Tribune Take: When DIY music became the new normal in Pakistan

A better year for Pakistani songs comes to a close with new platforms and more original content

KARACHI:

For the past 12 months, discourse on anything, be it commerce, arts, and culture, sociology, science, or the correlation between all of them, ends up being a commentary on how the ongoing pandemic has been detrimental to a particular walk of life. With respect to arts and entertainment, it has almost become a cliché to talk about how the coronavirus has crippled the industry.

By no means does it mean that the plight of stakeholders doesn’t warrant attention. Film-makers, musicians, actors, and other performers, particularly the ones that did not fall under the 1% cream of the crop, have seen the rug slipped from underneath. If music alone is focused, with the sudden ban on concerts for an indefinite period, the main source of livelihood for musicians was cut off. The recording industry also witnessed a domino effect following the halting of live performances.

That being said it becomes a far too complex discussion when the music industry in Pakistan is analysed against the backdrop of the pandemic. Given that it was never conventional, to begin with, the music industry’s woes can’t be viewed in the same light as the rest of the world.

On the recording front, Pakistan saw an unconventional turn for the better. From an economic standpoint, the year saw two new branded music shows aside from Coke Studio with all three, somewhat taking a chance on the new crop.

The year was also one of the better ones in terms of independent releases. 2020 came with the bang with progressive Djent act Takatak releasing their record Acrophase. Since the first single Faultlines was released, the band has come a long way within a matter of months. The record managed to gain acclaim from international outlets dealing with the metal sub-genre. Most recently, Takatak was featured in Metal Injection’s top five acts for the year.

Another metal artist, veteran guitar Waqas Ahmad also released an instrumental album called Doomsday Astronaut under the A for Aleph banner. Like Acrophase, Doomsday Astronaut has also been gaining modest momentum across international metal circles.

Let’s not forget legendary maestro, Faraz Anwer. The virtuoso guitar player released his new album Ishq kee Subha, something he deemed as a gift to his hardcore fans. The album featured unreleased work compiled for years. Despite shortcomings in productions, the album managed to strike a perfect chord with fans.

Another veteran to return to his roots was Asad Ahmad; the guitar player released two, hard rock instrumental EPs, titled Severe Cuts and Ascension.

Pioneers of indie, Sajid and Zeeshan also made a triumphant return this year after a long hiatus. During the peak of the first wave in July, the electro duo released the song Lighten Up that ended up touching old and new fans alike. Sajid & Zeeshan has also been recently advertised as a featured artist in an upcoming branded music show.

Prolific indie-pop artist Shamoon Ismail also made new releases like Rung and On & On all of which made waves.

Things were fruitful on the hip-hop end as well. Long-time veterans Young Stunners made several new releases all of which crossed a million views on YouTube. Their first release for the year, titled Quarantine was a collaboration with Indian rapper KR$NA, which to date has crossed 7 million views on YouTube. The act also made an entry into the mainstream with a collaboration with Asim Azhar.

Independent music web shows also reached new heights this year. Big Foot music, the brainchild of Hammad Khan and Sohaib Lari that was launched early in 2019 came out with 15 new releases this year. One of them featuring ex-Fuzon frontman Khurram Iqbal was a tribute to literary giant Ahmad Faraz. The producer duo also bagged the Lux Style Award for Best Emerging Talent, while two of the artists, launched from their platform received separate nominations.

A for Aleph, known for backing Avant-Garde artists came out with new releases in addition to Takatak’s Acrophase and Waqas’s Doomsday Astronaut. Under the banner, Pakistan’s first Hang Drum instrumental album by renowned percussionist Aziz Kazi was released. The album titled Cacan was most recently featured in the Rolling Stones Magazine. Other releases included Irfan Ali Taj’s Ibn e Adam and Surkhwab’s Sanval. In addition to that, the label also launched A for Aleph Live that featured new music recorded and performed live.

All in all, despite the tragedy that unfolded, Pakistan found one of the better years in 2020 when it came to original music. Not just in terms of the sheer volume of original songs but also the diversity of genres. The glimpse of a possible domino effect could best be seen in Takatak performing its track Phantom at an otherwise mainstream branded show, something which still seems uncanny.

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