Pakistani cover: Journeying to the East

Stage Monks presents a cover of Journey’s track ‘Don’t Stop Believin’.

LAHORE:

The 1981 classic “Don’t Stop Believin” by American rock band Journey was an anthem for youngsters who wanted to feel free and unrestricted. Not only that, the song from the album Escape — which is the band’s eighth and biggest-selling studio album — was later a regular at most sports events. Steve Perry’s vocals and the varied guitar and keyboard rifts highlight the catchiness and musical diversity of the song.

“Don’t Stop Believin” has been covered by various singers and bands and now, for the first time, an officially authorised Pakistani cover will be released by the record label Stage Monks, a unique platform for musicians which started in February this year when it carried out Pakistan’s first globally-telecast live performance online. The song, due to be released exclusively on the radio today (November 18) as part of the Levi’s original music series, will include an interesting array of musicians who attempt to recreate and enhance the original “Don’t Stop Believin”.

Covers typically have been looked down upon as something unoriginal but Stage Monks has tried to do dispel the notion by actively encouraging artists to recreate and enhance originals. Additionally, the record label has also encouraged local talent to get into the international music scene through the internet, so that they can maximise their exposure.

Meanwhile, the cover will see a highly-trained set of musicians — sitarist Rakae Jamil, vocalist Saadul Hassan and SYMT’s Hassan Omer — who have come up with an updated, more modern and energised version which adds an eastern tinge with the induction of the sitar. The overall sound of the cover maintains the melody of the original but also brings through a new and fresh way of reinterpreting a classic.

“Compared to musicians abroad, we [in Pakistan] have limited vocals and melodies, hence we resort to experimenting with our local instruments,” says Omer. “The idea is that originality doesn’t have to mean a new song, instead it is in showing individuality in music.”

Meanwhile, for Jamil, music is innate as he is closely related to Raza Kazim, one of the founders of the musicology department at the National College of Arts. Kazim is known to have one of the largest collections of classical music. Currently, Jamil, who has participated in platforms like Uth Records along with performing regularly at local gigs, is one of the few technically trained sitarists in Lahore.

More often than not, it’s the tabla that has been used in music compositions since it’s an easier instrument to incorporate when creating a fusion pieces. “However, the attempts of blending the sitar with western music have been tried by the Beatles’ George Harrison and then by legendary sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar,” adds Jamil, who is hoping to provide a relatively contemporary and pop sound in the track.

The track itself also needed powerful vocals and following Hassan’s brilliant performance of the Bruno Mars’ song “Grenade” — which requires a very different set of vocal range — it’s fitting that he has been chosen for this song. “Singing in English is different from singing eastern or Urdu songs,” says Hassan whose choir and musical background have made it easier for him to adapt to more difficult English songs.

Although, the song will be launched on the radio, the record label is also considering the option of iTunes Direct Downloads for easy access.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2011.