Matt Buccheri

Professor Durakoglu
April 24, 2014
Final Presentation

Aly & Fila trance

Aly & Fila History:

It all started somewhere between the

Mediterranean and Red Sea. Its the black land of Egypt, where the
story of Aly & Fila came to life. 5000 years of history, including its
world famous pharaohs, pyramids and ancient civilization, and now
another thing became part of its culture; trance music, from the hands
of Aly Amr Fathalah and Fadi Wassef Naguib. They both were born in a
small town outside of Cairo, Egypt in 1981 and have known each other
since attending class together in kindergarten. Best friends since, they
have shared a passion for electronic music after falling in love artists
such as Paul Van Dyk, Steve Helstrip, and Chicane. They started
producing and djing electronic trance music in 1999 when they built
their first small studio. Since 2006, they have been broadcasting and
producing music off The Future Sound of Egypt label, an Internet radio
show in Cairo airing new and rising trance talent from around the
world. They have been voted among the top 100 DJs on DJ Magazine
since 2008, starting from #111 in 2007, to #31 in 2008, eventually
making their way down to #20 in last years rankings.
Trance:

Trance, by definition, denotes any state of awareness or

consciousness other than normal waking consciousness. A state of

trance may be associated with temporary paralysis, hypnosis,

meditation, magic, flow, and prayer. The Oracle at Delphi was famous
for her divine trances throughout the ancient Mediterranean world.
Trance music can find some of its roots from the Turkish military music
from the 16th century. Trance marching music induced soldiers into
unison where they bonded together as a unit and they would not feel
fear or pain and acquire a collective identity. Trance can be induced
through multiple senses, but auditory or hearing, will be the one I am
focusing on. This could happen through chanting, story telling, mantra,
overtone singing, drumming, or music. Entrainment, or a practice that
causes brainwave frequencies to fall into step with a periodic stimulus,
may be found in electronic dance music culture, particularly in the
style of Trance, which in many ways can be related to a modern
version of shamanism.
Uplifting Trance Music:

Trance is a genre of electronic dance

music (EDM) characterized by a tempo between 125 and 160 beats per
minute, repeating melodic phrases, and a musical form that builds up
and down throughout the track. This drifting sensation is portrayed in
the genre by mixing many layers and rhythms to create build and
release. For example, a characteristic of virtually all trance songs is the
soft mid-song breakdown, beginning with and occurring after the
orchestration is broken down and the rhythm tracks fade out rapidly,

leaving the melody, atmospherics, or both to stand alone for anywhere

from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Aly & Fila Music:

This duo has managed to keep their music

sounding consistent over the years while maintaining an Arabic sound,

in an ever-growing genre. All of their music has a very euphoric feel to
it and this can be seen in the Egyptian themed titles they created for
certain songs. Their first ever release in 2003 was titled, Eye of
Horus, which is the ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, royal
power and good health. They said they titled their first track this
because they wanted to make sure they were protected with the start
of their career and wanted to keep their heritage and homeland in
mind. Their second release in 2005 was titled, Spirit of Ka, which was
the Egyptian concept of vital essence that distinguished the difference
between a living and a dead person. The song has a very uplifting feel
to it, resonating the feeling of the Ka and human soul as a whole. A
song released a few years later was named, Ankh Breathe of Life.
The ankh was the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic character that meant
the key of life and represents the concept of eternal life. Other song
titles that have Egyptian roots include: Khepera, Thebes, Uraeus,
and Sand Theme.
Musical Example:

I am going to use two musical examples to

illustrate the music of Aly & Fila and the specific genre of uplifting
trance. The first song is short, only two minutes, was used as the intro

for their previous studio album, Quiet Storm. It is titled Laily and
features the Arabic singer Karim Youssef. The song starts off start until
accompanied by the Arabic vocals. The vocals are similar to Syrian
chanting in which he keeps his tone in the same key throughout. This
song makes me feel as if the vocalist is sending a message to God and
is trying to be heard. A feeling in his voice sounds a bit saddening. The
second song is On Fire a remix created by Aly & Fila. The song begins
with a 140 BPM tempo followed by female vocals, singing about a
burning love that was so strong it could burn them, but eventually goes
away and she wonders where it went. The part I enjoy most of this
song is breakdown where all chords stop except a violin that is played
behind the vocals, which slowly builds up into the uplifting drop. This
song, like the first, makes me feel a sudden joy when the drop comes,
due to the uplifting aspects of the song. It is a friendly melody in a
quick tempo that forces me to tap my foot or bob my head.
Conclusion:

In conclusion, trance and its subgenre of uplifting

trance, is currently my favorite musical genre. Artists like Aly & Fila
keep finding ways to make their listeners feel good and enjoy the
meaning behind their music. It may seem simple using a computer and
instruments like a piano and violin, but trance music is much more
than that to me, and I strongly believe that music has the power to
induce positive emotions on a person, a possibly induce them into a
state of trance.