German trio Carl Gari (Jonas Yamer, Till Funke and Jonas Friedlich) and the Egyptian singer and trumpeter Abdullah Miniawy have been working together for the last five years, melding sobering electronic soundscapes with poetic lyrics reflecting the mood of modern day Egypt. Ahead of their much-anticipated performance at Rewire 2020, The Quietus’ Tristan Bath caught up with the group to discuss their collaboration.
Released in September 2019 via UK label Whities, Carl Gari & Abdullah Miniawy’s collaborative album ‘The Act of Falling From The 8th Floor’ is an evocative record that merges the talents of the two perfectly. Based thematically around the poem in ‘B’aj بعاج’ that forms the lyrical centrepiece of the record, the poetry of Miniawy provides a vital socio-political commentary on contemporary Egypt. In this song Abdullah is the protagonist, jumping from the 8th floor of a building in Cairo. While falling he describes a unique scene happening on every balcony, painting a dark picture of Egyptian society. In Tristan Bath’s piece for The Quietus, he found out more about how the collaboration came about, and how Abdullah Miniawy’s lived experience in Egypt informs the record.
Get a taste of their live performance with this video for ‘A’tatni عطاتني’:
→ https://www.youtube.com/embed/UoM1tOEdRuk?feature=oembed
Stream ‘The Act of Falling from the 8th Floor’ in full here:
Carl Gari & Abdullah Miniawy perform live on Friday 3 April at Rewire 2020. Get your tickets here.