Catching up with Fuzon

The trio talks about globetrotting experiences and performing with Alamgir.

KARACHI:

Even without an album release in almost four years, the Fuzon trio is as busy as ever. The band has kept fans entertained by releasing singles at regular intervals, such as last year’s world cup track and the song in collaboration with Azm-e-Alishan.

In addition to recording songs, Fuzon has been globetrotting and performing live with Pakistani artists like Alamgir, as well as some Norwegian bands during their tour of Norway in January this year. Since so much has been happening with the band, The Express Tribune caught up with Shallum, Emu and Rameez and asked them about their latest activities and experiences.

After the release of their latest album “Journey” in 2008, the band has done a number of international tours and collaborations helping them create new and distinct sounds which helped them grow as a unit overall. As Shallum puts it, “All in all, since ‘Journey’, our journey has been quite meaningful.”

The band performed in collaboration with Alamgir earlier this year in May at the Pakistan Advertising Society awards ceremony. Commenting on their experience, Shallum states, “Considering the amount of experience that Alamgir has and also keeping in mind that he is one of the first few who started the pop industry, I have to admit that performing with him was quite an entertaining experience. Watching him dance and sing during our performance in his white mesmerising outfit, made me want to jump off the stage on to the table and watch and learn.”

Following the same line of thought, Shallum further adds that in collaborating with an artist one does not simply exchange lyrics and notes but also moods and structures of the music, fusing together the different backgrounds of the musicians and creating a unique direction. He further elaborates that it is a greatly enriching learning experience when musicians collaborate with international artists if one is “willing to share, accept and embrace different mind sets, as it can benefit musicians’ and performers’ progress and boost their confidence as well.”

Emu shared that along with on-stage performances Fuzon is also looking to collaborate on studio songs where “creativity dictates the mood of the day.”

Furthermore, Fuzon also became the first Pakistani band to perform in China (Atif Aslam has performed in Hong Kong) at the fifth South Asian Countries Trade Fair’s opening ceremony in June this year, where Pakistan had been appointed the host nation. The crowd consisted of accomplished dignitaries from India, China, Pakistan and other countries who received the band’s performance very well, as Shallum states, “The performance was very successful. We played our songs and concluded our set with the National Anthems of China and Pakistan. We also managed to learn a few words in the local language to involve the audience and get them in to the groove.”

With regards to their future plans, the band says it plans to spend the year wrapping up their new album, which is scheduled for release at the end of this year; making new videos and preparing for their upcoming tour of the US.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2012.