Egyptian Hip Hop: 'We like to sow confusion'

It must be as long ago as the early 1990s that we encountered such sparkling, danceable pop from Manchester. Then again, Egyptian Hip Hop’s atmospheric, twanging pop with electro influences bears little resemblance to the Madchester sound’s leading bands like Inspiral Carpets or Happy Mondays. Incidentally, it has nothing to do with Egypt or hip hop either. The nimble psychedelia exhibited by these very young Brits on their debut Good Don’t Sleep is more reminiscent of New York-based groups like Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, and Yeasayer. And yet still sounds different. “What do you mean, our band name is misleading?” singer and guitarist Alex Hewett laughs. “Oh, we like to sow confusion, things don’t have to be 100 per cent defined. The band’s musical influences are very diverse, but 1980s bands like Japan and Talking Heads are very important for our sound.”

Egyptian Hip Hop formed in 2008. After their 2009 EP Some Reptiles Grew Wings, produced by Hudson Mohawke and hyped excessively in Britain, the band disappeared from the scene. Hewett released a solo album, and went on tour with Connan Mockasin and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Hewett: “There were a lot of problems with the group early on. The press bandied around the most idiotic comparisons to the Manchester sound and things weren’t going very smoothly with our label. That took its toll on the group. I took some distance by touring with Mockasin and Gainsbourg, which was a really fun and educational period.”

Good Don’t Sleep sounds much more laid back than the stuff Egyptian Hip Hop released previously. The record was released on the Belgian R&S label, which was significant for its dance and techno releases in the 1990s. Hewett: “There are a lot of different atmospheres and emotions on the record, but it’s true that we have slowed down a bit. We primarily wanted to make a coherent album, and not just a collection of songs. And so we opted for ‘danceable lethargy’. Loads of labels were desperate to release our debut. We found R&S via a friend who worked there. Working with friends seemed like a healthy choice to us.” Egyptian Hip Hop will be performing in Belgium for the first time soon, a debut we do not want to miss.

Egyptian Hip Hop 15/3, 22.30, €12, Ancienne Belgique, boulevard Anspachlaan 110, Brussel/Bruxelles, 02-548.24.24, www.abconcerts.be