Amidst all the skirmishes & thaw in bilateral relations there still exists a bond keeping India & Pakistan together - Mutual admiration for Coke Studio.A well established fact remains that music knows no boundaries and has the power to destroy barriers & bring people closer.At a time where political shenanigans between the two nations have driven relations to a new ebb,CS is a balm on the wounds.Often,unfair comparisons are made between the musical prowess both sides possess despite the fact that both countries have had a rich tradition from NWFP to the North-east.
To celebrate and further the cause of love and togetherness through music, MTV has done the world a huge favor by introducing us all to Coke Studio.Started in 2007 as a face-off between two of Brazil's greatest artists,it has emerged as a confluence of diverse music forms,beautiful fusion of various genres-to create a unique melody which has carved a niche for itself around the globe.
As the format rolls to India,Indonesia & other countries,we take a look as to which artists have made a mark in Coke studio Pakistan & what can we expect from the Indian counterpart
Coke Studio Pakistan:
Rohail Hyatt is one of the best Music Producers in South Asia-PERIOD.This man has executed the concept of Coke Studio to perfection by picking relatively unknown or long forgotten artists from oblivion & giving them a chance to perform on the same stage as heavyweights of the Pakistani music fraternity. A brilliant in-house band comprising of Omran "Momo" Shafique,Zeeshan Parwez,Abdul Latif,"Gumby" Pinto & Zoe Viccaji have been equal contributors to the show's success over the years by coming up with different riffs & melodies every single time to create the trademark "Coke studio" magic.The show's success has clearly underlined the musical diversity of our neighbours,and has shown that their music is not restricted to a section of certain well known Playback singers.Every celebrated name in the Pakistani music industry has been on this stage in one season or the other and have produced some unforgettable fusions.The 3 successful seasons & ongoing Coke Studio 4 have given a platform to some very interesting artists on the scene.A look at the hits:
Zeb & Haniya-Having performed for Strings,Noori & Mekaal Hasan,these cousin sisters classify themselves as a Rock duo,but their music at best can be described as pop bordering on soft rock.Combining Pop music with Turkish & Persian influences & fusing Guitar with traditional instruments like Rubab is a masterstroke.Listen to their renditions Paimona(You won't understand the lyrics,but the music itself is soothing) & Chal diye(sung in collaboration with Javed Bashir) from the 2nd Season of CS.
Arif Lohar & Meesha Shafi-Coke Studio recreates the ageless "Chambe di booti",churns in pop & Sufi elements,and lo,you have an amazingly improvised track.Both the artists complement each other extremely well,with Shafi's powerful vocals and Arif Lohar's Sufi touch giving a new ethereal dimension to this song.Backed up by guitar skills of Omran Shafique,the song takes a different dimension and it becomes a little tough to classify it in a specific genre.Meesha Shafi also has "Main chori chori" to her credit and the two are amongst the best songs of Coke Studio-3.
Mizraab-A quick look at the video,and you realize that Led Zeppelin' wasn't the best on the Guitar after all.For the Paki-Rock fans who love Ali Azmat & Mekaal Hasan,comes the Karachi based Mizraab.The rythm,the bass is Perfect,though singing leaves a lot to be desired,but for fusion-rock at Coke Studio,Mizraab,take a bow!
Asif Hussain Samraat-This little known artist hails from a certain state called Rajasthan in India.Fusing Marwari Folk with classical raagas is truly a job well done.If you love slow,melodious,soulful renditions,you'd love "Senraan Ra Baairya".Summary-intriguing & evocative!
Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi-Somehow,with the likes of Ghulam Ali & Mehdi Hassan around ,Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi is the perennial under-achiever.The man with Guiness record of most number of albums till date has revived the great art of storytelling.His legendary voice is a veritable treat for our generation.On Coke Studio,his track "Ni Oothan waale" captivates everyone who listens to this composition.
Kaavish-Another one of the Quintessential Pop bands in Pakistan,and which,personally has been one of my favourites since long.Many people would raise eyebrows if I'd say that the song which they sung is a lowri!But well,that's coke Studio for you-From Rock to Lowri-all on one stage!Check out Nindiya re..
Fareed Ayaz & Abu Mohammad-"Kangna".
Beautiful improvisation on drums and guitars,great vocals & the surprise element-Magnificent Riffs on Bass.
JoSH-Q & Rup created magic on the 2nd season by collaborating with Shafaqat Amanat Ali & we hope this Toronto based band will put its previous attempt to shame & out-do its previous performance.
Coke Studio India:As a music enthusiast,I am keeping fingers crossed & praying for the success of this show.Even if Coke Studio @ MTV comes remotely close to what we have in Pakistan,we are in for a delightful treat!. Leslie Lewis or Rohail Hyatt-that's something we'll be keenly observing.
Advaita-The Delhi based band already has a cult following amongst the music circles.A highly acclaimed fusion band(and also one of only 4 bands to have worked with John Leckie) with powerful Hindustani Vocals of Ujwal Nagar & Suhail Yusuf Khan,Western Vocals of Chayan Adhikari & a heavy duty line-up of Anindo Bose,Abhishek Mathur,Mohit Lal,Aman Rathore & Gaurav Chintamani are known for mixing Raagas,contemporary music & experimenting with instruments.Watch out for Raag Durga,Ghir ghir,Gates of Dawn & other tracks from their album-"grounded in Space".
Raghu dixit-Their website describes them as "One of the pioneers in India in creating an openhouse for artists from different genres to collaborate & create dynamic sounds and expressions" Raghu Dixit's music is an amalgamation of Indian ethnic music and styles from different parts of the world.His lyrics are quite simple,peppy at times,thought provoking at others,but nonetheless,his songs are quite different and distinct from mainstream indipop.Hope to hear Mysore se aai,Khidkiyan & No Man ever loved you with a dash of Coke Studio!!
Tochi Raina-The man dubbed as the next big thing in the Indian Music Industry,with a very distinct voice is Tochi Raina.Having sung critically acclaimed songs in A Wednesday(which fetched him an award),Iktara & Saibo,expectations are high from this Sufi turned Playback singer!
Wadali brothers-Legends are Ageless,and this brother duo testify the statement.The Voice quality is superb,the range is phenomenal.Anyone associated with music holds Wadali brothers in high regard.One of the most respected folk,Qawwali & sufi singer collaboration in India,Wadali brothers & Coke Studio make for a heady music delight!
Kailasa-The triumvirate of Kailash,Naresh & Paresh form the band "KAILASA" which means crystal,and indeed these three music geniuses make music which is pure & crytal clear.Over the years,they have given hits such as Teri deewani,Saiyaan & Chaandan mein.We are eagerly awaiting the moment when Kailasa meets COKE!
We hope that this palette of genres not only provides a kaleidoscopic view of the Indian Music culture and continues unearthing new talent & promote Pure music but also helps heal relations.As someone rightly put it that after silence, what comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music!
