The Project part of the name refers to French producer Jerome Ettinger, playing Svengali with seasoned Egyptian musicians who have enjoyed little exposure outside their homeland. Ettinger’s musical contribution is to provide the sort of deep base electronic hum and drone that signifies awesome trouble in Hollywood movies; it’s an unnecessary addition, given the fine traditional musicianship, especially the rapturous vocals of Sayed Eman. When the group gets into a groove, the jamming percussion, piping woodwinds and sharp-edged strings need no electricity to shake the dust off the walls.
