Setting new precedents in instrumental music: Firefly, the film piece

After the likes of Overload that took dhol-based music and percussive instrumentation to the next level, we also witnessed Karachi-based band Taal Karisma that doesn’t actually compose instrumentals, it relies on body percussions, but hasn’t managed to create a stir.

However, we now have a newcomer in the market. Usman Riaz has just released a video of his track “Firefly” that has become really popular on the internet, getting as many as 13,000 hits on YouTube in less than a week. The video is shot in the auditorium of the Karachi Arts council, where one can see Riaz playing a guitar and simultaneously creating percussive beats by hitting the 6 string with his hands. The video is crisp and follows the lead of the music. The director has used a variation in camera angles and shots, thereby ensuring seamless visuals. The end of the video says it all, as you witness the musician looking up from his guitar, only to discover he has been playing to an empty hall. The silence is broken when he himself appears into the audience and applauds his own performance. Riaz on stage takes a bow in return. When asked if there is a market for instrumental music, he replied with utmost confidence: “I do believe that there is a place in the music industry and market here for someone like me. I feel that so far no one has been able to do what I do and therefore I am lucky enough to have a completely clean slate to work with. Honestly, there is nothing more exciting than that. I don’t think about what kind of music works and what kind of music doesn’t; I think you should just let things happen.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2011.