For “Khafif Khafif” (English: “Softly Softly”) Nancy Mounir tapped into the recorded catalog of famed early Twentieth Century Egyptian singer Saleh Abdel Hay and mixed it in with her own vocals and ambient treatments in the mix. This borrowing archival recordings of popular music from another era and recontextualizing it for the present Mounir employed throughout her debut album Nozhet El Nofous (English: Promenade of the Souls) set for release June 3, 2022 on Simara Records. The effect is like the restoration of an old, lost film with an aesthetic that resonates now but has the greatest signifiers for those familiar with its proper context. It brings with it to the uninitiated an air of mystery and when it sinks in these arrangements and the production that helps to enhance the sound wouldn’t have been possible, say, ninety years ago (though Hay lived until 1962). But Mounir’s attention to sonic detail doesn’t reveal a hint of modern treatments until the end of the song where even then the grainy quality of the vocals and instrumentation is applied to the more subtle, electronic elements that takes us from a trip to the past through a hazy yet illuminated sonic corridor back to the present. Listen to “Khafif Khafif” on YouTube and connect with Mounir at the links provided.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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