Thursday March 28th, 2024
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Musical Highlights For D-CAF 2016

This year's edition of the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival promises to be a cacophonic affair of universal proportions; thankfully we're here to guide you through it!

Staff Writer

The city is abuzz with anticipation ahead of this year’s Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF), and all the sounds it promises to echo from Downtown Cairo’s streets. Here are some of the sounds you should expect to be hearing throughout the festival: 

Dina El Wedidi and Khansa Batma

What? Two of the Arab worlds best underground musicians, Dina El Wedidi and Khansa Batma, play a sizeable number of styles and genres between the two of them. You can expect anything from Bossa Nova, Jazz, Folk, and Reggae, to Oriental/Moroccan Rock N Roll, and a lot Rockabilly. Egyptian instrumentalist, singer, and actress Dina El Wedidi can and will put you under a musical spell for the duration of her performance. Khansa is Morocco’s first lady of Rock N Roll, playing a mix of what she calls Oriental Rock, Rockabilly, and Moroccan Roll.
When? March 31st from 06:00 PM to 01:00 AM  
Where? Horreyya Garden
Bi kaam? 60 LE

Bahaa AlAnsary

What? Only 25 years old, Cairo-born music composer and nay player Bahaa Al Ansary is touring the world with what he calls 'energetic music'. Italy, Iceland, UK, Austria, France, and Singapore are just some of the countries the young man has toured. His music is a mix of traditional Oriental music fused with some eerie spectral noise, and some very edgy sounds. His back-up consists of a violin, harp, guitar, and cello, and we are waiting for his set with all the patience that we can muster.

When? April 7th at 08:30 PM
Where? Falaki Theatre
Bi kaam? 30 LE

Arabstazy

What? Exorcism ceremony music?! We know that sounds scary, but worry not, it is fused with contemporary Trance to take the edge off it. The Tunisian musical collective Arabstazy not only play music, but they include several other modes of expression during their performance. Their set at D-CAF will include a visual set alongside their purely electronic sounds.
When? April 14th from 10:00 PM to 01:00 AM
Where? Shahrazad Nightclub
Bi kaam? 70 LE

Shaabi Night

What? Shaabi, contrary to popular understanding, has been around for years and years. The word Shaabi means Folklore in Egyptian, and it represents Egypt's culture in every area. D-CAF has been celebrating Shaabi every year and they intend to carry on this tradition with a live performance by Shaabi veteran Abdul Basset Hammoudda and Egyptian Indie label 100 Copies' artists, Ahmed El Sweasy and Studio Stella.
When? April 15th from 09:00 PM to 01:00 AM
Where? The Greek Campus
Bi kaam? 50 LE

For more information about D-CAF, check out their website and Facebook page.