Egyptian trance duo Aly & Fila have transcended borders with their music. On Friday, they perform Sensation, a global electronic music festival, at Bab Al Shams Event Arena. The dress code: strictly white.
Aly, born Aly Al Sayed Amr Fathalah, will not be in attendance. Years ago, he suffered an ear injury that meant he couldn’t expose himself to loud music lest he lose his hearing altogether. He’s still just as involved in making the music — albeit at a suitable volume in the studio — but it’s Fila, aka Fadi Wassef Naguib, who tours it.
Naguib will be in good company in Dubai, joining Afrojack, Ummet Ozcan, YAX.X and DJ Sem Thomasson. He tells Gulf News tabloid! what to expect.
What do you have planned for your show in Dubai?
A journey of trance.
By all accounts, you guys are a global trance act, but it’s still awesome to see someone from the region representing. What impact does being Egyptian and Arab have on your outlook?
We are extremely proud of where we come from and this can be clearly seen in the way we have incorporated Egypt into our careers with our record label, radio show and our own events named Future Sound of Egypt. We can see that Egypt has a worldwide appeal when we are touring. Lots of fans are intrigued by Egypt’s history and culture
When it comes to trance music, you and Aly had to look outside Egypt for inspiration. Were you exposed to any Arabic or Egyptian music growing up?
We have been mainly exposed to Egyptian music, which was and is still the biggest in the Arab world. You can hear that influence in many of our tracks.
How do your families react to the idea of you touring and being away from home so often?
They are extremely proud and supportive and it has become the norm, as we have been touring for 10 years weekly.
What is the biggest misconception people have about trance music?
It’s a really amazing genre of music, so powerful and emotional. If you are a clubber, why not give it a listen? Or if you are in [a] festival or big event where there are multiple genre stages, check the trance stage out. If people give it a chance, we are sure they will enjoy it.
You’ve worked with a lot of people, including Armin Van Buuren. What’s he like?
Armin was very influential in our career, he supported us a lot over the years and still does. He is a really good guy. We are thankful of his support.
Finally, what’s next for Aly & Fila?
We are working on our next artist album, which is due for release in 2017. [We are] helping to push our record label and also we have begun to work on our Future Sound of Egypt 500 events for 2017.
*Tickets start at Dh399, available through platinumlist.net. VIP table bookings can be made through vip@envie.ae or 055-8759254.
For more information, contact 04-3148222 or info@envie.ae.
