Musician, Record Producer, Songwriter, Guitarist, Singer, Rapper, Actor, Model,

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Cairokee first started by the name “The Black Star “performing their favorite covers in both English & Arabic at various gigs around the country. It wasn’t until later till they decided on the name “Cairokee”; inspired by both the words Cairo and karaoke, and mixing up the two words, meaning the band is singing along with Cairo. The band was later officially formed in 2003, and is currently consisting of Amir Eid (vocals & rhythm guitar), Tamer Hashem (drums), Sherif Hawary (Lead guitar), Adam El-Alfy (bass guitar) and Sherif Mostafa (Keyboard). Cairokee’s sound evolved tremendously from one album to the next, reflecting their goals and continuous ambition to sing along with Cairo, which is a fast paced and ever evolving City. 

The idea of writing their lyrics, playing music and performing live for local and global audiences (all before the age of 30) was a dream come true for all the band members who have always been childhood friends. Their first major hit was “Sout El Horeya” which has over millions of views on YouTube and was ranked a world record as one of the most watched videos in the shortest period of time. Soon after their success, came “Matloob Zaeem, “Ethbat Makanak” and more hits followed.In a digitally ruled world, Cairokee have always managed to come on top with massive smash hits such as “Yal Midan” featuring Aida ElAyoubi, pushing the song to the number one most video in the history of Facebook and eventually lead the album “Matloob Zaeem” to top the Egyptian charts for months. Their second album “Wana Maa Nafsy Aaed” followed in the big steps on “Matloob Zaeem” back in 2012, in addition to single mega hits such as “Ehna El Shaab” written by the legendary Abd El Rahman El Abnoudy. In 2014, Cairokee released “ El Sekka Shemal”, carving a new benchmark in their long road of success featuring collaborations with Souad Massi and the legendary Ahmed Fouad Negm.

At the heart of the Trio is Silviu Ciulei, a guitar virtuoso who captures the passion of flamenco with the precision of a classical guitarist. He began classical training at an early age, soon winning prizes in national and international competitions, first in Europe and more recently in the United States. A family holiday in Spain first awakened his interest in Flamenco, and soon after, he moved to Cardiz, Andalusia--the heartland of Flamenco--and began several years of intense study. This experience led Silviu to form Tequila, the first of his Flemenco Nuevo ensembles, which gained national attention in his native Romania. Silviu is currently working towards his Phd in classical guitar performance under the tutelage of Bruce Holzman, Director of the Guitar Program at Florida State University, and competing in competitions around the U.S. 

David Cobb is the bassist for the Trio. He began his musical journey in the middle school brass section but soon was lured by the sound of strings and began teaching himself guitar and electric bass. This expanded his classical background into the American styles centered around these instruments: blues, rock, soul and jazz. David studied composition and classical guitar at the University of South Carolina and performed and recorded with numerous artists and ensembles, including J’Ouvert Steel Band, Israeli composer Ayala Asherov and P Funk keyboardist Danny Bedrosian’s bands Som’n Fierce and Secret Army. David fuses the feel of soul with a wealth of Latin American and Caribbean rhythms and the melodic sensibilities of Western Asia.

Rounding out the rhythm section, percussionist Ramin Yazdanpanah draws upon the sounds of the Outback, Silk Road and Caribbean. He plays the soulful and passionate rhythms of his Cuban-Iranian heritage on cajon, dumbek and a variety of other percussion instruments while showcasing his mastery of the didjeridoo. Ramin has performed and recorded with numerous artists in numerous musical genres, from classical, jazz and folk, to funk, Latin, and hip-hop.

The unique cultural and musical backgrounds of Silviu, David and Ramin create the high-energy and daring music of the Maharajah Flamenco Trio


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