Falak – Ijazat Single Review

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Hani Arif

First let’s start with the video.

Well produced, and follows no storyline thankfully ( not many appreciate it despite the
effort which a story based video demands). Directed by Saqib Siddiqui,who also directed Khwahishon by Farhan, one can see the similarity in the work
with the combined use of natural tones and portrait shots which highlight the artist.
Along with good musical sensibilities, Falak has
good fashion sense and has stylized himself quite impressively.

Now on to the song:
Ijazat is a great Punjabi R&B track if it can be classified as such. Poetry from a female’s perspective has been featured in Punjab for long enough time.
The lyrics capture that feminist element; one easily sympathizes with the sufferer. Longing and desire feature prominently in its theme.
The music balances wellcombines with a western sounds, eastern vocal melody and flutes, cleverly.
The ending is also well crafted with the use of an outro making it more unique.
A notable mention to the ‘sighs’ that are seemingly placed to provide gentle landings to the very high notes. (Instant Likes on Social Media websites this aspect brings)

After the success of Falak’s singles from his first album, he seems to be coming back stronger. Having identified his niche, where his soulful Punjabi tracks and body dancey numbers clearly show talent and forte.

Watch the video here:

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Javed Bashir Interview – Qatar

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Hani Arif

Recently Ustaad Javed Bashir performed in Qatar, I Had an opportunity to sit with him and interview him, the time window I got was very narrow so I had to interview him in a place, with all the background noise, still is pretty clear though, hope you enjoy it.

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Sajid & Zeeshan -Walk on Air

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Hani Arif

Sajid and Zeeshan are back. Their album, “The Harvest” is slated to be released later this month.

The precursor is out and it’s called “Walk on Air” -An uptempo track mixing guitar elements(acoustic/electric) with dance music. News earlier came out that their next album will be different in sound than their first. This track release is relief that even with live drumming coming into the new album, some tracks shall remain grounded to the Sajid & Zeehsan first album sound.

The video has elements of the audio by having the major part of the video in black & white and the infectious guitar solo in color- which mixes well with the dance beats having a nineties sound and the guitars a very modern and pacey strum rhythm.The song is pure love right from the barre chord beginning to the strumming ending.

A visual pun can be seen in towards the ending of the video when the lens provides a close shot of the shoes which Sajid is wearing and it gives a reason to think if this track was made on the name of this particular footwear brand.

Although there would be videos that have slow motion – black and white elements in them, some refreshing shots are in this video too, i.e sugar-guitar- rubber lizard-rubik’s cube-plectrums

The Words
The track itself is well written which has the mention of the simple pleasures in life. And interesting
philosophical word usage is imminent with lines like

I know, when everything comes down on me,
And I am left with no more screams,
I’ll gently lift up the floor and
Start to walk on air

another interestingly written part is

But space, was never shorter than its place \
And still I roam around and round and all around

This is meaningful songwriting that seems to be lost in the music made by people who have English as their native language.

Sajid and Zeehsan are the clear indication of the potentially global appeal the musical talent that exists in Pakistan. Songs that should be no.1 on charts worldwide and videos that should have million of hits.
Let’s make it happen!

The Video

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Staying the same

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Hani Arif

Traveling above the oceans
And residing in lands unknown

First a showing of resistance
And then a settling of persistence

With voids that later begun to flow
The astronomy that lines show

Something left behind that reflects
Mirrors and instances

Decisions that are reflexes
And the situations that familiarize

The moments and the circumstances
A different scene and setting

Humorous and a caught up defection
These times are a little undone

Thinking changes have begun
But it’s all the same

Just like a rose
with a different name

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The Bridge

Posted on January 1, 2011 by Hani Arif

This is my winning entry for Bloombury Qatar Foundation Publishing competition “images and words” called in for the opening of
MATHAF Modern.
Written partly on what I feel is double-dialogue, Laila and Majnoon conversing but in each others perception of the others feeling
and the poem ends with them in a unified voice

It’s called “The Bridge”

Majnoon:( Lailas Perspective)
I seek the voice that lies between your lips
I seek the sight that extends within your eyes
This weak armor curtains your face
reveal the gleam, remove the shade:
Your uncovered strands raise a desire
to play with them in twisted swirls
The calmness I feel in your presence
is bloomy flowery essence hence

Laila ( Majnoons Perspective)

my conscience pulls me back
I can’t look at you
can I speak with silence
with silence you reply too
there is a contrast
although nothing to deflect
guided by my feelings
on to you, I reflect

Common Feeling:
Although we aren’t talking
but we have congeniality
this may not be perfect
but this is the reality
we’ve found each other now
that’s better than being apart
let’s make this life worth living
before from this world, we depart

Comments to go Below!

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Visual Tune,Humnasheen A/V Review

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Hani Arif

Humnasheen in English would translate to be an associate,that’s what your relationship with the song becomes as soon as the first strum,the electric guitar intro is played and the first line is sung,all hinting immediately that the song is a winner.
As the song progresses it becomes absolutely certain that the first impressions were not falsified at all . The song is about remembrance of times gone past and the desire to re live them. The song also talks about the fact that mistakes happen and misunderstandings arise but a good way to set them right is to step in to the others shoes in order to properly asses what they go through.

“If a picture is worth a thousand words then a thousand pictures is worth a novel” -Hani Arif (that’s me!)

The video took 7 months to make where 5000 digital pictures were taken to make this video possible and where such hard work is involved the results are evident.
The video is pure genius,directed by multi-talented director Zeeshan Parwez who has created his own niche in digitally directed work very different from his contemporaries.Zeeshan is probably the only director who has a signature style in Pakistan and as showcased in Coke Studio has a good idea on timing shots that really add to the musical experience.The messages in a song are also well represented in the video.The use of photographs is a good representation for the songs theme of remembrance ,and as per the words flow the moments are captured.
Something which you might have missed : Uzair Jaswal also makes a guest appearance in the video!

By the the time the video has ended, the song has subconsciously progressed from being an associate to a best friend.

Irtaash for the win
The contrast from their previous releases is absolute and tugs at their being a promising and talented act.
Other than the successful artists it is artists like these that keep the interest intact alive in Pakistani music,since album releases by the top artists are far spaced and other new content also remains non existent,it is our duty to support fully talented acts like Irtaash so that they don’t disappear after a few single releases and it is for us to ensure that they see multiple albums being released.

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I long Moomal Rano Raat -Review

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Hani Arif

The vast desert, nomads, acquaintances made that never go further because they vanish in the sands ,the colorful souls ,people whose physical features and inner selves are sculpted with the winds that blow and the air that is breathed by them. This is Sindh.

All of the above is showcased in Sketches latest video release,Raat. From the beginning chords of the guitar and the flute to the individual solos that end with similar notes being played on them simultaneously.The song quite simply talks about longing and the ever present waiting period.Almost all Pakistani Music usually has a lot of emphasis given to the vocalist where the voice has very strong presence in a song.Saifs vocals are a bit different ,as in this track they are more ambient and at a pitch more reserved for backing vocalists.
This subdued vocal aspect also adds to the song as there lies longing which merely is something not up in front of you and rather that exists somewhere in the mind.

The video has some particular great shots.
One is where the female sits under the shade of a tree in otherwise in an open ground, does take one back to where the essence and true life is which doesn’t at all get fulfilled by living in the concrete jungles,the other shot is where the band have sun light on them passing in through stone work arches.The shade-light contrast makes good emphasis over how the sun affects the lives of people there.
The video is super simple and goes well with the song;

Have a look at the video!

Punjab’s size has facilitated in the cultural and the linguistic export through out Pakistan and around the globe,due to which the cultural,musical existence in other parts of Pakistan has never really come out.It’s nice to see Sindhi folk making its way into mainstream Pakistani music scene and further diversifying it. Hearing such true melodies it’s hard to imagine that our current President Mr.Asif Ali Zardari also belongs to the same province!

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Desert Fu**on-Atif Aslam

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Hani Arif

Before you judge me on my language , the two ** cover up s and i (to read as Fusion) and does not cover
up the letters c and k which you would have definitely thought ( see how your mind works?)
This post is a concert review to Atifs Aslam concert in Qatar.

Now it is actually without doubt that Atif Aslam is the biggest performer in Asia at this moment.The stature and this position calls for a certain level of professionalism on part of the organizers at all levels of a concert . An aspect which Lacked completely in Desert Fusion 2010 .

I got myself a VIP ticket in order to be in the front row and be able to experience atif first hand.
I was among the first people to arrive at the concert and be able to see the soundcheck and experiencing that led me to believe that this was going to be a memorable concert.
Atifs being the main act had his set reserved for the last.The show began with opening and filler acts performances and in process of which the sound kept on deteriorating and even the stage backscreen fell flat right on stage

BackScreen there

By the time Atif came, it became a disgrace to call the sound output device as being speakers as they had completely become noise emanators.
Even Atif and his musicians complained about the sound but nothing was done to rectify the sound, I am sure the other acts were also not to happy with what was going on with the sound.

BackScreen No more (magic)

No backscreen!

All the speakers (read noise emanators) were put up with full volume and they couldn’t handle the inputs . The sound company was a total failure and it ruined the whole concert experience for me . Even with the money i paid dor the ticket I so hoped that atif would have declined to play but certainly he’d come with the mentality of the “show must go on ”
Although the crowd was all super excited to see Atif at the concert,if it weren’t for that soundcheck I would’ve labelled the a show as a complete waste of money.

A piece of advice to all future organizers of concerts, artists like Atif and other acts which are live should be given the dignity of a proper sound to save the artists and their own competency.

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Step On It Pakistan

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Hani Arif

After going about on the web for years and keeping it as a primary source of news for Pakistani music
it’s easy to say that there is a huge gap between the connection that should be between fans and Pakistani artists. The lack of proper web content, i.e interviews , professional recordings of concert performances lack totally.
It is easy to find content for artists like Atif Aslam and come to think of it ,only Atif Aslam.
Online video posting should be of a good quality as to establish the artist properly and popularize them in a manner they deserve. An example of mass publicizing is that when a certain Kumar Sanu is more popular than say an artist like Usman Shani and Kumar can’t even sing like Usman.

Now,there are two sides to a coin, ….aaah!! Again,two sides that need to be looked at. One being the artists and the other being the listening public.(yes the listening public and not the hearing one)

The next Act:

Pact of Artists:
Pakistani artists , need to come up with official representations for themselves. Pages on Face book, handles on twitter, YouTube channels, and yes all of them need to be official,official,official. Coke Studio was successful in the model and it’s JUGNI is the only Pakistani Music video on YouTube which has surpassed 1.4 million views and this is just because it is being viewed through an official channel. Its all a shame really because of all the great music that is being produced in Pakistan is going unnoticed by the masses. So when songs like Ab khud kuch karna,Yeh Hum Naheen and Humein Kya hua are made they fail to fulfill the purpose they are meant for as many people don’t get to hear them and is infact a loss on part of the effort that artists put in producing songs like these. Proper online presence will bring in the results. This is also the very reason why someone of the highest caliber like Mekaal Hassan Band doesn’t have any views that competitively compares with any of the international artists. Updates by Pakistani artists on matters other than the flood ( and that too now), have been non existent. Months and months of no updates, doesn’t keep many people holding on to the idea of connecting with the artists. Get official content rights for web content and get all the random user video uploads removed which shall lead to more views. If such proper channelizing is done, I don’t see any reason on why a new video wouldn’t get thousands of views in just one day. Bilal Khans Bachana did a nice job on getting a good viewership based purely on online presence.

Coming back to the Usman Sanu comparision:
Now why would a certain Asim or Rabia ( any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental and I am talking about 95% of all web accessing Pakistanis-oh wait, no longer is this fictional,is it?) like to watch a video with 1500 videos over a video which has 55,000 views? It’s all about channelizing properly.

Public Pact:
I know that you love Pakistani Music and you want to promote it in every possible way by putting it up on your channels but you know what kind of an affect that is having? It’s shifting away viewership from the official channel and hence leading to lesser artist recognition. What I was surprised to see was that for Coke Studio uploads some videos had more than 20K+ views. So you are urged that instead of putting it up on your channels direct the traffic to the proper source. If you are Pakistani you need to put Pakistani artists up first,and keep all other artists secondary. Now,this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t listen to foreign artists, yes,listen to them but keep them for yourselves. Posting of a single video of naming a certain song by a person who have lots of online contacts can create mountains of differences,our artists are in need of such recognition. When our artists are globally recognized then you may go back to posting of videos belonging to music industries of other countries. Remember these are the only people that bring any positivity to the image on Pakistanis on a daily basis and it is our individual duty to help Pakistan get recognized the right way.

Shall you comprehend what was just said and make us all happy?

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Sip It

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Hani Arif

Coke studio season 3.

What was the first thought that came to your mind when you read the first line? Trying to get into to your brains I can know one thing,if you are Pakistani then most probably you’ve labelled it as a flop and waste of time. After analysis of the #cokestudio topic on twitter one can see that for Indian listeners it still is very much happening for them (and these are the people which most Pakistanis listen to,so Pakistanis, go figure! ). It is a realized fact that bands ,solo artists and shows have to constantly evolve to keep listenership /viewership intact and add new ones,a fact mostly not understood by the Pakistani audience. The genres for this season was mostly Sufi,there was folk and a dash of spice with some pop and some corn …..oh I mean rock in it. It was a deliberate attempt to change the sound as we very well know that if the Coke Studio team wanted to,they would’ve easily made tracks like those in previous seasons.

After listening to each track it is on one hand very easy to get in to the groove of livelier tracks and fall in love with them whereas it is very easy to dismiss the more subtle ones. Season 3 had more subtlety in the tracks performed as compared to in your face comprehension..When one notices the work put into each track it becomes impossible not to appreciate the conviction of the musicians and to ultimately appreciate the tracks. Strong Sufi poetry that throws the human mind in wonder and rendering them into songs is a huge task in itself.

Technicalities: An example of technicality is where the hesitance in Tanseers voice represents the message in the song yaadein,I.e to cease the repetitions of uncomfortable painful memories and the voice in which Tanseers sings this song accurately denotes the affects of revisiting such memories. How Noori in both of their tracks (tann doley,hor vi neevan) make the maximum of non lyrical vocal song progression. Another technicality is ….wait a second, why must I try to bring such deep musical dissection to you when you’ll go back to listening to mindless dumb music again made my non-Pakistanis and despite my even telling you this you still wont appreciate the effort that is Coke Studio?

Underlying Message: Ali Hamza hit the spot when commenting that in the times which we are going through this is the type of music that needs to be made. This article was initially supposed to be a review of the tracks episode wise but after listening to each track it Becomes almost impossible to put to words the true meaning of all what is being represented in a song somewhat similar to writing a review to a Mekaal Hassan Band album, songs so technically perfect that no review can do justice to the brilliance. People ,Coke Studio isn’t just a music show it is a conveyor of a message,all message that we need to learn as fast as we can , the message to spread love, tolerance,patience and to have unity and where I am concerned such messages have never been all delivered in music so melodic.
Sip it ,if you can!

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