Spotlighting Egypt’s Independent Music Labels and Experimental Music

The rise of independent music labels in Egypt mirrors the growing interest in experimental music and speaks volumes about artists’ needs to create and be heard.

Various music labels are spearheading a major cultural shift, providing a platform to support and promote emerging new artists, and challenging Egyptian music norms that use Middle Eastern tunes and instruments such as the oud, ney, mizmar, or riq.

This movement is part of a broader transformation within the Middle Eastern music industry, where experimental music is reaching a broader audience of listeners.

Sound of Noize

Founded by producer and sound engineer, Eslam Salah, in 2019, Sound of Noize is a Cairo-based music label. It acts as a platform for artists who want to go against the current. Some of the collaborating artists include European Canon, Essperx, Hannah, Gaad, and Jana.

The label consistently releases new music for local and international musicians, promoting different genres, starting with experimental music, theatrical scores, ambient themes, and field recording.

NASHAZPHONE

Nashazphone, an Algerian/Egyptian record label based in Cairo, was founded by Hicham Chadly in 2006. The label’s catalog of vinyl releases is known for its aesthetic and artistic detail, providing a dark and noisy breeding ground for artists.

Nashazphone focuses on diverse music, from punk, psychedelic, mutant jazz, and punk, to experimental music. The label releases live and studio recordings for various types of artists such as 1127, ZULI, Panstarrs, Sam Shalabi, and Nadah El Shazly.

HIZZ

HIZZ in Cairo is a record label, artist residency, and record store founded in 2017 by Abass Elhage and Adam Shaalan. The label promotes avant-garde art and music in the Middle East and diaspora. 

HIZZ‘s multifaceted approach combines a record label with an artist residency program and a physical record store, creating a hub for experimental music and art. HIZZ has worked with KZLK, Abo Sahar, j!n, and Arrakk.

ANBA

ANBA, based in Cairo, Egypt, was founded by Abdalhaq, an Egyptian artists, and Mang, an English artist. ANBA is a sonic platform that explores unconventional music that explores new techniques. This label is dedicated to unveiling music that exists around the peripheries of contemporary art, offering a unique space for experimental sounds to flourish. 

ANBA showcases music that stretches the limits of the art scene, offering a unique space for experimental sounds to flourish and redefine artistic boundaries. ANBA has worked with Ahmed Alaa, Rami Abadir, Van Boom, and Rama.