Mekaal Hasan Band

Mekaal Hasan Band played their 1st Canadian show at Mississauga for the Telus Mosaic Festival 2010. The next stop was the Quebec City Summer Festival where Mekaal Hasan was a featured guest soloist on Josh’s maiden appearance on the festival, with heavyweights Iron Maiden, Santana, Rush and Black Eyed Peas. Footage and pics from the 2 festivals coming soon!!!

Monday, July 19: Ambassador’s Residence NY
(by invitation)
Time: 8-10 pm
Performance Time: 120 min.

Tues, July 20: Union Square Park Public Concert
(public performance)
Time: 5pm to 8 pm
Performance Time: 180 min.
Space: Out door Stage on north end of Union Square

Rubin Museum & UN Delegates Concert
1. Rubin Musuem of Art
(public)
Time: 5pm-7pm
Performance Time: 1 hr.
Space: Atrium

In times where simple riffs and meaningless lyrics will sell albums and get an artist invited across the border, there are still a few bands and artists that remain focused on creating unique music which represents a fusion between local culture and western influence. These musicians, in a sense, show an evolution of environment whilst keeping the core culture intact. Mekaal Hasan Band (MHB) are one such set of musicians who seamlessly blend western jazz with Sufi and other traditional poesy to create a hybrid that can only be described as eastern jazz. Read More

1 Mekaal Hasan Band – Saptak

2 Kaavish – Gunkali

3 Mauj – Now In Technicolor

4 Falak– Rog

5 Sketches – Dastkari

Read More

That is what Mekaal Hasan – the musician and producer is: the golden ratio. And if it seems too clinical to reduce a man to a bunch of numbers, allow me to elucidate.

Mekaal Hasan seems to have this whole perfection thing going on for him, which might not make him seem too exciting, and probably inspires thoughts of him sitting in his studio planning the next melody he will mix flawlessly, but that also is just reducing him to mere adjectives. When one comes across someone who commands instant awe or immediate wariness, both thanks to the abovementioned attributes, and seems to actually be quite … not what you expected, how do you describe him?. Read More

Here’s some snazzy music from across the border. Pakistani jazz/rock/fusion group Mekaal Hasan Band have yet again etched their flamboyant mix of eastern classical ragas and modern western progressions in their second record Saptak. Read More

October 6, 2008 – The partition of India in 1947 may have led to the creation of two countries, but India and Pakistan share a centuries-old music tradition. Today, both share a fondness for the slick pop epitomized by Bollywood soundtracks. But the music scene in Pakistan is also home to some independent bands. One whose acclaim has spread beyond the country’s borders is The Mekaal Hasan Band… Read More

If anyone spends enough time with Mekaal, amongst many things, one learns that under his razor sharp jibes and the knack for witty apt nicknames, there lies a person who still works everyday to be able to consider himself a musician; he is always there for those who are still struggling to perfect techniques and whotake the initiative to come to him — provided they have done their homework.

lf anyone has seen Almost Famous, they would know that in the world of musicians, music journos are ‘the enemy’. They infiltrate the well-intentioned sphere of musicians and misconstrue their free-flowing, often inebriation triggered wisdom. Since the license that journalists hold abroad is very strong, they are also viewed as somewhat of a risk factor: their spin on a musician’s words can create a make it or break it situation.

Between us and them, it is a vicious circle, perpetuated by the need to be published and the need to be played in a world of meticulous consumerism, nepotism and favoritism — all the ‘isms’ hated most.

Listening to what the majority of musicians are churning out by the hour, it’s not very hard to see that something is missing from the game. After a little thought, the most obvious element lacking is a structure with which a music industry would first develop then sustain and flourish.

Mekaal Hasan is one of the big names in Pakistan. Not thriving on popular demand, but in a very well-carved niche; he is highly respected as a musician and producer, by musicians of all genres. On much behest (which musicians love), Mekaal decided to speak, even though he has spoken voluminously on the subject before but apparently to no heed.

If anyone spends enough time with Mekaal, amongst many things, one learns that under his razor sharp jibes and the knack for witty apt nicknames, there lies a person who still works everyday to be able to consider himself a musician; and is always there for those who are still struggling to perfect techniques and who take the initiative to come to him — provided they have done their homework.

This afternoon, on a rather acrid note about the uselessness of talking to the press “who don’t know how their own music industry works” Mekaal unfolded the blueprint that is lacking in Pakistan regarding the music industry.

Wanting to know how the music circuit works, the first question pitched to Mekaal was if he could lay down the basics of how it works in Pakistan, since he plays a big role in it. And the very first question was squashed by the big rookie-journalist-swatter: according to Mekaal, as there is no “frame work” that exists in Pakistan, hence the question posed above proves useless. In essence, Mekaal believes there is no industry that exists. There is no said network or rhythm in which musicians sequentially go about doing their work.

For my first inquiry, Mekaal launched an offensive; a counter question: Have I as a journalist interviewed a “working musician”? Or have I ever asked a working musician how things work in the music industry? — and here I was under the impression that I was interviewing a working musician!
In retrospect, it made sense. A working musician is someone who struggles to make ends meet by taking all possible opportunities to earn money as a musician, where there is no option to be picky. They do not choose the venue they play at according to the assigned stature but the remuneration received. In Pakistan, those musicians rarely come into the limelight as the limelight is rather picky about whom to highlight. Here the limelight is controlled by the image makers, the wardrobe designers and the PR companies that demand hard cash in advance to promote, rather than see talent, publicise it and then reap the benefits.

Regardless of what might be lacking, there is a small haphazard world of musicians. How do they work? “Ours is one of the very few countries who made a constitution after its inception, hence in our music industry, following our great country, everything occurs in reverse. People make videos first, before even learning to sing or perform.”

According to Mekaal, in a music video, the video director is of paramount importance and not the song. Not only does a director choose which song he would like to work on and, depending on the fame of the director, the music video gets better rotation and gives the musician a “market positioning”. This entire endeavor is funded by the artiste, not the record company as is the norm in an established music industry.

What follows is the blueprint that works in countries where the music world works like an industry as described by Mekaal: Bands and artists have to do the club circuit which involves already having a fan following or reputation. Musicians float their demo tapes to club managers or owners who give it a listen and decide that the band should play at their venue as there is a possibility that people will like them. At the good clubs, more than one band plays and the best bands play in the peak hours.

A&R (Artist and Repertoire) are people who scout these clubs and based on which bands have a certain following and how long the band has been playing, offer the band a deal.

In that demo deal, their recording is financed and the label then decides what to offer the band. Perhaps recording just a single would determine their market worth and positioning. After this, the musicians tour incessantly, with the help of a tour management agency who ensures they are given many opportunities to perform. By this time the band has an advance to record.

Mekaal says that a popular misconception is that abroad record companies give artistes hard cash: they forward advances which are a recoup from royalties. The band can have a number one hit, and make no money as their royalties are tied up in advances for recordings, videos, tour support. In most cases, producer royalties are also tied in and the producer needs to be paid before the band can start making money. Artistes very rarely get to see a chunk of the royalties.

The band makes money through gigs and concerts — the only common factor between bands in other countries and Pakistan. Elsewhere in the world, musicians also make money through merchandising, unless the record company has a deal that a certain amount of money from merchandise sales will be theirs. Otherwise the artists receive the profits from merchandising.

“None of this entire network which is necessary to actually have people who can play and are musicians, exists. That is why the worst band abroad will still have musicians who can play because they function as musicians at some level. They cannot just get up and be famous stars,” Mekaal goes on to say that other than celebrities who as a gimmick start singing, it is highly unlikely that a record company will invest money in someone who has not already been functioning as a professional musician.

A breakaway from this highly fluid set up in other countries is the self recorded and self distributing Shehzad Hameed. In response to his example, Mekaal says that this practice is nothing new: countless musicians fund their recording themselves and then approach a “so-called label” for distribution which delivers zero payback. The real question Mekaal poses is: will this work? Since Shehzad Hameed (who independently-released his debut album a couple of months back) is not doing any marketing or promotion, will his endeavor pay off? There are many similar albums sitting on the shelves, collecting dust.

In terms of marketing, Mekaal shares that the Mekaal Hasan Band (MHB) has give over 3,000 free CDs as giveaways and that does not mean those CDs will get them a gig. They also signed up on iTunes where people can buy and upload their work.

But then, why don’t we see their videos getting airtime? Mekaal claims that they chose not to sign up with any channel. Their website has a comprehensive system of downloading their videos at different qualities as well as purchasing their merchandise. So as already established, each musician in Pakistan has their own approach to surviving in the insouciant world of music.

“There is no industry,” Mekaal firmly reiterates when I pester him to tell us how it works here. Getting past the semantics, he says that musicians here record and decide to float the album or video on the various music channels in Pakistan. The main concern is when “at the end of the day you’re going to, on a reasonable album, spend somewhere between two and 10 lakhs” how can it be recovered. Getting it recorded, releasing one or two videos is not a cheap feat. Quoted above is a basic cost.
Often, he says, people come into his studio, who want to make an album. Those who have no clue about music or singing. They come with an idea, a basic melody and say they want to record an album. After listening to that melody, Mekaal would ask what music they like or who their influences are? And in 80 per cent of the cases, they don’t even know.

He hypothesises that people are in it for the wrong reasons: quick money, fame. In his opinion, the only proper industry Pakistan has is the fashion industry which dictates many trends in the music industry “which is why you see people dressed up in all sorts of weird clothes”. They take the advice of the so called fashion gurus seriously. Even when these musicians choose to copy a popular piece, they prefer not to learn from its aesthetic, and just mime the formula or a particular lick and cash in on it.

The first step to becoming a musician, in Mekaal’s opinion, is to learn the instrument, its history and the history of the genre that the musician wants to pursue — which musicians here hardly ever do. “That is why pop music here is really bad, people think its good, but it’s really bad”. In his opinion, one reason is that pop musicians are barely familiar with the styles and the genres they are supposedly pursuing. They have probably heard five bands, which is not enough to understand a particular genre and its developments. A certain myopic nature exists: people have barely heard any music and hence actually believe Pakistani pop is really good.

Responding to the assertion that musicians often underestimate their audience, Mekaal agrees. He says that if you give the audience good music to listen to, they will turn up in throngs to appreciate it. Popular music might be catching at the onset, but if someone cannot sing, the audience will realise it once the magic of corporate packaging wears off and you’ll be left with an audience for fun, not appreciation.

In reality, becoming a musician is very difficult, says Mekaal. When musicians actually sit down to learning, they realise their self worth. Many musicians just don’t want to bother with the hard work that is entailed in this particular art form. It’s easier to get a makeover, a fancy video and pay through the nose than to practice an hour a day.

In his 20 years in this industry, Mekaal claims he hardly knows more than three musicians who regularly practice. Artistes like Gumby, who practice and are one of the best in their field are few and far apart. Aspiring musicians are not even secure enough to approach them to learn.

Perhaps after years of observing, Mekaal lends reality to what would otherwise seem an over arching assumption: people do not want to see how working musicians actually live, their simple lifestyles and daily struggles. The media wants to show the glitz and the glamour, even when the worst professional classical musician would be better than a pop musician. Mekaal says that the media conspires to only show only those who are young, speak good English and are in tune with the latest trends. If channels and publications were actually interested in music as an art form, they would give coverage to all sorts of deserving musicians, not just one archetype: “the mummy daddy musicians!”

Mekaal repeats what according to him he has said in prior interviews: “people do not want to see poor people on screen with people who are well off” as the image being portrayed of music is one of glamour and fun.

These same channels that churn out near trash, can, according to Mekaal, use the same resources in setting a standard in the industry, in helping musicians. The School of Rock, a television program, was a good example of a show which was a good learning tool.

In this entire tirade, it was evident that the bitterness comes from years of trying to help a system that rejects improvement for short-term gains. Mekaal still works in the same industry and opinions might differ, but working in a circle that is not working for its constituents but for its image and immediate remuneration can be defeating and tiring. When great artistes and con artistes receive air play side by side, it would be hard not to become disillusioned and not find alternate careers.

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LAHORE: The name is familiar, the image iconic.

With his dark curly locks and contorted expression as he fingers his guitar, Mekaal Hasan looks every bit the musician.

The Mekaal Hasan Band (MHB) was put together so “fine musicians from various cultures who are interested in communication (to create) something that builds upon tradition,” writes Mr Hasan in the liner notes to the album.

Sampooran, the debut album, explains Mr Hasan, was an attempt to “incorporate the strength of Eastern classical musicians, their melodies, with the more sophisticated harmonic, chordal and rhythmic forms of jazz.” And it works.

Ya Ali starts off with an aalap from vocalist Javed Bashir before exploding in a powerful guitar riff doubled on chanting vocals, then settling into a slower tempo for the antra, or chorus. The eastern and western instruments blend seamlessly, making it a true fusion rather than an incongruous mix.

The title track, Sampooran, which is a raag based on seven notes, is more experimental with the traditional classical structure. It starts off sparsely, with an aalap from flautist Ahsan Papu accompanied by Latin American and African percussion, but gets busier as the song progresses, with layer upon layer of melody added on guitar.

Sajan and Raba are written around kaafis by Sufi poet Shah Hussain, but with different approaches. Raba is based on heavy guitar riffs, with rich textures, layers and sophisticated arrangements. Sajan is simpler, more acoustic and natural sounding.

Waris Shah is based on pentatonic raags and the haunting instrumental Late Moon was deliberately kept loose and free flowing to allow greater improvisation when the band plays live, which Mr Hasan feels is what MHB is best at. Sampooran is also a favourite to play live, with the song structured to allow each musician a solo.

Getting it all together was not easy. Lahore, where Mr Hasan runs the state-of-the-art Digital Fidelity recording studio, proved an inhospitable environment. To get the sound just right, the 31-year-old ended up flying in musicians from London. Things finally began shaping up two months ago when Mr Hasan was in Karachi. It was there that he met music video director Sohail Javed.

Mr Javed, who has directed videos for Junoon and Fuzon, became an instant fan, and champion. He introduced the Mekaal Hasan Band to Khalid Sadaf who instantly signed them onto his label, Sadaf Stereo. The label has now embarked on an aggressive marketing campaign, unprecedented for a debut album.

The multimedia offensive started off with concerts last week in Karachi. Now, Raba, the second single, is on heavy rotation on radio and television, and two other videos are due out over the next three months. The band has also just wrapped two concert specials. However, there are no plans yet to play Lahore.

“Concerts are hard to arrange in Lahore,” said Mr Hasan. Last July, the Mekaal Hasan Band sold out the Alhamra. “It can be very expensive,” he added. It is Lahore’s loss. Still, the band intends to remain very much in the public eye. Mr Hasan, a prolific composer, says the next album is already written and should be out at the end of this year.

The Mekaal Hasan Band is Mr Hasan on lead guitar, Sameer Ahmed on bass, Mr Papu on flute and Mr Bashir on vocals. Guest artists include Javed Akhtar on keyboards, Pete Lockett on percussions, Michael Mondesir on bass and Gumby from the pop group Noori. The enhanced compact disc, with bonus live tracks and a jam video accessible on a PC, is available on Sadaf Stereo records.