Islam Chipsy’s EEK announce studio debut KAHRABA, set to soundtrack parties across the globe

Islam Chipsy's EEK announce studio debut KAHRABA, set to soundtrack parties across the globe

Walk into a party — any party — these days and you’re bound to hear either a trap playlist or some vanilla deep house. It’s all a bit boring and pedestrian, isn’t it? Fortunately, the people of Cairo wouldn’t have it that way, and the electro-chaabi (or “mahraganat”) scene is convincing proof of that. DIY, revolution-inspired aesthetics and cracked copies of FL Studio have paved the way for some of the most electrifying dance music emanating from Egypt’s capital, a sound now enjoyed beyond the city thanks to blog hype and the curatorial savvy of the Cairo Liberation Front.

Keyboardist Islam Chipsy’s EEK project captures the spirit of mahraganat, albeit with a slight twist; without any autotuned MCs carrying the momentum, Chipsy’s turbulent playing style takes center stage. Those who caught last year’s Live at the Cairo High Cinema Institute (a personal highlight of 2014) will already be fully aware of the visceral physicality of EEK and Chipsy in a live setting, and their newly announced album KAHRABA will see them distill this potency into a studio recording. With four tracks of densely-layered keyboard battery and frenetic drumming, EEK could well be set to dislodge that shitty deep house Spotify playlist for evermore and launch a full-scale takeover of party music worldwide. Or maybe not. Well, they’re gonna soundtrack all of MY super awesome shindigs, that’s for sure.

KAHRABA arrives June 15 on Nashazphone, and pre-orders are being taken here and here. In the meantime, preview all four tracks below:

KAHRABA tracklisting:
01. Trinity
02. Mouled El-Ghoul
03. El Bawaba
04. Kahraba

• Nashazphone: http://www.discogs.com/label/72950-Nashazphone

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