Review: A pro[fuzon] of the past

‘Ik Ranjha’ pays tribute to giants of yore, opening a window to the music of yesteryears

KARACHI:

In terms of where they come from, pop music and classical music have run parallel to each other in the country. While consumers of Eastern classical always found the other art form too trivial for their indulgence, figureheads of pop music in Pakistan had little to do with training in Eastern music forms. In the early 2000s, a band comprising two practitioners of Western music and the scion of the Patiala gharana rewrote that division. Pulling the two worlds together, they rightfully called themselves Fuzon.

14 years on, the band still stands strong. It has had as many vocalists as the number of studio albums that it has released. Their latest offering, Ik Ranjha, saw a digital release on online music streaming platforms recently; however, it is yet to witness a formal physical launch.

The tribute record revisits some of Pakistani music’s celebrated classics and opens a window to a world which is to a great extent alien to the listeners of today.



Ik Ranjha is fresh yet it is fully drenched in the long lost milieu of what we can call the classical period of our music. It has glimpses of Noor Jehan and Reshma, pays respects to Faiz Ahmed Faiz and derives from giants like Mehdi Hasan and Tufail Niazi.

It also culminates as a gist of the musical journeys of both Imran Momina and Shallum Xavier. Their previous vocalist, Rameez Mukhtar, deserted their ranks and Turkish soaps came and conquered Pakistani television-scape, with Imran riding the wave of this new phenomenon.

Apart from using their standard weapons of choice, Imran and Shallum also employ a variety of Eastern instruments to hold the experimentation together.



Tracks like Mere Shauq Da Nai, Main Tere Sang and Lai Be Qadran Naal Yari have been worked at a tangent from their original forms. While they may not sound as the best of treatments, they gradually grow on the listener – an innate potency that most of Fuzon’s tracks come with.

On the other hand, Wey Main Chori Chori has been underscored with perhaps the most brilliant composition amongst the seven tracks. An impeccable groove and well-structured arrangement do full justice to Reshma’s legacy.

The attention-to-detail with Ik Ranjha and Sun Charkhe Di is evident with their covers. However, Gulon Mein Rang rightfully stands as the pick of the album. In times when Faiz and Mehdi Hasan are seeing a renaissance of sorts with the new generation, the track provides an insight into their genius. Vishal Bhardwaj’s critically acclaimed film Haider had also incorporated a version of the track, sung by the very popular Arijit Singh. However, Fuzon’s Gulon Mein Rang is miles ahead; an offering that would have made Faiz and Mehdi Hasan smile with pride.



All in all, the album is owned by Fuzon’s latest vocalist Khurram Iqbal, who despite having big boots to fill has sung with remarkable control. Not once in the entire runtime does he leave a bad taste in the mouths of those who have grown up listening to these classics that used to play on the tape recorder placed on a high shelf in the living room.

In the process of this album, Khurram puts to shame all those artistes of today who have made it their life’s mission to pay tributes and make these musical giants roll in their graves. This highly underrated vocalist has walked a dangerous terrain with great virtuosity.

Verdict: Ik Ranjha is fresh yet fully drenched in the classical element. It puts to shame those whose sole raison d’être is to pay tributes.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th,  2015.

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