Listen Up!: Beyond Bollywood

October 10, 2007

Beyond Bollywood

There was a time where 'desi' music necessarily meant music from films or Bollywood as it's commonly called. Having said that, there's always been an alternative movement that went against popular film music. Whether it was Uday Benegal and Indus Creed (formerly Rock Machine) or Vishal Dadlani and Pentagram (the same guy who also composes music as one half of Vishal-Shekar), there's always been a rock movement back home in India. Pakistan too has its own warriers like Junoon, Jal and Fuzon. This post is dedicated to the latter who although very popular in Pakistan, haven't been heard by too many others here. I will at some point, go into more details about the rather members of this alternative movement.

The first track I ever heard by Fuzon was called Khamaj (listen to it below) and I fell in love with the band. The scintillating vocals had me enraptured and I couldn't wait to hear more. Incidentally, the lead singer Shafqat Ali Khan also sang the track Mitwa from Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. I dug around and with much difficulty, I found a few albums to fuel my growing passion.

After the initial fascination wore off, I was mersmerised by their unique sound. It was definitely within the framework of pop but had a distinct sound that really appeals to me. Make no mistake, the lead vocalist is as talented as they come. A quick search on Wiki tells me that he is a trained vocalist from the Patiala gharana and I'm not remotely surprised with all the intricate vocals he belts out. But if you look past the vocals, you'll notice that this band manages to do what not many others have been able to. They blend in modern rock music with traditional Pakistani sounds. And the final effect is breath-taking. Rumours have it that the band is no longer together and are pursuing individual careers. But luckily for me, the music still plays on... (Check out a popular up-tempo Punjabi track Ankhiyan below by Fuzon). LISTEN UP to Fuzon!