Biography

Mahmoud Fadl, the Nubian Master Drummer from the Nile, was born in 1955. He is the descent of a Nubian family rooted in the griot culture of the "Battikol" people, and was raised in the Egyptian cities of Assuan and Cairo, where he started his musical career as a limbo dancer and musician for Nubian and Arabic wedding celebrations. His outstanding talent for percussion soon made him a much sought after musician for top Arabic orchestras and singers like Ahmed Adawia or Nubian soul legend Ali Hassan Kuban.
After several international tours, including guest appearances in Syria, Morocco and Greece, Fadl established himself in Europe to develop his own international solo-career.
Today the Master Drummer works and travels between the old Cairo and the new Berlin, which happens to be one of the traditional centres of science for Nubian culture. As a Nubian expert, Mahmoud Fadl has contributed to studies about this legendary but suppressed culture as a musical director for the four album project "Salama," released on "Piranha Records."
The always busy ambassador of "Cairo Cool" has also produced four widely acclaimed albums under his own name. One album, featuring the ancient rhythms all along the Nile, is called "Drummers of the Nile." For the western market he discovered the outstanding grandmaster of oriental trumpet, Samy El Bably, on a beautiful album called "Love Letters from King Tut-Ank Amen." His project "Umm Kalthoum 7000" features the first ever Nubian homage to the pan-Arabian diva Umm Kalthoum, presenting the exceptional vocal art of Salwa Abou Greisha from the famous Greisha family of Nubian musicians accompanied by selected instrumentalists from the Cairo Opera. On his latest recording "The Drummers Of The Nile Go South" Fadl works with fellow master drummers Gaafar Hargal and Hamdi Matoul, Nubian wedding diva Salma and many more.
Mahmoud Fadl can be heard on a series of high quality recordings together with The Klezmatics (New York), PianOrientalist Maurice El Medioni (Marseille/Oran) and the famous gypsy saxophone player Ferus Mustafov (Skopje).
His tribal house project "United Nubians" has earned international attention as one of the most innovative developments in the vibrant Berlin club scene. Beside his work as a musician, film actor and fashion designer, Mahmoud Fadl frequently performs with the West-African Griot-Ensemble, "Saf-Sap," at oriental weddings and musical workshops.