rock

In 2013, musician Ramy Essam was banned from performing in his home country of Egypt, and in late 2014 he arrived in Helsinki to work in a Safe Haven residence. In this interview, Essam talks about musical activism, exile and his own music, which is a fascinating mix of hard rock, hip hop and Egyptian melodies. ”People in the Nordic countries have a really big space for freedom of expression that they don’t use enough,” Essam says.

"As a worldwide sub-culture, heavy metal is an excellent example of the specialised communities that emerge in modern society, governed by individual preferences rather than a shared physical environment – similar music tastes or, say, consumer choices."