LAHORE:French and Pakistani musicians, with the support of the Embassy of France in Pakistan, the Alliance Française Lahore, the Institute for Art and Culture, and the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, will participate in a residency in Lahore to produce fusion music bringing together qawwali melodies and electronic music with a French touch. They will give three live performances in Lahore and Islamabad till May 29, 2022.
After two years of pandemic, artists can finally be back on stage all around the world. French oud player Markus and electronic musician Xavier Pourcher met Pakistani singer and musician Shahzad Santoo Khan based in Lahore by chance on social media around 6 years ago. A few trips between France and Pakistan sealed their fruitful collaboration under the name “Markus & Shahzad”, which led to the release of their two albums Janna Aana and Tumba!
Santoo Meets Alright Mela is a new musical collaboration bringing together the three musicians and Shahzad Santoo’s qawwali ensemble. This will be the musicians’ third tour to Pakistan.
Qawwali melodies have nothing to envy to the greatest electronic hits. The powerful rhythms created by the tablas and the claps of the choristers transcend the listeners. Santoo meets Alright Mela will give a platform to the artists from the cities of Lahore and Angers to blend their talents in a bewitching fusion, where uplifting electronic music with a French touch and qawwali music intertwine ingeniously, and embark with the listeners on a journey filled with mutual discoveries and surprises.
The audience will get a chance to witness this authentic encounter between Pakistani, Oriental and Western musical cultures within the tracks but also throughout the whole concert. The new musical collaboration will create a space where each culture is celebrated in its own singularity.
Santoo Meets Alright Mela started their collaboration with a creation residency at the Institute for Art and Culture in Lahore. Their first performance in Lahore was on Friday (yesterday). Schedule of next performances: May 28, Saturday: Live performance at the Heritage Live concert at Lok Virsa Heritage Museum, a concert jointly organised by the European Network of Institutes of Culture and Face Foundation, Islamabad. May 29, Sunday 6:30pm: Live performance at Heritage Live’s second concert at Institute for Art and Culture, Lahore.