Mekaal Hasan brings free live music to overlooked Karachi areas

KARACHI: When it comes to art and culture, especially music, in Karachi, live gigs happen mostly in and around DHA, Clifton, and rarely Gulshan Iqbal. Hence, while security measures are a logical issue, the fact remains that most of the local population, who are unable to afford expensive tickets or live far away cannot attend live music concerts.

Veteran musician Mekaal Hasan aims to bridge that gap and bring live music to often overlooked areas of Karachi, with his new project titled ‘Rivayat Music Series’. The project will see four live gigs in areas of Gulzar-e-Hijri, Paposh Nagar, Sakhi Hasan and Pehlwan Goth.

To be honest, most of us haven’t even ever been to these areas, let alone visited to attend a live music show. Speaking with The Express Tribune, Hasan said he had wanted to do this project for a while, and now is finally going through with it.



He emphasised on the need for creating a healthy space for the performing arts. “I feel like a large part of Karachi has never had this experience of live concerts,” he said. “Through Rivayat Music Series, we want to provide the local communities with that experience and simultaneously help build community engagement by strengthening interaction amongst the diverse communes in Karachi.”

In the four live music concerts starting early October, the series will feature well-known regional artists, such as Fareed Ayaz Abu Muhammad Qawwal, Humera Channa and others, performing the traditional music of Sindh. Hasan believes live music experience to be necessary for encouraging the people’s participation, engagement and entertainment in the community.



“The music will not be curated according to the local community’s inclinations but rather to give them a new experience. For example, we figured that a lot of people like qawwali so we are planning to set the qawwali theme for one area and so on.”

In addition to that, the series will also provide a launching platform to the local musicians of each community, by giving them an opening performance slot at each of the four concerts.

“While the top caliber talents will definitely entertain the audience, we also want to provide a launchpad to young musicians from each of the four communities. There is so much talent and we just need to tap it. So, as they open the shows for the established artists, they will have opportunities to interact and perform and learn too,” said Hasan.

Supported by Publicis Pakistan and Karachi Youth Initiative (KYI), Hasan’s baby project will see him act as the curator, producer and musician.



The guitarist also emphasised the performances will be free for the public as to provide much needed quality entertainment for such overlooked areas as well as serve to highlight the local talent from those communities. He said he would ideally like the project to grow in the coming years and continue to explore and introduce talent from little known communities.



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