a host more, we challenge you to remain still through Felonious Funk’s Select 136.

Lyss is one half of the Caucus Kollektiv, which she created with close friend C/EL. The latter had previously featured on SceneNoise’s Select Episode 130, during which ‘La Radio Kollektiv’ was launched to boost spirits of and showcase local Lebanese artists during the party scene pauses of the pandemic.

Since her teenage years, Lyss has been diving deeper into the vast sea of electronic music subgenres while adding her own touches to it. To Lyss, mixing is about experimenting with genres and playing through emotion, as opposed to what is ‘supposed’ to be played or committing to one genre.

Her library is often characterised by industrial techno, groovy-house, and soul. In this episode, though, she’s swinging between house, electro, and breakbeat to express a portrayal of love, anger, nostalgia, and most importantly hope. The mix features Octo Octa, Nexus 21, Solah from Material, and Sakanat’s Mehdi M.

Almost exactly one year on from their last appearance on SceneNoise’s long-running Select series, the Cairo-based duo of STZ and DOU are back to usher in the summer with a one-hour soundtrack to your seasonal beach shenanigans. Best enjoyed on a giant party yacht on the Red Sea (a beach, a garden or even a balcony with a nice view will do) the set features tracks from the likes Louie Vega , Simon Adams, Despa and The Martinez Brothers. Check it out: