Sights and sounds at the Karachi Literature Festival
Foreign correspondents like conjuring the “books, not bombs” angle to justify the expense of flying down to Karachi to hear a bunch of people talk about politics and their books (in that order). But at this year’s Karachi Literature Festival there were bombs everywhere. Pervez Hoodbhoy led a discussion on bombs of the nuclear kind, Ayesha Siddiqa lobbed a few verbal bombs in Anatol Lieven’s direction for not nursing sufficient hatred for the Pakistan Army while Mohammed Hanif even dropped the deadliest bomb of all: the F-bomb. I began my annual pilgrimage to the Karachi Literature Festival by making a mental ...
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Ready: Brainless entertainment
For all of you who had great expectations from Salman Khan after Wanted and Dabangg, Ready does not disappoint. The movie has all the elements of a typical Bollywood masala film – songs, goons, chases and fights. Of course, serious movie watchers may wish to opt out of this movie, but if you are looking for a great time with friends and family, Ready is for you! Salman Khan, plays the hero named Prem (for the fourteenth time) who is under familial pressure to get married. Sanjana (Asin), a run away bride on the run, lands at his house as the potential ...
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Piracy: What stands between Pakistani music, and greatness
Pakistani music is recognised around the world for its distinct and creative style. The diversities in Pakistani music are there for everyone to hear, with artists coming up with everything from hip hop and rock, all the way to classical eastern music, with some musicians even putting them together. The fact that we don’t have a prestigious film industry helps rather than hurts. Since artists don’t look towards movies to be their main form of advertisement or the medium for people to be exposed to their music, they don’t need to make specific types of tracks to please producers and ...
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My heroes: Jal, Noori, EP, Aaroh, Fuzon
I remember jumping to the first Noori record during my teenage years, and I wasn’t the only one. An entire generation of youngsters during that time was crazy about the band. Inspired by the pop-rock industry’s boom during 2003 to 2006, which saw bands such as Jal, Noori, EP, Aaroh and Fuzon emerge, the phenomenon forced me to pick up a guitar during my A-levels. I can proudly say that as a school-going kid, my idols were not Zepplin’s Jimmy Page, or Jimi Hendrix. To be honest, I did not even know back then that these people existed. My inspirations ...
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Did Islamabad’s underground sell its soul?
There have been countless debates over the real definition of ‘underground music’ and both sides are have strong arguments. Is it music that hasn’t really gotten the commercial stamp or music that doesn’t cater to a big audience (like Annie ‘the pop princess’)? Definitions aside, the fact that some music that comes out from the underground scene per se is top quality. A homeless underground I’ve been part of the Islamabad music scene for quite some time and the difference between what it was and what it is now, saddens me. Islamabad is a small city and there are definitely not enough venues to play concerts at compared to ...
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Faraz Haider’s Andher: Hits and misses
Faraz Haider derives his musical inspiration from life, be it human emotions or current affairs. His debut album Andher reflects this, as most of the songs on the album have been composed by him and the relation of the artist to his lyrics lends them honesty – as if he is relating real life experiences. As soon as I popped the CD into the disc drive and hit the play button, I was greeted with an Audioslave inspired rock intro. Faraz Haider’s classic rock-esque wails and croons in the title track Andher are disappointing; the music and angry-guy lyrics are predictable ...
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Coke Studio: musical tradition rediscovered
Two Words: Coke Studio They move us, inspire us, take us back to our roots, and entertain us. Inculcate pride of our culture and heritage. Allows different musical traditions to come together and create magic. In my research on history, particularly pertaining to the influences and traditions of the Muslim Empires extending from the Prophet’s (PBUH) time until the Mughal Empire, I could not help but marvel at the close parallels between the “traditions” of Coke Studio and 8th Century Muslim Andalusia (Southern Spain), the Ottoman Empire of Turkey and later the Mughal Empire of the Subcontinent. Historical traditions quote that Spain was ...
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Jackson’s secret power
Michael Jackson was and remains the very definition of fame. A year after his demise, it’s not too late to wonder what transformed Michael the man into Michael the legend. Considered by many to be the greatest showman in history, Jackson’s story is as bizarre as they get. We’re all well versed with his eccentricities, the over-the-top stunts, and the sheer opulence he surrounded himself with. But the fact of the matter remains: it worked. From his days in the Jackson 5 all the way to his funeral, he was a source of entertainment and awe for countless people. Love him or hate ...
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Sounds from the Underground: Odyssey
Sounds from the Underground covers the Pakistani underground scene by introducing readers to underestimated and often ignored music with the help of interviews and album reviews. This week we introduce our readers to Lahore based band Odyssey, including an interview with their guitarist Hussam Raza. Odyssey is a progressive metal band frosm Lahore that breaches the boundaries of Pakistani music with an eclectic mix of aggression, melody and memorable song writing. Line-up Raja Nabeel Banwa (Vocals/Keyboards), Hussam Raza (Guitars), Waqas Ahmed (Guitars), Ahmed Waqar (Bass), Omer Sohail (Drums/Percussions) Discography/ Releases Ghosts of Yesterday, 1st Jan 2010 Date of foundation February 2008 Style Progressive rock/metal Whats it been ...
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Lights, camera, what’s the song called again?
Taal Karisma is a fusion percussion band comprising of graduates from the National Academy of Performing Arts. It is also the only group of people that was brave enough to give me complete creative control over their first music video. However instead of taking the narcissistic route and making it all about me, I thought the best way forward was make something that reflected how the band was feeling at the time. It was chaos in their world. Show cancellations because of the political issues and crime in the city. The constant pressure that they should find “real jobs”. It ...
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