#WaraElMazzika: The Disc Jockeys on Their Journey as a Duo, All the Way From Montreal to Cairo
In this edition of #WaraElMazzika, we had an exclusive talk with two of the most interesting musicians out there, Ahmed El Saify and Amr Soliman, AKA The Disc Jockeys. The talented DJ Duo came together back in 2017 and quickly solidified their place as one of the biggest acts in the local music scene.
We got to talk with artists on how they got together, how they started Melodic Room, their favorite gigs, and more. Follow our hashtag #WaraElMazzika for more exclusives from the music scene.
When did you both get together?
We started our journey back in April 2017 when we met through a mutual friend in his studio where we used to jam. One time we played a b2b set and from this moment we realized that we share the same taste so we decided to team up.
What’s the story behind the name Disc Jockeys?
Actually, the way we came up with the name is a bit funny. We were chilling on the balcony brainstorming about the name and then suddenly Saify said, “Why don’t we go back to basics?” I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “Well, DJ stands for Disc Jockey right? So we are The Disc Jockeys.” We started laughing about it ending up choosing this name.
How do you manage to play music together given the immense distance between you two?
Thank god we live in a digital world now, so for the radio shows or podcasts, we make long conference calls trying to put the set together until we reach something we both feel comfortable with. And regarding the live shows we came to a decision that we won’t sacrifice what we built together so each one of us plays in his city, Saify plays in Cairo and Soliman plays in Montreal but under “The Disc Jockeys” name. And we meet regularly in any international gig or if we paid a visit to each other’s city.
Describe your music in three words!
Groovy, energetic, catchy.
Which gig is closest to your heart and why?
4 People AD in Abu Dhabi. That was our first international gig, the crowd was awesome, the vibes were amazing the hosts where very organized and professional and we felt a great connection and chemistry with the crowd.
How did Melodic Room come to life?
We got introduced to our partner Omar Khalifa “the man behind it all” who shares the same passion for music and dream of having our own series of events where we support local artists alongside international DJs who are known for their unique style specifically in Melodic house/techno genre. And we had this dream that came true when we had a very successful season in 2019 in Egypt which led to a global presence beginning of 2020 in Paris and preparing for another season in Canada now. We had plans for 2020 but it’s on hold now because of the COVID-19 thing but we will pursue it once things get back to normal.
What are the challenges that you faced as musicians during the pandemic?
For sure not being able to play in front of an audience is the worst thing any musician can feel but if we want to look at the bright side, this gave us the opportunity to focus more on our music production projects.
Tell us about your future plans!
Well, this is the first time we announce that we are finalizing our first EP and it should be out very soon. We are very excited about it and hope that people like it.
