In a span of just one year, Hasan Raheem has left quite an impression on critics and fans, with his breakthrough song, ‘Aisay Kaisa’ ft. Abdullah Kasumbi. Having collaborated with Abdullah Kasumbi in the past, he has also worked with the likes of artists such as Talal Qureshi and Maanu.

His newest track, ‘Aarzu’ - released last month - is written and performed by Hasan and has been produced, mixed and mastered by Umair – who has also worked with names such as Young Stunners.

The choice to work with different producers is a smart one since it doesn’t make Abdullah’s musical landscape boring. ‘Aarzu’ that comes attached with a music video is complementing the song.

As for the song, ‘Aarzu’ is laid-back and much more RnB than a clear cut rap song. Against a red layer through which we see Hasan begins the story, singing in Urdu and English with flexibility. He’s much more vulnerable on this song than preceding songs; verses such as “Main bhi kehna chahta bohat say alfaaz/Anjaano main dab jaati meri awaaz” depict that. The song in entirety feels like a narrative that echoes a complicated relationship.

The music video, directed by Arham Ikram doesn’t feel like a rushed job but provides an audio-visual experience rather than detaching itself from the feeling behind the song even as its opening echoes an acid trip.

Hasan Raheem is a very unpredictable artist and it seems he does have a lot to say and a great deal to share. Given that, check out his latest release, ‘Aarzu’.

A for Aleph Records release
Aizaz Sohail’s debut EP

A for Aleph Records - founded by Umair Dar and Anas Alam in 2020 - describes itself as a “record label focused on curation, production, distribution & promotion of independent music” is never behind when it comes to producing music and working with a diverse set of artists.

Having released Hijrat EP by Wajiha Naqvi, Cacan by Aziz Kazi, White Flag by Ali Suhail, Doomsday Astronaut by Waqas Ahmed as well as singles such as ‘Sanwal‘ by Surkhwaab (among other material), A for Aleph has also released Aizaz Sohail’s debut album in 2021.

The artist, who made a strong national appearance with his Coke Studio debut in 2020, has released a 7-track album called Khayal where he is featured on vocals, tanpura & swarmandal. The debut album is produced by Daniel Arthur Panjwaneey and Anas Alam Khan at A for Aleph with the former also recording, mixing and mastering the album. Khayal is also backed by strong album artwork by well-established artist, Sana Nasir.

As for what to expect from the album, according to a description on Aizaz Sohail’s bandcamp page, “Khayal is a unique album that consists of 7 raagas sung with swarmandal and tanpura freestyle to bring out their best emotion. The album consists of some common as well as rare scales which are less commonly sung and heard.”

We’re sold. Aizaz Sohail is a rare talent and it’s always good to see local labels like A for Aleph providing a space to let that talent flourish via while imbuing strong production values behind it.

Rushk drop music video for ‘Shikva’

After dropping the audio version of ‘Shikva’ just recently accompanied by just as hard-hitting artwork designed by Safwat Saleem, the all-expansive music outfit from Karachi, have released the music video for their latest song.

Written by chief songwriter/guitarist Uns Mufti, the song’s audio further defines the post-rock, ambient, tripped out larger soundscape Rushk has created through a series of preceding singles. With ‘Shikva’, it has continued to do so.

The band, which now includes musicians Mohd. Ali Jafri and Sikandar Mufti along with co-founders Uns Mufti and Ziyyad Gulzar, has gone on to experiment with vocalists. This song, for instance features SB with a lovely tenor and the talk is by B Griff. Though the audio has its own merits (irrespective of the music video), the video does showcase a significant aesthetic that has come to define Rushk visually without taking away from the audio.

Featuring Ayesha Toor & Faris Khalid, the music video opens with a clock before Faris appears in multiple angles including upside down. The frame changes and Ayesha appears as if from behind shaving his stubble. Soon enough, the camera pans to the front and we can see both of them. The clock keeps ticking. She appears to the front and a narrative complementary to the song emerges. Like many if not all Rushk music video, this one is minimal in a sense but full of details that make you wonder what it meant. The perplexing ideas slowly start to make sense and it appears as if the old Rushk with a slicker line-up is looking to create lasting impression, irrespective of what sells at present. There is an intimacy to the music video that is unlike anything else out there. This is one of the better music videos from Rushk. Check it out. Highly recommended! –Artwork by Safwat Saleem