Exploring the Pyramids with Das Pharaoh [Interview]

“After 20 years working as Aly & Fila, I wanted to grow as an artist and have more freedom in doing different genres,” says Fadi of Aly & Fila, the man behind the Das Pharaoh name. 

Earlier last year, Fadi of Aly & Fila fame surprised his fans by announcing he would venture into other musical territories (alongside still maintaining his half of the duo) with the birth of a new alias and sound: Das Pharoah. A place for Fadi to focus more on melodic techno rather than trance, it kickstarted with the single ‘Luminescence,’ and has been successfully going on ever since. Now though, Fadi is ready to kick Das Pharaoh up a notch, and it all started with his debut hometown performance at the iconic Great Pyramids of Giza during the duo’s FSOE800 show, in which we got to speak to him about.

Hi Fadi! Congratulations on the success of your alias Das Pharaoh so far. What was it that made you want to go in the direction of making progressive house / melodic techno?

“Well, I have always been a fan of underground music whether it’s house or techno or whatever they call it these days, haha. I listen to whatever is quality to my taste. And after 20 years working as Aly & Fila, I wanted to grow as an artist and have more freedom in doing different genres.”

 

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How long had this alias been in the making before you decided to unveil it to the fans?

“I would say it was around 2 years before we started UV together with Paul Thomas in 2017.”

How do you balance the production work of Das Pharaoh and Aly & Fila, and do you find the creation processes for each to be very different from each other? 

“The creation process is definitely different. For Aly & Fila, we usually start with the main melody and chord progression whereas when I work on Das Pharaoh, I start with the drums and groove. But honestly, I find it so much fun to work on so many different genres in the studio and it helps with the inspiration to switch between the projects.”

You’ve now made your debut in your home country at one of the biggest shows so far: the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Not only this, you also obviously played two sets in a night at the show. How special was this for not only you but the future of Das Pharaoh?

“I had been planning this for a while, and had received many requests to play as Das Pharaoh but I didn’t do them as I wanted to keep it special for this event, where I premiered so much new music that will be released next year.”

How much does it mean to be able to showcase Das Pharaoh in Egypt, where obviously the name is directly inspired?

“Obviously it means a lot. Especially since we have a huge underground scene in Egypt.”

Lastly, can you tell us what else we can expect from Das Pharaoh going forward into these last few months of 2023 and beyond? 

“I have one release coming out on Miss Monique’s label Siona in October, and a collaboration with Heerhorst and Bryn Liedl and that’s it for 2023, but you can expect tons of new music released in 2024, which will be the year of the rise of Das Pharaoh!”

Featured image credit: Zainy – provided by press