Musician mingle: Get ready to hear Kolachi’s sounds

PACC to host ‘Sounds of Kolachi’ today.

KARACHI: A musical collaboration between talented local musicians, ‘Sounds of Kolachi’, is set to hit the stage today at the Pakistan American Cultural Centre (PACC).

“PACC is a major hub of promoting art in Pakistan,” said Nasir Salim, the director of cultural programmes at PACC. “We promote new artists by giving them a platform to perform.”

‘Sounds of Kolachi’ is a musical amalgamation of different genres of both Eastern and Western music. The event is aimed towards spreading peace and the understanding that music transcends all barriers. The event is being produced by Nasir Salim and Ahsan Bari, a music composer and producer.



“This will be a wonderful experience for all music lovers,” claimed Salim, explaining that the musicians involved in the show are mainly amateurs. “They’re all dedicated and good performers.” The group comprises 15 musicians, 40 per cent of whom are female performers. Some of the musicians are Bari’s students.

“This is good entertainment,” explained Salim. “We want people to inhale the good feelings. We want them to feel calm when the performance is over.”

The show itself will be a continuous performance of two hours with four parts - the jugul bandi, which is a “communication between different instruments”, a mash up, a vocal section and a classical section - all of which will be a fusion between Eastern and Western music.

“We are promoting our culture through music,” said Salim. “We want people to understand the beauty in our culture and music. The musicians are sharing their love for the nation.”

The group has been rehearsing continuously since the beginning of January and is using an eclectic mix of musical instruments. The performance will truly be a fusion of Western and Eastern music with the musicians using everything from electric guitars to sitars in their show.  They will also be using a sarangi.

“There are three sarangi players in Pakistan. We want to preserve these types of music,” claimed Salim.

The musicians of ‘Sounds of Kolachi’ practice with dedication and fervour in the dimly lit auditorium, their passion translating into their music. Though the event will only go on for one day, the producers plan to have six more ‘Sounds of Kolachi’ events throughout the year, picking up more musicians as they go.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2014.