cassettes
The Death of the Maestro
From Al Massrieen to Amr Diab, the composer, producer and bandleader Hany Shenouda helped transform Egyptian music, launching some of the Arab world's biggest stars and creating a soundtrack that continues to resonate far beyond the country that produced it.
Shaabi Chic
In 1975, when Egyptian radio commentators ranked the best singers of their time, Ahmad Adawiya’s name did not even feature. Yet a new medium, the humble cassette, would allow his popular shaabi songs, often scorned by critics, to reach an audience beyond the gatekeepers and change the country’s musical landscape.