Since WONDERWHEEL Recording’s inception in 2004, Moreno Visini aka The Spy from Cairo, has been sending out dub- based electronic music that has created quite a Worldwide following. On his 3rd studio album under the name The Spy from Cairo, he switches his signature instrument, the classical Arabic Oud, to an electronic Oud which also reflects a transition in his sound throughout the album to a more cosmic & electronic dance- floor experience. The title, “Nothing New Under the Sun” reflects his constant call for people to be more united in this World rather than divided. As he says in the liner notes; “As time goes by, people never seem to learn from History, which we see repeating over & over again (and those in power seem to always stir the same old soup). I sincerely hope we wake up and see what really matters in this life and be together as one…. because all is ONE UNDER THE SUN.”
Written, produced, performed & mixed himself, the album also features some of his Brooklyn Gypsies band-mates Fatima Gozlar, Takuya Nakamura & Ilker Ciraci as well as the talents of Maalem (master gnawa musician) Ben Hassan Jaafer of the group Innov Gnawa on vocals. The album starts with a slow Oud intro backed by a heavy 808 kick to satisfy the likes of his growing Worldwide tribal female belly dance community. He then gives us some classic eastern dub with the tunes “Damascus Market Dub” & “Universal.” The transition to the club dance-floor is displayed next with the funky cosmic disco based “Sahir” which has been a real hit from Ozora Festival in Hungary to the Symbiosis festival on the West coast USA. “Dub Shaabi” is a rhythm bending North African shaabi meets dub style production featuring Hassan Ben Jaafer on vocals saying “the Gnawa is coming & they bring good, positive, (sweet) things.”Prophecy in Motion” & “When Giants Ruled the Earth” both come in with the disco dub beats that translate well with his string instrument melodies & solos. Next, you get a real cosmic electronic trip with “Ya Amar” & “Sirens of the Nile” showing his diverse Organic Grooves roots. Rounding off the album, “Cairo Tripper” drops some heavy mid tempo beats with apreggiating synths as the backbone for more of his top notch Oud playing.
