Talal Qureshi's Sensational Surprise

For the last ten years I have been an avid electronica listener. And, I always wished for locally produced, good quality music. Sadly, Pakistan has yet to accept the complexities involved in electronica. To many, it is just "music" or "sythentic music made with computers."

Pakistan has its share size of surprises, and Talal Qureshi is one of them. Based in the Karachi, he was first noticed by the local crowds when he first released his track, Shift Phase. Later, he remixed Adil Omar's Off The Handle. Recently, he teamed up with Zeeshan Parwez—one half of the famous Sajid & Zeeshan duo—and released a track titled Wasted Youth. He also has a hand in producing music for the upcoming movie, Gol Chakkar.

From house to dubstep to soundtracks, Talal is a rare talent. He has shown that he is truly a musician who is not bound by trends and fads. His new single Senses is a testimony of the very fact. Generally known for his dubstep tracks, this new offering is more ambient and minimal and no way near to dubstep.

Infused with minimal and techno elements, Senses is a track which takes you on a journey. This track is not your usual club hit but instead, it is a mellow lounge sensation which grips you with its simplicity. The deep dark vibe takes you into a journey. Tracks like Senses define new boundaries, and open our minds to newer horizons. With dhool and raga elements, Talal has opened a different dimension altogether. This is not something from Buddha Bar compilation. This pushes the bar higher. Talal has did something similar to what Junoon did back in 1990s when they invented "Sufi Rock". Without words but with simple, yet impactful elements, he has made something quite revolutionary. In my views, we are hearing the earliest incarnations of Sufi Electronica.

Senses is a welcome break from the usual formula stuff that is going around for the last few months. The track has already received airplay from BBC Asian Network, BBC 6 and all famous, BBC Radio 1. You can hear the track below:
 

To know more about Talal Qureshi, check out the following links:

SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/talalqureshi
Twitter: twitter.com/talalqureshi
Facebook: facebook.com/talalqureshimusic
YouTube: youtube.com/talalqureshi

اس دفع ذرا سمجھداری سے

کچھ ایک سال پہلے میں نے پہلی دفع اردو میں بلوگ لکھا تھا. اسکا مقصد صرف ایک تھا کہ کچھ باتیں صرف اپنی زبان میں ہی اچھی لگتی ہیں. آج ایک دفع پھر خیال آیا کہ پھر سے کچھ لکھا جائے. سال کے آخری حصے میں انتخابات ہیں' اور اس دفع خدرا عقل سے کام لیا جائے. پچھلے 4 سال میں ہم سب نے دیکھ لیا کہ جمہوریت کے نام پر کیسا مذاق کیا گیا.

صرف کراچی کو ہی لے لیجئے. بےگناہ لوگ مرتے رہے اور سیاست کرنے والے سیاست کرتے رہے. بھاتا خوری نہ صرف غنڈوں نے کی بلکہ محافظوں نے بھی پیسے لوٹے. سارا ملک اندھیرے میں جانے کو ہے کیونکہ بجلی غایب ہے. کہاں ہم گیس پیدا کرتے تھے' آج اسکے بھی لالے پڑھ گئے ہیں.

کہتے ہیں کہ سمجھدار وہ ہوتا ہے جو دوسروں سے سبق لیتا ہیں. ہم میں بھی اب سبق لینا چاہیے. اپریل اور مئی میں دو یوروپی ممالک میں انتخابات ہوے. ایک تھا فرانس اور دوسرا تھا گریس. دونوں کی اوم اپنی موجودہ حکومت سے نالاں تھی. فرانس کے سرکوزی نے اپنی عوام کو کچھ زیادہ نہیں دیا سواۓ مہنگائی کہ. گریس میں بھی کچھ ایسا ہی معملا تھا. اس سال جب انتخابات کا وقت آیا تو دونوں ملکوں کے عوام نے ووٹ سے اپنے مستقبل کا خود چناؤ کیا. فرانس میں پہلے راؤنڈ میں کوئی برتری نہ لے سکا اور دوسرے راؤنڈ میں ہوللاند نے سرکوزی کو شکست دی. گریس میں انتخابی نتائج ملے جلے آے. کسی پارٹی کو سبقت حاصل نہ ہوسکی. آخری خبر آنے تک وہاں پی حکومت بنانے کے لئے مذاکرات کامیاب نہیں ہو سکے ہیں.

ہم سب نے دیکھ لیا کہ یہ حکومت کتنی جمہوری تھی. اب یہ ہماری ذمہداری بنتی ہے کہ ہم باتیں کہ ہم کسی جمہوریت چاہتے ہیں. ووٹ ڈالتے وقت اس بات کا دیہان رکھیں کہ کسی صحیح آدمی کا انتخاب کریں.  اس دفع کی ناسمجھی بہت مہنگی پڑسکتی ہے.

My Ode to Ferry Corsten

If someone asks me who is your favorite music artist, then my answer would be Ferry Corsten. For people who are not accustomed to this name, let me introduce him.

Ferry Corsten is an electronic dance music producer as well as a DJ of international fame. He hails from The Netherlands, the country known for its DJs like Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, And Nicky Romero. Unlike the other three, Ferry is relatively unknown. However, one should not be in error with his profile. Ferry is a master at what he does. He is one of the most creative person in the genre. For the past twenty years he has tried to experiment with his sound. He has tried to create fusions and define limits. This is why many people think that Ferry is 'boring'.

Being his fan, I thought that I should celebrate his work. The mix that I am making available for download was created a day before the airing of 250th episode of Ferry's show Corsten's Countdown. This mix celebrate Ferry's work under his own name, the remixes that he made, and the talent he showcased through his music label, Flashover Recordings.

The mix was submitted to di.fm for airplay and it was aired on May 10th after permission from Ferry's management. I cannot thank enough all the people who made this possible.

To download or listen to the mix, visit http://minus.com/mywshz

Show and tell

Hayelo! Flaunting already Gilani sahib! It seems that the government cannot stop at making unwise decisions. The same day when Gilani got his 'stick on hand' verdict, he asks the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to allot land for 'Benazir hall of fame'.

According to Dawn, the hall of fame "would be a tribute to legends of the country as well as new creators and innovators. The prime minister said the government held the country’s intellectuals in high esteem and gave weightage to their opinions. 'The artist community is the ambassador of Pakistan in the world since they are show-casing country’s culture, tradition and the image in the world,' he said."

Indeed Gilani sahib but the problem is the image that your government matters more. For example, it would have been a moral thing to do if you would've resigned after the verdict. It is written in the constitution (the one you love so much) that a person with conviction cannot be the leader of the country. Being staunch at this moment will not help you or the country. Thanks to the 'policy of reconciliation', the country now stand on thin ice. Has it occurred to you that the 'public mandate' you talk about is no longer with you.

On March 29, Gilani Research Foundation Survey carried out by Gallup Pakistan concluded "53% favor disqualifying PM to hold office, if he disobeys the Supreme Court. 13% support further reprimand without disqualification. 18% would like SC to uphold PMs view or change its own verdict [while] 16% are unable to give a view." A day earlier, it was reported by the same organization that "61% oppose while 33% favor PM Gilani’s view that President Zardari enjoys Presidential immunity against court proceedings." And, if that was not enough, on March 15, it was reported by Gilani Poll/Gallup Pakistan that " 52% agree that the leading political parties of the country do not represent the ideology of their generation, 31% somewhat agree whereas 10% disagree and believe that the leading political parties does represent the ideology of their generation."

Has it occurred to you that why all of this happening? Why the public is not supporting its elected prime minister? The answer is quite simple. The economy is in bad a state. The PEW Research Center shows that the during the past four years of democratic rule, the economic conditions slumped. When asked, "Is the country's economic situation good or bad?", 85% respondents said it is "Bad". Your government came into the power with the promise to eradicate load-shedding. Sadly, the promises remained promises. Instead of improving, cities like Faisalabad, Sialkot, and Peshawar now suffer with 16 to 18 hours of power cut. The Pakistani currency depreciated in its value while the inflation galloped. Amazingly, I was unable to find any official poverty-related figures even since this government came.

However, the cherry on top is the question by the PEW Research Center, "How satisfied are you with the country's direction?" Only 6% are satisfied by the outlook. A legendary performance I must say.

By the way Gilani sahib, will you put shoes in the 'hall of fame'?