Tune 1 (Aswan/Nubia - Egypt): Mohamed Mounir's Etkalemi, Where the Story Begins!

Born in 1994, the means of technology in our small town were not really advanced! I was brought up by a passionate mom for music, arts, and culture, alongside her youngest brother who is the closest person to my heart regardless of his death in 2004! Mom and his brothers (Mohamed and Ehab who is currently renowned sculpturer in Egypt and the MENA region) are big fans of Mohamed Mounir. His music was played in our home, and my grandmother's home. 

Mounir's music carries a deep and mysterious combination of tunes, it is not about the presence of folk and traditional patterns, it is not about the employment of Jazz and semi-classic genres, he is an epic musical experience, a unique, different one. His music conquers the rooms of the soul. 

When Mounir hit Cairo, he experienced the pain of being a stranger in the big town, he passed through countless ups and downs during his career to be The King! to be on the top. His personal feelings, emotions of being different, being a stranger, being an immigrant, being in a limitless odyssey, that's why we felt his music, that's why his music defines several experiences that we passed through without describing them to anyone! 


The pain of loneliness, being caught in overthinking, frustration, and travelling, alongside the joy of success, the strength of determination, the rise against the fall, and the successive circle of day and night and dusk and twilight. Simply, Mounir's music is a world, it is a life! 

"Etkalemi" was the first Mounir record I held, I was only 6, and it was copied by my late uncle, and I still remember every moment we spent listening to the album during copying it.


"Etkalemi" consists of 10 original songs, and the majority of them are still favourites by even new Mounirian (Mounir's fans). 

While copying the album, my uncle dropped two songs from my copy due to the limited space of the cassette tape, and he selected a song he really disliked which is "Om El Dafayer."

R: why did you remove "Om El Dafayer"?

M: C'mon, it is not a good song, I disliked it! 

Every time, I listen to "Om El Dafayer," I remember our argument about the songs he kept and the other he removed. 


"Ya Lila Oudi Tany," "El Tareq," and "Al Awtar" are my favourite of "Etkalemi." "Ya Lila Oudi Tany" has a breathtaking depressive strings intro from cello and violin with a strong background of Bass. Next, the mood of the song digs deep in your soul with the sounds of Duf, and strings, alongside the lyrics that reflect a bitter taste of loneliness and confusion.



Unlike "Al Awtar," "Al Awtar" is an enjoyable song musically due to the magical sound of the harp, even the lyrical theme is a deeply mythical and metaphorical one. 


On the other hand, "Al Tareq" is like a mini-film. There is magnificent storytelling in both terms of the lyrical theme, and the music that was so close to movie soundtracks.


That was the first day of our journey "Around the World in 80 Tunes." I prefer to start with Mounir's "Etkalemi" as my life experience with music was kicked off there! 
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About the Blogger!
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Rana Atef, a.k.a ``DaRk~~KniGhT`` (DRK) is a Cairo-based blogger, journalist, Metal reviewer and Pro Wrestling podcaster, in addition, she is a MA student at the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University. 

She started her career as a journalist, blogger, and metal reviewer in 2013 after she joined The Egyptian Metal Scene page, and Rock Era Magazine.

In 2016, she started her career as a professional journalist and she worked for several prestigious places such as Egypt Today, and The Egyptian Gazette, and she is a member of the Sada El Balad English (SEE News) family. 

DRK was the earliest Egyptian Metal reviewer to establish an annual review for the activity of the Egyptian Metal Scene under the theme of Egypt's Metal Rewind, and the first creator of the Best Hits of the Egyptian Metal Scene which consisted of more than 30 tracks. 

She is the only Egyptian Metal Reviewer who published several listings dedicated to the Egyptian Metal Scene, and several ideas for different friends Metal scenes such as the Greek, the Italian, and the Swedish. 

DRK interviewed hundreds of Metal acts around the world such as EX-Iron Maiden's Blaze, Swallow the Sun, October Tide, Wintersun, Katatonia, Amorphis, Septicflesh, Nargaroth, Trees of Eternity, Graveworm, Forostmoon Eclipse, Tethra, Evadne, Mysaloon, Crescent, Scarab, Sinprophecy, Aetherian, Hinyana, Wolfheart, Infected Rain, Ocean of Grief, Nightmare, Dimlight, Aegen Medan, and others. 


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