The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

As part of Cairo Jazz Club‘s eclectic monthly schedule, Dokkan is one the best examples of The Home of Live Music’s efforts to give local talent a platform. But the four-man group have become favourites at CJC on merit and not through some kind of token gesture; the fusion of Arabic and western sounds has been the en vogue flavour on the local music scene over the last decade, but what makes Tarek Al Azhary, Omar Magdy, Nayer Osama and Mohamed El Mallawany unique is that they are an instrumental band.

Formed in 2015, Dokkan initially found it difficult to compete with vocalist-fronted bands – it’s always easier to connect to a singer when it comes to live music. But the fact that they now stand as one of the most popular underground bands in Egypt pays testament to the group’s fluid, experimental brand of music, which often feature masterful instrumental solos.

The group first laid its foundations when guitarist, Omar Magdy, and  oud player, Tarek Al-Azhary, met at Oshtoora Music Festival and the group has come on leaps and bounds – but with talk of collaborations with vocalist, there’s still much more to come.

Dokkan are set to perform at Cairo Jazz Club on Saturday 26th of August, with indie artist, Osama El Hady, also on the line-up.