The January Revolution has had a dramatic influence on Egyptian musicians and songwriters this year. Amira El-Noshokaty reviews a handful of revolution-inspired bands, while Sara Mourad asks people in Tahrir Square what they really feel about the new genre Over the past year, Cairo's Tahrir Square has showcased the birth of some new talent as well as broadcasting the fame of more established bands, while also continuing as an inspiration to the young voices of Egypt. One of the most outstanding groups to hit the scene was Eskenderella. As protesters, as well as musicians, they presented their patriotic and highly motivated songs to the thousands in the square. First established in 2005 by composer and founding member Hazem Shahine, the band started off by reviving Said Darwish songs and the lyrics of vernacular stalwart Fouad Haddad, as well as the patriotic tunes of Sheikh Imam Eissa. To this they added their own new and unique Egyptian songs with lyrics surpassing the commercial yearnings of fraught love. Getting a grip on patriotic and human stories stitched to authentic Egyptian tunes and voices, the band has left quite a mark on Egyptian music scene. "Safha Gedida" ("A New Page"), released in February 2011, by poet Ahmed Haddad; and "Yohka Anna" ("Once Upon a Time") -- first released 2007, with a new version in 2011by renowned poet Amin Haddad are two of Eskenderella's most popular revolutionary songs. Moreover, the band was one of the few, if not the only one that sang about those slain in the revolution. "El Horeya Men al-Shohadaa" ("Freedom Comes from Martyrs") by Amin Haddad and "Enzil" ("Go Down") by Ahmed Haddad were just a few of the songs paying homage to our martyrs that evoked tears and solidarity among the thousands who flocked to hear them in and out of the square. On the other hand, singer-songwriter Rami Essam gained fame after making his debut in Tahrir Square. The young musician gained fame on account of his satirical songs that mocked the rumours and false claims made by the Mubarak regime during the first 18 days of the Egyptian revolution, when they accused protesters of having a foreign agenda, being funded by other countries and being no more than thugs. In November Essam was awarded the Swedish Freemuse Award 2011. He played his hit songs "Tatti" ("Bow") and "Edhaki ya Thawra" ("Revolution, Do Laugh") on a Spanish guitar. One of the most recent hits is "Sout al-Horeya" ("Sound of Freedom"), a joint song with Amir Eid (music and lyrics), the Cairokee band (vocals) and Hany Adel: Music producer, Sound Engineering and Vocals of Wust El Balad Band. On a parallel note, another hit song written jointly by Cairokee and singing star Aida El-Ayoubi, making a comeback after almost 20 years of absence from the stage, was "Yal Midan" ("O Square"). This tribute to the square brought out the best in all of us. The video clips of both songs are quite exceptional:;the clip for "Sout El Horeya", mainly footage from Tahrir Square, captured the spirit of the revolution. While "Yal Midan" documented the latest protests as the camera roamed over clothes riddled with bullet holes, doctors' white coats, broken spectacles, onions and baking soda mixtures (items that defuse the effects of teargas) and the plastic shields of the central security police. However, the pronunciation and vocals of Cairokee and Wust Al-Balad lean very much towards the Western style, which detracts somewhat from the spirit of such patriotic songs. As for Rami Gamal, this young face was suddenly on our screens as a result of his moving song "Bahebek Ya Bladi" ("I Love You, My Country"). The song was a hit and was shown often on national television. This instant hit, however, borrowed its key line and refrain from an old-time favourite written by vernacular poet Fouad Haddad and composed by Baliegh Hamdi. and was part of the soundtrack of the 1970s movie Al Omr Lahza (Life Is But A Moment): "Ya Baladi Ya Baladi, Ana Bahebek Ya Baladi" ("O My Homeland, My Homeland, I Love You My Homeland"). As for the rest of the lyrics, one line in particular resembles those of Abdel-Halim Hafez's famous song "Fedaai", written by the poet Mohamed Hamza in 1968. The lyrics of Hafez's song went: "Law mot ya omi ma tebkeesh, rah amout alashan baladi teesh;" ("If I die, O mother, please do not cry; I shall die so that my country may live"). Compare these to this year's lyrics as sung by Rami Gamal: "Olo lomi matezalish, wehyati andek matayateesh, ololha maaleshi ya omi, amot amot w baladna teish;" ("Tell my mother not to be sad, please do not cry, I will die so that my country can live.") Knowing from where most of the music and lyrics have been borrowed goes some way to explaining the sense of nostalgia they evoke in an Egyptian audience, and why the song became a national hit. However, the real surprise was the promotional songs of the Freedom and Justice (Muslim Brotherhood) and Al-Nour (Salafi) political parties. Freedom and Justice opted for a modern take, creating their own rap song featuring their own followers' imprisonment and torture. However, the release of such songs online brought some negative repercussions to Freedom and Justice when they were accused of singing despite the fact that singing is allegedly prohibited by religious hardliners. There is no evident data as to the identity of the poets and composers or even the producers of such songs. One of Al-Nour's songs, however, explains that they are the young people of Egypt and will bring prosperity and justice to the nation. It is interesting to see how the Salafi's point of view shifts when it comes to singing in their own media campaign. A few weeks ago, a Salafi Sheikh walked in on a concert in Mansoura governorate, stopped the singer from performing and claimed that singing was a sin. How bizarre is that! Links: 1- Fedaai Song by Abdel-Halim Hafez, 1968 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAr3NxcOhNI 2- Soundtrack of Al-Omr Lahza film 1970s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi4q9xoR_uY 3- Rami Gamal's song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHuRxj6svvQ 4- Freedom and Justice Party rap song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8z4TwqBKhw 5- Al-Nour Party song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ietRFb-exJ8
