In the latest of a long line of musical imports, Cairo Jazz Club are set to welcome Greek DJ/production duo, Heavy Pins, for a special gig this Monday (June 23rd). While many visiting DJs flatter to deceive - please don't tell me DJ What's-His-Face is the hottest thing around when he is a virtual unknown at home - Heavy Pins are the real deal and are considered pioneers for the simple fact that they don't do things like other people.
We sat down with the one half of the team, Jim Panagopoulos, to talk about G-House, beards and rioting.
-So you guys are playing at Cairo Jazz Club on Monday – you realize that everyone will be expecting you to play jazz, right?
That’s the first thing we thought when Mike told us about the gig at Jazz club. Me and Akis looked at each other like, “Bro, what the hell are we going to play??”
-Really? Oh you’re kidding. Touché. Anyway, Excuse my musical ignorance – but what on earth is G-House?
The capital G stands for GANGSTA House. It’s a combination of funk and deep basses, inspired by hip-house from the late 80s.
-Hmm, sounds interesting. What’s big on Greece’s clubbing scene these days?
Well, Greece’s club scene isn't the best thing for our music these days, but we’re doing our best to spread house music and doing really well. Greeks like to hear Greek music more, but it’s about time that changed.
- As two former powerful civilizations, Egypt and Greece share a lot when it comes to history, which leads me to a very important question: who has the better beard – Michael Amir (of Event Republic fame and the man who brought Heavy Pins to CJC) or Akis (the other, hairier half of Heavy Pins)?
Wow, bro that's a difficult question…Akis has be preparing his beard for a long time to suit the Egyptian style – but to be honest, Mike’s beard suits his style better! Haha!
-Yeah, Mike's beard is pretty epic. Listen, Cairo is obviously full of talented DJs who don’t in anyway sound the same – who’s your favourite?
*Awkward silence*
-Ok, let’s quickly move one from that one. What would you guys be doing if you weren’t in music?
That a question I just can’t answer. I honestly believe we were born for this; I literally can't think of ourselves doing anything else.
-You guys dabble in remixes occasionally – if you could pick one song to remix, what would it be?
One particular track is Funky Cold Medina by Tone Loc. I really love the song, but I don’t know how working on it would be.
-Being a DJ isn’t as easy at looks – any horror stories you’d care to share?
Our worst experience we had at a gig was when we were playing back-to-back with our buddy Saccao at an outdoor music festival when the music stopped because of the generator – it was really embarrassing. I don’t want to remember that!
-I’m sorry I brought it up. I hope we can still be friends! Here’s a very important question: who’s better at rioting – Greeks or Egyptians?
I can't say for sure, because I haven’t lived in Egypt. But I think Greeks are better at rioting, for sure...
-That sounds like a challenge. What do you guys think of your compatriot, Ms Lefki? She played in Egypt not too long ago.
Ms Lefki – too old. (Jim giggles and gives himself a mental self-highfive). No, I’m just kidding – old is gold.
Catch Heavy Pins on Monday 23rd of June at CJC -SHawky opens at 10PM.
