Mahmoud Fadl was born in 1955 and is a descendant from a Nubian family rooted in the griot culture of the Battikol people. He grew up in the Egyptian cities of Aswan and Cairo, where he began his musical career as a musician and limbo dancer at Nubian and Arab wedding celebrations. His outstanding talent for percussion soon made him a sought-after musician for top Arab orchestras and singers such as Ahmed Adawia and Nubian soul legend Ali Hassan Kuban. As a young boy, he picked up the plaintive sounds of a mizmar accompanied by drummers on a street corner, which led him to deepen his musical roots. During the golden age of Egyptian movie musicals, he became an admirer of the legendary dancer Samia Gamal and was enchanted by the voices of Farid El Atrache and Umm Kalthum, absorbing his Nubian roots music as well as the sound of classical Arabic orchestras. After several international tours, including guest appearances in Syria, Morocco and Greece, Mahmoud Fadl settled in Europe to develop his own international solo career. The master drummer, who has released four albums with his group Salamat and five under his own name (including three with his ensemble Drummers of the Nile), still works and travels between Cairo and Berlin. In addition to his own releases, Mahmoud Fadl has also contributed to albums by The Klezmatics and Maurice el Medioni.