With the month of Ramazan coming to a gradual, graceful and somewhat super ending (amplified by that glorious finale) by next week, the music scene is gearing up to reemerge in glorious fashion.
Embracing diversity: Having released two singles from his multicultural urban-electro effort, Fanoos, Zohaib Kazi took a hiatus
from releasing more songs while Ramazan is being observed in the country. Post-Eid, he will be releasing the rest of the
four songs that feature regional artists like Akhtar Chanal Zahri, Mai Dhai, Zarsanga, and Islam Habib Hunzai.
musicmix
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in the music scene.
With the month of Ramazan coming to a gradual, graceful and somewhat super ending (amplified by that glorious finale) by next week, the music scene is gearing up to reemerge in glorious fashion.
Our story opens with what I’d like to call the beginning of the cola wars as Coke Studio, celebrating a decade of existence this year, will be back with a new season in the coming weeks ahead. And that’s not all. Another cola-sponsored music show threatening to give it a run for its money is the news that Pepsi Battle of the Bands is returning this year. Hence, the term cola wars.
Going places: Adil Omar and Talal Qureshi, who collectively make up the music outfit Sonic Nocturnal Kinetic Movement (SNKM), will head to the United States next month where they will take the stage during the Mad Decent Block Party 2017 in Philadelphia.
While Pepsi has backed plenty of music initiatives in recent memory including the one-off season of Pepsi Smash and the successful Pepsi Unplugged (live music) series, the resurrection of Battle of the Bands is a safe bet for the corporate giant, given its past record.
The bigger news is that apart from roping in Faisal Rafi as music producer, the music/technical crew team includes the genius of our times, Ahsan Bari, while big stars who can make people tune in, such as Fawad Khan and Meesha Shafi are also involved in some capacity. Aaroh, the winner of the inaugural edition of Pepsi Battle of the Bands, have also reunited and will feature in the revival as well.
Fawad Khan, Meesha Shafi and Atif Aslam, three of Pakistan’s biggest stars were seen at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore just this month where they were shooting for a commercial backed by Pepsi. Their presence will make people tune in and will give young artists a chance to find a national audience. With indie bands like Sikandar Ka Mandar, Jumbo Jutt, Keeray Makoray, ESharp and Malang Party alive and kicking, one can hope to see some of them get their moment. One also hopes that the show will bring the limelight back to bands that deserve it.
According to terms and conditions for participating in the music competition, you cannot apply as a solo artist. Every music group applying must include a minimum of two people and applicants must be between the ages of 16 to 35 years. Some other requirements include submitting one original and one cover song. Whether it’s a cover or an original song, it must be sung in either Urdu or any regional language of Pakistan.
All that said, one can also not discount Coke Studio. Its novelty value may have worn off but having opened up the platform to multiple music producers last year, the upcoming 10th edition is likely to feature the same format with Strings (featuring Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood) still spearheading the series. According to multiple reports, the series went on floors last month and is gearing up to emerge later this year with equal verve as past seasons.
Closer to release than either of these productions though are songs from Zohaib Kazi’s multicultural Fanoos. With six regional musicians featured on it, the record for which Kazi travelled across Pakistan is meant to inculcate the idea that the many cultures that thrive in these spaces must be embraced and celebrated. Created in partnership with tech startup Patari, Fanoos is full of content that is beautiful and sacred.
Having released ‘The Gulmit Anthem’ (created in collaboration with the students of the Bulbulik Heritage Centre) and ‘Takht Hazar’ (featuring Riaz Qadri) earlier this year, Kazi held on to the rest of the songs, four in total while the month of Ramzan is being observed in the country. Post-Eid, he will release songs created in collaboration with the likes of Akhtar Chanal Zahri, Mai Dhai, Zarsanga, and Islam Habib Hunzai.
Speaking about the project, Kazi said that he believed “that there’s an adventurous sensation when you don’t know what you’ll encounter and yet you’ll need to rise to the occasion. Spending time with the incredible singers in their familiar space allowed me to capture them in the rawest form and in their most comfortable musical self.”
The occasion of Eid will also see the emergence of a collaborative music video between Qurram Hussain (one half of Josh) and singer-songwriter Maria Unera. The single will be the fifth release from the second season of Cornetto Pop Rock and is called ‘Aajana’.
In the video, directed by Amaan Ahmed, the duo will be seen supporting a variety of looks. Talking about the song and its music, Qurram explained that the theme that runs through the video is “so close and yet so far“. The idea, says Hussain, is about embracing imperfections in relationships.
2017 also looks like a promising year for Adil Omar and Talal Qureshi, who collectively make up a music outfit called Sonic Nocturnal Kinetic Movement (SNKM). After collaborating and performing with the likes of Diplo, Elliphant and Skrillex last year, SNKM is still doing terrific things. They will take the stage at the Mad Decent Block Party 2017 in Philadelphia next month. Apart from SNKM, the event will feature 4B, Diplo, Dirty South Joe, Flosstradamus, Matt Ox, Nadastrom and Swizzymack.
Also, let’s not forget independent/alternative artists who have plans to unveil some gorgeous tunes and moving musicianship in the next few weeks. Chief among them is Mekaal Hasan, who is back in Karachi after giving finishing touches to his upcoming plans that include the re-release of Mekaal Hasan Band’s third studio album, Andholan.
