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Zohaib Kazi releases fourth song from Fanoos

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Fri, 08, 17

Music producer Zohaib Kazi is back in the spotlight with the fourth release from Fanoos, a song called ‘Un Amlo’ that is a result of his collaboration with Islam Habib, an artist from Hunza, who sounds absolutely incredible. According to Kazi, “when we reached Hunza, I instantly started asking around for musicians and pretty much everybody in the Karimabad region pointed me towards this Norwegian Burshaski heritage centre near the Baltit Fort.

Music producer Zohaib Kazi is back in the spotlight with the fourth release from Fanoos, a song called ‘Un Amlo’ that is a result of his collaboration with Islam Habib, an artist from Hunza, who sounds absolutely incredible. According to Kazi, “when we reached Hunza, I instantly started asking around for musicians and pretty much everybody in the Karimabad region pointed me towards this Norwegian Burshaski heritage centre near the Baltit Fort. I was told that Islam Habib is a rubab shredder (he plays really fast)... so I randomly one day went and knocked on their door. The first time I met him, he was wearing a robe and I asked Insiya if he’s a magician! I met him and we decided to do a newer track in Burshaski, written by one of their poets.”

The result of this collaboration can be heard on the track that keeps in line with the urban, electronic music ethos of Kazi and Fanoos while giving room to Islam Habib to shine through as well.

As Kazi explained in a press statement, “we are attempting to not take away from the melody and the voice...but ‘conversed’ musically within the track. Gathering my inspiration from the nature and beauty, I didn’t want to complicate the track as they’re pretty straight forward people with very focused straight forward ideas.”

One important factor to remember about Fanoos is that while each song has its own value and can be heard as a single, when these creations are heard together, a cohesive and measured identity emerges, the kind that few albums manage. 

Fanoos contains a total of six tracks, each one a collaboration that has been recorded in the regional artists’ own settings who come from Kalat, Hunza, Nowshera, Umerkot, Lahore and Gilgit. Past three releases have included Riaz Ali Qadri, the students of the Bulbulik Music School and Akhtar Chanal Zehri. – Photo by Insiya Syed