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Lahore Music Meet 2017 concludes with a bang

By Instep Desk
Wed, 03, 17

The third edition of Lahore Music Meet, a music symposium that features music industry names from across Pakistan including artists, bands, indie superheroes, veterans and stalwarts and gives music aficionados a chance to witness them speak as well as play, concluded in Lahore after two days of musical glory.

Ali Azmat in conversation with Natasha Noorani.

With industry stalwarts and indie music superheroes participating, the two-day affair reminded us just why the music scene in Pakistan holds such immense promise and potential.

The third edition of Lahore Music Meet, a music symposium that features music industry names from across Pakistan including artists, bands, indie superheroes, veterans and stalwarts and gives music aficionados a chance to witness them speak as well as play, concluded in Lahore after two days of musical glory.

Held at the Alhamra Art Council, the event featured a delightful combination of ever popular mainstream names and a slew of exciting indie names. Though forced to move all outdoor proceedings indoor upon directives from Punjab Government and Security Advisory Committee’s instructions, the LMM team didn’t deter from its motive to give music listeners a chance to witness a healthy dialogue about the needs of the industry and much more. Here’s a quick look...

Daniel Arthur Panjwaneey (Alien [Panda Jury) and Ziyad Habib (Noah
Daniel Arthur Panjwaneey (Alien [Panda Jury) and Ziyad Habib (Noah's Heark) speaking during a session titled Simpler Sampling.

Big Names

In big names, Lahore Music Meet 2017, founded by Natasha Noorani and Zahra Paracha, managed to get some pretty popular artists, industry leaders if you will, in a one-on-one setting. Ali Azmat - a man who needs no introduction and whose musical superiority remains intact as he proved last year by holding his own on ‘Man Kunto Maula‘ opposite the indomitable Javed Bashir on Coke Studio 9 and in other ventures, spoke to Natasha Noorani on day one in a title session called ‘Ali Azmat de Naal Gallan’, perhaps as an ode to Azmat’s whacked out single, ‘Gallan’. Either way, it’s not every day when you catch the man who invented rock in a solo conversation. Modern rock’s most inventive (and humble) guitar player and Ali Azmat’s musical cohort for many years now, Omran Shafique also spoke on day one in a cleverly titled session called ‘When Not to Play the Guitar’ where he spoke about how dynamic the guitar can be when it’s not front and center.  Veteran of the industry, Sajjad Ali whose repertoire is filled with incredibly memorable songs, took the occasion to speak about his experiences in a session titled, ‘Bolo Bolo: Sajjad Ali Nay Kya Dekha’ which was moderated by Zeb Bangash. Uzair Jaswal, prince of pop and the creator of the recently released album, Na Bhulana, also participated in a one-on-one session with Dino Ali also on day one. Day two also had its share of mainstream music as the inimitable and oft-intimidating Meesha Shafi spoke in a one-on-one session called ‘Made with Natasha Noorani’ while Javed Bashir also participated in a solo session.

(Right) Zeerak Ahmed aka Slowspin playing her captivating tunes. (Left) Sajjad Ali took the stage on day One.
(Right) Zeerak Ahmed aka Slowspin playing her captivating tunes. (Left) Sajjad Ali took the stage on day One.

Indie Music

Apart from industry giants, Lahore Music Meet 2017 kept its promise of inclusion alive by featuring members of the indie community in great number. While some such as Nawksh/Danial Hyatt and Adeel Tahir/Eridu spoke at sessions, others played their unique and impressive brand of music to a curious audience. And so, while Slowspin and Ali Suhail, both of whom count Karachi as home, performed their tunes on day one, day two gave Poor Rich Boy, a revered indie music outfit from Lahore, and Javed Bashir, a vocalist who has no limitations, a slot to perform and own the stage, which they did.

Among the many innovative sessions that featured in LMM this year included one by Ziyad Habib (Noah’s Heark) and Daniel Arthur Panjwaneey (Alien Panda Jury) called Simpler Sampling. The session was an interactive workshop during which both producers reflected on sample-based composition, exploring basic methods and techniques used in modern music production and songwriting, outlining culture, context and methods, by delving into sound acquisition, processing and manipulation.

– Photography credits: Ali Chaudhry Films