Music producer Jamal Rahman, who spearheads True Brew Records, is an incredible talent whose contribution to the music scene has been consistent and deliberately distinct. Over the years, his studio in Lahore has hosted several eclectic indie acts such as Hassan ‘Moyo’ Mohyeddin, Red Blood Cat, Wisdom Salad, Shorbanoor,
Jimmy Khan and Jamal Rahman in a still from the video of electro pop gem, ‘Baarish’.
MUSICMix
Music producer Jamal Rahman reflects on LSA nomination for ‘Baarish’ and working with Noori.
Music producer Jamal Rahman, who spearheads True Brew Records, is an incredible talent whose contribution to the music scene has been consistent and deliberately distinct. Over the years, his studio in Lahore has hosted several eclectic indie acts such as Hassan ‘Moyo’ Mohyeddin, Red Blood Cat, Wisdom Salad, Shorbanoor, The D/A Method, Janoobi Khargosh, Sikandar Ka Mandar (and many others) and has given listeners a chance to see them make live music magic in all its glory.
Jamal Rahman and Ali Noor at Noori headquarters in Lahore.
Rahman also delivered one of the most astonishing soundtracks in modern music history in the form of the Manto OST (with co-producer Danish Khwaja) and the score, with the latter winning Best Sound and Editing Award at Jaipur International Film Festival in 2016.
With the short-lived but revered indie music festival, Storm in a Teacup and the underrated soundtrack of Oye Kuch Kar Guzar – the latter being Pakistan’s first online film – to his credit, Rahman’s work has set a standard that few can match, let alone surpass.
(From left to right) Ali Hamza, Fahad Khan, Sara Haider, Ali Noor and Jamal Rahman backstage during the PAS Awards 2017 in Karachi.
As a producer, he has delivered several memorable songs and has worked with a diverse set of artists such as Atif Aslam, Zeb and Haniya, Sibti, Shehzad Noor, Ali Sethi, Jimmy Khan and Malang Party.
With all these accomplishments and a strong reputation for excellence and innovation, it is not surprising for us to learn that the soft-spoken music producer has joined Noori as sound engineer and show director. As pictures of Rahman emerged, first at the Noori headquarters in Lahore and later backstage during the PAS Awards 2017 in Karachi, we asked the music producer what was going in and he revealed to Instep his new role with the band.
As sound engineer/show director, Rahman will work with the group on how to improve the “flow” of their shows and also “kind of help with their sound, how they present it, how it is mixed”. As Rahman puts it, this is just the beginning. In other words, the Noori shows that are genuinely embraced by fans are about to hit the next level.
Reiterating his point further, Rahman told Instep that the goal behind this move is to raise the quality of their shows while making sure that the process remains quick. Some other plans include things like reworking songs, adding instruments and vice versa. “We’re trying to up the game,” Rahman explained in a telephonic conversation.
He also added that while he is working with Noori, particularly Ali Noor on the sonic vision, Mandana Zaidi - a longtime collaborator of Noori who has directed several of their music videos - is working on the visual aspect.
Apart from this exciting development, Tonight, Us that comprises of Jamal Rahman (guitar, synths, production) alongside fellow music cohorts Sameer Ahmed (bass), Ibrahim Akram (drums) and Rufus Shehzad (keys) is a contender in the Song of the Year category in the music section of the Lux Style Awards for the song ‘Baarish’.
The experimental supergroup made up of accomplished and revered musicians like Ahmed (Co-Ven, Jimmy Khan), Akram (Red Blood Cat, Mekaal Hassan Band) Shehzad (Meesha Shafi and Symt) and Rahman collaborated with Jimmy Khan on the track which originated on the Ho Mann Jahan soundtrack but found a cult following once it was reinterpreted as an electric pop gem by the group.
The back story of the song, as explained by Rahman, points to how the process was organic. Rahman had been commissioned to curate a live performance which was designed to bring artists Jimmy Khan, Zoe Vicajji and Sara Haider together onstage as performers. It included re-arranging two songs from each artist’s recent discography.
“Keeping only the vocal melody consistent, we switched genres, rewrote the rhythm section and chord progressions and essentially changed the entire vibe of the songs. At the show, our version of Jimmy’s ‘Baarish’ was received highly enthusiastically and, since it also happened to be a favourite among the members, we decided to take our version to the studio and use it to launch the band.”
Reflecting on the LSA nod, Rahman told Instep: “We put the song together, organically. I got a call from Jimmy who told me about the nomination. It was a total surprise. Validation is great but I don’t think about these things. It’s never the reason why we put the song together.”
When asked about other nominations, Rahman rightly picked up on the fact that several new-age artists have been nominated, which bodes well for the future. “It is a big step that they (Lux Style Awards) are promoting newer sounds. This will inspire others to do new work and try new things,” he concluded.
