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    Lahore Music Meet - 'Celebrating More Than Just Music'

    Written by: Yusra Hayat
    Posted on: April 09, 2015 |

    Noor Zehra with her Sagar Veena

    “Man cannot be saved from music”, remarked Arshad Mahmood, who inaugurated the two-day Lahore Music Meet organized by Natasha Noorani, Noor Habib, Zahra Paracha and Hasan Abbas at the Alhamra Arts Council in Lahore on the 4th and 5th of April. Mahmood’s powerful commencement speech was followed by Noor Zehra’s mesmerizing performance on her father’s unique instrument, the Sagar Veena, which immediately pulled the crowd into the musical festivity of the bright spring season.

    The Lahore Music Meet invited expert musicians to conduct workshops in order to educate and encourage aspiring musicians and to foster a sense of community within the musical fraternity of the country. “This event is simply a labor of love: all the founders are young music enthusiasts who wanted to bring together people representing different strands and aspects of the music industry, and provide them with a platform to hold conversations and debates”, stated Noor Habib, one of the founders.

    Lahore Music Meet 2015

    Sara Haider, Selina Rashid, Zoe Viccaji, Fariha Pervez and Eva Shafique

    One of the first sessions on day I was titled: ‘Marketing Yourself as a Musician’, and it featured Selina Rashid from Lotus Public Relations, Ravail Sattar (drummer of the band Poor Rich Boy), Waqas Ahmad (specialist in music copyrights), and artist Jimmy Khan. The audience entered the hall expecting certain guidelines and tips on successful marketing strategies for aspiring musicians, and was surprised to hear a conversation focused on the shortcomings of the Pakistani music industry and the panelists’ emphases on the dire need to overcome them. This surprise was in many ways quite pleasant, as Almas humorously tackled the issues of the industry, grounding his arguments in the cultural context of the country. He discussed stereotypes and labels faced by Pakistani musicians such as the derogatory term “marasi”, the imposition of entertainment taxes on Pakistani performers, and the clever use of avenues like SoundCloud and YouTube by aspiring musicians, which could defeat the monopoly of corporate patronage.

    Lahore Music Meet 2015

    Sameen Qasim

    The jovial session was followed by a controvertible, yet highly intriguing talk called ‘Her Story: Women in the Musical Space’, featuring Fariha Pervez, Zoe Viccaji, Sara Haider and Eva Shafique. Each of the musicians delved into her journey to success, the obstacles faced, and how she overcame them. While Viccaji highlighted the ease with which she entered the industry, Haider chalked out her struggles and the constant fights she would put up in her early days to secure a slot in the underground scene. Whereas Shafique and Viccaji highlighted their independence as females as the focal point of debate, Pervez mentioned how a male manager was an absolute necessity to survive in the industry. These divergent views demonstrated the richness and authenticity of the dialogue. “This controversy is healthy”, remarked Hasan Abbas, one of the founders, “It is precisely what we wanted – several expert voices under one roof, in front of people who would not just come here to enjoy music but also understand the different facets of music.”

    In addition to the stimulating discussions indoors, the Lahore Music Meet also featured outdoor performances by various underground musicians, including Shajie, Sameen Qasim of Nescafe Basement, and Shazeb Khan of Those Retards. The latter’s rendition of Elvis Presley’s Jailhouse Rock brought out the true fervor of spring gaiety at the festival, as the crowd broke into a trance-like dance in the center of the garden. Sachal Orchestra’s reinterpretation of John Lennon’s Imagine, as well as many local songs, brought the perfect conclusion to a thoroughly enriching and entertaining day.

    Lahore Music Meet 2015

    Jami and Adnan Malik

    Day II commenced with a heightened sense of joie de vivre, and people’s expectations were high due to the success of the previous day. At first, many people were disappointed by the absence of Imran Raza and Sahir Ali Bagga from the session titled, ‘The Art and Business of Film Scoring’. However, acclaimed director Jami saved the day as he steered the session and altered it into a candid and engaging conversation with the audience. He emphasized on the significance of music and video as two abstract art forms that beautifully merge into a coherent whole. He further discussed the misunderstandings associated with these forms and the ways to alleviate them.

    This was followed by ‘A Musical Conversation with Gumby’, where an elaborate setup with Ahsan Bari on the guitar, Rakae Rehman Jamil on the sitar, and Farhan from SYMT on bass guitar awaited the audience. Gumby joined them on drums to initiate a freestyle jam session for about fifteen minutes, to enact a real jamming session where the musicians play freely, interact with each other, and create “their own environment”. This dramatic performance was followed by a question-and-answer session, where Gumby explained how he was always attracted to the loudest instruments as a child, and would practice in his house to comprehend the nuances in beats. He also explained that performing with experienced artists like Abida Parveen and Mekaal Hasan assisted in the evolution of his own music, by bringing newer and more innovative dimensions to it.

    Lahore Music Meet 2015

    Gumby with Natasha Noorani

    ‘The Art of Performance’ with Aziz Ibrahim was unique in its presentation, as it traced the artist’s struggles of being a Muslim musician in the United Kingdom, and also featured the display of his fascinating new equipment, including a customized pedal board and amplifiers.  

    Other sessions incorporated the misconceptions of metal music in Pakistan as the “loud and noisy” genre and enunciated the need to be passionate about music, despite the barricades imposed by society.

    The Lahore Music Meet 2015 was not simply a celebration of music, but a festival that aimed at creating a strong musical kinship that would facilitate future collaborations. The founders were cognizant of the fact that music, particularly for would-be musicians, is accompanied by politics, obstacles, and often a lack of resources, but contains at its very core, an indomitable spirit that surges against all odds.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021