THE DESERT'S SOUND
A Musical Journey through Sekem - Cairo - Bahareya (December 2024)
Here follows a diary of mine about the first edition of Desert’s Sound I organized together with ViandantiSì agency in December 2024. We planted a seed which will turn to be a recurring thing among the next years to promote a music/culture exchange between Europe and Egypt in support of Sekem’s vision for a s sustainable future.
Recently we founded the Italian Association of Sekem’s friends, to promote and support its vision.
DIARY
December 2, 2024 – Arrival in Cairo
Arriving in Cairo at sunset, departing from Rome in early December (December 2, 2024), is like boarding a time machine that throws me out of the Western bubble and immerses me in a place filled up with Earth’s energies.
Because Africa, being closer to the sun, allows for less mediation between the earth and the stars—man is more heavily affected by the almost magnetic compression of those two poles, and life, by necessity, takes on a greater frequency and intensity.
Upon arriving in Cairo, I am greeted by strong, pleasant smells—a kind of messy cleanliness.
And the sounds, don’t even get me started: the car horns outside the airport already sound like chirping birds, “tweet tweet”—a universal language among people navigating traffic that blends with the desert dust.
The highway toward Sekem is alive with daring motorcyclists without helmets and trucks that look like 1980s discos, so covered in lights.
People celebrate greetings at all hours; the culture of welcoming and saying hello is taken to the highest level—filled with hugs, kisses, and hands placed on the chest as a sign of affection toward others.
December 3–4, 2024 – Settling in at SEKEM
Sleeping in SEKEM reminded me of the last time I came here in 2021.
In fact, dreaming during the first days in the desert is always a traumatic thing for me—from “Traum”, the German word for “dream.”
The unconscious visits places it usually avoids, and deep issues naturally surface, searching for resolution through truly powerful metaphors.
If sleep isn’t deep, the muezzin’s call to prayer wakes you around 4 a.m. and ends when the sun rises.
A strengthening breakfast prepares us for a one-hour journey through the busy desert back to Cairo, to Heliopolis University, to begin rehearsals for The Desert’s Sound.
There are seven of us in the band: two guitars—myself handling effects, Felipe on the other guitar—then Sherif, who coordinates the Egyptian band on keyboards, followed by the Nay flute, percussions, drums, and electric bass.
The music I originally conceived and composed here in 2021 has already taken on several notable forms (and it turned into On Higher Dreams album, out on Wah Wah 45s), but hearing it for the first time with such a North African, desert-like approach, with all these traditional instruments, is an irresistible emotion.
And from the way the music is played, you can learn a lot about the culture of a place.
The groove is extremely laid-back, relaxed.
Transitions between musical sections (like from part A to part B) happen with such smoothness that even if there’s musical uncertainty, everything still flows well—carried by emotion, without any sense of stumbling, insecurity, or abrupt changes.
December 6, 2024 – Journey to Bahareya
Departure from SEKEM for Bahareya. 7:00 AM.
On an overly full bus: the group, instruments, bags, bananas, pomegranates, lots of water.
We cross Cairo early in the morning, escorted by a security guard and followed by two police cars all the way to the Bahareya oasis.
Seven hours of travel through a sandy desert—meaning both everything and nothing.
An empty space, and thus a space of infinite possibilities: of dreams that become vision, then plans, then reality, then memory—inspiration for the future, and thus human evolution, the evolution of life itself.
Growing Sequence:
DREAM – VISION – PLAN – REALITY – MEMORY – INSPIRATION FOR THE FUTURE – EVOLUTION OF LIFE.
The strength of the circle, the call of vinyl, the concept of life as a great record.
The circle in dynamization.
The power of dreams in children, their fragility in adults, SEKEM’s determination.
The invitation to dream from On Higher Dreams.
Because as we grow older, we tend to dream less—but if we do dream, the dreams are higher, and through skill and practice, they become real.
SEKEM: an oasis in the desert—both a metaphor and a reality.
December 7, 2024 – Sufi Concert and Return
Back on the bus, we return to Cairo for a concert of Sufi music and dance, in a cloister near the Khan El Khalili Bazaar, followed by dinner on a terrace overlooking the bazaar.
We return late at night to SEKEM for a well‑earned rest.
December 8, 2024 – Workshop and Museum Visit
The next day we visit Heliopolis University, attend a workshop on traditional Egyptian music led by university professors, external musicians, and mediated by Isaac de Martin.
After lunch, we tour the Museum of Egyptian Civilizations, then return to SEKEM for dinner and an intimate meeting with Helmi Abouleish, discussing current and future projects.
December 9, 2024 – Pyramids and Concert at Heliopolis
On Monday, we visit the pyramids of Saqqara and Giza with an excellent guide.
Some participants attend a second IKE concert at Heliopolis University for Space of Culture.
Back at SEKEM at sunset, after dinner we meet Angela, who introduces us to biodynamics and its applications in Egyptian agriculture.
December 9, 2024 – SPACE OF CULTURE Concert
12:30 PM, concert at Heliopolis University, in the middle of the courtyard of the university’s main cafeteria.
At first, the “stage” setup obstructs foot traffic—it's awkward—but as soon as the band begins warming up with traditional music, a large crowd of curious students gathers around us (we're set up in a semicircle).
They start moving the moment they feel the groove, clapping in rhythm, cheering, filling empty spaces with joyful sounds.
A curious thing is how the tempo fluctuates: the drummer naturally speeds up and slows down, but always with feeling, never as a mistake.
It reminds me of Western classical music, whereas in most of our music, any fluctuation in BPM is harshly punished.
December 10, 2024 – Coptic Cairo & Farewell
The final day includes visits to Coptic Cairo and the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, guided through layers of civilizations succeeding Ancient Egypt.
We enjoy a private muezzin call, adding one final musical note to our journey.
In the evening, we participate in SEKEM’s weekly choir rehearsal and close the trip with a farewell circle before resting for the return journey.
Final Reflections on “The Desert’s Sound”
The Desert’s Sound was a kaleidoscopic journey, marked by a multitude of deep facets: from exploring a country rich in history to being rooted in a vibrant project like SEKEM—a living hub of dreams becoming ideas and projects.
Most importantly, it was a journey supported by an invisible but profound soul element: music.
It felt like sensory impressions that touch the body are ferried to the soul through music.
The Desert’s Sound is a sound you don’t hear—it’s recognized when encountering the silence of the desert at night.
In the Western world, we’re surrounded by noise; music often attempts to bring order, but often fails under commercial pressure.
There’s nothing wrong with that—I’m grateful for the opportunities that the music market provides.
But by the time music can fulfill its primal purpose—collective cohesion and spiritual connection—it’s already worn out.
We, too, are fatigued—those who create music and those who listen.
Witnessing how music is used at SEKEM—to prepare people to listen—or how Islamic prayer uses sound as an emotional channel that unites spiritually and communally beyond creed and language—is a journey of both culture and spirit.
The Desert’s Sound invites us, through IKE, to embrace the ebb and flow of life between nature and humanity, encouraging organic engagement with the world and the future—with acceptance and serenity in life’s currents.
It serves as both narrative and metaphor for this liberating life approach, typical of SEKEM—where, like the Nile’s waters, we inevitably find our way.
Isaac de Martin – IKE