Patari's Fanoos unveils hidden cultures of Pakistan

Collaboration project between musician Zohaib Kazi and team Patari is bringing regional music to the fore

KARACHI: It suffices to say that the Pakistani music scene is, once again, on its way to glory.

With multiple projects springing up here and there, each focusing on different aspects, our music industry is bound to thrive again. While we have Battle of the Bands returning and Coke Studio’s new season coming up, there are also independent projects which add their own special flavour.

The latest such project is Fanoos, a collaboration between musician Zohaib Kazi and digital music streaming platform Patari. Kazi told The Express Tribune that the idea originated about two years ago, as he wanted to bring light to regional music. “I believe Karachi dictates the urban culture of the entire country. And we Karachiites have grown up consuming foreign content so much that there is a detachment between us and the rest of the country,” he said. “Even my perception was the same and I thought we need to have our own distinct sound. It’s gotten lost amid all the foreign content.”



Coincidentally, Kazi met Patari’s Khalid Bajwa a few months ago. “I guess it was at the Lahooti Melo in Hyderabad that we met and ended up talking about the project all night,” he recalled. “We shared our visions, which were very similar. Patari is also quite active and works on a big scale. I needed a team which had that vigour so we partnered together.”

And so, Fanoos came into being. The project took the duo across Pakistan, scouring for new talent. Kazi said they ventured on unplanned trips and simply explored the areas, looking for artists.

Fanoos will release in six instalments starting May 12, with each track focusing on a different language, culture and story. “We wanted to bring out the true stories of the different regions, not just their popular music. We wanted to encapsulate the folklore,” said Kazi. “I would say Fanoos is an urban take on regional music so that just like world music, everyone can enjoy it.”

According to the musician, all the songs on Fanoos have different stories pertaining to the specific regions. They’ve covered Hunza, Umerkot, Noshehra, Kalat (Balochistan) and many others in the series.



Hamza Jaffri also initiated a similar project called Braadri Broadcast a while ago, hoping to highlight various languages. Talking about how such initiatives are important to help the musical landscape of Pakistan, Kazi said, “They all have huge importance as long as the intention is honest and true. We can’t terraform Mars with just one human. We need more projects to create this cultural language.”

Kazi claimed he had a blast working on Fanoos and would like to continue the series further. “We have a lot more content than just six tracks and had fun working on it. There is a possibility we will continue.” Apart from Fanoos, he is also working on a sequel to his sci-fi graphic novel (accompanied by a concept album) Ismail Ka Urdu Sheher.

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