Hail the new kings!

interview

The music scene in Pakistan is undergoing a lot of changes with many new bands coming up and making their presence felt. In this scenario, the emergence of two Peshawar based singers who sing only in English is definitely noteworthy. 'King of Self' is the first good English song the country can boast off! Sajid and Zeeshan have become quite the rage in a very short span of time, and are doing amazingly well on the charts. Their songs have been getting regular airplay on both radio and TV channels, and the guys have even bagged the best alternative song award for 'King of Self' at the 2005 Indus Music Awards.

Sajid Ghafoor: Vocals, Backing Vocals, Guitars, Harmonica, Lyrics
Zeeshan Parwez: Bass, Synthesisers, Breakbeats, FX and Effects, Production

Us: When did each of you decide that you wanted to do music? And how did you both get together?
Sajid Ghafoor: Well, in a way I was into music, or more like doing music, way before we made it public. But then I guess the time when I really decided to go public with it was after I had a little talk with Zeeshan and felt that he wanted to do something similar, and so we made a little plan for a project and went on with it and basically that's exactly what we're on to at the moment. As for how we got together, well Zeeshan was Sarmad's friend (Sarmad is my younger brother, and guitarist for Rungg) and I knew Zeeshan's elder brothers and our parents knew each other as well, so it was more like a family thing plus friendship, though the main thing being that we both appreciated each other's music and the understanding of it.
Zeeshan Parwez: Ahem, my turn! I always wanted to do music since I was a kid. I started learning keyboards at a very early age. I actually wanted to follow what one of my elder brothers was doing with his workstation. I got to meet Sajid through Sarmad. Even though our families knew each other very well, we hadn't met ever. One day Sarmad came to me and told me that Sajid's band, 'STILL', which Sarmad was a part of as well, needed a keyboardist for their upcoming concert back in 1999. I did a few jam sessions with them, and that's how Sajid and I got together and I've known him since. The reason I'm doing a project with Sajid is because I felt that there was never a communication gap between us. He's been very open to my ideas as much as I've been open to his thoughts. He's understood the kind of things I want from the project, even though he has not been familiar with those genres of music, he still holds a keen ear towards new ideas that I present to him. Last but not the least, he's a brilliant songwriter and guitarist, I consider it a big deal to be doing something with him.

Us: How did 'King Of Self' happen?
Sajid: It usually happens when we close our eyes and let ourselves drift away on a calm comfortable night into sleep. But then consciously we have to do more than just that to truly be the 'King of Self'. It was Zeeshan and me, and we were in his room and were just talking about music related things and then Zeeshan just said let's jam and try to make some new song. That was the idea and so I just started playing the riff for the song and Zeeshan liked the way I could see it progress, so I started writing the lyrics and basically wrote the song in 20 to 25 minutes and then we just recorded it within 45 minutes and that was it. It all sounds too simple but then sometimes it isn't really just easy to put all the pieces together and sometimes it just happens.
Zeeshan: 'King of Self' happened in less than an hour, believe me. I told Sajid we have to work on a House track together with a consistent guitar part being played throughout the song, 'looped' that is. After a bit of jamming, we selected two little pieces from the whole 20 minutes jam session and based everything on it. Then I programmed the beats and bass lines and the arrangements. The production (mixing and mastering) was done in a couple of days.

Us: Why did you guys choose to do vocals in English?
Sajid: I felt I could lyrically and vocally express myself much better in English. I did write a couple of songs in Urdu and did record them too, but I donít plan to start on the Urdu project until I feel I can enjoy the same level of freedom in expression as I do in this current project.

Us: So you would consider doing Urdu vocals too?
Sajid: Yes, I certainly would want to at some point.

Us: Where does a band that's doing English music stand in our music industry? And what's the future of English music in Pakistan?
Sajid: English music in Pakistan isn't a big attraction since the listeners are a very small percentage of all the people who actually listen to music. We are aware of the fact that our music won't get or might not get the same kind of exposure we would want it to have. But then the question of reason pops in, which is, why we want to do this. Is it to make money and make a business out of it? Well, the answer for that surely is no. Not that we won't want to get paid for what we do, but the motive surely isn't business. It is something we really want to do and do it with our hearts into it. Having said that, we all pay the price for the things we want. The future for English music in Pakistan, in the long run, isn't that bad, but I still believe it will take some time before we can really say that it has a future.
Zeeshan: I believe it is slowly catching up with the rest, but you have to acknowledge the fact that it is going to take some time for that to happen. How long? No one really knows. I mentioned this at an interview before this that our audience is a very limited one, but that doesn't discourage us in anyway. Success and heavy listenership come if you follow market trends and capitalise on a formula, which we don't intend to do. You have artists/musicians like Hash, Corduroy, and Coven etc. in the country who have amazing stuff. Seriously, I've heard a few songs of all of the artists/bands mentioned here, and I can tell you without any doubt that it is 100 per cent up to international standards.

Us: How soon will the full-length album be released?
Sajid: Hopefully soon, because that's all we're doing these days.
Zeeshan: The production work is near completion. We can't say when it's going to be released; that depends on whether we land a deal with a label, but we'll definitely complete it in less than two months time, Inshallah.

Us: What kind of music do you guys listen to? Any favourite artists/bands?
Sajid: I listen to every kind of music except country music and some rap. I like Coldplay, Keane, Counting Crows, Maroon 5, Doves, Hendrix, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Marillion, REM, James Brown, Bob Marley, The Police and Small Faces. Basically the list is a never-ending one.
Zeeshan: I listen to a lot of New Order, BT, Cinematic Orchestra, DJ Shadow, Radiohead, Chemical Brothers, Brian Eno, LTJ Bukem etc. It's pretty much electronic music to some extent, but diverse in sub-genres.

Us: Your songs and videos are available for download on your website. What's your take on music downloading?
Sajid: I'd say, if it's legal, download it. And since we ourselves uploaded our music on our website for the general public at www.sajidandzeeshan.com, it means itís for everyone to download and enjoy.
Zeeshan: I support it, but to some extent. I believe in an idea that an artist/band should release either one of their main tracks or a B-sides single through the net, for the purpose of gaining traffic and being known to the masses. But the downloading should stop after sometime when that artist/band signs itself to a label and releases it's own album in the market. Our story is that we've released three of our main singles and two B-sides singles on the Internet because seriously, we did not know that it was going to go that far. I used to get nightmares sometimes thinking whether we made the right decision, releasing 'My Happiness' officially, because that's the track which normally no one would want to invest in as his/her second single and video; it's too experimental in nature. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that 'My Happiness' got more coverage than 'King of Self'. Downloading has surely helped us very much in a lot of things.

Us: Any comments on the ongoing piracy issue?
Sajid: It's a problem and I'm glad finally someone is doing something about it. Pakistan, for that matter, isn't the only country facing such problems but then in this country the artists really can be damaged to a greater extent since artists such as musicians are still struggling here. It's a good thing now that Pakistan has woken up to tackle this problem.
Zeeshan: It's a fragile issue seriously. It has its ups and downs. I can't say I totally support it nor can I say that I'm against it as well. If piracy laws are implemented in the country, there is a big chance that foreign labels will enter the industry. Music acts, both mainstream, diverse and underground (if it still exists in this country) will probably get signed to these labels, get their rightful share of earning through them (more than what they've been receiving from Pakistani recording companies) and also, if lucky, their albums will be released internationally.
On the other hand, if this thing happens, many websites are going to lose their charm because they won't be free to share songs on the Internet anymore. Radio stations probably will have to pay royalty fee to these companies to play their songs (that's how it happens in some countries abroad), DVDs and CDs will become expensive (the average person wonít be able to afford it), television channels will actually have to pay to use copyrighted material on their segments etc.

Us: Zeeshan, you also have a show called 'On The Fringe' on IM. How is that coming along?
Zeeshan: It's coming along very nicely, Mashallah. Other than being a music show, it shows artists/bands being interviewed in a manner never tried before. We also try to link music and its impact on our society. To be honest, we don't know how many people actually watch the show. That's because we're doing everything from Peshawar and we donít know what's happening in the other parts of the country, where music is discussed as if it were a British Parliament Session. The only feedback we get is from people we know on Orkut (yeah yeah, we use Orkut), the feedback we receive is excellent, we have big smiles on our faces on Mondays. We have earned the respect of a limited audience and that feels very nice, because the topics and the manner in which things are discussed are quite away from mainstream outlook programmes. And the humour we use in the show is totally deadpan and black, which sometimes people don't get so easily. But that's what Fasi and I enjoy the most, sometimes explaining to people that there is no intellectuality in the fifteen seconds intellectual film of the week (one of the segments of the show); they shouldn't search for any hidden meanings.
Like my project with Sajid, 'On The Fringe' is the other part where Fasi and I work to death to get everything done, that's why it's so dear to us.

Us: Do you see music channels (television) as a positive or negative influence on the music that is being produced?
Sajid: Well, the introduction of music channels in this country is/was a good move. It does help all the musicians to bring out their act on the main screen for the public, so it certainly does help. But then at the end of the day we're left with good music and music which isn't that good. Which is something that only the listener should have the right to judge, since it could all be based on the difference of taste. Though where ever quality is in question, I think the music channels should insist on some level of quality because if they allow otherwise, they'll only be feeding the public with something which won't last for very long, which also means losing viewers and that's something they really wouldn't want.
Zeeshan: Of course the music channels have a positive influence. We need music shows with good concepts, proper music journalism and ideas that are original. At the end of the day, whatever is produced comes down to the same old routine that producers have been following for some years now.

Us: What about the radio? How important is that medium for our music industry?
Sajid: Radio is responsible for sound without images and therefore is a very important medium in the music industry, especially for artists related to the music field, since it can access those areas where the television or cable cannot. Radio plays a major role.
Zeeshan: The radio and the net are probably two mediums that give underground musicians (who can't afford to capitalise on a music video) a chance to showcase their stuff. Otherwise, the television is pretty much dominated by big names and sponsored flicks. Radio stations in this country are doing a very good job, some of them have excellent play lists to offer. Let's step away from music for a minute ñ the concept of community radio stations with social awareness programmes is being introduced in this country and journalism departments are also trying to establish FM radio stations to showcase their educational segments.

Us: What can we expect from Sajid and Zeeshan in the coming months?
Sajid: Effort, devotion and hopefully the results.
Zeeshan: You can expect an album. Inshallah, some more videos, some shows on the way, and some surprises for all the people who've been following our music.

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 29th July, 2005

In need of some Band Aid

review

Someone needs to tell Hadiqa Kiyani that she isn't Mariah Carey. Aamir Zaki needs to be reminded of the great things he's capable of. And can someone please tell Dino that being a great VJ does not mean he's a great singer?

We've hardly ever seen any artist-collaborations in our music scene, but as far as the rest of the world is concerned, the concept of collaborations isn't a new one. And between some of the finest charity singles ever and those absolutely awful group performances they have during the Idol result shows, the 'various artists' label has produced some very interesting, albeit not always good, results.

So it was inevitable the trend would eventually make its way to Pakistan. But even though having a dozen or so vocalists and musicians do a new version of Najam Sheraz's 'In Say Nain' sounds like a good idea theoretically, reality has shown us that the goodness of this idea is purely theoretical. Yes, some of the best artists from our music industry, and Dino, did get together to do a new version of the song. And yes, it's almost as bad as the Idol collaborations. Oh, who am I kidding? It's much worse.

Marking Najam's ten years in the music industry, the song is perhaps a tribute of sorts to the singer. 'In Say Nain' originally found home on Najam's 1996 release 'Khazana', and now, almost a decade later, the song sees a revival through his new album 'Menu Tere Naal', and because the original was so well liked, the nostalgic value is perhaps the biggest asset of the new version, as it has little else to offer. There are too many vocalists and hardly enough lines to sing. The underlying music is too weak and at times it seems like everything has been patched together in an attempt to make a lot of incoherent noises pass off as a song. But it's not just the song that's a complete mess. The video falls in the same category too.

Still, seeing all the controversies that are plaguing our music industry, it's a bit of a wonder how they got so many artists to work on the same song. But there's something even more peculiar than this about the track: it doesn't appear to be sponsored - not even by a certain brand of tea - though considering subliminal messages, one can never say for sure. Yeah, no more 'Josie and the Pussycats' for me.

As for the artists, one can roughly divide their performances into three groups: the good, the bad, and the inexplicably weird.


The Good:

It comes as no surprise that Najam's vocals are among the better ones on the track. After all, 'In Say Nain' was his song to begin with. And I'm anything but an Ali Haider fan, but keeping the rest of the song in mind, I think his vocals were pretty good. Gosh, I never thought I'd be using 'Ali Haider' and 'good' in the same sentence, but I never thought I'd see so many of our artists working together either. It's hard to believe they don't have even a single court case between them. At least not so far.

Fuzon's Shafqat Amanat Ali was good as always, as was Aaroh vocalist Farooq. And both Shallum and Asad's guitar solos weren't bad either. As for the Strings, well, they weren't a part of the project. Good for them.


The Bad:

True they were given little to work with, but still, some of these people have been in our music industry since, like, forever, and you'd expect them to make something of it. Take Hadiqa for example. She's one of the very few female vocalists of Pakistan who can actually sing, but it looks like she's paying more attention to her appearance than to her music, and, frankly, isn't doing too well in both departments. And in the song under discussion, she comes off as nothing but a Mariah Carey wannabe. For someone with her talent, her vocals on this song are appallingly bad.

The same goes for Zoheb Hassan. Nazia and Zoheb's contribution to our music industry stands unparalleled. And it's no secret that Zoheb is immensely talented. But listening to the lines he sang on this song, it doesn't even sound like the same guy. And someone seriously needs to take that outfit and those dance moves back to the '80s and leave them there.

Danyal and Saleem Javed? Well, the less said the better. But coming to Tanseer, even though he is brilliant with Karavan, this song just didn't suit his vocals. The guy does rock vocals quite well, but Najam's brand of pop just doesn't sit well with him.

And Aamir Zaki...he's an excellent guitarist, but what on earth was that?? To begin with, his solo seemed like it had been forced into the song. And besides not fitting into the song, the guitaring hardly went with the beat of the track. Which brings us to another issue: drums. They have half the music industry on there but couldn't find a drummer?


The Weird:

There is a reason why Ali Azmat, and not Salman Ahmad, has been the vocalist of Junoon for more than a decade. If only someone would tell Salman Ahmad what this reason is and put him out of his misery. Or put us out of our misery rather - the misery that comes with listening to him trying to sing.

And Dino. Dudo, you can't sing. Period. Do yourself a favour and stick to VJ-ing. If 'Pari' wasn't enough torture, Dino returned to the studio to record various out-of-tune phrases so that they could put them all over the song in order to make it even more unbearable than it already was. Brilliant.

So, to sum it all up, the new version of 'In Say Nain' comes off as an audio/visual example of the phrase 'too many cooks spoil the broth'. But now, enough about the song. Tea anyone?

- By Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 26th June, 2005

Hopes & fears

album review

Album: Hopes And Fears
Band: Keane

Riding on the success of their hugely popular singles including 'Somewhere Only We Know' and 'Everybody's Changing', 'Hopes And Fears' is the twelve-track debut by Keane, the three-piece from Sussex who specialise in piano-driven ballads. The album was even nominated for a Mercury Award and proves that a band can indeed survive without a guitarist!

An indie crossover of sorts, Keane has often drawn comparisons to the likes of Radiohead and Coldplay. True, singer Tom Chaplin's voice is somewhat similar to that of Thom Yorke and the band's overall sound is at times reminiscent of Coldplay, but what Keane lacks is the edginess - the very element that makes Radiohead great and Coldplay so critically acclaimed. The album offers absolutely no surprises and sees Keane stick to the same sound as the singles, which is probably why half way through the set the monotony factor starts to set in.

The current formulaic pop vibe that can be heard on tracks like 'Bend And Break' and 'Can't Stop Now', even though fine as such, would have been more effective if the band was willing to take a bit more chance and not bind the structure of their tracks to that one blueprint. While the easy-listening aspect works for the band in most parts, but its this same factor that makes the album quite predictable and repetitive.

The tracks from a standalone view are all nicely done piano filled anthems, but the album does not have as powerful an impact as it should have had. That said, 'Hopes And Fears' isn't altogether bad. It's a better debut than many bands can even dream of, and if you like the singles the band has released so far, then you're very likely to enjoy listening to the album too.

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 27th May, 2005

Pulling heartstrings

video review

Song: 'Kahani Mohabbat Ki'
Band: Strings
Director: Umar Anwar

Since the release of their latest album Dhaani in 2003, Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood have established themselves as the leaders of our pop scene. With an appearance on the Spiderman 2 soundtrack, and after receiving multiple award nominations and bagging most of these accolades, the Strings are one of the most popular bands of the region, and Dhaani has been a major force behind this success. The set has spawned many hits for the band, and they have just released the sixth video from the album.

The new offering, 'Kahani Mohabbat Ki', is a mellow song about lost love and all the yearning that comes with it. Penned by Anwer Maqsood, 'Kahani' is both lyrically and vocally one of the more powerful songs on Dhaani and it comes as quite a surprise that the duo would wait this long to release its video. 'Kahani' showcases what the band does best -- rich mid–tempo vocals blended with that typical Strings–ish guitar–flute fusion.

And with the video, the track gets the Umar Anwar treatment, and that can only mean something good. The brains behind the clips of Jal's 'Aadat' and EP's 'Waqt', this relatively new entrant in the music-video-direction arena has become well known for his deep, offbeat ideas, and he continues to uphold this reputation with 'Kahani' by delving into the rather risky area of murky feelings, the result of which can either be very effective or very insipid. Fortunately, in this case, it falls right on target.

Very different from the previous Strings videos, 'Kahani' is rooted in emotion, and all that can be felt better than it can be explained. It portrays the feeling of loss, of loneliness, and of waiting...perhaps even waiting for something when one knows deep down inside that it ain't coming.

The video shows a lonesome maiden who sits all forlorn outside a railway station, waiting for someone's arrival. But he doesn't show up. Under the shining sun or falling rain, she just sits there, oblivious to reality, thinking of all that used to be. Then the loneliness sets in, and that's when the tears begin to fall. With the rain pouring, she reminisces with a picture and some old tickets in hand, and cries hysterically. She walks away in the end, but will be back the following day; she's just stuck in that furrow, clinging on to the past, and never getting on with life. She'll sit there and wait for him to come, through he never will.

The lead character is the main element in propelling the feel of the video, and forms the fulcrum of the clip, even so that the band takes a backseat while this character takes centre stage. Played by ace actress Iffat Rahim, whose resume also includes an appearance in Junoon's 'Yaar Bina', this role is the backbone of the whole video, with the entire concept revolving around her. Iffat shines in the portrayal of a person who is lost in her own world, distant from reality, and everything fits perfectly with the visuals.

The second important element in the video development is the ambience. From the rain and the fallen leaves to the very generous helping of orange hues, depicting an autumn-like feel, it all complements the lyrical content quite well. The ambience umbrellas the central role, and it all gels up to envelope the feel of the song. Surely nothing could've stirred up emotion better.

Everything from the rain scenes to the Strings performing in an alleyway-type-place is very nicely executed. But the video isn't just good because of what it is, but also because of what it isn't -- it isn't a rip off of a foreign clip, it isn't inspired by a musical, it isn't a paperback-novel storyline, and it certainly isn't an attempt at following the crowd. And originality always scores high, at least in my books.

Fresh off directing the new video for 'Hai Koi Hum Jaisa', this is the second Strings video that Umar has worked on, and the Strings–Umar Anwar collaboration seems to be going great guns. The short-film feel of 'Kahani', perhaps one of the most touching clips to hit the screen in the recent past, makes it all the more dynamic. With no elaborate costumes and without intricate tangled up characters, it's actually the simplicity of the video that makes it all the more effective. High on murky sentiments, perhaps even to the extent of entering the depressing category, the point behind the video was to evoke emotions, and that's exactly what it manages to do. Kudos to Umar Anwar for yet another subtle piece of work.

- By Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 15th May, 2005

Whisper to a scream

interview

Even though he's a relatively new entrant in the music industry, Atif Aslam needs no introduction. Going from Jal to 'Jal Pari' since 'Aadat' hit the airwaves, it has been quite a ride for the vocalist. So we caught up with Atif to talk about his music, fame, and his plans of venturing into the acting arena! By popular demand, here's Atif Aslam...

Us: Your debut album 'Jal Pari' has done extremely well since it was released last year. Were you expecting it to be as successful as it was?
Atif Aslam: First of all, thanks a lot for giving me this opportunity to speak to the readers of Us. I was also a very regular reader of Us in my school days. This is a wonderful platform for the young and talented people of Pakistan to express (themselves). The majority of my fans are teenagers and this interview will provide me a nice bridge to approach those fans.
Coming to my album, I wasn't expecting it to be this big a hit. Although I worked hard to record it and was considering it to be a good album according to my input, but God has been extremely kind to me by giving me this much success, which is far beyond my expectations. He has showered His enormous blessings on me, and I'm always thankful to Him for this.

Us: Any personal favourites out of the tracks on the album?
Atif: All of them are my heart's favourites, but I personally like 'Aadat' and 'Bheegi Yaadain'.

Us: In your opinion, how much of the success does the album owe to 'Aadat'?
Atif: Well, you always need to have a strong kind of song for entering into the music market, and 'Aadat' did really well. I owe a lot to it, but the biggest thing that came with it was the confidence boost I got, and I really felt that I should do more and better songs.

Us: So, how has fame been treating you since that song became a hit?
Atif: Everything is nice, but it is not an easy profession, even though it seems to be. It demands more attention and input than any other profession. Sometimes it literally burns you out because of the hectic schedules. It really feels great to give autographs and to receive special treatment, but at the same time, I feel that its a great responsibility on me not to disappoint my fans, and I also feel that when people love you more than anybody else, then they honour your words and they can be motivated to do good deeds because of this bond of likeness. I wish I could really do something for the youth of this country.

Us: How has your experience of performing live been so far?
Atif: I think the real spirit of any concert is that it should be live, from the vocals to the instruments - everything. This shows the real capability of the singer, whether he can rock the audience or not. By the grace of Allah, most of my concerts went very well. The livelier the audience, the better the performance.

Us: Any performance that stands out from all the rest?
Atif: One of my best concerts was the one that took place on the 29th of December last year at Alhamra Open-Air Theatre. Fun, screams, clapping, dance, autographs, photographs...there was everything. It was one of the highest-pitched crowds I had ever heard in my life, due to the screams of the 3000 girls in the audience. Second good one was at the National Park Islamabad with Noori where 32,000 people were present to attend the concert, and it really boosted our confidence manifold.

Us: Of the videos that you've done so far, which one is your favourite? And which one did you have the most fun making?
Atif: My personal favourite is 'Aadat'. Being my debut video, it was really full of excitement and fun. I performed 18 times on the whole song. It was shot at a warehouse in Karachi and we did continuous shooting for 15 hours. It was really tiring, but in the end I was really satisfied.

Us: Which video are you planning to release next? And when will it be out?
Atif: We are working on some other projects right now, and as soon as we get some time, we will be launching our next video. It will most probably be of one of the best hits of my album. I think there should be a balanced number of TV appearances. Otherwise, if you overdo it and release a lot of videos, then people get fed up of you.

Us: Your entire album is available for download very easily on various websites, including your own website (h3o.info). Don't you think this hurts album sales?
Atif: Well, this is a small world nowadays and the Internet is one of the best sources to send your message to a maximum number of people around the globe. So we've put the album there for our projection. Talking about the cassette sales, there are so many people who are producing pirated mp3 CDs underground and selling them in the market. So we thought that it's better that they should download our music from our website rather than downloading it from other websites and buying pirated CDs.

Us: What kind of music do you like to listen to? Any favourite artists? Influences?
Atif: We have a collection of more than 8,000 songs at home, and I have a very diversified kind of absorption for music of almost every nature. But my personal favourite is Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sahab. He has been a great source of inspiration to me. He is a heart mender; the healing capability of his songs and voice is matchless. The conditions of isolation, betrayal and being down to earth are so very well depicted in his songs that he is one of my all time favourites. His voice and music is so powerful that it literally shifted our youth towards our basics and core values. Along with Khan Sahab, Kishore Kumar is my inspiration; a very natural singer who never learned singing from anybody. The way he sang tragedy songs in India, no one else did.

Us: You've been juggling studies and music for quite some time now. Doesn't it all get too hard to handle?
Atif: It was really tough when I was in the last semester of BCS but again God was very kind to me and I cleared my graduation with a respectable GPA. I immediately joined MBA after graduation, but right now I am unable to give proper time to studies so I thought I'd better take a semester break.

Us: According to your website, cricket has been one of your biggest passions in life and you wanted to join the Pakistan cricket team as a fast bowler. Any regrets on going for a music career and not taking up cricket professionally?
Atif: Well, I think whatever God does, holds some good in it. I don't have any regrets for not taking cricket as my career but I would love to play a one-day international for the national team.

Us: When are you planning to release your second album?
Atif: I think it will take another year to release it, and I will try my best to give quality music to my fans.

Us: What's planned for the coming months?
Atif: Nothing special - doing music, concerts, and probably some TV serials as well to test my acting skills.

Us: Any message for your fans?
Atif: I would like to say that I would always need your support and prayers. I would also like to advise them not to waste their time and spend their free time in some kind of creative work, whether it is music, sports or something which makes their senses more sharp and active, rather than chasing girls in shopping malls.
In the end I would love to thank all of my fans, friends and family, particularly my parents and my brothers Shahzad, Shahbaz and Sheraz, for their unremitting support. God has bestowed me with a very supportive and talented family. My eldest brother Shahzad is an engineer as well as a photographer. He has always been a sincere guide for me on all the aspects of my career. Shahbaz is an MBA and a great dress designer. Also, he is managing my concerts and TV appearances. Lastly, Sheraz is a computer graduate like myself, a very creative graphic designer, and above all, my very good friend. God Bless you all. Love you all!

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 11th March, 2005

"I want to be a part of history" - Xulfi

interview

The last few years have seen massive change in our music industry, spanning from experimental music joining the mainstream to the development of concept videos. Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, a.k.a. Xulfi, has greatly helped the cause. The younger brother of Khurram Jabbar Khan (manager of EP, Call, and Jal), Xulfi first gained prominence during the by now legendary Battle of the Bands as EP's lead guitarist. Since then, this software engineer–turned–musician has come a long way, establishing himself not only as a guitarist, but also as a director, producer, composer and lyricist. Along the way, he has paved the path for new bands to come forward, playing a pivotal role behind the success of EP's Irtiqa and Jal's Aadat.

Instep: EP's 'Aghosh', Call's 'Pukaar', and Jal's 'Lamhey' and 'Ik Din Aye Ga' – the four videos that you've directed are all very different from each other. What do you keep in mind while directing a video?

Xulfi: Directing a video for me is not really different from creating a song, a vocal melody, or a song arrangement, and I've already done all that in EP's Irtiqa. First of all, I have always related visuals with music. I used to compose and play live background music on theatrical and mime performances that my elder brother, Danish directed at NCA. All the songs on Irtiqa are different from each other because I always make sure that every song I make should be different from the previous one. I don't follow any specific formula in music and the same goes for music videos. I hate formula videos and formula music.

Instep: So how do you come up with the concept?
Xulfi: The core of the stuff that I do comes to me at night, just before going to sleep. That's the most creative time in my opinion, because you are in a sleepy state, plus your mind is thinking about whatever happened during the day; it is a recount of sorts. That actually gets me going somehow. And at those times, thoughts and visuals start appearing in my head and I keep thinking of more visuals, and finally I write all the thoughts and visuals down. Sometimes, the thoughts and visuals come out as music, sometimes as lyrics, and sometimes as a concept that I put out in the open in the form of a video.

Plus, I would like to mention that Omeir Zahid, one of my best buddies, who also co–directed 'Aghosh' with me, helps me a lot in linking all those random thoughts that come to my head. Similarly, Khurram and Danish (my brothers) help me with music, videos or anything else for that matter.

Instep: You've previously directed clips for bands like Jal and EP, and will be working on the videos of Roxen's 'Yaadein', Sahil's 'Tu Bol', and Call's 'Kash'. Why do you always work with newer bands?

Xulfi: Because those are the bands that will actually form the crux of the new generation that is finally going to replace the older bands and artists. I am not saying that all of them are really good enough to do that, but honestly speaking, I have given up hope from most of the existing mainstream bands and artists to actually come up with something different, as they seldom want to experiment. They are now here to just earn some fast bucks. A revolution always comes with daring acts. Our industry lacks the will to support this revolution and to be daring. I just hope there comes a time when there are more bands and artists avoiding the easy way to fame by satisfying just the entertainment aspect that the audience strives for. I want artists and bands to focus on something larger than just fame and fortune, because in sometime, people are going to forget you. So while you are here, and you have respect, then why not do something that makes you a part of history? That's what I am here for. I want to be a part of history.

Instep: None of the videos you've directed so far have been sponsored. Would you consider doing one?
Xulfi: Well, I'll only do a sponsored video if the sponsors allow me to do my own thing and not stop me from experimenting the way I do. Frankly, most sponsored videos in our country are actually quite stupid. But I believe that sponsored videos can have a better future if the requirements of the sponsors become a little flexible and the director is given room to experiment.

Instep: There is a marked difference between the quality of 'Lamhey' and the other videos that you've directed. Why so?
Xulfi: 'Lamhey', as I've explained quite a few times before, was made in a rush. Goher asked me to do the video of that song at the end of an EP and Jal concert. I said, fine, let's do it, but as the shoot for 'Ik Din Aaye Ga' was already scheduled for five days later, I was of the view that 'Lamhey' would be done after that. But I was shocked to hear that we needed to do the 'Lamhey' video that very morning and all this persuasion was going on at twelve at night. And now, we had to shoot the video at 6 a.m. the following morning. I decided to take this up as a challenge. We didn't have any sets or anything. So, with the camera crew and the band and Khurram bhai, we finally landed on an old Sikh worship place a few kilometers from Lahore. So there I was, with only that building and a jeep courtesy of Goher and Farhan's friends. I thought of a few shots right then, made a concept and shot the video in just three hours. Then got back home and started editing and within the next 24 hours I had sent the video to the music channels. And if you are wondering why the hurry, that was due to another artist (Atif Aslam) having the same song in his album, and he was about to release the video of this song. That news wasn't for sure, but we couldn't take any chance at that time. 'Lamhey' was the video that established Jal with their new lineup.

Instep: The video of 'Ik Din Aye Ga' was placed at number two at a music channel's Top 100 videos of 2004, while 'Pukaar' and 'Lamhey' were also in the top 20. How important has this success been for you?
Xulfi: It's an achievement. I'll make sure I mention this every time I get the chance to. I mean, I only made three videos in 2004, and all of them were in the top 20. That proves that a high budget and technical gimmickry are not the only ways to make a video look good. Some people believe that's the only way and they are quite successful. Our audience understands everything that has the simplest degree of simplicity. They like what is ordinary. I applaud the audience that has started to understand conceptual videos. It's only because of them that the viewership of abstract and different videos has improved, and will improve even more with time.

Instep: You produced the albums Irtiqa (EP) and Aadat (Jal) and are currently working on Call's Jilawatan and the new EP album. You also have your own music production and video postproduction studio, Xth Harmonic. Would you like to do more work as a producer?
Xulfi: Well, I will definitely continue my role as producer. I believe there has to be someone guiding young musicians. I have always wanted to make sure that new artists keep coming out because that's the only way we can begin to change the existing scene. Now, with my own studio Xth Harmonic, I have the opportunity to do that myself and guide the change.

Instep: Coming to EP, you composed Irtiqa, wrote and co–wrote some of the songs and even sang some of the parts. Does the new EP album see you as a composer, lyricist and vocalist too?
Xulfi: Yes, I have always been the main composer for EP. That doesn't just include the composition of my guitar parts, the keyboard parts and most of the drum sequences, but also most of the vocal melodies in the songs. As far as the lyrics are concerned, I am a better lyricist now than I was before Irtiqa. In fact, I have composed 'Kia Hota', the first song from our new album. My elder brother Danish and I have also penned the lyrics and I am singing it as well. So that probably answers your question.

Instep: Director, producer, composer – which role do you find the most challenging?
Xulfi: Being a composer is the most challenging because one has to concentrate on so many aspects of music. And as far as video direction is concerned, I have so much to learn. I am still a beginner in that department. But, I'm sure that when I know as much about direction as I know about music, then direction will become more challenging too.

Being a producer is really different from composition and direction. It has different technical details, and then, when you are producing someone else's music, it becomes really difficult too as you have to understand the artist's preference as it's their music that you're producing. So every role has its own set of challenges.

Instep: With the success of bands like EP and the Mekaal Hasan Band, where do you think experimental music stands in our music industry?
Xulfi: If I consider the music situation in our country four years ago, then it finally stands somewhere. One has to admit that two bands cannot change the face of the music industry in Pakistan. Experimental music needs an audience that wants to be experimental in their musical taste as well. But here, there are people, who criticize EP on their choice of words in the lyrics. That's actually quite shameful as Urdu is such a beautiful language, having so many beautiful words that lyricists seldom use. How will we know that there are more words to describe one feeling in Urdu? For example, we use 'qaed' to describe being in prison, but do we know that 'mahboos' means the same? Shamefully, we don't. We, the audience, will never try to make an effort to learn words of our mother language and when someone is trying to use these words to describe their motives and feelings, then, the audience criticises us for putting them through the ordeal of opening up the Urdu dictionary to learn new words. However, the situation is much better. A portion of the audience is finally evolving with the prevalent change in the mainstream music industry.

Instep: What about the general music scene? Where does it stand now and where is it heading?
Xulfi: I believe the current music scene is very fresh, but at the same time, it's very pop–oriented. The good thing is that the emerging musicians are more daring than their predecessors and they tend to experiment more. For this reason, I believe that there will be a lot more to look forward to. As for the future, one never knows what the future holds for them. We can't tell what the future holds for the music scene in Pakistan. For example, four years ago we couldn't tell that people will be producing experimental music like they are now. So I can't tell where it's heading, but I do hope it heads in the right direction.

- By Sameen Amer

Instep, The News on Sunday - 6th March, 2005

Reason

a page of my diary

We all came into this world for a reason. Or at least we would like to think we did. How do we know what that reason is? How do we know if we aren’t just traveling down the wrong path? How do we pick our battles? How do we define our victories? How do we tell apart our foes from our friends? How do we choose who to trust?

Do people come into our lives only to go away? Do they even realize that they all leave a mark on us? Why do people go away? Can we make them stay if we try? If we really really try?

Is there any such thing as normalcy? Who defines the range of normal functioning? Who decides when the line is being crossed? How can we tell between the good and the bad? And what about the ugly?

If we do something right, can it still feel wrong? Should we apologize for something we didn’t do? Should we forgive and forget? Do we really have to forget?

How do we know when to wait and when to go for it? When to speak and when to remain quiet? When to laugh and when to cry? When to hold on and when to let go? Should we go with the flow or make a statement? Sing along or march to our own beat? Be a part of the crowd or be different and risk being termed a freak?

Should we prefer silence over noise? Solitude over company? How do we know if someone is genuine or fake? How can we tell if someone cares?

Does anyone care?

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 14th January, 2005