Saptak Album Download Link

From Sampooran (a set of five notes) to Saptak (a set of seven notes), we preview Mekaal Hasan Band’s latest album.

By Madeeha Syed

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. (more…)

The Mekaal Hasan Band, Overload, Coven and Caramel come together with Lahore’s glitterati to fundraise for the millions of internally displaced people in Swat.

Hani Taha Salim
Lahore (more…)

The ice is getting thinner

Pure and simple as a shepherd’s song

Music award shows don’t always validate talent but they remain a pop culture phenomenon and a necessary platform where excellence is recognized. Awards shows aren’t just about nominees and winners but also about the public getting an overview of what the music industry has accomplished in a given year. They also bring younger acts into focus along with the hip and in-season pop superstars. They show the mark musicians and entertainers have left on audiences, industry insiders and the media in a given year. Ultimately awards shows celebrate history that has been made.
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United For POP

While the MTV Awards were round the corner, Instep held a series of conversations with musicians ranging from Bilal Maqsood (Strings) and Ali Azmat to Atif Aslam and Ali Zafar and found out that musicians are now uniting on a single platform for their rights. Not that they were at loggerheads before, but this time it is simply a more professional direction that will give the music industry a chance to take charge. At least, that’s the plan. (more…)