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YouTube is no longer just a medium where artists can share their content with the rest of the world. It is also a barometer of gauging public opinion. The latest example is Coke Studio. This season, YouTube is overloaded with Coke Studio content (despite an official website) and the two songs that have garnered enormous fame include Ali Zafar‘s ‘Dastaan-e-Ishq‘ and Noori and Saieen Zahoor‘s ‘Aik Alif‘. This is not to say that the rest of the singles were ordinary. Pretty much every tune was spectacular but some were more audibly stunning than others. And the numbers keep rising according to the varied views. When these numbers reached Ali Zafar, he was ecstatic. {Read More…}

What if
… Junaid Khan of Call joins EP instead while Xulfi flies solo

Not that we don’t appreciate Call but since their days of Bollywood, the aggression and the passion that made the rock band and its lead singer Junaid Khan stand out from their first single, ‘Nishaan’ has all but disappeared. {Read More…}

Country’s internal turmoil is feeding underground music scene and popular guitar school

Declan Walsh in Lahore
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 1 September 2009 22.29 BST
Article history

Guitarist Shehryar Mufti, from the Pakistani rock band Bumbu Sauce, practises with a drummer at a studio in Islamabad. Photograph: Declan Walsh

Wannabe rock stars have it tough in Pakistan. Last month a new band, Poor Rich Boy (and the toothless winos), took to the stage of a cramped Islamabad cafe for their breakthrough gig. On the first night, one person turned up. {Read More…}

By the day of the event many variations of the I don’t give a flying funk concert were coined — what the funk, funk it, funk the night. Ignoring the fact that the moniker was a bit of a misnomer, the musicians in the backing band showed that they had the funk in them. In fact, ‘backing band’ doesn’t do justice to the likes of Louis J. Pinto aka Gumby and Omran Shafique. For some of the tracks, the vocalists were almost unnecessary; the audience response was a testament to that. {Read More…}

Atif Aslam has been given a new lease on stardom with his spiritual song for Ramadan. He talks to Instep about the new song and falling over at concerts.

Instep: One minute it’s Coke Studio and the next you’re in a Ramadan advertisement with Dawud Wharnsby. From rock to religious anthems, how do you balance the two very different genres without shaking up a doodh soda?

Atif Aslam: I am a Muslim and I feel I don’t have to wear the shalwar kameez or fold my trousers high to prove that. This is as much part of me as my pop star image. For me religion is primarily about peace and having compassion for other people. {Read More…}

The people don’t give a flying funk…
but the band did!
Gumby, Omran Shafique and gang gather for a raw and wired jam session…
Khaver Siddiqi
Karachi

Once upon a time, jam sessions were all the rage. It was when The Munchkins led the pack and gigs happened almost every weekend. Those were quite the days for music. These days jam groups have coalesced and members of each often meet up and have special gigs like this one.

‘I don’t give a flying funk’ was one such special gig held at the PACC Auditorium and featured the iconic Gumby on drums, Omran Shafique on guitars, Khalid Khan on bass and Rachel Viccaji on vocals. {Read More…}

As the second season of Coke Studio has wrapped up, new versions of originals and fusion tunes weren’t the only things that happened on the floor. Pakistan’s current reigning pop star Atif Aslam debuted a new tune this season, ‘Humein Kya Hua Hai’.

Aggressive, volatile and honest, it is one of those tunes that actually reflect a personal side of Atif Aslam and his sentiment on the ongoing situation and its impact on us as a people. {Read More…}

So, the coke studio season 2 finally comes to an end. We all are going to miss the studio where the fusion happened and will desperately wait for the the third season to come (May Allah give long life to Rohail Hyatt). During the airing of the second season, we actively collected statistics and ran voting polls (10 days per poll) for each episode, so, we may figure out and also share with you the likenesses and dis likeness of the crowd about the the season.

The statistics and analysis are our own and must not be used anywhere else without prior permission. They do not represent the original statistics of the Coke Studio by the Cokestudio.com.pk {Read More…}

In a month or so Coke Studio went through quite a few troughs and peaks. There were highs and lows. Let’s first shower profuse praise on the delectable duo of Zeb and Haniya.

Their song, Rona Chhor Diya (yes use double ‘h’ you burgers) with Javed Bashir chipping in with his jugalbandi kind of a thing, was a piece of art to relish, a true auditory treat. Both girls sounded fun and at the same time were note-perfect, musically speaking. The number was a delightful blend of spunk and meaningfulness. {Read More…}

Pakistan’s drummer par extraordinaire – John Louis ‘Gumby’ Pinto – has been one of Pakistan’s most renowned musicians for decades now. Gumby, who has played with almost every musical act in Pakistan, from Vital Signs and Junoon to Noori and the Mekaal Hasan Band and the past two seasons of Coke Studio, has emerged as the music industry’s biggest voice. After all, Gumby has kept the concert scene alive in Karachi despite the precarious security situation, by organizing gigs with the Kolachi Quartet and the Munchkins, and recently, with a line-up featuring the likes of Aamir Zaki and Omran Shafique. Gumby says these small concerts – that are packed with energy and bring out true fans to the venues – are the ones he enjoys most, but he takes as much pride in his work with Coke Studio. {Read More…}

In an exclusive conversation with Instep Today, Noori take us insidethe songs they belted out at Coke Studio that have changed Noori’s perception to fans, critics and the industry at large…

Maheen Sabeeh
Karachi

“More than being a musical performance,

‘Aik Alif’ was an internal/spiritual journey for the musicians involved.” – Ali Noor

“Saeen was quite particular about this track. It wasn’t like we had decided over a few phone calls that Noori and Zahoor would be doing a fusion track together. Ali Hamza had to go and meet Saeen at his house, record his tunes and ponder over them for a few days, then go back again and discuss not just the musical side of it, but the philosophical aspect of it as well. {Read More…}

“Pakistani music industry has always been strong.
Coke Studio is the kind of exposure it needs
to gain more popularity and momentum.”

- Qurram Hussain
– Josh discuss Coke Studio, its impact on fans, artists and the industry at large
Maheen Sabeeh
Karachi

Instep Today: Let’s talk about the Coke Studio experience. How was it for both of you?

Qurram Hussain (Q): Everyone always knows that Coke Studio gives the artists a chance to break out of their usual style a bit, but really it’s Rohail and Umber’s comfortable attitude that makes it easy to experiment. When Rohail had discussed the project with us, he was open to any ideas we had for music and {Read More…}

Lyrics of Strings – Titlyaan

dil tha khilona chalo toot gaya kia kahain
koi saathi tha jisay chaha tha
wohi loot gaya kia kahain {Read More…}