Best of 2024 – Zeerak's Picks
AKHAN DA JAADU by Abdullah Kasumbi and Ashal Haider Khan
What is holding back Pakistani music at the moment is production. There are only a handful of world-class producers, each with distinctive styles supporting a large cast of vocalists. In an era where all the big players are looking for record deals, it becomes important to have a distinct identity with a known following. This creates an incentive to create a signature sound and stick to it. Experimentation is a risk if it ruins your chances of staying afloat. In the face of these pressures, Abdullah Kasumbi continues to experiment. Known best for his partnership with not-classical vocalist Hasan Raheem, he partners here with classical vocalist Ashal Haider Khan. Ashal’s gentle but skillful alaap is reminiscent of the early days of Fuzon, bringing the familiar pop sound of the time into the fold of North Indian classical. Kasumbi lives somewhere between the industrial sound of MALIK., the atmospherics of Umair, and the danceability of Talal Qureshi. He should go down as one of this era’s defining producers.
Naraz by Saneeah and Fahad Mushahid
This song is just the right amount of produced. The vocals have a lovely underwater-sounding reverb, but not too much pitch correction. The backing vocal is distinct but not overpowering as an effect. There is a male and a female vocal, but it is not a duet. The bass drum is present to create an uplifting pop vibe but is not prominent enough to make the song sound like every other big pop song in the country. The lyrics are simple but avoid using tropes from Pakistani music. There is a simple synth melody – catchy and not overly virtuoso. Most of all, it creates hope that even in an environment where the big names slowly produce the same things over and over, new people can find a fresh way through.
Ambwa by Muslim Shaggan
I’ve written about music for almost 15 years now. The process can become rote, and eventually it becomes hard to find that feeling in the thing that attracted you to your work. Most people who’ve turned childhood hobbies into work will find this feeling familiar. But occasionally something raw comes through and rekindles the feeling of joy that you used to know so well. For some reason, hearing Muslim Shaggan sing about separation in a park, with the motif of a mango tree, rekindled that feeling for me. It’s so plain, but there is no feeling of emptiness. The feeling is familiar, but in the void of separation, this voice seems to find some hope. There is only a harmonium in Muslim’s hands, but a full orchestra worth of emotion.
Swing by Machi
More Pakistani music needs to record bass lines using a non-synthesized instrument. The tradition of excellent bass-lines in Pakistani pop is long: Shahi Hasan from the Vital Signs, Brian O’Connell from Junoon, Khalid Khan from Aaroh, Mannu from Ali Azmat and Asim Azhar’s bands, Shazi from Jal. I’m excited to see a song built around the bass-line itself. The tongue-in-cheek lyrics, the simplicity of the underlick, the vocal treatment, 100.
AADAT (Acoustic) by Talhah Yunus and Jokhay
There is something homely about a broody guitar song with this name from this country. Arguably the country’s hardest rapper singing a soft anthem has its own charm. I love that Jokhay lets his rock roots slip through his persona as a hip-hop producer. And on this classic ballad, this background shines through. Yunus is after all, a rapper. But he sings on occasion, mostly hooks. This song has a chorus, but I hesitate to call it a hook. It has a verse, but I hesitate even to call it rap. What it contextualizes for me is that hip-hop is not just some borrowed phenomenon being cosplayed by Pakistani musicians. It is an entire recoding. It draws from Pakistani tradition, and there is room still to make it more ours. Who better than these two to prove that point.