Mekaal Hasan Band is in the completion phase of giving final touches to their 3rd studio album ‘Andholan’. This time around MHB is working on Amir Khusrau’s kalam for their upcoming album that is all set for a release, most probably by the end of this year.
This week on MTV Roots, the featured artiste is Mekaal Hasan of Mekaal Hasan Band. Catch Mekaal Hasan in a candid chat with Nikhil Chinapa about trends in the music industry.
Mekaal Hasan Band sweeps the music category in the 9th Lux Style Awards with 3 awards for the Best Singer, Best Artist and for the Best Video Director and Rohail Hyatt won an award for the Best Producer for the Coke Studio Sessions.
Others nominated in this category:
Maryam Kizilbash
Overload for Pichal Pairee
Rahim Shah
Shiraz Uppal
Best Artist:
Maryam Kizilbash
Mekaal Hasan Band for Saptak
Overload for Pichal Pairee
Rahim Shah
Shiraz Uppal
Singer of the Year:
By Madeeha Syed
With 2010 slated to be a comeback year for the music industry – provided everything goes as planned – here is a concise look at Pakistani pop music this past decade
From 2000 to 2001: Slow beginnings
Pakistani rock phenomenon Junoon was at the peak of its glory and had just released an album titled Millenium Edition, a compilation album which contained 12 previously released popular Junoon songs. The album also contained a live version of Allah Hu and Laal Meri Patt as well as a song titled Azadi – a somewhat haunting number – which they did for the soundtrack of Jamil Dehlavi’s film, Jinnah. The year 2000 also marked Junoon’s decade as a band in the industry. Pakistani pop band Strings got together after a hiatus of eight years and released Duur (which was later re-released in early 2002). The first single from the album Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar was a massive hit which was later followed by the hugely popular title track Duur. Although the reformed band was two members less and now consisted only of Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia, Duur marked a very strong and popularly-received comeback of the band.
By
Sadaf Fayyaz
1. Chal Bulleya (Mekaal Hasan Band)
The title song of Album Saptak, the theme comprises of seven cardinal sins. Directed by Bilal Lashari, and wardrobe by Ammar Bilal, the theme goes parallel with the beautiful poetry of Bulleh Shah. The seven cardinal sins concept is depicted well, with an exotically novel idea. Apart from conventional love stories message, the video is riveting.
2. Tanha Hai Kyun (Ali Azmat; Klashanfolk)
Zeeshan Perwez comes up with a brilliant attempt for the second video from the album. With rocking video and haunting vocals, it gets the second rank.
3. Az Chashm Saqi (Hadiqa Kiani: Aasmaan)
With beautiful and mesmerizing Persian poetry of Allama Iqbal, with clips of Iqbal’s life at different places, Hadiqa’s outrageous wardrobe and styling add a graceful glitziness to the video. Produced by Mian Salahuddin, the English translation and B & W theme add more poise to the revolutionary poetry, penned by Iqbal.
Paying the tribute to some the lost gems of Pakistan, Strings have come up with something old, in a new style. The highly emotive opening verses in the start do a fabulous job of an introductory session, of describing what the song is about. Marvelously directed by Soheb Akhtar, The song from their album “Koi Aanay Wala Hey” is a very beguiling tribute to some of the legends we lost. The B&W adds an archetypical tinge to the video.
5. Khuda Zameen se Gaya Nahi (Rahat Fateh Ali Khan)
The beautiful vocals of Rahat add melancholic touch to the video. English translation, rich on the feelings of nationalism, sacrifice, heroism and fighting spirit, the serial depicts the exploitation of youth by militants converting them into suicide bombers. It also exhibits the distress of demolition of human psyche and relationships in wake of uncontrolled terrorism in country in a pragmatic manner. It can’t be called a video exactly, but a beautiful compilation of some of the shots of the drama.
by
Daniyal Laghari
They may have been streamed live into households via Pepsi’s Battle of the Bands, but the Mekaal Hasan Band has become a household name in its own right. Five years later MHB is releasing its second album Saptak, and has a fabulous new video out that’s the talk of the town.
Their new video, ‘Chal Bulleya‘, shot and directed by the talented Bilal Lashari, has a solid song to its credit. ‘Chal Bulleya’ is a classic Mekaal Hasan song with the traditional classic vocals by Javed Bashir, insane guitar riffs, and the magical flute by Ahsan Pappu.
From Sampooran (a set of five notes) to Saptak (a set of seven notes), we preview Mekaal Hasan Band’s latest album.
I’ll confess: the Mekaal Hasan Band (MHB) for me (and for quite a few people) has been an acquired taste; mostly brought upon by attending some of its live performances. The first album, Sampooran, featured artistes that are the best in their field, but has often been described as too ‘hard to digest’. It definitely wasn’t listener-friendly, and the worst critique that one can give it is that the sheer perfection sought in the technique employed in the musical and vocal arrangements had robbed it of its soul. Getting off to a slow start, the album picked up a couple of years later, once the style of music (an attempt at a type of eastern jazz, if you may) managed to penetrate the minds of local audiences. Sampooran is now one of the stronger music albums to come out from the local pop arena.
The most noticeable music video of this year (yet) has been directed (once again) by none other than Bilal Lashari and it’s for the Mekaal Hasan Band. ‘Chal Bulleya‘ is a narrative depiction of the seven deadly sins and Lashari has boxed a celebrity in almost each vice. With an opening shot of the band –Mekaal Hasan with newly straightened, almost bonded hair – the story moves on to a hotel floor where a uniformed Juggan Kazim is wheeling room service from door to door.
Source: DAWN.COM
The Mekaal Hasan Band is gaining strength (and fame) by the day. It’s a professional outfit whose music is serious and meaningful. They take their art with a passion that befits a rock unit, and with a professionalism that can be justifiably associated with classical musicians.