It is hard to keep up with Talal Qureshi, singer-songwriter, music producer and DJ, originally from Islamabad and presently in Dubai. He is constantly working on new content. His most recent release, ‘Paisa’, a hip-hop rap track featuring Hasan Raheem, a Karachi-based artist originally from Gilgit, is a fierce example.
The song is somewhat socio-political in nature if you read between the verses. Hasan Raheem, studying to be a doctor, has his heart settled in music.
While the landscape is eclectic and electronic, something Talal excels at, the lyrical material is just as sharp and makes you realise what dreams and destinations mean to different people.
Running close to 4 minutes, it’s a change of pace for Talal in terms of experimenting with the music; he can do everything from ethereal and cinematic soundscapes, electronica and dance, melodic and synth heavy pop or even hip-hop. Just last year at Lahore Music Meet 2020, Talal Qureshi was one of the headlining acts (ft. Maanu and Faris Shafi) and brought the house down.
A force of music when it comes to collaborations, apart from ‘Paisa’ that was dropped this past week, some of his other prolific collaborations include working with Mehdi Maloof (‘Peero’), Naseebo Lal (‘Aag’), and Natasha Noorani (‘Constant Summer’). It is what makes him such a diverse artist. With a collaborative outfit with Adil Omar called SNKM, Talal was amongst the best performers at Mad Decent Block Party that took place in Islamabad (a couple of years ago) and featured foreign artists including Major Lazer ft. Diplo. Talal Qureshi also appeared on BBC with Faris Shafi where the two unrolled thunderous songs such as ‘Clap’ and ‘Jawab De’. His most recent release includes Acha Volume 2, featuring 5 killer tracks. We dig.
Turhan James releases ‘Chasing Serotonin’
Music producer and DJ, Turhan James has been slowly carving out a strong musical profile for himself. We’ve seen him spin his magic at several editions of Solis Music Festival as well as open for FDVM for a Salt Arts show at the Beach Luxury Hotel in late 2019.
But Turhan James is not just about being a typical DJ. He also houses the talent to create slick, original electronic tracks within many of its sub genres. Having released ‘Normal Life’ featuring Ansar and Hasan Raheem that was less EDM and more R&B and Soul, Turhan is back with a new single called ‘Chasing Serotonin’. While ‘Normal Life’ is a great showcase of his ability to work with local artists, his latest single shows he can collaborate with anyone.
Though his repertoire is extensive, the latest release is without question his finest. For someone as young as him, it’s both surprising and bodes well for the counter culture in Pakistan
Featuring SA Zeiner, a Norwegian London-based artist/producer on vocals as they go, “We’re chasing serotonin/The highs are worth the lows/We’re chasing serotonin/The chaos and the cost/It’s worth it all” and the title of the song suddenly makes complete sense. They depict a very interesting narrative. The 20 second promo featuring Turhan James running in what looks like Karachi is also a good way to make the song an attractive chase.
Turhan James took to Instagram and noted about the song that’s climbing charts. “This song means the world to me and I’m so happy because it turned out exactly how I had envisioned it. The goal was to produce something that provides an uplifting feeling, and with the help of sazeiner (SA Zeiner), I feel like I was able to portray that through this song.”
For fans of EDM and music aficionados, this cross-cultural track is worth listening to and it’s a great way for opening what has been a difficult last year. The song is available on SoundCloud as well other major platforms such as iTunes, Apple Music, etc. Props to Turhan!
Ali Sethi reinvents his sound with ‘Mein Aur Hein Iraaday’
From his brilliant renditions of classical music such as ghazal and poetry heard first in the breakthrough song, ‘Dil Jalaney Ki Baat’ many years ago, Ali Sethi has come a long way.
Ali promised to drop new music after Muharram last year and has not forgotten the promise. If anything, he is continuing to do so in 2021.
After releasing a slew of singles – beginning with ‘Chandni Raat’, to ‘Dil Ki Khair’, ‘Ishq’, ‘Dil Lagaayein’ and ‘Khabar-e-Tahayyur-e-Ishq’ – produced by Grammy Award winning music producer and artist Noah Georgeson – Sethi is doing more cross-cultural music as an artist.
Presently in America, he is making the best use of his time.
His most recent release, ‘Mein Aur Hein Iraaday’ that is imbued with lyrics by Agha Hashr Kashmiri with the tune by Mukhtar Begum, is essentially a ghazal turned electronic. Ali has arranged the song and done complete justice to the ghazal even as it is a modern version. The single is also accompanied by a music video by Reed Gibson.
Just 3 months ago, Ali Sethi dropped another collaborative track called ‘Pehla Qadam’ which is produced by Rush Vyas and with Red Baraat’s Sunny Jain on drums and the trance-inducing music video directed by Reed Gibson.
What is most special about ‘Pehla Qadam’ is that Ali has not only sung it but also composed it. ‘Pehla Qadam’ and ‘Mein Aur Hein Iraaday’ show Ali in a new light. It is one that is away from pure classical to one that is about adapting to the new sounds popular in contemporary music without losing control, identity and creating a mess. The music video plays with graphics and there is a glitch factor while the song (‘Mein Aur Hein Iraaday’) require Ali to sing on beats and he does it like an expert. It’s a miraculous rendition of a ghazal. Clearly, Ali Sethi is getting better with each release. A multidisciplinary artist, you can also find his writings in the New York Times from time to time. He also has a book to his credit called The Wish Maker.