The InternetAsk any music fan what they think of the recorder, and there would be few among them who would be able to look past its widespread use as the introductory instrument du jour in every prepubescent music class to see it for the surprisingly palatable — and versatile — woodwind that it is.
At least until they hear Medhat Mamdouh, at any rate.
Hailing from Cairo, Egypt, Mamdouh has eked out a healthy niche for himself as a skilled recorder...er… (recorderist?), only with a unique spin on using the simple little hole-stick — busting out mad beats at the same time — that has seen the young performer hit viral heights recently, as a clip of him performing a freestyle caught the attention of the internet and made us all seriously rethink how quick we were to dismiss the recorder as anything but Baby's First Flute-like Thing. If nothing else, it stands as an excellent testament to the idea that playing an instrument well is a whole different ball game to just playing an instrument, even one as maligned as the recorder.
His latest work is a studio-recorded track, Acousticophobia, which mixes in aspects of dubstep and hip-hop that tend to permeate Mamdouh's fully realised songs; he doesn't yet have an album, but says he has plans to release one "soon", so if you're into it, swing him a Like and keep your eyes peeled for release information in the near future.
