Egyptian Hip Hop

Despite the name, Egyptian Hip Hop aren't from the Land of the Pharaohs or a group of MCs, but instead are a four-piece indie outfit inspired by the '80s Hacienda scene that produced New Order and Happy Mondays. Lead vocalist Alexander Hewett and bassist Nick Delap had already played together in the band Copycats, but once founding member Jake left for university, the duo recruited guitarist Louis Stevenson-Miller and drummer Alex Pierce to form Egyptian Hip Hop in 2009. While studying for their music technology A-levels at college, the band's demo of "Rad Pitt" found its way onto an MP3 mixtape distributed by the NME, and the band began performing in various cafes and bars around greater Manchester. After supporting Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti and Girls, they were invited to appear at both France's MIDI and the Reading/Leeds festivals and worked on material with Late of the Pier's Sam Eastgate and electro producer Hudson Mohawke. They released their debut single, "Wild Human Child"/"Heavenly," in 2010 and after opening for Gold Panda and Django Django they followed it up with their first EP, Some Reptiles Grew Wings, the same year. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi