Nubian vocalist and oud player Hamza El Din has been known for three decades as the foremost exponent of the oud, the principal instrument of Arabic classical music. He has drawn on both traditional Nubian music and the vast aestethic structure of Arabic classical music to create an entirely new mode of expression. Escalay (The Water Wheel), originally issued in 1971, is evidence of Hamza El Din's establishment of new musical forms and his full command of the instrument.