Check out full LINER NOTES with videos from recording sessions here: bit.ly/monoegyptliner 

Mono Egypt is a compilation of field recordings of various musical cultures from contemporary Egypt. It is the result of several years of work with musicians from the Eastern Desert, Nubia, the Nile Delta, Cairo and the port cities of the Suez Canal. This album is the fruit of dozens of recording sessions conducted in private homes and gardens, on riverbanks and rooftops, at the back of bars, in the desert, and in many other unusual places. 

Professional artists form one of the last functioning guilds in Egypt in which the oral tradition still enables the transfer of knowledge and skills from father to son, mother to daughter. Many of them still make their own instruments by hand, and they all tell stories of unique communities. The compilation is a musical journey through this region at the junction of Africa and Asia, which is characterised by a surprising diversity of instruments, cultures and dialects. 

Mono Egypt is the first production of independent micro-label JuJu Sounds. The project focuses on building bridges between musicians from marginalised communities and niche audiences from around the world. The mission of JuJu Sounds is to revive valuable musical ecosystems, not just to sell exotic products. 

The Mono Egypt compilation is released in limited edition of 150 copies on yellow cassette. The behind-the-scenes insights into the work on the album and the people, instruments and musical cultures encountered is available at www.jujusounds.com  

released on yellow cassette May 8, 2020 

Recorded by Luka Kumor 
Recorded in Egypt, 2017-2019 
Mastering by Michał Kupicz 
Text by Luka Kumor 
Graphic/layout by Jan Estrada-Osmycki

Simsimiyya, Suez

Zār is a possession cult practised on the outskirts of the rapidly modernising societies of North Africa and the Middle East. It’s a phenomenon that crosses not only geographical boundaries but also those determined by the rational mind. The boundaries here are not clearly defined; multiple worlds intertwine. Zār cant be enclosed in a single frame. If needed it could be perceived as a healing practice. However, the first stage of dealing with illness is always diagnosis, which in zār is made using music...

JuJu Sounds travelled to Egypt to experience, record and share with you this well hidden culture. This album presents all three varieties of zār still practised today. Hypnotic rhythms and mesmerising melodies were recorded not only in studio but also live during hadra - weekly zār ceremonies. Sound recordings and in depth liner notes offer absolutely unique insight into zār micro-communities in the Nile Delta and Cairo. Each of them is slightly different, but they all function as self-sufficient systems, remaining practically invisible in mainstream culture. 
The album is complemented with recorded videos and a full story providing an in depth insight into zār culture.

Vinyl and CD available via bandcamp (shipping from the EU and USA) and only a handful of shops worldwide. Premiere 4th October 2021.

https://jujusounds.bandcamp.com/album/mono-egypt

Madiha Abu Laila / Mamma Sultan

Hassan Bergamon / Rakousha

Hanan / Gado

ALBUM PREMIERE: Zār: Songs for the spirits
2 x LP gatefold / CD digisleeve

Recordings of live rituals and studio sessions. This album presents all three varieties of zār practised in Egypt today. Double LP gatefold with extensive liner notes to bring you right into zār gathering.

Zār is a possession cult practised on the outskirts of the rapidly modernising societies of North Africa and the Middle East. It’s a phenomenon that crosses not only geographical boundaries but also those determined by the rational mind. The boundaries here are not clearly defined; multiple worlds intertwine. Zār cant be enclosed in a single frame. If needed it could be perceived as a healing practice. However, the first stage of dealing with illness is always diagnosis, which in zār is made using music...

JuJu Sounds travelled to Egypt to experience, record and share with you this well hidden culture. This album presents all three varieties of zār still practised today. Hypnotic rhythms and mesmerising melodies were recorded not only in studio but also live during hadra - weekly zār ceremonies. Sound recordings and in depth liner notes offer absolutely unique insight into zār micro-communities in the Nile Delta and Cairo. Each of them is slightly different, but they all function as self-sufficient systems, remaining practically invisible in mainstream culture. 

The album is complemented with recorded videos and a full story providing an in depth insight into zār culture.
https://jujusounds.com/2019/02/13/zar-cairo/?lang=en

Vinyl and CD available via bandcamp (shipping from the EU and USA) and only a handful of shops worldwide. 
https://jujusounds.bandcamp.com/album/zar-songs-for-the-spirits

//////////

JuJu Sounds collates field recordings and stories about music from all corners of the globe. The peripheral music genres, rhythms and melodies accompanying everyday life, and the practices related to transcendental experiences, initiation and ritual. Joyful dance or deep trance in which the transfer of knowledge takes place through the body, not through mental images. Music as an experience. he musical cultures inspiring a sense of dignity and belonging.

JuJu Sounds focuses on building bridges between musicians from marginalised communities and niche audiences from around the world. The mission here is to revive valuable musical ecosystems, not just to sell exotic products.

Zar: Songs for the spirits

Madiha Abu Laila / Betel il Habash

Tamil rhythms recorded by the river in the lush greenery of eastern Réunion. B side reworks by Jako Maron, EMB, Boogzbrown, Aleksand Saya and Loya. 

BUY LP HERE: https://jujusounds.bandcamp.com/album/maloya-malbar

Zène’T Panon’s music is unique even within the musical microcosm of Réunion Island. On the eastern coast, the most humid and verdant part of the island, the group imbues their version of maloya with Tamil rhythms and melodies. Our recording session on the banks of the Rivière des Marsouins, deep among the lush vegetation, featured the hypnotic sounds of Tamil instruments: the morlon, tarlon and malbar drums. That lazy day by the river with the entire Zène’T Panon family contrasted sharply with the group’s explosive energy during their usual recordings. Besides their Tamil influences, the group are distinguished by their creative capacity for new rhythms and the energy that they deploy. The perfect harmony playing out between the musicians meant the material could be recorded outdoors in a single evening with practically no retakes, which was a blessing as a tropical rainstorm broke just minutes after the session ended. 

This album is not just another nicely packaged world music artefact. Nor is it an academic attempt to archive Afro-Malagasy and Tamil heritage. Firstly, we don’t recognise the concept of ‘traditional music’. As with all concepts, of course, it serves a purpose. But music cultures have never been something fixed in time and space, something that can describe a permanent identity – on the contrary, they have always been rather fluid. The fixed, permanent trope is the domain of politics and institutional religion. Nowhere can this fluidity be observed better than in creole cultures worldwide. Already a blend of African, Malagasy, Tamil and European influences, maloya is now in the process of yet another transformation. This album is a bridge between the old-school, instrumental maloya and the thriving electro maloya scene. Played at private kabaré ceremonies by well-respected gramouns, maloya has been at the heart of Reunionese culture for generations. Can the kabaré – steeped in spiritualism, devotion and magic – become digital? Can a new form of maloya be a vehicle for the complexity of local social contexts? These questions are not unknown to the artists of new wave electro maloya. With this album, Jako Marron, EMB, Boogzbrown, Aleksand Saya and Loya strive to provide the answers. 


ZENE’T PANON are: 

ANIBAL-MAHABO Samuel - lead vocal 
BACARI Florian - pikèr / tarlon / backing vocals 
BOQUET Fabien – kayanm / rouler / backing vocals 
ILATA Daïka - rouler / sati / backing vocals 
INES Magali - backing vocals 
PECLET Léon – sati / morlon / backing vocals 

LP released October 25, 2022

Zene't Panon / Anula (live recording)

Tamil rhythms recorded by the river in the lush greenery of eastern Réunion. B side reworks by Jako Maron, EMB, Boogzbrown, Aleksand Saya and Loya.

BUY LP HERE: https://jujusounds.bandcamp.com/album/maloya-malbar

Zène’T Panon’s music is unique even within the musical microcosm of Réunion Island. On the eastern coast, the most humid and verdant part of the island, the group imbues their version of maloya with Tamil rhythms and melodies. Our recording session on the banks of the Rivière des Marsouins, deep among the lush vegetation, featured the hypnotic sounds of Tamil instruments: the morlon, tarlon and malbar drums. That lazy day by the river with the entire Zène’T Panon family contrasted sharply with the group’s explosive energy during their usual recordings. Besides their Tamil influences, the group are distinguished by their creative capacity for new rhythms and the energy that they deploy. The perfect harmony playing out between the musicians meant the material could be recorded outdoors in a single evening with practically no retakes, which was a blessing as a tropical rainstorm broke just minutes after the session ended.

This album is not just another nicely packaged world music artefact. Nor is it an academic attempt to archive Afro-Malagasy and Tamil heritage. Firstly, we don’t recognise the concept of ‘traditional music’. As with all concepts, of course, it serves a purpose. But music cultures have never been something fixed in time and space, something that can describe a permanent identity – on the contrary, they have always been rather fluid. The fixed, permanent trope is the domain of politics and institutional religion. Nowhere can this fluidity be observed better than in creole cultures worldwide. Already a blend of African, Malagasy, Tamil and European influences, maloya is now in the process of yet another transformation. This album is a bridge between the old-school, instrumental maloya and the thriving electro maloya scene. Played at private kabaré ceremonies by well-respected gramouns, maloya has been at the heart of Reunionese culture for generations. Can the kabaré – steeped in spiritualism, devotion and magic – become digital? Can a new form of maloya be a vehicle for the complexity of local social contexts? These questions are not unknown to the artists of new wave electro maloya. With this album, Jako Marron, EMB, Boogzbrown, Aleksand Saya and Loya strive to provide the answers.

ZENE’T PANON are:

ANIBAL-MAHABO Samuel - lead vocal 
BACARI Florian - pikèr / tarlon / backing vocals 
BOQUET Fabien – kayanm / rouler / backing vocals 
ILATA Daïka - rouler / sati / backing vocals 
INES Magali - backing vocals 
PECLET Léon – sati / morlon / backing vocals

LP released October 25, 2022

Zene't Panon / Rain Kaf (live recording)

Zene't Panon / Kayman (live recording)

Tamil rhythms recorded by the river in the lush greenery of eastern Réunion. B side reworks by Jako Maron, EMB, Boogzbrown, Aleksand Saya and Loya.

BUY LP HERE: jujusounds.bandcamp.com/album/maloya-malbar

Zène’T Panon’s music is unique even within the musical microcosm of Réunion Island. On the eastern coast, the most humid and verdant part of the island, the group imbues their version of maloya with Tamil rhythms and melodies. Our recording session on the banks of the Rivière des Marsouins, deep among the lush vegetation, featured the hypnotic sounds of Tamil instruments: the morlon, tarlon and malbar drums. That lazy day by the river with the entire Zène’T Panon family contrasted sharply with the group’s explosive energy during their usual recordings. Besides their Tamil influences, the group are distinguished by their creative capacity for new rhythms and the energy that they deploy. The perfect harmony playing out between the musicians meant the material could be recorded outdoors in a single evening with practically no retakes, which was a blessing as a tropical rainstorm broke just minutes after the session ended.

This album is not just another nicely packaged world music artefact. Nor is it an academic attempt to archive Afro-Malagasy and Tamil heritage. Firstly, we don’t recognise the concept of ‘traditional music’. As with all concepts, of course, it serves a purpose. But music cultures have never been something fixed in time and space, something that can describe a permanent identity – on the contrary, they have always been rather fluid. The fixed, permanent trope is the domain of politics and institutional religion. Nowhere can this fluidity be observed better than in creole cultures worldwide. Already a blend of African, Malagasy, Tamil and European influences, maloya is now in the process of yet another transformation. This album is a bridge between the old-school, instrumental maloya and the thriving electro maloya scene. Played at private kabaré ceremonies by well-respected gramouns, maloya has been at the heart of Reunionese culture for generations. Can the kabaré – steeped in spiritualism, devotion and magic – become digital? Can a new form of maloya be a vehicle for the complexity of local social contexts? These questions are not unknown to the artists of new wave electro maloya. With this album, Jako Marron, EMB, Boogzbrown, Aleksand Saya and Loya strive to provide the answers.

ZENE’T PANON are:

ANIBAL-MAHABO Samuel - lead vocal 
BACARI Florian - pikèr / tarlon / backing vocals 
BOQUET Fabien – kayanm / rouler / backing vocals 
ILATA Daïka - rouler / sati / backing vocals 
INES Magali - backing vocals 
PECLET Léon – sati / morlon / backing vocals

LP released October 25, 2022

Madiha Abu Laila / Betel il Habash

JuJu Sounds

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