Trans Upper Egypt / NO DUB

Some folks use the phrase ‘no place like home’ when referring to Roma Est’s beloved venue Fanfulla, four walls that have single handedly delivered some of the most unique and vital music from the peninsula’s underground community. Trans Upper Egypt are maybe one of the most vivid representations of that legacy with their dazzling blend of motorik syncopation, punchy extensive basslines, spaced out twirling organs and scorched phased out vocals.

On their 4th album ‘No Dub’ co-released by Maple Death and My Own Private Records, Trans Upper Egypt offers a distinctive shift in their already impressive catalog, bringing back a sound that is both spontaneous and profoundly essential, where every single note counts in threading a picture-perfect suite. They haven’t lost their bouncy quality, but it’s like they’ve grounded it, barreling down a train track where every twist and turn is a detail that was necessary.

From phantom jazz-rock, to dazed, chopped and screwed ESG funk and late 70s French OSTs, the trio of Leo Non (WOW), Bob Junior (Holiday Inn) and Simone Donadini (Rainbow Island) have not lost their appetite for tight jams but they’ve managed to construct a psychedelic voyage without using any of the usual tricks to achieve so. Terrestrial psych that steers far from any dub stereotypes, music that is in constant motion, glorious disarray and keeps an eye on celestial heights.