The Egyptian DJ and musician Ramy, known as Raam Band, is reviving musical heritage through a collaborative performance with Egyptian folk artist Haggazi Matekal in the United States.
Raam Band reveals their intention to take some of the traditional Egyptian music of the legendary artist El-Rayes Matekal and reinterpret it with the vocals of Haggazi Matekal’s daughter. They explain that they discussed this idea with Haggazi since 2010, but it was put on hold due to the circumstances of the revolution. Now, they have decided to revisit it, with the condition that it is produced as a music video. Raam Band mentions that the idea resurfaced after they presented a collection of traditional African heritage music, collaborating with various local African bands in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar during their trip to Africa. They also performed some musical concerts in North and East Africa.
They were influenced by their collaborations with Eastern jazz musicians, such as the renowned jazz player Yahya Khalil and the globally acclaimed African jazz musician Ebo Taylor from Ghana.
Raam Band explains that they started merging Eastern and African musical heritage with global music during their performances in Porto Ghaleb Village in Marsa Alam. The village served as a platform for showcasing music from Egypt, the Arab world, and a fertile window for many international stars from Europe and America, including Beyoncé, Nabil, Shail, Abdullah Al Rowaishid, Haifa Wehbe, Myriam Fares, Nancy Ajram, Mohamed Mounir, Mohamed Hamaki, and Mohamed Fouad.
This experience had a significant impact on encouraging Raam Band to weave their Egyptian and global heritage together with Haggazi Matekal in a song that embodies the spirit and character of Egypt.
