Moktar Reimagines Saad El Soghayar’s Wedding Staple ‘Hatgawez’

Egyptian-Australian producer Moktar interprets Egyptian singer and actor Saad El Soghayar’s wedding staple ‘Hatgawez’ into a 160 BPM track titled ‘Haraka.’

A staple 2000 wedding bop, ‘Hatgawez’ has assumed its role as a popular Middle Eastern tune over the past decade, enchanting audiences with Soghayar’s powerful vocals and catchy melody. Teasing its release in Moktar’s own sets, ‘Haraka’ emerges as a textured and colourful composition, vibrant in breakneck percussion, synthesisers and chopped samples.

A musical alchemist of sorts, Moktar is most at ease when it comes to mashing up the various genres that have defined his upbringing, such as Jungle and Arabic music. Often positioning his identity and heritage at the centre of his craft, Moktar’s inspiration draws from his struggles navigating a white-dominated music industry as well as existing in Australia's anti-Arab, post-Cronulla riots society.