CAIRO: Tonight, head over to El Sawy Culture Center for an evening of rai-inspired music. SAHRA band will be performing a selection of original songs, as well as popular covers of Chem Khaled and Cheb Mami. SAHRA s lead singer, Saied, was raised in Libya. Growing up within a large Algerian community he became acquainted with rai music. Back in Egypt, in the late 1990s, he formed a band, Rai Train, and performed around Cairo at the height of Rai s popularity. In 1999, his group met up with Propaganda, a rock music band - led by keyboard player and vocalist Ahmed El-Wahsh - that made frequent appearances at the Cairo Opera House and other popular venues. The two bands decided to merge and create SAHRA, combining Saied s rai vocals with Propoganda s experience in popular rock music to form a new sound. Rai fans will tell you there s a magnetic energy to the music which has driven its popularity among fans around the world. Rai, which means opinion in Arabic, originates in the seaport of Oran in Algeria, from Bedouin shepherds. It is a mélange of Spanish, French, African-American and Arabic musical forms which date back to the 1930s. In the 1980s, rai began its period of greatest popularity, and captured an international audience when Cheb Khaled released Khaled in 1992. Egyptians were no exception, and soon joined the ranks of rai s enthusiastic fans. If you re one of the many rai fans in Cairo, then definitely attend SAHRA s performance tonight. You ll enjoy an evening of Saied s melodic singing, accompanied by the talented band members. And there s a bonus, proceeds from tonight performance will be donated to Lebanon. Though the concert was scheduled months ago, El-Wahsh explained that the band members felt that they wanted to make a contribution in support of Lebanon given the impact of the recent political turmoil. SAHRA band will be performing at El Sawy Culture Center, River Hall, end of 26th of July St., Zamalek. The performance begins at 9:00 p.m. For further information, please call (02) 7368881 or (012)4400100.
