Categories
Concerts/Tours Pictures

Mekaal Hasan Band at PNCA, Islamabad on 28 Sep, 2010 (Concert Pictures / Videos)

Mekaal Hasan Band at Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), Islamabad Auditorium on September 28, 2010.

Photos Courtesy: Hasan Alam

Watch the videos below:

Categories
Underground Videos

Taal Karisma – Joy Of Sorrow (Official Music Video)

Song : Joy Of Sorrow
Band : Taal Karisma
Directed By : Nefer Sehgal
Produced By : Mansoor
Post By : Farhan Mehmood

Categories
Articles

Alan Simon: pioneer of body percussions in Pakistan

By Rafay Mahmood

[Original Post]

Alan Simon (Taal Karisma)As a three-year-old, he spent most of his time in kitchen, concerned more with the utensils than the food — after all, the latter could not make percussive sounds. The habit continued, but the thought of playing percussion instruments professionally did not occur to Alan Simon; he wanted to be a GD pilot.

All of that changed, however, when he enrolled at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA).Thirty-year-old Simon is now a percussionist and music graduate from NAPA, a Tabla player, and the pioneer of body percussions in Pakistan. Rhythm and percussions, he believes, were always a part of him and by deciding to take it up professionally, he has simply “formalised the craft”.

Categories
Interviews & Radio

Exclusive interview with Alan Simon (Taal Karisma)

Sadaf Fayyaz speaks to Alan Simon, the founder of band Taal Karisma, Alan shares something exclusive on his music, so the rhythm speaks itself.

Alan SimonQ1. Tell us something about your band.

Alan: I came up with the idea of a band formation a couple of years back. Taal Karisma was founded in November 2006. It basically means the “madmen in rhythm”.

Q2. When and how did you initially get interested in music?

Alan: Since at the age of six or seven, I used to have a keen interest in music. I used to play the kitchen items like empty cans and cookie containers. There were influences from church and I was passionate about music. I decided to buy a Tabla in 1998. I was in fact, the first student to be enrolled for learning solo Tabla at NAPA. Then, I got training from Ustad Basheer Khan and learnt some drumming techniques from Gumby too. I always desired to be a percussionist.