Music Producer Mohamed Gaber hits the international music scene with the hit song El Melouk featured in the new Marvel series, Moon Knight. The action-adventure series directed by Egyptian Director Mohamed Diab follows the Superhero, Moon Knight who channels his powers from an Ancient Egyptian Moon God. The series featured several Egyptian songs from various times in Egypt’s over 3000-year-old history with El Melouk winning the hearts and ears of viewers as it played over the end credits.
We sat down with hotshot Producer Mohamed Gaber whose risk-taking keeps birthing hit after hit. El Melouk was the perfect fit for the series with its strong beats, smart lyrics and the mix of top artists Ahmed Saad who was joined by the young Zuksh and 3enba. So how did this hit wonder come to be?
Gaber revealed that no one knows how the hit came to be, “No one can really tell you how this track came to be, we knew we wanted to create something that we all loved”. With preparation for the track taking over 3 months actual recording was done in a day. The team wanted to do something new with talented singer and composer Ahmed Saad encompassing the new wave, what exactly? They had no idea. With young artists Zuksh and 3enba having had dropped edgy singles months before, an opportunity for a collaboration was seen.
Gaber explained that the experimental nature of Singer Ahmed Saad and the malleability of Artists Zuksh and 3enba allowed for them to create a song where their different genres and styles would be their biggest asset, “all of them are true artists and their flexibility and their difference worked in the benefit of the song”. Gaber mused that it was more of an artistic jamming session in a cozy 3 by 3 studio owned by Producer Cool Pix. For Gaber, this encompasses the beauty of music that it is a common language for all and the song showed the world a distinctly “Egyptian” genre of music.
So, the million-dollar question, how does one produce a hit? Interestingly Gaber gets bogged down every time a hit is made thinking they won’t be able to do another one, then he remembers his strong belief that music is always new, “there’s always an opportunity to create…always. A new genre is around the corner and always a chance to make magic”.
Gaber showed enthusiasm for collaborations explaining that it also allowed artists to develop their style, experiment and come up with out-of-the-box art. Gaber was quick to highlight that while he believes an artist should have their own iconic tracks that solidify their identity it is important for them to push their own boundaries whilst still staying true to who they are, “an artist’s malleability is their strength, an artist needs to get out of their comfort zone in order to know more about themselves and their listeners. It is a trial and error and the artists needs to take the lead in their own exploration as they are the ones who know themselves best”.
As for El Melouk, Gaber was thrilled with the reaction of listeners and explained that it was interesting that this track kept changing, “we wouldn’t release it till everyone was happy, we were about to shoot and Director Ali Abo Taleb simply said, ‘something is missing’, we stopped and went back to the studio to try to find out what is missing, so the direction completely changed several times”.
Gaber is always keeping an ear out for new artists and encourages them not to depend on talent alone but find themselves a direction. As for the music scene, Gaber is optimistic and sees opportunity everywhere, “It’s a blender in a good way, there are so many different genres and listeners are excited for what’s new so the sky is really the limit. Egypt is special we birth so many artists and genres to the region and internationally…so much creativity and so much of it is unique to the Egyptian identity and yet people from all around the world love to hear it”.
An optimistic Gaber revealed that many exciting collaborations will be made this summer but insisted to keep it a surprise. Moon Knight showcased the strength of Egyptian music and its effect on the international music scene encouraging young homegrown artists to push their limits and realize that their audience is not limited to home.
WE SAID THIS: Moon Knight may be an “international” show but at its core, it’s filled with Egyptian detail just like its music which adds to its heart.