When Drongomala’s Manchester band 'The Good Hurt' split he went to Egypt to spend Christmas in 2007. While there he called up a friend in Alexandria to check out if there were any musicians he could get with. Within a few days he was in Ganoub Studios in Cairo meeting Sami El Koly (violin) and Ahmed Bahaa (percussion) for the first time. Four hours later 'Lucky Man Alive in Cairo' was recorded and mixed.
'Lucky Man Alive in Cairo' is Drongomalas sixth work for Flying Mountain Records and in keeping with his maverick style differs not only in genre from his previous recordings but also in the way that it was made.
Sami's violin is a reminder of the ethereal playing undertaken by Indian greats such as L.Subramaniam while Ahmed provides Persian rhythms with a bubbling rock sensibility. The sensitive contribution of these two musicians forms a large part of the intimacy on this record.
Drongomala shows on this record that there is no better antidote to your old band splitting up than creating one off the cuff and making a record over an afternoon.
Release date:
1 January 2008