KARACHI:
The latest season of Coke Studio may not have received the best word-of-mouth in the music industry, but the public at large has given it a positive verdict. After a long time, we got to see Coke Studio songs create viral frenzy within minutes of their online release. But all is not well in the subcontinent’s most talked about ‘studio’, as some of its featured guest musicians have complained about negligence and lack of professionalism.
The promo of Coke Studio episode 2’s Phool Banro, sung by Abbas Ali Khan and Humaira Channa, features Fuzön’s Shallum as a guest musician, but we don’t get to see him or his name below the song title. According to Shallum, this is reflective of the producers’ unprofessional attitude, as any artiste who is not a part of the house band deserves to be acknowledged.
“If they are featuring all the guitarists of the industry, then they should give them due respect. This will reflect badly on their image, especially if they have an identity beyond Coke Studio,” Shallum tells The Express Tribune. “I am happier touring with my band than being featured in Coke Studio if it fails to give me due recognition.”
The guitarist says he is bothered by the snub because words matter and any artiste would like to utilise a platform such as Coke Studio as a springboard for further hype. “Imagine what a Fuzön fan is going to think about the band’s key member not being recognised in Coke Studio when our new album comes out?”
Shallum is not the only one who did not get a special mention for his guest appearance. In Asrar’s Sab Aakho Ali Ali, musician Aamir Zaki’s name does not appear in the video, which is a surprise, considering most comments on social media platforms solely lauded his power-packed guitar solo. Same is the case with Sajjad Ali’s Tum Naraz Ho, which features Pakistan’s well-known shredder Faraz Anwar as a guest musician. “Aamir Zaki and Faraz Anwar are also at fault for this,” says Shallum. “They should speak out because this is about standing for something one rightly deserves,” he adds. Zaki could not be reached for comment.
Faraz feels that people in Pakistan are accustomed to ignoring the instrument player in a song. “This is the extension of typical Pakistani mentality of treating the vocalist as an artiste and the instrument players as nobodies,” he comments. “I have been bothered by this mentality so often that I have stopped complaining. Ye Pakistan hai, yahaan sab chalta hai.”
However, Faraz also feels that Coke Studio producers Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia should have realised that such recognition holds importance for artistes. “Faisal and Bilal are intelligent people and they have a band of their own [Strings]. At least, they should have realised how much these small things matter.”
Faraz is not concerned about his own image because he has been previously featured in Coke Studio and the platform’s audience recognises him, but feels this is unfair for first-timers on the show. “We should realise that guitarists have led band culture around the world, so sidelining them gives a wrong message,” he says. “In our country, half of the aspiring drummers end up becoming guitarists because jamming gets too disturbing when you live with your abu and ammi,” he adds.
Strings was not available for comment on the issue. Shallum has lodged a complaint to the producers in the form of an email, condemning the “primitive and imbecilic strategy undertaken by the marketing team of Coke,” which is “biased as far as guest guitarists [on the show] are concerned.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2014.
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COMMENTS (11)
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they are not guest guitarists, they are being featured in a song, the title should mention their names in featuring. for example did you see slash's new song it features myles kennedy.
It is just common and professional courtesy to acknowledge all the artists and contributors in a production. Not doing so is just bad form. I hope their treatment of foreign artists is also fair and professional.
Coke Studio is a program which is primarily followed by urban youngsters who buttress and shore up popular music culture. So this studio has a nice following among such an audience. Therefore it should be first in row to acknowledge on its professional part the role of invited musicians. Or else it only pushes on a negative impact and a perpetuation of prevalent narrow mindsets.
It is a sorry thing when some particular attitudes remain unchanged in us. Even back in the 20s, 30s and 40s when music was being recorded by the Gramophone Company of India, musicians who played or made sing the instruments were easily ignored in favour of musicians who sang. For instance recordings and shows by sarod players like Ali Akbar Khan and Amjad Ali Khan were one of the reasons the impression internationally that only vocal music could be produced from the subcontinent stood good ground to be dispelled. In our day, seeing guitar players invited to play with officially recognised collectives and not being mentioned in the credits reflects a mentality which need have changed years ago.
The completely thankless attitude of the guitarists definitely doesn't help their case. And what touring is Shallum talking about? Fuzon have hardly been on tour since 2010.
I don't understand what kind of recognization they want to get.strings mention all the guest musicians in their BTS. Its totally unfair to bash on strings.CS is just to enjoy music .Shallum n faraz what your take on that when Mr Rohail hayat didn't approched u in a last 6 seasons has a musicians?
While in episode 2 I do see this problem being rectified. Zaki's name is mentioned on Zohaib Hassan's track,specially since they posted it on the facebook page sighting the guests on the track. Still what Shallum and Faraz Anwar are saying is very true,this attitude of not noticing the instrumentalist is going to continue damaging the talent of artists/musician.
Such platforms should take extra care in mentioning such things and giving respect to the hard working artists involved.
To be frank, Mr Xavier has a point! He may sound like an attention seeker but for all the right reasons
@Daddy: Hes a total self pro claimed critic.
I wonder what is our friend Rafay M's grudge is with Coke Studio. This is second article I have read bashing the show in one way or the other.