DJ Moataz Rageb, also known as Disco Arabesquo, is a passionate collector of vintage vinyl records, cassettes, and CDs of old-school music from the Middle East and North Africa. Taking us on a journey through the funky sound of 1980s Egypt, he presents his new compilation “Ayam El Disco-Egyptian Disco, Boogie & Jeel cassettes 1978-1992,” a perfect selection for the dance floor. Based in Amsterdam, he spent several years gathering rare cassettes from Arabic-speaking countries and their diaspora, which transformed the Egyptian music scene.
“In the 1980s and 1990s,” he explains, “Egypt had a thriving cassette culture. With over 400 different companies producing music on cassettes, Cairo was a center of musical creativity. These sounds, tailored to the local context, brought disco into everyday life and gave rise to an Egyptian interpretation rooted in Arab musical traditions.”
From smooth disco and boogie to funkier instrumentals and early proto-Jeel sounds, the compilation showcases tracks from artists like Medhat Saleh, Aida El Ayoubi, and Ahmed Adaweya. Firkit Americana Show also contributes with the modern soul sound of “Seeb Alby,” while “Soog” delivers Ammar El Sherei’s funky groove. We hear the groove of Hamid El Shaeri with “Ouda,” a song exploring themes of nostalgia, desire, disconnection, and reunion.
Remastered in Paris by Colorsound Studio, these dance floor-perfect tracks serve as both archival documents and a celebration of the Egyptian disco wave, now available for the first time on vinyl for all Arab groove enthusiasts. The booklet includes the original cassette covers.
The compilation “Ayam el disco,” set to release on April 3rd by We Want Sounds, is a Fip selection from April 1st to 30th, 2026.
