Bringing percussion to the forefront

Alan Simon, founder of percussive fusion band Taal Karisma, remains unmatched in this genre.

KARACHI:

‘Gem’ — is the word that comes to mind when one sees so much talent and passion strewn around; guitarists, drummers, vocalists, you name it and Pakistani music has it. Of late, there is a new category that is changing the music scene — percussion.

These instruments, an integral part of the band line-up in the West, have not been used by most mainstream artists in Pakistan. Overload — who fused drums with percussive instruments — is amongst the few who have incorporated percussion. However, it’s important to note that percussions were used by these acts as additional instruments to add more flavour. Hence, they stayed mainly in the background.

Recording artist and founder of percussive fusion band Taal Karisma, Alan Simon is trying to bring a genre of his own by using percussions on the forefront. Simon — one of the very few musicians who do body percussions in Pakistan — has played sessions for the industry’s maestros including Mekaal Hassan, renowned producer Faisal Rafi, Shallum Xavier, Gumby and Arieb Azhar.

With Taal Karisma’s video of the song titled “Joy of Sorrow” already out, along with several internet releases including the brilliant “Ustaadji”, the band looks promising. The Express Tribune grabbed the opportunity to have an in-depth and detailed discussion with Simon.

So how did your music start?

I was always interested in beats. I remember as a kid, I tried making sense of sounds that I created from my mother’s culinary utensils. That was the first time I stumbled upon music. At Napa, I gained more exposure; my hand placements on the tabla were corrected by Ustad Bashir Khan — who is also my biggest inspiration. In addition to this, I continued learning other percussive instruments on my own. I also continued playing sessions for several mainstream artists. All of this nurtured my production and playing abilities.

Tell us something about body percussions.

I think I started doing it when I was a kid for fun. Eventually, I realised I could incorporate it into my music. I have recorded a few body percussions pieces in the studio. I intend to release these soon.

What is Taal Karisma offering that is new to listeners?

Artists in Pakistan usually focus more on melody. They play, compose and innovate while keeping melody in mind. In Taal Karisma, we wanted to do all of the above mentioned things but on the percussive side — alternate time cycles, an arsenal of ethnic percussive instruments that I have collected from all over the world fused with eastern classical music and various other styles. The melody will take a secondary role. This explains why I decided to put my band on the map with the“Joy of Sorrow” video and not “Ustaadji”, even though the latter was more commercially viable.

Do you intend to reach out to all sorts of audiences?

Yes, but by keeping our trademark style intact. My music is now taking more of an instrument-oriented direction. When there is too much lyrical content involved, the music appeals to a confined audience. I don’t want to restrict it; I want to reach out to a global audience and I really do believe that becomes possible when you start treating music as a language in its own right.

What are you working on these days?

I’m working on a plethora of finished and unfinished recordings. I’ve planned a couple of videos but, given the dismal situation of the music industry, I’m trying to create the right conditions for Taal Karisma’s releases. I want to reach out to listeners through as many gigs as possible. I also intend to experiment with a semi-live setup comprising a few live musicians and some pre-recorded tracks in performances. Meanwhile, on the musical side, I’m trying to explore the possibilities of fusing synthetic sounds with eastern classical music and percussive experimentations. These days I am also exploring Latin percussions.



Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2011.