Rohail Hyatt to produce Coke Studio 12

[WebGuru]

At least three sources close to the production - who wish to remain anonymous - have confirmed that season 12 of Coke Studio is being produced by Rohail Hyatt.

The series, produced from season one to season four by Rohail and Umber Hyatt, after which it was produced by Rohail Hyatt in season five and season six solo with the latter shot in hybrid format.

The history of Coke Studio is a long one. But what will be most interesting is how Coke Studio Explorer is unveiled.

Music group Strings, who produced the show, after Rohail Hyatt parted ways, had their moments of excellence as well, inviting the now late Amir Zaki to the series as well as artists such as Jimmy Khan, Faraz Anwar, Usman Riaz, Bakshi Brothers, Malang Party, Mekaal Hasan Band, Mai Dhai, and Farida Khanum. They also introduced the formula of multiple music directors, which got Coke Studio millions of hits, but not enough critical acclaim. During this period, the queen of the box office, Mehwish Hayat also made her Coke Studio debut as did Mohsin Abbas Haider of Na Maloom Afraad fame.

Ali Hamza and Zohaib Kazi, who produced season 11, also got a lot of things right including introducing the module of Coke Studio Explorer and giving bands like Khumariyaan, The Sketches, Sounds of Kolachi, Mughal-e-Funk and Chand Tara Orchestra (CTO) a national platform via the show. It propelled Mughal-e-Funk and CTO to release their debut records with SoK having moved on to their second album with new records from Khumariyaan and The Sketches in the pipeline.

And putting the uber-talented Haniya Aslam, as the second guitarist/instrumentalist in the house band – when needed- and on the post-audio team as well as shrinking the house band were masterstrokes. They also showcased the rap scene of Pakistan by including performers Young Desi and Lyari Underground, the folk legend that is Zarsanga and a lot more but got shot down when Ahad Raza Mir and Momina Mustehsan’s cover of ‘Ko Ko Korina’ was aired in the finale episode, which led to appalling trolling of the singers.

Ali Hamza and Zohaib Kazi announced their departure after just one season. It remains to be seen what Rohail Hyatt - considered the pioneer of pop music via Vital Signs and the founder of Coke Studio Pakistan - conjures with season 12.


Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/magazine/instep-today/478764-rohail-hyatt-to-produce-coke-studio-12

 

[WebGuru]

And the legend is finally back...

 

[IAJ]

And the legend is finally back...

Does it mean more sufi music? I have hardly listned to music the last 10-12 years but I have learned Coke Studio is appreciated alot by non-pakistanis, especially indians?

 

[WebGuru]

Does it mean more sufi music? I have hardly listned to music the last 10-12 years but I have learned Coke Studio is appreciated alot by non-pakistanis, especially indians?

Yes CS very popular even outside Pakistan. It was launched by Rohail back in 2008 and within a year it got so popular that Coke as a company launched it in multiple countries including India and Arabs countries but their version of CS never came close to the original one from Pakistan. Back in the early seasons of CS when Rohail was there he experimented a lot with the folk and sufi music.

 

[IAJ]

Yes CS very popular even outside Pakistan. It was launched by Rohail back in 2008 and within a year it got so popular that Coke as a company launched it in multiple countries including India and Arabs countries but their version of CS never came close to the original one from Pakistan. Back in the early seasons of CS when Rohail was there he experimented a lot with the folk and sufi music.

Nice

 

[Syed1]

Allah ka shukar... truth be told past few seasons of CS were not upto the mark.

 

[slipcatch]

Does it mean more sufi music? I have hardly listned to music the last 10-12 years but I have learned Coke Studio is appreciated alot by non-pakistanis, especially indians?

If it is true then we will see Junoon.

 

[WebGuru]

If it is true then we will see Junoon.

No way! Salman and Rohail can never share same platform again their egos are too big to forget the past.

 

[Nostalgic]

No way! Salman and Rohail can never share same platform again their egos are too big to forget the past.

Neither could Rohail and the late Aamer Zaki. Aamer only got to play on CS during the Strings era.

 

[WebGuru]

Neither could Rohail and the late Aamer Zaki. Aamer only got to play on CS during the Strings era.

True and Ali Azmat had the chance to perform in the very season of CS while Salman had to wait for Strings to arrive.

 

[Mueez]

More of sufi songs pls!

Last year’s Coke Studio was awful.

 

[Adijazz1706]

Atif will probably be back for 1 song, he had a few un the early days of CS

 

[WebGuru]

Rohail Hyatt overhauls House Band for 'Coke Studio 12’

While one would expect Hyatt to go back to his comfort zone of earlier seasons, he has chosen to do otherwise, as far as the choice of musicians is concerned.

The founder of the show has returned without Gumby, Jaffer Zaidi and Asad Ahmed in the House Band while Omran (Momo) Shafique will play in just one or two songs. Momo, however, is also expected to be involved with the overall creative process to some extent.

Since everyone in the old gang was in talks with Hyatt initially, it must have either been the budget cuts or Hyatt’s sudden change of plans that didn’t bring them back together. Perhaps a eureka moment that he must hire a younger lot of musicians in order to resuscitate a show that has already run its course.

Having said that, a number of local and international musicians will also join the House Band as featuring artists and collaborators.

More details at https://tribune.com.pk/story/2019250/4-exclusive-rohail-hyatt-overhauls-house-band-coke-studio-12/

 

[angrypathan]

Hoping for some better stuff then. Last 2 seasons were very ordinary

 

[Nostalgic]

Rohail Hyatt overhauls House Band for 'Coke Studio 12’

While one would expect Hyatt to go back to his comfort zone of earlier seasons, he has chosen to do otherwise, as far as the choice of musicians is concerned.

The founder of the show has returned without Gumby, Jaffer Zaidi and Asad Ahmed in the House Band while Omran (Momo) Shafique will play in just one or two songs. Momo, however, is also expected to be involved with the overall creative process to some extent.

Since everyone in the old gang was in talks with Hyatt initially, it must have either been the budget cuts or Hyatt’s sudden change of plans that didn’t bring them back together. Perhaps a eureka moment that he must hire a younger lot of musicians in order to resuscitate a show that has already run its course.

Having said that, a number of local and international musicians will also join the House Band as featuring artists and collaborators.

More details at https://tribune.com.pk/story/2019250/4-exclusive-rohail-hyatt-overhauls-house-band-coke-studio-12/

Going through the list, I see that Rohail has recruited Veeru Shan and Hasan Mohyeddin for percussions.

Veeru Shan is a percussionist for Nescafé Basement. She studies at UT Austin.

Hasan Mohyeddin was part of Overload, Farhad Humayun’s band. He happens to be the son of the legendary Zia Mohyeddin.

 

[JaDed]

Expect him not to play to the gallery!

 

[Nostalgic]

Zain Ali on guitars is exciting: no more hackneyed cowboy chords, since he’s into jazz, and it’s good to see someone from the underground acts come to the fore. He’s been associated with Poor Rich Boy and Sikandar Ka Mandar, among others.

The other guitarist, Sarmad Ghafoor, has featured once on the show, as part of Qayaas’ Charkha back in 2011, but he’s been around forever. I remember him being a guest musician during some of Junoon’s concerts back in the late 90s.

 

[Nostalgic]

Finally, it’s a relief to see Rohail persist with Amir Azhar and Ustaad Tanveer. They were the saving grace of the show during the Strings and Zohaib-Ali Hamza era. Excellent multi-instrumentalists the both of them.

Little known facts: these two are actually Uncle and nephew, since they’re both from the Tafu clan. Back in the mid 80s, Tanveer was one of the original guitar players in the nascent pop/rock scene, and it was he who first discovered Ali Azmat and recruited him into Jupiters, with whom he got his big break.

 

[uberkoen]

Finally, it’s a relief to see Rohail persist with Amir Azhar and Ustaad Tanveer. They were the saving grace of the show during the Strings and Zohaib-Ali Hamza era. Excellent multi-instrumentalists the both of them.

Little known facts: these two are actually Uncle and nephew, since they’re both from the Tafu clan. Back in the mid 80s, Tanveer was one of the original guitar players in the nascent pop/rock scene, and it was he who first discovered Ali Azmat and recruited him into Jupiters, with whom he got his big break.

Man, I love your knowledge of the Pakistani music industry. Would love it if you could do a few write ups on the history of Pakistani music and the people involved in terms of where they began and where they ended up.

 

[JaDed]

Finally, it’s a relief to see Rohail persist with Amir Azhar and Ustaad Tanveer. They were the saving grace of the show during the Strings and Zohaib-Ali Hamza era. Excellent multi-instrumentalists the both of them.

Little known facts: these two are actually Uncle and nephew, since they’re both from the Tafu clan. Back in the mid 80s, Tanveer was one of the original guitar players in the nascent pop/rock scene, and it was he who first discovered Ali Azmat and recruited him into Jupiters, with whom he got his big break.

Do you play any instruments as well? Thats a lot of knowledge..

 

[Nostalgic]

Man, I love your knowledge of the Pakistani music industry. Would love it if you could do a few write ups on the history of Pakistani music and the people involved in terms of where they began and where they ended up.

For a history of the scene, Nadeem Farooq Paracha’s articles from back when he wrote for The News On Friday (later Sunday) document it all better than I could ever hope to. That said, it would be great if they could all be collated instead of being scattered around in the archives. I knew only a few of the associated people, usually just watching them from afar at the concerts etc, but he knew them all intimately.

 

[Nostalgic]

Do you play any instruments as well? Thats a lot of knowledge..

Used to. Played guitar (always acoustic, never electric) for a good fifteen years or so. A lot of boutique acoustics have passed through my posession, but I sold the last of them a few years ago. Fine instruments deserve capable hands, which I could not furnish.

I still teach my son guitar and my daughter music theory so she can play violin, and occasionally I’ll mess with the boy’s guitar, but being a guitar snob, the learner instrument leaves me frustrated.

I’ll return to playing someday, once the motivation returns and I can justify buying the sort of instrument I like. These days though I’m too jaded to contemplate it.

 

[JaDed]

Used to. Played guitar (always acoustic, never electric) for a good fifteen years or so. A lot of boutique acoustics have passed through my posession, but I sold the last of them a few years ago. Fine instruments deserve capable hands, which I could not furnish.

I still teach my son guitar and my daughter music theory so she can play violin, and occasionally I’ll mess with the boy’s guitar, but being a guitar snob, the learner instrument leaves me frustrated.

I’ll return to playing someday, once the motivation returns and I can justify buying the sort of instrument I like. These days though I’m too jaded to contemplate it.

Lol well done on Jaded but glad to know atleast music still interests you, very few people in my social circle that still play any instrument, I played keyboard for couple of years before giving up as my voice ‘broke ‘.

Music and art really helps in being sane in the era of social media and your children are lucky.

 

[JaDed]

For a history of the scene, Nadeem Farooq Paracha’s articles from back when he wrote for The News On Friday (later Sunday) document it all better than I could ever hope to. That said, it would be great if they could all be collated instead of being scattered around in the archives. I knew only a few of the associated people, usually just watching them from afar at the concerts etc, but he knew them all intimately.

He was the reason I started reading Dawn in earlier years, his satirical articles are some of the best I have ever read even the ones mocking India.

 

[Nostalgic]

He was the reason I started reading Dawn in earlier years, his satirical articles are some of the best I have ever read even the ones mocking India.

He hardly writes about music these days, but early on in his journalistic career with The News, his articles were primarily about music viewed through a political lens, educating the readers about the sociopolitical forces that shaped or at least colored the musical landscape during the emergence of rock, punk and later grunge. The underground scene in Pakistan in particular owes much to him, and even otherwise, the sort of musical influences the artists of today boast about are far more substantial than the commercial pop fluff it would’ve been without him.

He’s had quite a life: as a child he spent time in a hippie commune in Afghanistan, and then there were the student politics which included gun battles on Karachi campuses and jail time, the heroin addiction, and finally being tamed by a banker wife.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

He hardly writes about music these days, but early on in his journalistic career with The News, his articles were primarily about music viewed through a political lens, educating the readers about the sociopolitical forces that shaped or at least colored the musical landscape during the emergence of rock, punk and later grunge. The underground scene in Pakistan in particular owes much to him, and even otherwise, the sort of musical influences the artists of today boast about are far more substantial than the commercial pop fluff it would’ve been without him.

He’s had quite a life: as a child he spent time in a hippie commune in Afghanistan, and then there were the student politics which included gun battles on Karachi campuses and jail time, the heroin addiction, and finally being tamed by a banker wife.

Not to forget his love for the PPP and his anti-PTI stance which is very evident in his sarcastic posts on FB.

But yes he does share some interesting blast from the past time to time.

 

[Nostalgic]

Not to forget his love for the PPP and his anti-PTI stance which is very evident in his sarcastic posts on FB.

But yes he does share some interesting blast from the past time to time.

It doesn’t surprise me, since he’s an old PSF stalwart, just like his late father. It shouldn’t take away from his influence on the nascent music scene years ago or his status as the most informed chronicler of it.

 

[JaDed]

He hardly writes about music these days, but early on in his journalistic career with The News, his articles were primarily about music viewed through a political lens, educating the readers about the sociopolitical forces that shaped or at least colored the musical landscape during the emergence of rock, punk and later grunge. The underground scene in Pakistan in particular owes much to him, and even otherwise, the sort of musical influences the artists of today boast about are far more substantial than the commercial pop fluff it would’ve been without him.

He’s had quite a life: as a child he spent time in a hippie commune in Afghanistan, and then there were the student politics which included gun battles on Karachi campuses and jail time, the heroin addiction, and finally being tamed by a banker wife.

Yeah the last of that experimental Pakistani generation imho, that experimented a lot with arts , beliefs ,status quo etc, and religion was always in backend , Pakistani identity more on the front along with music another example was Rohail.

IIRC JJ blamed NFP for introduction to drugs and bad influence.

 

[Saj]

Celebrated musician Rohail Hyatt has stepped down as Coke Studio (CS) producer for the upcoming season. The maestro, as of late, has been seen active on Twitter; a website he has never used as frequently before. From giving gardening tips to followers to sharing his two cents on the Senate elections, the introverted Hyatt we knew seems to have taken a new life altogether.

It was during this spree of Twitter interactions when a fan asked him if he became active on social media after taking a break from CS. Hyatt replied, “I am sure CS is being planned but not by me,” adding, “Social media is a great place to figure out if one is neutral or biased in any way. I am using it as a tool to measure my own imbalances. Seems to be working well for me.”

The cryptic response made Hyatt’s not-so-significant Twitter following wonder what he was up to and whether it really meant that he is no longer be producing CS. When The Express Tribune reached out to Hyatt, he confirmed that he is indeed stepping down as the producer of the show.

While he may not be producing the show anymore, the rumour mill is rife with him still being associated with it in a less direct capacity. Perhaps, a role that allows him to display the vacay mode that he currently seems to be enjoying on social media.

The Vital Signs founding member launched CS in 2008 and took a break after six seasons. He returned as the producer for the show in 2019 and churned out two consecutive seasons. Strings took the reigns from season six till 10 and Ali Hamza along with Zohaib Kazi co-produced season 11. As much as the notion in the industry remains that CS has seen so many different producers and has been happening for so long that the format has run its course, there is still a lot of curiosity around who will be taking the throne of Pakistan’s biggest music platform.

This year, CS will also be releasing a Pakistan Day special that is being produced by Hamza. Hyatt has never produced extended tracks, such as associated anthems and anniversary specials, so it will be an inaccurate parallel to assume that Hamza will be taking charge of CS from now on. The name that’s flying around in the market as the top contender is none other than Xulfi.

When reached out, Xulfi told us that it is always a possibility. The former Call guitarist shared, “Every year, there’s this news. So there’s a probability of doing Coke Studio every year. No one knows and let’s see what the future holds.”

It is pertinent to mention that Xulfi has previously produced Hum Aik Hain under the banner of CS and was also roped into to do Coke Studio Explorer before the latter was called off in season 12.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2290309/rohail-hyatt-steps-down-as-coke-studio-producer