Aly & Fila have a new album out, and I can’t stop listening to it. It’s called The Other Shore, and is a reflection of their career thus far. These guys are from Egypt and have been producing music since 2003, and seriously get better with every new release. I am not sure they will ever produce a track as good, and as memorable as “Perfect Love,” but their new stuff is pretty great. Basically, these guys continue to produce some of the best uplifting trance around. Their new album is out on Armada Music, but they have worked with a wide range of labels over the years including Vandit Records, Black Hole Recordings and more.
In an effort to promote their new release, I got the chance to sit down with them to learn more about the album. We talked about the new album and I also wanted to learn more about Future Sound of Egypt, their radio show. It was fun chatting with these guys, and it is my pleasure to introduce you to Aly & Fila.
You guys just released The Other Shore. Tell me more about that production, what fans can expect, and how this release has evolved from past releases.
We had a lot of material we were working on and decided to release another artist album. We are very happy with the outcome. We feel that in the 12 months since we released our previous artist album Quiet Storm, we have matured as musicians and that can be heard on the album.
You were in Atlanta for TomorrowWorld.
TomorrowWorld was amazing… what a crowd.
The DJ Mag Top 100 voting just ended. What does being on that list mean to you guys and where do you think you will finish this year?
Of course the list is important; it as seen as recognition. The list has changed a lot in last 3 years, there are more EDM/house DJs on the list compared to 5-10 years ago when it was mainly trance DJs in the top 20. We are proud that we have entered in 2008 at 31 and have never fallen below that number every year since – always maintaining a high entry. The top 100 is becoming harder and harder – so so many DJs in all genres hoping to be voted into those 100 places. No idea where we will finish, we have had our best year yet in our career so crossing fingers.
UPDATE: The results are in, and Aly & Fila dropped 8 spots this year, but still find themselves at #28 just behind Dyro and just head of Axwell. You can’t be upset with that! Congratulations, guys.
Tell me more about Progression Saturdays.
What a great event in Seattle – we love playing there. Very intimate crowd and superb energy.
“Running,” a single from The Other Shore, features Sue McLaren. Tell me more about working with her on that release.
Sue is the vocalist we have worked with most in our career, she has a superb voice and what a talented songwriter. We are really really happy with “Running,” and to be able to collaborate with Sky Patrol is really cool .
Guys like Artic Moon and Luke Bond litter the list of artists on Future Sounds of Egypt. What does the future of FSOE look like and to you guys typically tour with artists on the label?
The FSOE brand has grown very fast over the last few years – with more releases and artists on the label now. We also have our weekly radio show “Future Sound of Egypt” and also we have our FSOE events in Egypt – we just had an event in Egypt with Paul van Dyk, Omnia, Will Atkinson, Hazem Beltagui, Mohamed Ragab and A&Z at Space Sharm. We also host our celebrations every summer to celebrate reaching a certain episode of our radio show. We hosted seven “FSOE 350” events worldwide this summer in Egypt, El Salvador, Colombia, USA, Poland, Argentina and England.
There are a lot of different genres out there. Your sound is more upbeat and a little more progressive than most. What genre do you consider your work?
We consider it pure uplifting melodic trance – we will never change
I am always hearing your music on A State of Trance. What does having Armin and Armada’s support mean to you and how has that helped grow your brand and increase visibility over the years?
Armin and ASOT has helped us grow as brands for sure since 2006. Thank you so much for their support. We have been playing the annual ASOT celebration since 2007 every year and you can see the love for trance all over the world. Armin’s dedication to the genre over the last decade has helped to keep the genre to grow and to help build other trance DJs around the world.
You guys play a lot of festivals, but you also play a lot of clubs. Do you prefer playing one to the other?
Both are great and both are different.
What’s next for Aly & Fila?
We are working on our release schedule for next 12 months , collaborations and possible compilations – a lot to come.
In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
Thank you so much for the support. The fans inspire us.
Connect with Aly & Fila:
Website: http://www.alyandfila.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alyandfila
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alyandfila
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/alyandfila
