Back-to-back setbacks and albums

Fuzon pays homage to musical legends in tribute album which will also serve as a precursor to their fourth core album

KARACHI:

When Fuzon came to the fore with their debut album Saaagar, they were a triumph of the imagination. However it has not been smooth sailing for the band since then as they have gone through multiple reformations.

Almost a decade on from their debut release, the band has experienced a change in lineup not once but twice with founding member Shafqat Amanat Ali and later Rameez Mukhtar parting ways from the band.



The band, which is now getting ready for the release of its third album with new vocalist Khurram Iqbal, doesn’t consider the change of vocalist as much of an obstacle.

In an interview with The Express Tribune, front man and composer of the band, Emu spoke of how the band has actually been ahead of their time.

“Fuzon has always been known for their experiential style; you can see we are about to release our third album and we have had three vocalists up till now. I would consider ourselves trendsetters and ahead of the curve,” said the pianist.

The third album Ek Raanjha would actually serve as a teaser for their fourth album which is expected to release early next year. Ek Raanjha is the band’s tribute to the musical legends of yesteryear and is a compilation of seven covers. The tribute album, which was slated to release in April earlier this year, had been delayed owing to “technical difficulties”.

“We are now aiming for a release after Eid. Initially, we had made music videos but we had to dump them due to technical difficulties,” said Emu.

The band was supposed to record the third album with Rameez but there was a change of roles, with Khurram taking over Rameez’s slot.

Elaborating upon the sound of the third album Emu remarked that, “Although Coke Studio and Nescafe Basement have just started doing covers we have been doing it for a while. We were the ones who started the trend of eastern and western musical fusion. In a way they have actually taken a leaf out of our book.”

Ek Raanjha features covers of sub-continent classics and has been in the works for a long time. “A good album will always take some time. But the problem here was that it was the selection of tracks that took us all the time,” said the music composer.

Elaborating upon the sound of the tribute album, Emu said it is a departure from their original style and termed it as “more mature and melodic” music as compared to their previous music.

The album, according to Emu, serves as a double-edged sword for the band as it not only serves as a teaser for their fourth album but also gives them a chance to display the vocal talents of their new member Khurram Iqbal.



The band has gone against the trend of releasing singles by gearing up to release an album. “We don’t want to just release singles. We dare to release an album as every other artist and amateurs release singles as artists need to sustain their music and success. Nowadays, we have more one hit wonders than quality albums,” said the front man of Fuzon.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2014.

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