PAKISTAN, LIKE INDIA, has a rich musical tradition. My first exposure to Pakistani music happened way back in 1992 when Strings came out with their unforgettable original ‘Sar Ki Yeh Pahaar’, a part of their album Strings 2. I loved it instantly. It was melodious and had a very otherworldly feel to it. I am one of the most enthusiastic bathroom singers, and ‘Sar Ki Yeh Pahaar’ was just such a great tune to hum while going about one’s morning ablution. Besides, the video, shot entirely on the beach, was really simple but seemed to blend in very well with the melody.

 

In 1992 Strings was a popular band in Pakistan and was beginning to make its presence felt across the border as well. There were four of them then: Faisal Kapadia, Bilal Maqsood and two others. However, the passing years saw this very promising band go off track a bit. A couple of members left due to differences, and the rest devoted more time to studies and starting family.

 

In 2000 Kapadia and Maqsood from the original group came together to revive Strings. I did not expect them to repeat their successes of the early 1990s, because it was just the two of them: however hard one tries one cannot really get much diversity in music from a two-member band – or, so I thought. I am glad to say that they proved me wrong. Durr in 2000 was a big success, and why would it not be? It had all the ingredients that had made Strings so popular. The songs were melodious and the videos were well shot. Moreover, the duo were no longer fresh-faced boys but good-looking grown men, and this reflected in the maturity of their lyrics as well. The remixed version of ‘Sar Ki Yeh Pahaar’, which was part of Durr is one of those rare instances in music when the remixed version is better than the original, and the original in itself was great. Durr was followed by Tu Hai Kahan, Hai Koi Hum Jaisa and Dhaani.

 

Dhaani, released in 2003, in particular has some great music. Once relations thawed between India and Pakistan it was but a matter of time that someone from the Indian film industry would pick these two to make some film songs, and Sanjay Dutt obliged with Zinda. But, I think their most significant recognition so far has been the selection of ‘Na Jaane Kyon’ of Dhaani as the title track for the Hindi version of Spiderman. They are going from strength to strength, which has evolved to keep pace with the changing tastes in melody.

 

This trend of Pakistani music in Indian films started way back in the 1980s, when the dynamic but ill-fated siblings Nazia and Zoheb Hassan lent their voices to Star, the only Kumar Gaurav film that did anything of note at the box office. Boom, Star, Ooie, Ooie, Disco Deewane were all super-hits and for a while it seemed that these two would take the Indian music scene by storm. A decidedly young Nazia lent her voice to ‘Aap Jaisa Koi’ in Feroz Khan’s Qurbani. Sadly, she passed away in 2000 of lung cancer.

 

Pakistan has a very rich sufi musical tradition. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is one of the towering names in this genre. He single-handedly brought sufi quwali music into the modern era by including modern beats and rhythms whilst keeping its traditional aspects intact. He became one of biggest names in the sub-continental music, and his death in 1997 was mourned on both sides of the border. Currently, his nephew Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has taken over the mantle from his illustrious uncle and so far has done a pretty good job. His ‘Man ki Lagan’ is one of the best songs to come out of the Fateh Ali Khan stable, and there are many competing for this honour. Outside the clan there is also Abida Parveen. I have not heard much of her music, but people say that Abida Parveen has one of the best sufi voices and is right up there with Nustrat/Rahat.

One of the good things about sufi music is that it lends itself very easily to experimentation. This has given rise to a strong sufi-rock musical tradition in Pakistan. Ahmed Jehanzeb, Atif Aslam – formerly part of the band Jal – Aaroh, Fuzon and Junoon are big names in this musical style. Junoon in particular includes big dollops of harmonium and other sufi – for want of a better word – sounds in some of their songs. Its ‘Sayonee’ is one of the best sufi-rock songs I have heard for a while. Of late, Junoon seems to be transitioning towards hardcore rock and they are quite good at that too. But some of their songs still have hints of traditional music, and that is when their songs go from good to great.

 

Atif Aslam is another singer that I really admire. Blessed with a hypnotic nasal voice his songs like ‘Bheegi Yaadein’, ‘Jal Pari’, ‘Aadat’, ‘Ehsaas’, ‘Yakeen’, ‘Dil Haray’ and ‘Mahi Ve’ were part of my regular listening repertoire long before the Indian film industry discovered him and made a real hash of some of his best music. I particularly dislike the fact that his songs have been picturised on one Emraan Hashmi, whom I cannot stand, and which I think is a joke. Anyhow, one cannot blame Atif for it.

 

Aslam very nearly did not take up music. His overriding passion as a younger man was cricket, and he was set to pursue it as a career. But, as so often happens in this world a lucky chance saw him get into music with Jal and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Fuzon is another fascinating Pakistani band. I particularly like their ‘Tere Bina’, ‘Aankhon ke Sagar’ and ‘Mora Saiya Mose Bole na’. They are very much in the genuine sufi-rock mould and are better off for it. Aaroh is another great band. Their ‘Jeeyay’, a passionate ode dedicated to Pakistan, is stirring. Another great song they have is ‘Sawaal’. If they have to be bracketed, they would go under sufi-rock as well.

Then there are the hardcore rockers. EP, Mizraab and Call fall under this category. Though they are not very popular ‘Hamesha’ by EP and ‘Pukaar’ by Call are worth listening to.

We finally come to a final group of bands that I will classify as desi popular music bands – again for want of a better term. Junaid Jamshed of Vital Signs, Fakhir, Ali Zafar, Hassan Jahangir and Ali Haider come under this heading. Ali Haider of ‘Purani Jeans’fame; Ali Zafar, who gave melodious songs like ‘Rangeen’, ‘Chal Dil Merey’, ‘Huqa Pani’; and Hassan Jahangir of ‘Hawa, Hawa’ rage have had limited success in India. Obviously, they are much more popular in Pakistan. Fakhir, with his simple but foot-tapping ‘Mahi Ve’ came into radar view last year but has dropped off the map since. The only song I have heard of Junaid Jamshed and Vital Signs is ‘Dil, Dil Pakistan’, a jingoistic number that is quite hummable but for obvious reasons will never be much popular outside Pakistan. Jamshed was quite a heartthrob for the youth throughout the 1990s but has now gone the Saeed Anwar way. He has quit singing and has gotten into Islam in a big way. He has grown a beard and goes around preaching Islam to whoever cares to listen.

This article has turned out to be longer than I had expected it to be, and we have not even touched on ghazal. Surely, it will be a travesty of the sub-continental music if one does not write about Ghulam Ali and the other ghazal artists of Pakistan. But, I think that is a topic for another article.