Ali Suhail, Ahmed Zawar (E Sharp) and Sparlay Rawail (Khumariyaan) discuss what they’ve been listening to in this week’s edition of the Instep weekly mixtape.
Having spoken to over a dozen eclectic musicians, it has become apparent that the musicians in our midst have varied tastes and are constantly exploring music from around the world that goes beyond the expected and the known.
In this week’s edition of the Instep mixtape, we spoke to Ali Suhail, Ahmed Zawar (the front-man of E Sharp) and Sparlay Rawail (from Khumariyaan) about their listening habits and what’s been on their playlist. Some very interesting musical answers emerged…
Ali Suhail (Takatak co-vocalist, Sikandar Ka Mandar, solo artist, music producer)
Speaking to Instep, Ali Suhail shared the five artists he’s has been listening to lately and why.
Ali’s list begins with American rapper and music producer Tyler, The Creator. “His new album, Igor, just came out and it sounds really weird and interesting and cool!”
The list also includes “Periphery; same reason, Hail Stan came out recently and there’s a crater the size of Pindi, where it landed. Bohat aala hai!”
The other three artists on Ali’s list are: “Jacob Collier; He’s a wealth of information and a constant reference point and Djesse is a very interesting album; Childish Japes: It’s a dumb band name but I’m really feeling their album After You’re Born these days.”
Ali’s mixtape also comprises “Robert Glasper, Thundercat, Jordan Rakei, Lianna La Havas, Plini, Anderson Paak, Kendrick Lamar, Hiatus Kaiyote, Gentle Robot, Takatak, Faris Shafi, Abdullah Siddique - all the current cool people for their miscellaneous amazingness, It’s just great music. I’m really looking forward to the VIP album!”
Ahmed Zawar (E Sharp, singer-songwriter, front-man)
With multiple albums to their credit - Bahadur Yar Jang and 600 Saal - E Sharp has been around for quite some time but is on another gear these days, battling it out with other bands on Pepsi Battle of the Bands 4 and so far surviving all episodes with aplomb. Singer-songwriter Ahmed Zawar, while speaking to Instep, revealed his current playlist, which is as diverse as the band Zawar fronts.
The five artists on his list comprise “Kanye West (there’s a proper genius element behind his music, the more you discover), The Beatles (I always listen to them, that’s where my inspiration for songwriting is coming), Kashmir (finally discovering and not at all disappointed), A. R. Rahman (listening and always wondering if ever I can make music like that) and Lana Del Rey (she’s a proper mood).”
Sparlay Rawail (Khumariyaan, lead guitarist, percussions)
Sparlay Rawail of Khumariyaan, the group that won Song of the Year at the Lux Style Awards 2019 for their Coke Studio single, ‘Ya Qurbaan’, too, has a rather curious playlist of musicians he’s been listening to.
“Antonio Pinto, Ludovico Einaudi, Raman Djawadi, Sigur Ros and believe it or not, the T Series Mixtape, all this so that we can find just the right balance in our music, and because simply put, the escape; providers need an escape as well.”
