Tuned in : For the love of music, he creates the perfect blend

Karan Khan launches 14th album with tracks mixing western and traditional sounds

PESHAWAR: It is the sheer love for music that has kept Karan Khan going for many years and now the singer is poised to release his 14th album from Austria.

Sitting in his tiny room with Pashto literature books strewn all around the bed and on a plastic sheet on the floor, the singer is all smiles as he welcomes friends to his flat in Saddar Bazaar.

The door is open for fans and friends alike who climb up to the third storey to  congratulate Karan on the new album.

Cheerful, funny and frank, he sits with visitors and plays the new songs of the album on his laptop, hoping to receive feedback from
his guests.



His cousin Irshad Khan, a student of music, offers green tea in transparent cups with Afghani flags on them. Originally from Swat, Karan narrates stories of yore when he was a disk jockey and talks about the circumstances surrounding the new album.

“This will be the first Pashto album that is only available online and not on CDs or cassettes,” says Karan. “In the current climate, CDs are not being bought by the public as the content is downloaded without any consideration for copyrights. It is better not to release CDs as they are now a burden on musicians who already have meager resources.”

About protecting his work from piracy, the singer reveals the album has been released by Lens Productions, an Austria-based company. He adds the copyrights have been registered in the country and now anyone trying to infringe them will be taken to court. Karan says this is one of the few times that such a procedure has been followed as most artists are unaware of their rights.

The new album, Kayyf, is a combination of western and typical Pashto music. “We have made it a combination of contemporary and traditional music. Young people are not in a position to take in pure traditional music,” he tells The Express Tribune. “So the beats are eastern, but the chords are western.” He says sometimes change is good to give music a global appeal.

However, there is no compromise on the quality of lyrics and legendary poetry has been used in the songs. They include the works of famous Pashto poets including Saaduallah Jan Burq, Sahib Shah Sabir and Shafiullah Babarzai.

Some of the songs are instant hits including Bacha Khani Pakar daI, a song that pays homage to Pukhtun leader Bacha Khan. The song talks of unity among Pukhtuns and preaches peace and tolerance. A romantic song, Makham, released on Wednesday, has been liked by 18,000 people on the official Facebook page. The traditional Pashto tappa, which is part of every album, has been heard by some 42,000 people.

He said Lens Production is the first Afghan music and video production studio in Vienna and helps singers record and promote their work. It has also arranged a number of musical activities for Pashto artists in an effort to support them. The studio was started by Storay Khan, an Afghanistan resident. According to Karan, the same production house is now working to make videos for each song. He says the love for Pashto music and culture is the main catalyst for the album.

“These days albums are not produced as musicians never benefit from them due to online piracy and the lack of sponsorships,” says Karan. “If anyone tries to breach my copyrights, he will be taken to court,” the singer adds.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2015.