In the last few decades, the publication world in Egypt has witnessed the appearance of several newspapers and magazines, many of them published in the English language. Some of those publications grow and become the leading magazines in the market, while others fail under the pressure of competition and financial struggles, and eventually disappear.

The arts sector seems to be the least exposed in terms of English language publications. It is true that over the past few years, a number of established magazines have started dedicating more and more pages to arts, with music being usually limited to listings.

But in terms of a publication dedicated to arts and culture, targeting English language readers, there has been a lack of serious attempts, with the possible exception of The Art Review English language magazine, which addressed all arts forms. The reason behind it is the choice of language – English – paralleled by the fight for survival of a magazine which understandably targets a very limited audience. “Discord”, a new publication which is about to see the light of day, specialises in music coverage and review as well as other art forms.

Discord is a word derived from the name of the Greek goddess of strife, Eris, whose name in Latin is Discordia. As the team agrees, they aim to “break the broken record”, and to present different and conflicting points of view.

The magazine is scheduled to have its soft launch in mid-October, while their grand launch will take place in January and host several bands. The magazine will be free of charge, distributed in outlets characterised by high foot traffic of potential readers including music venues, book shops and cultural centres. The team also hope that Discord will be available as an in-flight magazine.

The focus on music sets the magazine apart as number one in their market. With the music market torn between marginalised professional outlets – such as those presenting Western classical music - and the still-developing independent music scene, the magazine hopes to give particular exposure to the latter group.

Yet, according to Sherif Zaazaa, the director of the magazine project, “In Egypt the music scene is almost non-existent.” Zaazaa argues that, in Lebanon, the music scene is much more vibrant. “You find people, who don’t know each other, jamming in bars and pubs or using a basement as a venue for gigs.”

“Music is about bringing people together,” Zazaa continues. It is his hope that Egypt’s music scene will develop into something similar to that which he sees elsewhere.

Zaazaa, along with the magazine’s team (Managing Partner, Nader Ahmed and editor-in-chief, Walid Abouzeid), describes the current bands in the scene as unoriginal. “They all play it safe and don’t experiment with music.”

However, the creators hope to be among the important elements which will push the music scene towards change. They emphasise their faith in budding, as-yet unknown talents that they hope to discover and reveal. 

Discord will cover a large array of topics and will not be limited to providing important and value-adding exposure to the underground music field in Egypt only. “The coverage of topics will include the whole Arab region,” said Walid Abouzeid, the editor-in-chief. “We have freelancers in Lebanon and Dubai.”

 A literature graduate from the American University in Beirut, Abouzeid has a broad network of freelance writers all over the region. “As much as we want to discover music talents, we also want to give a chance for good writers to express themselves,” he said.

The magazine’s style is fresh and accessible and covers a variety of topics for music fans. It also collaborates with the website Lost at E Minor, an online publication dedicated to art, design, music, photography and pop culture.

Abouzeid explains the particular journalistic leaning of the magazine in his editor’s note in the magazine’s Zero issue. Discord will follow the ideology developed by Hunter S. Thomson, creator of Gonzo journalism, which is a subjective type of journalism that includes the first person narrative.

“This form of journalism was, and shall evermore be, the natural choice for us,” writes Abouzeid in his note, “whereby this process would lead to the perpetuation of qualities best suited to delivering accurate coverage by simply ‘telling it as it is, however ugly or profane.’”

Despite the focus on music, the team is offering a platform for other art forms and creative endeavours, including photography, illustration and writing.

Another initiative that the team is hoping to create is an online portal, where businesses can contact musicians as well as freelance artists from other fields of art. The portal is planned to launch in six months.