The Asia Diaries: Egyptian duo Gawdat debut in Thailand & Singapore

One of Cairo's most prized musical exports over the last decade, Gawdat have built a thriving global career through their groundwork of building Egypt's local dance scene since 2013.

Radiating positive and vibrant energy on and off stage, the Egyptian brothers had a career-defining year in 2022, playing alongside industry heavyweights such as Marco Carola, The Martinez Brothers, Luciano, Carnage (Gordo), Bedouin, Denis Sulta and Nic Fanciulli to name a few, in addition to festivals like Caprices, Sunwaves, Enchanted Forest (nine-hour set), and Uberhaus Bali, two sold-out London shows

The duo are heavily influenced by 90’s r'n'b culture, classic soul, and jazzy basslines which they recently brought to Asia for two shows in Thailand, Elevation and then Shelter in Phuket, followed by a show in Singapore.

We’ve travelled around the world and have played in so many different and beautiful cities but this was the first time we’ve ever played in Asia and for sure won’t be our last time. As much as we wanted to stay longer and explore more, we tried our best to do as much as we could in the five days we were spending there. We travelled to Phuket and Singapore and frankly we were super amazed by both places. Each one of them had a different feeling and vibe to it but we noticed two things in common: peacefulness and amazing hospitality.

DAY 1

We started off our trip by flying from Cairo to Phuket. Although it was a 12-hour flight, the second we landed and set foot in Phuket we felt at ease and relaxed. There’s something about the energy that is just soothing to anyone’s peace of mind. And we had the nicest driver waiting for us with a sign and greeting us with the biggest smile!

It took us almost an hour to get to our hotel, which was the Grand Mercure Hotel, and we were welcomed with a delicious tropical drink. The second we arrived we didn’t think twice and went straight for Thai food at the hotel. Of course, as cliche as this sounds but who doesn’t like a bowl of spicy tom yum soup and some pad thai?

I’m sure you know what we did next, a Thai massage! A massage is always a good idea after a long fight and to make you relax and recharge and we really needed this before our debut at Shelter! But one thing is to get a massage and another thing is to get a signature Thai massage, you can never go wrong with that, that’s for sure. After the massage, we headed to our rooms, took a shower and had a nap and woke up to start preparing our set.

The venue was 5 mins away from our hotel so this gave us the chance to walk in the streets and see some more before entering the club. Shelter has two rooms, one of them is more commercial and the other one is the techno room, where our gig took place. The place was so well prepared, had a Funktion One sound system and had a super intimate vibe to it so to top it off it was an amazing gig with a super energetic crowd and we can’t wait to go back.

DAY 2

We left Phuket to take a flight directly to Singapore and we got deeply connected to the city at once! Singapore you blew us away from the moment we arrived at the airport, we always knew we’d be so amazed by it but hearing about it doesn’t do it justice.

We went straight from the airport to our hotel, checked in and decided to walk around and see the marina and decided to go for their street food, just a random place around the block. Food done by locals is always the perfect way to know so much about the place we’re visiting. So why not have fried noodles in a box?

After getting some rest and getting ready for our gig at Habouji, a driver passed by and got to drive us around the city until we arrived at the party. The hosts, the venue, the crowd everything was the perfect combination in order for us to have an amazing night and gig!

DAY 3

And now that work was over we decided to fly back to Phuket again and attend Circoloco. Whether you’ve heard of it or haven’t, it’s an amazing event in Baba beach Phuket and people from all over the world fly in for a couple of days to go to the event and enjoy the beauty of Phuket.

First day back in Phuket we landed and went straight to Villa Jia at Jivana Beach Villas where our friends were staying and waiting for us to go to dinner at KEP Phuket, an amazing restaurant by the beach that has an excellent Mediterranean menu.

Of course, after an exceptional meal, a nap was needed before a party like Circoloco! I think by now you know for sure how much we love eating, sleeping and working! We arrived at the party, saw so many friends from all over the world and it was great to reunite with them and the rest is history! What happens in Circoloco stays at Circoloco!

DAY 4

After the past days and a party like this that stayed for quite long, we needed a good breakfast to boost our energy. A super tasty international breakfast and of course a fruit platter that felt like pressing a restart button. After that we took a boat and roamed around in the water, a smooth swim did us good, getting us refreshed and relaxed.

Heading back we decided to go for another Thai massage and call it a night! As day 4 was our last day, we always hate goodbyes. We always hated the feeling of leaving, but this time was different because we were surrounded by a lot of friends and family who flew from all around the world and supported us at both gigs, plus we madly fell in love with the beauty and simplicity of Phuket and its people.

DAY 5

Reminiscing about the whole trip, trying to snap out of it but couldn’t so as soon as work and our studio called and we came back to our reality. It was great to meet a lot of new people and reunite with a lot of friends. We will definitely come back to this magnificent place.

Asia, you’ve been too good to us. We were flattered by the whole experience and we can’t wait to be back even if you’re so far away.

The duo have also recorded a special set for Mixmag Asia as memorabilia of their debut Asia Tour. Have a listen below.