Pakistan’s Spicy Sound of Metal: Takatak

Typically when one thinks of Pakistani music they think about classical, sufi, ghazal, folk and qawwalli, not metal. Here to break the mold is metal band, Takatak, a name that fits them very well. Takatak means, a spicy meat dish prepared on a griddle by banging special utensils to create vibrations giving the meat a unique and flavorful taste. Just like the dish, Takatak, the band, is unique and flavorful.

The band consists of six members, Yusuf Ramay(drums), Daud Ramay(drums), Zain Peerzada(guitar), Ibrahim Imdad(guitar), Isa Najam(bass) and Shahzore Bhatty (vocals). After being a band for two and half years, Takatak released two singles, Breakdown and Walls They Collapse. However, their big break came recently. Acclaimed record producer, guitarist and songwriter Mekaal Hasan recorded their third single at Digital Fidelity Studios, which is set to release in early July.

One of Takatak’s greatest challenges has been cultivating an audience since only a fraction of Pakistan’s population listens to and accepts metal. Due to this, the band relies heavily on social media to get their music heard. According to bass guitarist, Isa Najam and guitarist Zain Peerzada;

“There isn’t really a local market for our kind of music, only a select few listen to it. That’s why we’ve always relied on the internet as a medium to showcase our music globally. We advertise all our events and other promotional campaigns through Facebook. Without a Facebook page, a band cannot even think of getting noticed. Now, it’s so easy to share our music with people, as it only takes a few clicks to share it. We also get all our covers and live performances out through our YouTube channel and our Reverbnation page and hopefully in the near future we’ll be selling our album on iTunes and other websites.”

Their presence in social media proved helpful when Mekaal Hasan reached out to them. This was the first time that a metal band in Pakistan recorded and produced at a commercial level.

One of the reasons Takatak has also been able to build a fan base so quickly is because they find their inspiration from various current and relevant sources. It can be anything from a new movie, to a painting, or to the different music currently out there. They do not force inspiration, it just comes to them. Lyrically, a lot of their influence comes from the country conditions of Pakistan. Being Pakistani, they constantly are surrounded by the troubles the country faces. Takatak has learned to translate their anger for Pakistan’s current socio political and economic situation into their art, which makes for the brutal sound of their music.

Although Takatak is still an up and coming band, with the help of social media they have been able to reach a large scope of people. People have posted about them on places such as, Reddit, WordsPress and UrbanDictionary. As well as catching the attention of The Guardian and Pakistan Today. In the next five years, Takatak hopes to continue making music together and get their music heard by as many people as possible.

By Noor Ramay on tigerstartups.com

  

Takatak: the quintessence of metal in Pakistan

Lahore - In a vast musical landscape dotted with frequent bursts of brilliance, especially over the last two decades, it is truly difficult to produce something that hasn’t been done to death already. Equally challenging is taking on a genre that isn’t widely listened to in Pakistan, and usually evokes a lukewarm response and subsequent dismissal as ‘noise’.
It is perhaps not unwarranted that musical taste in our country has changed so drastically in so little time. Within two generations, we have gone from solid classical crooning to bouncy pop and moved on to gut-wrenching, metallic sounds that anyone from 15 years ago would be loath to endure. Perhaps those of us who grew up in the 2000s didn’t have the luxury of quiet roads with occasional cars, little construction activity and tree-lined streets full of chirping birds to boot. Our music is a product of our environment, and hard rock/heavy metal music is perhaps the best and most melodic representation of the sounds we have absorbed growing up. A defiant answer to the vast ugliness that surrounds us, if you will.
None of the musicians active in this country today has epitomised that answer as well as the Lahore-based heavy metal band Takatak. In this early stage of its existence, limited to some demo recordings and in the middle of its first professional studio recording, this band has put together quite the musical milieu.
The most immediately noticeable fact about them is the obviously advanced level of skill every musician in the band possesses.
When I say advanced, I mean these kids could play alongside the likes of Lamb of God and probably steal a few of its fans by the time they are done.
The singer’s gruff, intense growls are nothing to sneeze at either. Growling is something that sounds extremely ugly if not done right, but becomes a very powerful mode of expression if executed well. In this case, it combines with the instrumentalists’ skills to convey a deep, deep sense of foreboding. While that sounds fairly ominous, it is not without a distinct feeling of sorrow that I acknowledge that a band comprising young men from Pakistan could hardly express something other than foreboding at this point in time. If you have been living in Pakistan for the last six or seven years, you probably would not disagree and you most certainly do not need an explanation.
But I digress. Or maybe not. Their lyrics definitely address this amply. It is plain that these are intelligent, sensitive individuals seething with anger and sorrow at the state of affairs as they currently stand, and up to their neck in a desperate desire to change things. Artists don’t shoot guns, and Takatak makes a good case for why they don’t need to.
Musically, I will refrain from pegging them to one single sub-genre of heavy metal, and here’s why. Pigeonholing isn’t my thing, and in any case these guys make just as good an argument for Thrash Metal with one lick as they do for Speed Metal with the next. Every so often, traces of Black Metal and Death Metal creep in so nonchalantly that it is frankly unnerving. Unnerving in a strangely good way, like the music rudely ripped the control you have on yourself from your grasp and left you jerking uncontrollably with every beat of the snare and every hit of the guitar. Let’s just say they probably owe me some money for a visit to the orthopaedist to fix my poor neck (see: headbanging).
What is most fitting about this band is their choice of name, in my opinion. For music stuffed full of exquisite chops and cuts, Takatak is probably as good a name as any, and certainly better than most for one simple reason: it hasn’t been nicked from a dusty old Urdu dictionary in an effort to seem intellectual, as many bands here are wont to do.
So, I invite you to buy a seatbelt if you don’t already have one and attach it securely to whatever your choice of seating is, because if Takatak is what you plan on listening to, it is going to be one hell of a ride. Also highly advised: neck braces.

Pakistan Today 12 June 2012 


Pakistani English Music Industry 

Adil Omar Breaks New Ground in Hip-Hop

For mainstream hip-hop fans used to hearing lyrics about East-West rivalries and other American concerns, Adil Omar rhymes in unfamiliar territory.

The Islamabad, Pakistan, native gives a shout-out to cricketer Shahid Afridi and riffs on his country’s traffic jams and weather (“You wonder why I’m cocky, ‘cos I stay burning hotter than a summer in Karachi”). His lyrics are punctuated by shouts of “Islamabad, get up! L.A., get up!” He also plays up his outsider status (“I’m a foreign damnation at your borderline waitin’,” from “Paki Rambo”), while mocking the globalization that facilitated his rise (his song “Ten Thousand” ends with a skinny vanilla latte order).

The 21-year-old got his big break in 2008, when Cypress Hill rapper B-Real came across his music online and invited him to Los Angeles to collaborate on his album “The Harvest.” Two years later, Mr. Omar released a track online, “Incredible,” and followed it with another single, “Off the Handle,” featuring L.A. rapper Xzibit and produced by Fredwreck, who is known for his work with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.

Mr. Omar is now working on “The Mushroom Cloud Effect,” an album slated for release this year that will feature Westerners such as Xzibit, Everlast and B-Real as well as Pakistani singer-actress Meesha Shafi.

He spoke with the Journal about Pakistan’s hip-hop scene, working with Xzibit and what he listens to in his down time.

The Wall Street Journal: How did you get started in hip-hop?

Mr. Omar: I’ve been writing since I was nine and recording since I was 13. I don’t remember how I started exactly, but it’s always something I wanted to do and be a part of. I grew up listening to everything, but hip-hop is what spoke to me most and what I enjoyed writing most.

Who are your musical influences?

Trent Reznor/Nine Inch Nails, Everlast, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, House of Pain, Cypress Hill, Kool G Rap, Big Pun, Tupac, Eminem, Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, Marilyn Manson, Dr. Dre, the Beatles, N.W.A., the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Wu-Tang Clan, Motorhead, Gang Starr, Nas, Rakim, Ice Cube.

Why do you rap in English rather than Urdu?

I grew up with English as my first language. I was educated in British and American schools and born to a mother who grew up in the U.K. and only spoke English with me. I’m pretty whitewashed. I do love my culture, but me rapping in Urdu would sound forced. I’d rather leave that to good Urdu and Punjabi MCs. I also work in English because I write in English and I’d rather reach a wider audience than limit myself just to Pakistan and India.

What’s the hip-hop scene like in Pakistan?

It still hasn’t really developed. There’s some promise, but a lot of garbage too. I don’t say this with some sort of elitist attitude. It’s cool that kids have dreams, but if you’re in it for the glory and not putting in the hard work and sacrifice, then step out. If you can’t be yourself, then step out.

How did your collaboration with B-Real come together?

[We] either chatted online, or he discovered me through MySpace four years ago, I don’t really remember. He told me he was working on a mix tape that was almost complete, and that if I came out on a specific date I could be on it. Of course I didn’t hesitate, so I stayed in touch and went out to L.A. myself to record the track ["Takeover"] for him.

I don’t like the song we did. I sound really nervous and hadn’t really tapped into my own identity yet, but it opened a lot of doors for me. B-Real introduced me to a lot of people who ended up helping me over the years in terms of putting me on projects, promoting me online. B-Real and I have maintained a friendship over the years and done other songs together as well, one of which will be on “The Mushroom Cloud Effect.”

And Xzibit?

During the early stages of my album, I already had plans for Fredwreck to produce the first single with a video shot by Matt Alonzo. I initially met Fredwreck through B-Real back in 2008 and stayed in contact with him over the years. He also gave me a lot of friendly advice, and we’d hang out whenever we’d overlap in Dubai. When we started discussing the single and brainstorming, the idea of getting Xzibit on it to generate some buzz came up. Fredwreck and Xzibit have been close friends and have been working together for over a decade, so he connected us, we booked a studio session in L.A., and it evolved from there.

What’s next for you?

I’m finishing up “The Mushroom Cloud Effect” and “Star Power,” another single and video I’m in the middle of shooting. After the album’s done I’ll go on tour and start focusing on two projects I’m releasing in 2013: a collaboration album also titled “50 Feet Tall” with fellow rapper Hard Target, now managed by Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, as well as a project with Greydon Square titled “Serpents of Eden.”

Who do you listen to today?

When I’m not working on or listening to my own stuff, I listen to a lot of the music I enjoyed growing up: Nine Inch Nails, Everlast, Johnny Cash.

–Edited from an interview with Sonya Rehman  India Real Time

English Music Industry Of Pakistan News

"I definitely respect Pakistan as a country, as well as the culture it represents" - a chat with singer Jennifer Jandris

American singer Jennifer Jandris has come to prominence in Pakistan after recording a duet with Junaid Khan. We got a chance to talk to the rising star about her love for music, the success of So Close So Distant, and what she has planned for the future. Here’s what she had to say:

Us: Please tell Us a bit about yourself.
Jennifer Jandris: I’m 23 years old and I’m currently a fulltime student and working individual. I am studying Environmental Science and Biology, while pursuing music apart from school. I work for a federal agency doing management and policy work for the time being. My family is from Austria; I was actually the first in my family to be born in the United States. My hobbies, other than music, include travelling, dancing, horseback riding, swimming, and spending time with friends, family, and my two beloved cats!

Us: How and when did you discover your musical talents?
Jennifer: I first discovered my love for music when I was seven years old, and had started taking piano lessons. I’ve been playing my whole life; however, I didn’t discover my talent for singing until I was 14. I remember a teacher telling me that she could hear my voice standout from the other students in a spring school concert. I was completely surprised and from then on I haven’t stopped singing.

Us: How many albums have you released so far?
Jennifer: So far, I have released two cover albums: Holiday Dreams, a Christmas/Holiday album, released in 2008, and Crossroads in August 2011, which was a mix of some of my favourite songs.

Us: You have focused on recording covers so far. Why so?
Jennifer: Although I’ve always loved to write music, I never focused on it exclusively until more recently. I think I spent a lot of time focusing on what genres of music I prefer to focus on and now that I’m more familiar with what I want to do, I can start releasing my own compositions.

Us: Please tell Us about the song So Close So Distant.
Jennifer: So Close So Distant is a song about two people in a distant relationship who long to be together; however, they have such a connection that they feel close despite the distance. Eventually, they find their way to one another and sing together to express their feelings.

Us: How did the collaboration with Junaid Khan come about? How do you know Junaid? And how did the idea of collaboration come up?
Jennifer: Junaid and I met a few years back through a mutual friend in the United States and once we discovered we were both musicians, we knew it would lead to a great friendship and hopeful collaborations in the future. When Junaid returned to the U.S. this past October to work on a television episode in New York City, he spent a few days in Washington D.C., working with photographer Girard Peter and me on So Close So Distant. Our ideas for the song sparked a few months earlier when we spoke about how we should write a song related to distant love and thought it would make sense considering, as artists, we are from two different parts of the world.

Us: How was the experience of working with Junaid?
Jennifer: Working with Junaid was overall fun and exciting. We had a great opportunity to express our musical abilities and ideas with one another, so it was also a terrific learning experience. Junaid is a very down to earth and kind individual, so it was a pleasure to work with him.

Us: How was the experience of shooting the video?
Jennifer: The video shooting was a three to four day process and was another terrific experience. We were aware that this wasn’t a large gap of time for filming, but we did as much as possible in that amount of time and I think it really worked out well. My friend and talented photographer, Girard Peter, was responsible for the fantastic footage. Until this video, he focused solely on photography; however, this was a unique and enlightening experience for him as well, so he hopes to continue working on video.

Us: Was this your first video? How did it feel to see the final result?
Jennifer: Yes, this was my first official music video. I anticipated doing something like this for a very long time. I have to admit, I was extremely excited to see the final product; I didn’t expect it to become such a success and I’m so grateful for the new fans and followers.

Us: Have you ever been to Pakistan and do you plan to visit the country any time soon?
Jennifer: I have not been to Pakistan thus far, so I think it’s quite interesting that this video has become so popular without me even being there, but as I said, I’m very thankful for this! As of now, I don’t have any plans to visit in the near future, as I’m focusing on working on a lot of new projects!

Us: What is your perception of Pakistan?
Jennifer: I definitely respect Pakistan as a country, as well as the culture it represents. I love to experience various cultures and learn as much as I can about them. I think working with Junaid was also wonderful because it shows a type of unity between the two cultures.

Us: What kind of music do you usually listen to? Who are your favourite artists?
Jennifer: When it comes to music, I think I listen to a little of everything! I think it’s important as an artist to get a grasp of many varieties; it gives a broader sense of diversity. A few artists that really inspire me are Sarah Brightman, Hayley Westenra, Adele, Josh Groban, Eva Cassidy, and Lady Antebellum.

Us: Are there any artists you would like to work/collaborate with?
Jennifer: There are far too many artists out there I’d jump at the chance to collaborate with, haha! If I stuck to a classical genre, I would most certainly love to duet with Josh Groban or work on a song with Celtic Women. I think there is a wide variety here; I can’t even name them all!

Us: Do you have any other projects in the pipeline? What can we expect from you in the coming months?
Jennifer: Definitely! I recently went to Nashville, Tennessee, to work on new songwriting/composition projects with some very talented writers and artists who have been inspiring me in this journey. I currently have five songs that I’ll be working on releasing in the coming months. They’re a mix of blues, pop, country, classical, and trance. I’m also going to be working on an entire trance/house/dance album as well, since that has been one of my goals. I’m really looking forward to all the opportunities to come, so be on the look out!

Us: Any message for the readers?
Jennifer: For any aspiring singers/musicians, I would say always, always keep reaching for your goals and dreams. The sky is the limit and you really can accomplish anything with the right attitude. Thank you for your continuous support!


*****

In brief
Name: Jennifer Jandris
Date of birth: March 13, 1989
Location: Washington, D.C.
Genre: Pop/Classical/Country
Website: www.facebook.com/jenniferjandrisofficial

*****

Junaid Khan comments on...

~ Meeting Jennifer: I met Jennifer through a common friend, Raakin Iqbal, in Washington DC a couple of years back. The three of us went out for dinner and exchanged our thoughts about music. That is when I found out that Jennifer was quite passionate about music and was looking to start off in this field.

~ Deciding to do the duet: Even if you check out Call’s history, I have always been singing English covers since the start, even before I composed Nishaan and Pukaar. So, the thing for singing in English has always been there, just like many rock underground artists that grow up singing rock tunes of their era; therefore, I always wanted to write something in English. Luckily, I was offered a serial for which I had to be in NYC. As I was planning to leave for NY for the shoot of my upcoming play Mata-e-Jaan around October last year, the idea of doing a duet clicked in my mind. And the first person that came in my mind for it was Jennifer. Why? Because she absolutely suited the song that I was planning to write. I wanted to do a romantic duet and Jennifer had the perfect mellow tone for it. Other than the tone, her personality and her sweet looks perfectly matched the concept. Good thing for me when I asked her, she loved it and we decided to materialise it. :)

~ Recording So Close So Distant: I composed the basic guitar progression and wrote a rough vocal melody around it. Then I wrote the basic lyrics and Jennifer made valuable additions to them, hence we finalised the lyrics together, giving us a rough sketch that I could take for audio production. The song was then produced by Sami Khan at Black Mug Productions here in Lahore and he absolutely did a great job arranging the whole song. Then I sent the song to Jennifer online and she recorded her bit there in the US, sent back the track and I finally got it mixed and mastered here at Afzal’s Stylus Studios.

~ Making the video: Well, Jennifer knew a photographer by the name of Girard Peter with whom she previously did a photo shoot as well. When I saw his work, I straight away decided that I would use him as the director of photography because his work was simply amazing. The video was then shot in Old Town Alexandria near Washington DC.

~ Working with Jennifer: Working with her was very convenient and hassle-free. She is quite comfortable to talk to. Also, during our initial conversations about this project, I felt that she has the same drive and passion towards music that I have. Plus, I got to learn a lot from her as an artist, too.

~ Jennifer as a person: Well, Jennifer is a sweetheart. She always has a smile on her face and exudes positive energy all the time. She is a gem of a person to have around.

~ Jennifer as a musician: She is a very talented. It was a great choice working with her on this project. She has a soulful voice and a great sense of melody.

~ Something interesting about Jennifer: People around her tell her that she resembles Miley Cyrus. But I disagree. I believe Jennifer is gorgeous and way more feminine, LOL.



The News - 4th May, 2012 


Pakistani English Music Industry Interviews

Sajid & Zeeshan - The Harvest

They first conquered the music scene with their song King of Self. Now they’re back with a brand new album, and releasing it in a novel way: as a free download, one song at a time. Sajid Ghafoor and Zeeshan Parwez are the flag bearers of English music in the Pakistani music industry, and their sophomore album, The Harvest, shows just why the duo has captured the interest of listeners everywhere. Here’s what they had to say about their new release:

Us: Please tell Us about your new album, The Harvest.
Sajid & Zeeshan: The title says it all. We worked hard for this one and followed a process to bring out the good crop. Musically and lyrically this album is a step ahead of our previous album. We tried to push ourselves more this time and we’re glad the response is quite good.

Us: How were the songs made? And how did they come together to form the album?
S&Z: All the songs were composed and written the same way it happened for the previous album, One Light Year at Snail Speed. No formula was ever used. It was more like starting off where we left it. The lyrics revolve around the “self” and everything that relates to the “self” – the achievements, the losses, the acceptance, the will to keep moving ahead; thinking for and thus beyond the self. It’s about happiness, pain, gratitude, celebration…anything that moves the soul from the inside.

Us: How has your sound progressed since the first album, One Light Year at Snail Speed?
S&Z: We believe it is more mature, includes more genres, and has some interesting tunes for everyone. It is the sort of album where anybody will be able to connect to its music and lyrics. It’s easy listening and gentle to the soul too.

Us: Your sophomore album comes nearly five years after your debut. Why the delay?
S&Z: The album was ready a year back, but we had issues such as which record label to go with and why, etcetera. Finally we decided it’s best to give it out to our fans for free. Even last time we faced some distribution issues. At least this time, it’s only a click away at sajidandzeeshan.com.

Us: Why did you choose to release the album digitally and for free? Who suggested this idea, and how did you decide this was the best way to unveil the new material?
S&Z: We decided that mutually, and we only did it for one reason: to make sure our music spreads as far as it possibly can.

Us: Will the album also get a physical release? If so, when?
S&Z: In CD format? Not really, but if anyone wants to, they can easily download our music and burn it on a CD and get the printouts for the covers too, and there you go, the CD is right there! :)

Us: Internationally, some musicians choose to give away their music for free while also finding ways to monetise their work. Do you also have a particular business model in mind?
S&Z: Nothing in mind yet. We’re going with the flow of things. Though as musicians based in Pakistan, just like any other musician out here, we all rely on concerts when it comes to money.

Us: Which song(s) from the album are each of you most proud of?
S&Z: We love the whole album. It’s hard to pick just one or few of them. To us they’re all gems.


Us: You recently released the video of Start with a Scratch. Please tell us about the video.
S&Z: It’s the first song from the album and we tried something new here. It made sense to go with the first track. The video was pretty tiring but rewarding at the same time. It was a lovely experience as this time we had quite a few locations to shoot. The concept of the video is simple. The video resonates with the lyrics of the song, and gives out the same “feel” to the eyes that the song gives to the “ears”. That was our concept, to blend it well.

Us: Which video(s) are you planning to release next?
S&Z: Personal Beast, Sanity, and Everything Changes a.k.a. Out of My Way.

Us: Do you think English music has progressed since you first appeared on the scene? Do you think it now has a wider audience and/or greater acceptance?
S&Z: Comparatively? Yes. Otherwise? Not really. But still glad things are progressing. These days more people are doing music in English and that is only happening since more people are listening to English music too.

Us: What can we expect from Sajid & Zeeshan in the coming months?
S&Z: More music and hopefully concerts too.



Us Magazine, The News - 17th February, 2012 


Pakistani English Music Industry

Sajid & Zeeshan - The Harvest

When we were growing up, listening to the likes of Junoon and Jazba, all I wanted was the repressed passion and misdirected anger I saw all around me to be voiced, so that it could match the feverish pitch of my inner turmoil.

A friend who left for Australia once said: “… the best thing about Pakistan is that nothing ever changes, but that is also the worst thing about Pakistan.”

That is why returning home is such a double-edged dilemma. When you are abroad, you crave the security of “sameness” to support you as you experiment with the uncertain, template-free newness of being abroad – alone and unaccounted for.

However, when you do go back to Pakistan, the shock of the too much sustained on too little, of awkward, fragile angles – be they of buildings, people’s neeyats or the ludday-huay lorry’s on the roads — are all too much for your ‘self’ to fathom, and you find yourself gasping for want of control, a semblance of understanding and most of all – for an escape.

The frenzy of a country like ours can be mapped onto miniscule points on a line, looping unto each other in a knotted mess of black, knarled graphite strokes marring a tiny piece of white paper, shiny grey at best, leaving smudges all over your already clogged mind.

But having said that, The Harvest makes one realize that Pakistan as a whole, has changed, and continues to do so.

For one thing, new Pakistani music is the brilliant blue of a positive litmus test which proves that the attitude toward our music and those who partake in such delights – has shifted. But this is not a change that has happened overnight.

It’s stirrings began to be felt in people like Rushk and Abbas Ali Khan, these were then articulated more definitively by Sajid & Zeeshan their first time around, considered in places like Ali Azmat’s Social Circus, refreshed by the delectable dabs of Zeb & Haniya, stunningly evoked in the works of Mekaal Hasan and the furious, back-arching Overload, reaching an apotheosis of sorts in Coke Studio, and existing amongst the provocative (and highly underrated) fringes in the works of the internet dwelling Asfand, Poor Rich Boy, //orangenoise, Mole, Positive, Usman Riaz, Natasha Ejaz, Talal Qureshi and Zoe Viccaji.

This music, this new Pakistani music, stems from our own evolution.

We have grown from a need to internalize all that is external – an ambition tripping forward over it’s own eager feet. Instead, we now crave self-contained exploration, one which yearns to slow down and relish it’s pleasures and pains in a retrospection of yore. An introspection where simple pleasures take root and are held onto as the bigger picture crumbles or zooms out into a pixelated mess that we are soon unable to discern.

Even when comparing Sajid and Zeeshan’s previous album – One Light Year at Snail Speed – with the new one, you feel a change, or rather, you are aware of the changes within your self.

That’s why this new album is best heard when one is on their own. I’m not saying listen to it in solitary confinement — well not the physical variety, anyway.

I am talking about listening to it in the lonely places where we live in our own minds, amongst a bheer of beeples in a waiting area, during our daily commute, whilst roaming aimlessly in the transits of our life. I am talking about the time one finds themselves caught in a transition, the way one waits for The (aptly named) Harvest.

Music of this kind, which builds itself in the times we discount from ‘the measure of productivity’ of the day, the times when we just take a deep breath to brace ourselves with all we’ve gone through thus far, and let it out in the thandi saans spaces of now. ‘The Harvest’ lets us exist in a place where as Plato – the failed wrestler – wistfully noted, “everything is becoming, nothing is.”

There is a tired refrain in the criticism being faced by new Pakistani music that other luminaries around the world have done such sort of songs and albums before. But while Kraftwerk, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, and countless others may have used such digitization to portray the musical agenda of their times, Sajid and Zeeshan, like other new Pakistani music manage to colour in ‘our own’ musical narrative. They have, within their own time, betrayed a crystallized clarity, a need for white noise, a need for escape which is not seeking denial but actualization.

Of course, the album is not without its flaws. There are moments where the lyrics feel dated, or the music does not feel it has settled in its new form, or hasn’t shed enough of it’s previous incarnation in the first album.

But those flaws are apparent in light of the album’s most rewarding facet – the audacious yet carefully constructed, and somehow comfortably positioned transitions. The end of each song goes hand in hand with the next one’s continuity so beautifully in this album, that the stitching together of songs effortlessly sweeps you off your feet without forcing you to feel any-which-way, except to explore your own musings. And listening to Sajid’s clear voice – tone and tenor – you chew your intellectual cud like a cow does: in slo-mo ruminations.

Sajid & Zeeshan are themselves artists whose work marks the ‘change’ in Pakistani music that we keep searching for, but not seeing. Theirs is a farq which we older types can relate to and yet accept as an evolution to internalise. And perhaps their in-between nature is what allows them the insight into the importance of continuity, of a patchwork seamlessly sewn into our consciousness afore, yet one harkening a newly, quilted whole.

Pakistani English Music Industry Album Reviews

Co-Ven:Pakistani Rock band making waves in international media

Co-Ven- the Pakistani Rock Band- which consists of Ali Hamza , Sameer Ahmed & Sikander Mufti is getting hype in international media these days. Coven actually stands for Company of Vicious Earth Navigators. Coven is a Lahore based band who does music on political, social & environmental issues.

Last week , when the band was interviewed by Declan Walsh & it was published in world’s leading newspaper Guardian, people came to know about the Band & ultimately about the true Pakistan & her musicians.

The story became more crispy when hamza Jaffri – the lead vocalist of the band – said, “There’s a lot of foreign pressure on our government to attack people in the tribal areas,” & further added “We are taking dictation from you guys.”

These words were definitely noticed by western readers , & now the band is being discussed in UK & as well as in US publications.A new article is just written in NEW YORK TIMES BLOG where the writer Robert Mackey completely focused on Co-ven the band & reviewed not only band’s live videos but also the facebook group page.

The track “Ready to Die” which is creating buzz now, was uploaded by the band last year on youtube. It was not a video, just only an image on which lyrics of the song & Pakistan’s map is visible.The controversial chorus(for Americans only) were written in URDU language , but the NY Time’s blogger watched Ready to Die live video in which english sub titles are included. I guess these subtitles were the only reason , he decided to write on this topic.

Ready to die is supposed to be included in the third album of Co-Ven the band. The two albums which have been released earlier are :

1. Not in your world

2. The Raj – Volume 1 & 2Â (was uploaded on our forums with CD scans)

In Pakistan , the bands who sing in english are not popular usually and remain underground & unsigned for a long period. Reason being most of the Pakistani music listeners like to listen Indian songs & some who are attracted towards Pakistani music only give time to established pop stars.

I wrote my first post on Co-ven back in 2007 & since then i am a huge fan of the band’s music & videos. All The Videos released by the band are conceptual & worth watching.

Conclusion:

Co-ven is definitely a band that should be recognized at international level. Their music, compositions , lyrics & inspirations are all fascinating & creative. The band can easily entertain music listeners of the whole world & as we know music has no boundries we believe & hope that One day Co-ven will rule the hearts of whole world. they just need to be consistent and passionate about their work!

Pakistani English Music Industry News