Mughal-e-Funk, Meesha Shafi spell magic with rendition of Amir Khusro's thumri

An old Thumri by the legendary Amir Khusro has been touched by the amalgamating genius of Lahore’s musical group Mughal-e-Funk. Not only has this Thumri been turned into something you can now dance to, but Meesha Shafi has also graced it with her electrifying vocals.

The musical group’s latest release titled Sakal Ban featuring Shafi bids farewell to 2020 on a positive but hard-hitting note.

The band, by keeping the sanctity of the song’s melody alive while playing with its pace and groove have rendered a remarkable rendition. Albeit, compared to their previous work, they have simplified their formula.

The song follows a motley sequence featuring two sitar solos, “pairing seismic electronic hues with their [the band’s] brand of sitar-laden grooves,” according to the Rolling Stone India’s review of the track.

Sakal Ban’s video features both artists in a glossy setting with fog and dancers from the Sway Dance Project, while Shafi sings about blooming and growth. "Going back to my sufi, indie music roots with this delicious track and video," she had said on her Twitter while announcing the release of the track yesterday.

On the other hand, Mughal-E-Funk were working on the song for about three years according to the outlet. In a statement they said, “Rakae [Jamil, sitarist] was already working on this track […] after seeing a classical rendition of the song and then Kami [Paul, drummer] joined in and added some solid grooves, this is how the track started to shape up.” Bassist Farhan Ali and keyboardist/synth artist Rufus Shahzad added their parts soon enough and the band felt that Shafi’s voice “would do justice to the track and its overall melody.”

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.