January 11, 2024
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It’s pop and nostalgic; it’s Bubblegum Kollectiv. Aguizi & Bakir.
For the first time, we have compiled all you could possibly want to know about the two artists that have been spinning your favorite hits for years.
Today, you find out about the student competition that propelled Aguizi’s career in music forward, all he knows about collaboration. You will surely learn a lot from Bakir’s take on a career shift and key lessons he acquired working with Cairokee, Masar Egbari…etc.
And most importantly, how they both came together and sustained a brand that surely has been keeping people moving for nights on end!
Aguizi, you mentioned growing up in a musical environment, tell us more about it.
How do you think it informed your career, taste and outlook on life?
It definitely helped me quickly to discover my passion for music at a very young age. Later on, I decided to pursue DJing and music production after I attended an international DJ’s concert back in 2007 at Egypt’s number one club at that time. From there on, I worked simultaneously on how I can evolve as an artist while focusing on my academic life and studies.
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What is it that you listen to most of the time?
Any good music. I’m open to all genres.
Music Production involves a lot of collaboration, so does your band.
What does collaboration mean to you?
Collaboration means maximizing the team’s potential and embracing diverse skill sets to drive the team towards success and eventually reaching their goals.
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An artist I would love to produce music for is Cheb Mami
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What does your setup look like?
My setup includes my laptop that has the music production software, 2 studio monitors, a synthesizer and a sound card. I also have a DJ mixer and a lot of speakers.
Bakir, walk me through the pivotal moment in your life in which you decided to go for a career shift.
What were the risks? What was the catalyst for that decision?
I always had the love for art in general, but in specific it was always the music. I was working simultaneously as a video editor and a DJ at first; however, due to the musical environment and circles that I hade been involved in, I was heavily impacted to take the decision to go with my full on music career disregarding all the risks of instability of such career, especially after I started to invest in it; in terms of music courses and my
development in the music path.
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Bakir, you worked with plenty of revered artists & labels.
What are the key lessons you have learned from those work experiences?
Never take a job or a gig without passion as it depletes you of fun and creativity.
What were the challenges as you delved into Egyptian Rap projects- it being a relatively novel scene/genre?
Most of the rappers tend to be very visionary and dreamy in a
sense that they easily will disregard the producers’ musical opinion, resulting in a challenge where the producer has to try really hard to please the client/rapper without going too far from their unique sound.
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What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
Learning everyday despite the challenges that I face on the daily.
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In your opinion, what are some key qualities of a successful music producer?
Firstly and most importantly is to be well aware of music theory and to know how to tweak it to have your own unique sound. Moreover, social intelligence and connections are key for development in this scene in Egypt.
Last but not least is to have passion for what you do.
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Joint Questions
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How did Bubblegum Kollectiv come about?
So Bakir had a gig at a well-known club in Cairo back in 2018 and invited Aguizi over to play a back to back set.
We played an amazing set together and got a lot of positive feedback that the club decided to contact us the following day and asked us if we could team up and make a new project of our own with the nostalgic touch of music that was showcased on that night. Having that club’s support got us very enthusiastic so we created Bubblegum Kollecitv with the aim of spinning nostalgic pop music that was missing in Egypt’s nightlife scene at that time.
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We think we make a good team because we share the same passion for the genres we play, and we work on how we can evolve these genres and always be on top of our game, and more importantly is that we were friends even before we started
Bubblegum Kollectiv.
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How do you accommodate one another’s growth and change in preferences, without allowing that change to drive a wedge between you?
Communication plays a huge role in any partnership, so we always share our thoughts or views on a regular basis.
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You both founded Bubblegum Kollectiv, yet you often take up individual projects.
How do you maintain separate identities and a collective one, simultaneously?
We usually play different styles of music separately, and we love all of these genres whether playing separately or as a collective.
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Where do you both often find inspiration for your sounds?
By traveling and exploring different sounds and staying updated with the trendy styles of music all around the world, as well as playing in various clubs to different crowd of different music preferences.
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How do you handle an unexpected crowd’s reaction to a set?
We’ve been DJing for many years, so we have the experience in reading the crowd and we’re always be prepared for different scenarios, as we often face changes in our set list.