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BES ⬩ THE DWARFS OF EAST AGOUZA
NAWA005 ⬩ 29 APR 2016 ⬩ Green Vinyl Double LP ⬩ Black Vinyl Double LP ⬩ CD ⬩ Download
The Dwarfs of East Agouza is a trio from Cairo, Egypt, featuring Maurice Louca (Alif, Bikya), Sam Shalabi (Land of Kush, Shalabi Effect) and Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls, The Invisible Hands, Alvarius B.).
Born during 2012 when the three were living in the same apartment building in Cairo’s Agouza district, the trio’s instrumental improvisation-based explorations are propelled by Louca’s North African percussion loops and shimmering keys, Shalabi’s West African tinged free jazz guitar and grounded by Bishop’s driving Krautrock-style acoustic bass.
Following many a late night jam session, the band recorded hours of material during a three-day studio run in April 2014. After compiling and mixing the album in Montreal’s Break Glass studio in July 2015, the refined result will be released as a double-album titled Bes via Nawa Recordings (NAWA005) on 2xLP, 2xCD and DL on 29 April 2016.
Named after the Ancient Egyptian dwarf deity who was worshiped as the defender of all things good and enemy of all that is bad, Bes captures the trio on a hypnotic yet unpredictable journey. From the the lilt of four-minute ethiopian tinged Resinance to the 30-minute free-form epic Museum of Stranglers, the album skirts the outer limits of a psychedelic soundtrack to a North African road trip.
The album artwork features a reproduction of an ancient Egyptian carving of the dwarf god Bes, painted by Egyptian artist Raafat Al-Kordy, designed by Iraqi-Palestinian graphic designer and illustrator Sara Sukhun.
ALBUM CREDITS
Recorded at 100 Copies Studio, Cairo, Egypt, April 2014 by Mahmoud Refat
Pre-Mix by Adham Zidan, Cairo Egypt, June 2015
Final Mix at Breakglass Studio, Montreal, Canada, July 2015 by Jace Lasek
Assistant Mix Engineer: Tonio Vargas
Mastered by Frank Merritt at The Carvery, London, UK
Front Cover painting by Raafat Al-Kordy
Painting Photographed by Maha Maamoun
Band Photograph by Maged Nader
Artwork Design and Layout by Sara Sukhun
All tracks composed, arrange, performed and produced by The Dwarfs of East Agouza
Percussion on Clean Shahin and Hungry Bears Don’t Dance performed by Pierre Guy Blanchard
The Dwarfs of East Agouza:
Maurice Louca - Organ, Synthesizer, Beats
Sam Shalabi - Electric Guitar
Alan Bishop - Acoustic Bass/Alto Sax/Vocals
Special thanks to Hicham Chadly, Lady Diana, Mr Koko