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Coke Studio - Season 11

Season 11 is here now.

Starts with political nazam "Hum Dekhenge" by poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
 
Zohaib Kazi and Ali Hamza are the producers. Where as notable singers are these


Ali Sethi
Humaira Arshad
Gul Panra
Rachel Viccaji
Asim Azhar
Asrar
Abrar-ul-Haq
Aima Baig
Abida Parveen
Shuja Haider
Sahir Ali Bagga
Momina Mustehsan
Ali Azmat
Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi
Sanwal Esakhelvi
Hasan Jahangir
Young Desi (Mufassir)
Lucky and Naghma
Haniya Aslam
Ahad Raza Mir
Bilal Khan
Jawad Ahmed

No Atif this season either. Rahat is also amiss. Thankfully, no Ali Zafar :) Wanted to see some other names like Shiraz, Nabeel Shaukat Ali , Jawad Bashir etc.

http://www.cokestudio.com.pk/season11/artists.html?WT.cl=1&WT.mn=Artists&view=featured-artists
 
waqar goraya said:
Season 11 is here now.

Starts with political nazam "Hum Dekhenge" by poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a disaster by Coke Studio <a href="https://t.co/sDiOckcCl3">https://t.co/sDiOckcCl3</a> we need original composition and original style this ISPRisation off music is horrible</p>— Ayesha Siddiqa (@iamthedrifter) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamthedrifter/status/1021078944722939905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Ahmed Jehanzeb, QB and Sajjad Ali are some of the other good singers which don't exist in the official website's artist list.

Understandably not any hype this season.
 
[MENTION=135]Waseem[/MENTION] [MENTION=22846]Nostalgic[/MENTION]

You guys also not very interested this season either.
 
Ahad Raza Mir ? I liked his performance in the drama 'Yakeen Ka Safar', he played the guitar for few minutes in two episodes I think, and you could guess that he can compose some nice melodies, even if I guess many will talk of nepotism (like with Danyal Zafar).

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uMV-d_NSDIU" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Also interested by Mughal-E-Funk/Sounds of Kolachi.
 
Mian said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a disaster by Coke Studio <a href="https://t.co/sDiOckcCl3">https://t.co/sDiOckcCl3</a> we need original composition and original style this ISPRisation off music is horrible</p>— Ayesha Siddiqa (@iamthedrifter) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamthedrifter/status/1021078944722939905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Fauj is behind Coke Studio :)))
 
waqar goraya said:
[MENTION=135]Waseem[/MENTION] [MENTION=22846]Nostalgic[/MENTION]

You guys also not very interested this season either.
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Definitely interested bro, just been busy following elections i guess.

Rahat, Atif, Ali Zafar etc have been there a lot so not really disappointed.

Looking forward to Sahir-Aima combination again.

Jawad, Abrar, Ataullah....even Coke Studio filled with politicians now :D

Also excited about Asim Azhar, i like his songs usually.

I heard that a transgender is also making an entry to Coke Studio and will be singing following lines

khalq-e- khuda...Jo mai bhi hun aur tum bhi ho

Brilliant message!
 
Mian said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a disaster by Coke Studio <a href="https://t.co/sDiOckcCl3">https://t.co/sDiOckcCl3</a> we need original composition and original style this ISPRisation off music is horrible</p>— Ayesha Siddiqa (@iamthedrifter) <a href="https://twitter.com/iamthedrifter/status/1021078944722939905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Yaar they have this "FATOOR" in their brains which is extremely annoying.

They manage to find ISPRisation even in a music video :facepalm: :facepalm:

This freak has ruined the thread already, need positive vibes :)
 
Waseem said:
Yaar they have this "FATOOR" in their brains which is extremely annoying.

They manage to find ISPRisation even in a music video :facepalm: :facepalm:

This freak has ruined the thread already, need positive vibes :)
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She is such an evil person remember her comments on mazari recently?
 
This is such a political season that you can't go the bathroom without getting ten reminders about establishment, deep state, poor corrupt leaders suffering because they were super liberal, so why would coke studio not be isprized.
 
Can somebody just tell me how can you sing "Hum dekhenge" with smiling faces? Do they not know the meaning of this poetry? This has to be the worst intro ever. Only Abida Parveen sang it with the respect this poetry deserves.
 
Waseem said:
Definitely interested bro, just been busy following elections i guess.

Rahat, Atif, Ali Zafar etc have been there a lot so not really disappointed.

Looking forward to Sahir-Aima combination again.

Jawad, Abrar, Ataullah....even Coke Studio filled with politicians now :D

Also excited about Asim Azhar, i like his songs usually.

I heard that a transgender is also making an entry to Coke Studio and will be singing following lines

khalq-e- khuda...Jo mai bhi hun aur tum bhi ho

Brilliant message!
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Not much to look forward too. But a lot of lesser known artists , hopefully we can get a surprise or two.

I am happy with Ali Zafar's exclusion. But few brilliant singers QB, Nabeel will be missed.
 
waqar goraya said:
[MENTION=135]Waseem[/MENTION] [MENTION=22846]Nostalgic[/MENTION]

You guys also not very interested this season either.
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I'm approaching the season with a mix of anticipation and trepidation.

On the one hand, I'm delighted with some of the artists invited: Chand Tara Orchestra is Omran Shafique's latest venture, and they are superb. The Sketches mark a return after years, and in the meantime Saif Samejo has been busy with his Lahooti Live Sessions, which are well worth a listen. Sounds of Kolachi promises to be good, as does Khumariyan, who if I'm not mistaken are quite popular in the Pashto scene.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but a couple of artistes are from Zohaib Kazi's Fanoos collection for Patari: Riaz Qadri has been off the scene for years now, and Kazi deserves kudos for bringing him back. For those who remember, there was a Supreme Ishq series in the early 2000's, and Riaz Qadri sang the Teray Ishq Nachaya song which ended up very popular back in those days. Just last year, Kazi rediscovered him for Fanoos. Zarsanga is another one he recorded for that album.

Now the trepidation: while I like Zohaib Kazi for the most part, I am not always impressed with his integration of electronic sounds into traditional music. The acoustics end up lost in the electronic buzzes and whistles and whatnot. I hope he can rein that in.
 
Speaking of artistes to look forward to, the clip they did earlier in the month with the Baloch singers make me immediately think of Mongolian throat singing, which is ethereal and otherworldly. Sure enough, the Baloch artistes are listed as throat singers. I for one was unaware that we had a throat singing tradition in Pakistan. I'll eagerly await the full song(s) they end up doing this season.
 
I believe the first episode should be out tomorrow, August 10, even though the website hasn't been updated with the schedule yet.

Anyhow, I looked at the first few posts on this thread, and the one song from the Coke Studio Explorer module that wasn't shared was the Kashmiri one, Ha Gulo. It turns out that the singer Altaf Mir is originally from IOK, and was once a freedom fighter. It is quite the compelling story, that has even been covered by NPR in the US:

https://www.npr.org/2018/08/09/6367...-kashmiri-singer-has-a-hit-song-of-the-summer



For some reason, Altaf and his Qasamir ensemble haven't been invited to the actual CS Season 11, which is a crying shame.
 
I liked the Coke Studio explorer videos more than the last few seasons combined. I wish they just stick to that, only showcase folk artists and folk songs and introduce their incredible talent and skill to the whole world.

Tired of hearing the same old artists with the same old renditions and the same old east west fusion masala that Coke Studio pioneered originally but then became a Xerox of a Xerox after that.
 
saadibaba said:
I liked the Coke Studio explorer videos more than the last few seasons combined. I wish they just stick to that, only showcase folk artists and folk songs and introduce their incredible talent and skill to the whole world.

Tired of hearing the same old artists with the same old renditions and the same old east west fusion masala that Coke Studio pioneered originally but then became a Xerox of a Xerox after that.
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Well multiple platforms are doing the travel style songs, Fanoos on Patari by Zohaib Kazi itself is an example

Just saw the 4 x BTS released for today's episode and my excitement level has definitely peaked
 
It is becoming more and more boring every season
Need more variety, every season i see only Punjabi and Urdu songs and recreation of some old songs which is worst part.
Some pashtun, kashmiri, sindhi songs needed otherwise it is not worth watching.

Agree with poster above CS explorer was much better than last 2 seasons
 
This season has too many new/unpopular faces. Keeping expectations to a minimum.
[MENTION=22846]Nostalgic[/MENTION] Zamad Baig deserved a chance and so did Bayaan.

Also never understood the reason for rap music to exist in sub-continent.
We really don't need to copy such music.
Its like someone suggesting a sick, twisted version of the Western artists doing qawwalis.
 
The only thing remotely interesting to me in this season's lineup is the reappearance of Humaira Arshad.

Last seasons "Kaatay na Katay" played non stop in my house for weeks.
 
And it begins, with a rendition of Iqbal's Shikwa/Jawab-e-Shikwa. The poems are obviously too long to cover in their entirety in ten minutes or so, so the abridged version must suffice.

The close captions do a poor job of translating the majesty of Iqbal's verse, which is surprising since I'm sure many proper translations exist. In any case, it brings back memories of having to learn the poems and the hackneyed dictated exegesis for matriculation exams...

 
The next one is part wedding song, part lullaby, part defiant LGBTQ statement. Whatever you make of the song, it is groundbreaking in that we have two transgender artistes performing on the nation's marquee music show. Jimmy Khan has already worked with LGBTQ artistes on another one of his songs called "Madam."

 
My fervent belief is that rap isn't alternative music, it is an alternative to music. That said, I found this one quite compelling. The ability to integrate so many languages into one song must've taken some doing:

 
Not feeling any of the first four songs. Hopefully it gets better from here on.
 
I want to reserve judgement until I've allowed them to grow on me, but already I'm seeing evidence of what I originally feared: Zohaib's penchant for integrating gratuitous electronic elements into the sound, which end up marring the acoustic instrumentation.
 
This "inclusion" and "social justice" turn of Coke Studio 11 feels like Indian Reservation System. No fun listening to these songs. Kuuch maza nai aya
 
Listened to Shikwa/Jawaab e shikwa a few times and only issue is i can't understand 50% of it otherwise brilliantly sung.

Liked rap song as well but again didn't understand the whole thing.

Others were OK.
 
Waseem said:
Listened to Shikwa/Jawaab e shikwa a few times and only issue is i can't understand 50% of it otherwise brilliantly sung.

Liked rap song as well but again didn't understand the whole thing.

Others were OK.
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The rap song was good in parts,especially Young Desi.
 
Unpopular opinion:


I didn't like Shikwa/Jawab-e-Shikwa... The lyrics were amazing but the song felt too disjointed and didn't have any flow to it.
 
Syed1 said:
Unpopular opinion:


I didn't like Shikwa/Jawab-e-Shikwa... The lyrics were amazing but the song felt too disjointed and didn't have any flow to it.
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Yeah first episode was not up to mark, shikwa was great in parts, loved jawaab e shikwa though, which could definitely have been the poetry especially "kya hai tu aur kya keh raha hai"
 
"Kisse mukhatib hai, kya keh raha hai"

Love that verse. Natasha's voice is a breath of fresh air. So different and unique to other female vocalists.

Shikwa was the saving grace of this episode. The rest was pretty passable stuff.
 
Natasha Baig was a revelation. It wasn’t just the voice: the delivery, the demeanor, the gestures, the attitude, they were all there. It turns out that she’s from Hunza. I wonder if she’s related to Diana Baig, the cricketer.

I find myself listening to the rap quite a bit too, and I never thought I would ever find myself saying that. I thought that song revealed, more than anything else, the rhythms and inflections and underlying stresses and nuances of the two languages used. Balochi is from the Iranian sub-branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, and if you listen for it, there are clear Persian influences on the pronunciation.
 
Nostalgic said:
I find myself listening to the rap quite a bit too, and I never thought I would ever find myself saying that. I thought that song revealed, more than anything else, the rhythms and inflections and underlying stresses and nuances of the two languages used. Balochi is from the Iranian sub-branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, and if you listen for it, there are clear Persian influences on the pronunciation.
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Isn’t “Pani ka bulbula” by Yaqoob Atif a kind of rap song too. It was featured in the legendary TV serial Waris. I guess roots of rap goes far back in our folk music.
 
I liked Shikwa / Jawab e Shikwa. Natasha Baig's vocals and demeanors truly made the song goosebumps worthy. Definitely on repeat.

Rap Hai Saara is good as well. The other two were ok. Not gonna be listening to them on repeat
 
saadibaba said:
Isn’t “Pani ka bulbula” by Yaqoob Atif a kind of rap song too. It was featured in the legendary TV serial Waris. I guess roots of rap goes far back in our folk music.
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You’re right, that one is sort of a proto-rap song, so the genre isn’t exactly new to our folk music, even if Yaqoob Atif never actually called it rap. Coke Studio covered the song a few seasons ago. Yaqoob Atif’s story is a sad one by the way: he never replicated the success of that first hit, and later was bitter about it and the song was all he ever talked about, to anyone willing to listen. Adil Najam wrote about it in the now-defunct Pakistaniat website:
https://pakistaniat.com/2011/02/06/rap-pani-da-bulbula/

I vaguely recall Akhtar Chanal Zehri, the Balochi folk singer who featured in three of the earlier seasons, also label one of his songs a sort of rap.
 
Wow, a few days after the first episode of the long awaited season 11 and the thread has already descended down to the bottom of page 2.

Just goes to show that the interest generated by the show has been steadily declining. Probably still would have happened have Rohail Hayat stayed as the hype was already winding down.

Needless to say, I can’t find a single song on the 1st episode worth listening twice let alone discuss.

Still hoping against hope for that magical song to come along out of the pile of mediocrity.
 
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saadibaba said:
Wow, a few days after the first episode of the long awaited season 11 and the thread has already descended down to the bottom of page 2.

Just goes to show that the interest generated by the show has been steadily declining. Probably still would have happened have Rohail Hayat stayed as the hype was already winding down.

Needless to say, I can’t find a single song on the 1st episode worth listening twice let alone discuss.

Still hoping against hope for that magical song to come along out of the pile of mediocrity.
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Spare a thought for me: I listen to Pakistani music exclusively, due to homesickness, nostalgia and perhaps a dash of misplaced patriotism. Coke Studio remains the highlight of my year, no matter the quality of the songs. The rest of the year consists of checking Patari everyday in the hopes of finding a diamond in the rough from some of the lesser known acts.
 
Nostalgic said:
Spare a thought for me: I listen to Pakistani music exclusively, due to homesickness, nostalgia and perhaps a dash of misplaced patriotism. Coke Studio remains the highlight of my year, no matter the quality of the songs. The rest of the year consists of checking Patari everyday in the hopes of finding a diamond in the rough from some of the lesser known acts.
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Good on you!

I admire all those noble thoughts whether misplaced or not.

On the contrary, I was never an exclusive listener. Dabbling into every genre and style from the very beginning, I wanted to make sure I was not missing on anything. I always had my favorites and they still seem to unconsciously come back to me no matter how far I try to stray from them in the quest for my next fix. The favorite and familiar sounds that seem to make up most of childhood and adolescent soundtrack remain the one closest to my heart. They include Pop/Rock Pakistani bands like Junoon and Vital Signs for their nostalgia and sweet melodies. Grunge/alternative Seattle rock of the 90's made up of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden for their angst and hopelessness. Other favorite genres include existential and haunting material from Pink Floyd and later period Beatles along with prog/indie rock favorites like Wilco, Beck and Tame Impala.

I feel embarrassed to admit but just to give you an idea of how extreme my taste can vary, just the other day a song by the Indian composer A.R.Rahman which I had heard when I was in school came back to me as I was driving down a long stretch of the highway at dawn after a sleepless night at work. It just popped in my head and wouldn't let go. I had to play it on youtube on my phone which is connected to my car through wifi and after replaying and listening to ads in between the song several times became a hassle, I just bought and downloaded the damn thing on iTunes on my phone and saved it on my music library. The majestic beat of the song with the lush orchestral pieces intermixed with synthetic flute and sarangi sounds, all mixed together like a fine desi curry, just became too hard to ignore and resist.

The other extreme would be me grooving to the album Kind of Blue by Miles Davis on my vinyl player in my Music/TV room with surround sound. The thick double bass of Paul Chambers reverberating through my soul as if I have been enveloped by the warm sun on a chilly autumn day. Or shaking my head to the hypnotic bluesy rhythm of Tinarewin, a group of Tuareg musicians from the Sahara Desert region of northern Mali.

In short, I embody the term, variety is the spice of life, at times far to ambitiously and anxiously then I should.
 
Having a feeling that todays episode will be THE episode of the season.
 
Arham_PakFan said:
I hope not.I hope the episodes keep improving with each week.
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Yes indeed, but nothing can beat the vocals of Abida Parveen, Ali Azmat and Ataullah Esakhelvi.

Also looking forward to 'Runaway' and the song of Gul Pannra.
 
Mueez said:
Yes indeed, but nothing can beat the vocals of Abida Parveen, Ali Azmat and Ataullah Esakhelvi.

Also looking forward to 'Runaway' and the song of Gul Pannra.
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Yeah looking forward to Esakhelvi’s collab with Asrar.
 
"Gaddiye Ni"

THE MOST POINTLESS song I've heard. Still can't believe Esakhelvi shb agreed to it
 

Just love you Zarsanga Mam, she is a legend of Pashto singing. Whattay great performance at this age, just mind blowing Mam. I am feeling so happy that i am seeing her in Coke Studio.

No doubt, Gul Panra is outstanding singer, but she is no way near Zarsanga, her vocals are magical.
 

It is a kind of performance which grows on you slowly and steadily, and a point will come when you feel like you are under possession and you just want to wear white dress with red cap and start swinging in a circle with one hand pointing towards sky. It's amazingly mind boggling.

Repeat mode is on, well done Abida and Ali Azmat. Magical performance and best one so far in this coke studio.
 
Hermoine Green said:

Just love you Zarsanga Mam, she is a legend of Pashto singing. Whattay great performance at this age, just mind blowing Mam. I am feeling so happy that i am seeing her in Coke Studio.zarsanga has no match even at this age she beats everybody comes her way.

No doubt, Gul Panra is outstanding singer, but she is no way near Zarsanga, her vocals are magical.
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zarsanga is a legendary singer and these Gul panras and gul dawudu etc has no match of her
 
I know this song is not from Coke Studio but since this is the goto thread to discuss Pakistani music till Coke Studio is on, I figured I should put it here. Really like this catchy song. It is a follow on from Ali Noor's Khayal Rakhna from last year which was also spectacular.

Mera Pakistan:


Khayal Rakhna:
 
I’ll have to listen to this Khyaal Rakhna rendition. I remember watching the original as a child, in black and white, featuring Alamgir and the Benjamin Sisters.

If I remember correctly, the original came out around 1983 or 1984, soon after Zia’s decree that all “good” characters on TV be shown in shalwar qameez, and that the ladies cover their heads. This naturally applied to Alamgir and the Benjamin Sisters.

Recalling the original doesn’t make me feel old at all. Not one bit.
 
Speaking of Khyaal Rakhna renditions, the Milestones covered it on their first album, circa 1993. The video regrettably did not feature the lovely Candy Pereira, which really upset me.
 
Nostalgic said:
I’ll have to listen to this Khyaal Rakhna rendition. I remember watching the original as a child, in black and white, featuring Alamgir and the Benjamin Sisters.

If I remember correctly, the original came out around 1983 or 1984, soon after Zia’s decree that all “good” characters on TV be shown in shalwar qameez, and that the ladies cover their heads. This naturally applied to Alamgir and the Benjamin Sisters.

Recalling the original doesn’t make me feel old at all. Not one bit.
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I remember the original very well. It used to be my favorite national song. Its also memorable cause one of the Benjamin Sisters used to teach at my school, the lower grades regrettably.

Nostalgic said:
Speaking of Khyaal Rakhna renditions, the Milestones covered it on their first album, circa 1993. The video regrettably did not feature the lovely Candy Pereira, which really upset me.
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Did you ever read Milestones basist Ali Tim's column in the weekly English magazine appropriately titled MAG. I used to love reading it. It had a lot of juicy gossip and society talk focusing mainly on the nascent Karachi pop/rock music scene.
 
saadibaba said:
I remember the original very well. It used to be my favorite national song. Its also memorable cause one of the Benjamin Sisters used to teach at my school, the lower grades regrettably.

Did you ever read Milestones basist Ali Tim's column in the weekly English magazine appropriately titled MAG. I used to love reading it. It had a lot of juicy gossip and society talk focusing mainly on the nascent Karachi pop/rock music scene.
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Unfortunately we never had a MAG subscription, because my father didn’t consider it serious journalism, and insisted that we get Herald instead. However, I’ve read Ali Tim’s articles elsewhere.

Once upon a time, he was also the go-to person for composing everything that went into album liner notes for all the prominent bands.
 
Nostalgic said:
Unfortunately we never had a MAG subscription, because my father didn’t consider it serious journalism, and insisted that we get Herald instead. However, I’ve read Ali Tim’s articles elsewhere.

Once upon a time, he was also the go-to person for composing everything that went into album liner notes for all the prominent bands.
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We used to get Herald too. It was too serious and political for me. MAG used to be an easy read and lightweight like Akhbar-e-Jahan in Urdu which I also liked, especially the teen aurten, teen kahanian section. Used to love the sketches of women in various stages of graceful distress and anguish on the story pages.
 
saadibaba said:
We used to get Herald too. It was too serious and political for me. MAG used to be an easy read and lightweight like Akhbar-e-Jahan in Urdu which I also liked, especially the teen aurten, teen kahanian section. Used to love the sketches of women in various stages of graceful distress and anguish on the story pages.
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The venerable Akhbar-e-Jehan, our answer to tabloids. I used to love the jinn stories, which used to have a section all to themselves, as jinn stories should. They were a veritable miscellany of the folk traditions, religious beliefs and common landscapes that shape our collective interactions with the hidden folk and fire our imaginations and fears. I always felt the similar themes tying together all those jinn stories from places as disparate as Gilgit and Rahim Yar Khan bode well for national cohesion.

The other day my wife was going through the Akhbar-e-Jenna website, and I asked if they still had the jinn stories. We looked, but couldn’t find that section. Good things just never last.
 
Episode 3 ain’t that bad. I felt all 3 songs were good.

Roye Roye probably belonged in a Lolly/Bollywood movie I feel.

Don’t mind the techno bit on Allah Karesi. Felt like taking a typical Esakhelavi song and putting it through the GaragaeBand app.

NFAK’s Piya is so iconic that it’s hard to make a rendition without comparing it to that one but I thought Fareed Ayaz and team efforts should be appreciated. Also glad the producers didn’t try to put their own touch on the song and let it be as it is.
 
saadibaba said:
Episode 3 ain’t that bad. I felt all 3 songs were good.

Roye Roye probably belonged in a Lolly/Bollywood movie I feel.

Don’t mind the techno bit on Allah Karesi. Felt like taking a typical Esakhelavi song and putting it through the GaragaeBand app.

NFAK’s Piya is so iconic that it’s hard to make a rendition without comparing it to that one but I thought Fareed Ayaz and team efforts should be appreciated. Also glad the producers didn’t try to put their own touch on the song and let it be as it is.
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I saw them perform this song live back in 2016 at a concert in LA. They totally rocked out, had people from all races on their feet standing and dancing. They had done a dhool fusion, wish they had done that here aswell.
 
Is it just me or is coke studio trying to add too many instruments into one song? Its like adding too many spices in one dish, its lacking purity can't get a feel for vocals with so much going on in the background.
 
Whatever the merit of the musical output, which I shall leave to far more capable observers than myself, I am struck by the boldness of the vision. The Explorer series that served as a prologue was very much an effort to underscore the diversity of Pakistan. The first episode of the main event by featuring transgender singers, a ‘women’s anthem’, and two of Iqbal’s famous poems, offered a statement of intent. Even the choice of ‘Hum Dekhenge’ as the opener, was an interesting one. The appropriation of Faiz’s revolutionary lines may have left many uncomfortable, but it stood in contrast to the preludes offered in the prior years under the direction of Strings. Whereas Strings had chosen overtly patriotic songs as introductions, the present producers opted for one with profound social and political meaning, even if the revolutionary thrust of Faiz’s words were rendered somewhat less incisive by the actual presentation.

Although the show has always been about experimentation, under Strings it did seem the preference was to play it relatively safe. This is arguably a by-product of the show having become mainstream. However, the present producers seem willing to push the boundaries further and even if it not always entirely coherent, to offer a more expansive vision.
 
KB said:
Whatever the merit of the musical output, which I shall leave to far more capable observers than myself, I am struck by the boldness of the vision. The Explorer series that served as a prologue was very much an effort to underscore the diversity of Pakistan. The first episode of the main event by featuring transgender singers, a ‘women’s anthem’, and two of Iqbal’s famous poems, offered a statement of intent. Even the choice of ‘Hum Dekhenge’ as the opener, was an interesting one. The appropriation of Faiz’s revolutionary lines may have left many uncomfortable, but it stood in contrast to the preludes offered in the prior years under the direction of Strings. Whereas Strings had chosen overtly patriotic songs as introductions, the present producers opted for one with profound social and political meaning, even if the revolutionary thrust of Faiz’s words were rendered somewhat less incisive by the actual presentation.

Although the show has always been about experimentation, under Strings it did seem the preference was to play it relatively safe. This is arguably a by-product of the show having become mainstream. However, the present producers seem willing to push the boundaries further and even if it not always entirely coherent, to offer a more expansive vision.
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I agree with you. I think the actual musical prowess of this season has been progressive, experimental and inclusive.

However, that inclusivity and diversity seem born more out of current social trends than merit. The ‘women anthem’ seemed forced and there to just make a political point, it failed to stand on its own musically. Same with the song featuring transgenders, it didn’t meet Coke Studio quality in my opinion.

Choice of using ‘Hum Dhekenge Ge’ in an election year seemed very partisan to me, clearly favoring one party. If you look at the actual power structure and make up of that current party which that song seem to be favoring, it having every instrument of the old establishment in it minus the new face on top, I can’t seem to shake of the feeling that poor Faiz Sahb would have been deeply dissapointed to learn about this. His poem called for a revolution, not for a soft coup.

However, I still feel there is enough talent there that despite the unoriginality of the last few seasons including the current one, it manages to stand on its own and still retains the post of being the premium musical event of the year.
 
saadibaba said:
NFAK’s Piya is so iconic that it’s hard to make a rendition without comparing it to that one but I thought Fareed Ayaz and team efforts should be appreciated. Also glad the producers didn’t try to put their own touch on the song and let it be as it is.
Click to expand...

Nusrat's rendition was itself based on Qurban Hussain's version. Long ago, there was an article I read about how Qurban Hussain's version was so popular that he was called Ustaad Qurban Hussain Piya Ghar Walay. I'm not sure if there's a recording somewhere.
 
Nostalgic said:
Nusrat's rendition was itself based on Qurban Hussain's version. Long ago, there was an article I read about how Qurban Hussain's version was so popular that he was called Ustaad Qurban Hussain Piya Ghar Walay. I'm not sure if there's a recording somewhere.
Click to expand...

Ask and you shall receive.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XA4uVpeJMTQ" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
saadibaba said:
Ask and you shall receive.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XA4uVpeJMTQ" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Click to expand...

YouTube to the rescue! In times past, we would’ve had to write to Radio Pakistan and ask if they had it in their archives, which would’ve ruined some clerk’s afternoon siesta.

I’ll have to listen to this in my copious leisure time, but just skipping through it, it certainly seems like this version inspired the melody in Nusrat’s rendition.
 
Tomorrow we finally get to see the Chand Tara Orchestra. They are the act I was most looking forward to.

I would also like to post a trivia question to all the Pakistani popular music aficionados on this thread: name three acts Chand Tara Orchestra bassist Babar Sheikh has been associated with. He’s been around for at least twenty years.
 
saadibaba said:
I agree with you. I think the actual musical prowess of this season has been progressive, experimental and inclusive.

However, that inclusivity and diversity seem born more out of current social trends than merit. The ‘women anthem’ seemed forced and there to just make a political point, it failed to stand on its own musically. Same with the song featuring transgenders, it didn’t meet Coke Studio quality in my opinion.

Choice of using ‘Hum Dhekenge Ge’ in an election year seemed very partisan to me, clearly favoring one party. If you look at the actual power structure and make up of that current party which that song seem to be favoring, it having every instrument of the old establishment in it minus the new face on top, I can’t seem to shake of the feeling that poor Faiz Sahb would have been deeply dissapointed to learn about this. His poem called for a revolution, not for a soft coup.

However, I still feel there is enough talent there that despite the unoriginality of the last few seasons including the current one, it manages to stand on its own and still retains the post of being the premium musical event of the year.
Click to expand...

I always took " hum dhekhein gay" as a sarcastic take on all the promises made by the same old politicians and power be. Always promising change and accountability . Feel like it has a sarcastic tone to it .... like saying " yeah!! we'll see ... "
 
from_da_lost_dim3nsion said:
I always took " hum dhekhein gay" as a sarcastic take on all the promises made by the same old politicians and power be. Always promising change and accountability . Feel like it has a sarcastic tone to it .... like saying " yeah!! we'll see ... "
Click to expand...

That’s a novel interpretation of it, but one I doubt the leftist agitators who sing it across the subcontinent, or Iqbal Bano, would agree with. I’ve always felt the overarching feeling was one of defiant euphoria rather than cynicism.

One intriguing theme in the poem, as in some of Faiz’s other poems, is the influence of Islamic imagery in a communist poet’s work. In this one, the inspiration is the Day of Judgement. There’s also Rabba Saccheya, which is a plea to the Almighty for justice, with a culmination that is very subversive and sarcastic, with the narrator saying he will go find another god if this one doesn’t grant man what was promised him. There are other examples too, and I’ve always felt it was partly a calculated effort on Faiz’s part to incorporate such imagery into his work, but also because communism aside, Faiz was genuinely a product of the urban Muslim intellectual culture of the northern subcontinent, which he never disowned.
 
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