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”A few years ago, at the Love Parade in Berlin, it took a very special form-a drum & DJ project called UNITED NUBIANS that spread the message of the “Black Pharaohs” to the club circuit. The project survived the occasion and today, on the dark stage, I sometimes travel home on a tribal house beat to the rhythms of my childhood. “
Mahmoud Fadl

Mahmoud Fadl, the celebrated Nubian Master Drummer was born in 1955. He was raised in the cities of Assuan and Cairo in Egypt, and his Nubian background is rooted in the Griot culture of the “Battikol” people. Mahmoud started out as a musician at Nubian and Arabic wedding events as well as a limbo dancer. He soon became a much sought after commodity, playing with the likes of Ahmed Adawia and Nubian legend Ali Hassan Kuban. After a number of international tours, Mahmoud Fadl secured a place for his music in Europe and started to develop an international portfolio.

The Nubian people’s legacy extends far into antiquity, predating Egyptian civilization. Some recent finds by French archaeologists have suggested that Nubia pre-dated Egypt by as much as 3,000 years and is, in all likelihood, the source of Egyptian civilization. The flooding of the Aswan dam, forced Mahmoud Fadl and thousands of Nubians to leave their homeland in Nubia, which is located today in Northern Sudan and Southern Egypt and drowned old Nubia and countless Nubian monuments and historical sites.

As a musical director, Mahmoud Fadl contributed to a four album project called “Salamat”, released on Piranha records, which focussed on the music of the legendary and suppressed Nubian culture. He has four albums released under his own name and on one of them pays a Nubian homage to deceased pan-Arabian diva Umm Kalthoum, showcasing the voice of Salwa Abou Greisha from the famous Greisha family of Nubian musicians, with accompaniment from the Cairo Opera. Mahmoud’s album “Drummers of the Nile”, features ancient music from along the nile, and he collaborates with fellow drummers Gaafar Hargal and Hamdi Matoul, Nubian wedding diva Salma and many more musicians. He has also collaborated with The Klezmatics (New York), Orientalist piano player Maurice El Medioni (Marseille/Oran) and the famous gypsy saxophone player Ferus Mustafov (Skopje). Mahmoud also introduced western audiences to the distinguished grandmaster of oriental trumpet, Samy El Bably, on an alluring album called “Love Letters from King Tut-Ank Amen.”

Today, Mahmoud travels between Cairo and Berlin working on various projects. His current tribal house project entitled “United Nubians” has earned him much international acclaim in the vibrant Berlin club scene. In addition to his work as a musician, film actor and fashion designer, Mahmoud Fadl frequently performs with the West-African Griot Ensemble, “Saf-Sap” on oriental wedding and musical workshops.

You can listen to Mahmoud Fadl and many more African musicians at Kemet Music Radio.

Selected Discography:

Album: Drummers of The Nile In Town
Label: Piranha
Year: 2003

Album: Drummers of The Nile Go South
Label: Piranha
Year: 2001

Album: Umm Kalthoum 7000
Label: Piranha
Year: 2000

Album: Love Letters From King Tut-Ank Amen
Label: Piranha
Year: 1998

Album: Ezzayakoum
Label: Piranha
Year: 1998

Album: Drummers of the Nile
Label: Piranha
Year: 1997

Album: Nubiana
Label: Piranha
Year: 1996

Album: Salam Delta
Label: Piranha
Year: 1995

Album: Mambo El Soudani
Label: Piranha
Year: 1994

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When choosing to keep carnivorous Characidae, there are some things you will want to keep in mind. First and foremost, be aware that anything smaller than the Characidae will be considered food. And mixing other aggressive carnivores will only lead to one or the other being eaten. You will want to keep herbivorous fish that are much larger with Characidae. They will generally leave anything bigger than themselves alone, and the herbivore will not be interested in attacking unless provoked. In contrast to the piranha, which has similar jaws and eating habits, a Characidae will attack both alone and in schools. Piranha tend to attack only in schools. But the effect either type can have on your hand is similar, so be careful. These kind of fish are definitely not recommended for the beginner.

Carnivorous Characidae will eat pretty much any kind of meat. Worms, smaller fish (a lot of dangerous fish keepers will stock the aquarium with several small, cheap fish so the predator has something to hunt), etc. Try to avoid giving them a taste for red meat, and do not put your hands into the tank while feeding them.

Characidae live in the brackish waters of South and Central American rivers. Lots of peat and vegetable matter contribute to hazy waters and a PH leaning towards acidic. When properly kept, Characidae will breed in captivity, leaving eggs that stick to the bottom of the aquarium. They will eat their young however, so if you are going to attempt to breed Characidae be prepared to move either the adults or the young into a separate aquarium right after hatching.

Serrasalmus Rhombeus, also know as white piranha or spotted piranha, are another favorite of people who like to keep dangerous fish. Like Characidae, piranha are from South America, in the Amazon Basin. They can grow up to 10 inches long in the wild, but most aquarium-raised piranha only grow to around 6 inches. As with Characidae, piranha are not for the beginner. As one of the most aggressive fishes, they cannot be kept with other fish. Their most prominent feature is the over-sized jaw, with rows of needle-sharp teeth. Piranha have been known to tear apart aquariums with those teeth. When netting a piranha, you must use extreme caution to keep your hands away from the fish at all times. They will attack and shred your hand without hesitation if you let them. In the wild, a school of piranha can reduce an entire cow to bones in a matter of seconds, so your hand is just a little snack for them.

Piranha eat meat, of course. They will attack and eat any other fish they are kept with. Some of the nicer things about keeping piranha include their relative indifference to water conditions, and that they will not breed in a tank. This prevents schools of piranha from appearing in your tanks. They will eat each other in captivity, especially if there are no other fish to attack. Piranha are extremely aggressive and dangerous, and should only be kept by experienced keepers.

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