Written by: Nayha Jehangir Khan
Posted on: April 16, 2019 | 
FACE Music Mela
The Foundation for Arts, Culture and Education (FACE) has recently been hosting regular musical gigs and workshops at their F-8 Islamabad venue. Five years ago, they began their journey by hosting the first ever Music Mela at Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), Islamabad. This initiative had a collaborative spirit and brought together like-minded local and international musicians and entertainers for a two day festival. Their main objective was to create a kind of hybrid symposium of musical exchange, and an alternative dialogue for musicians, leading into a musical evening. Over the years, the Music Mela has debuted and launched musicians, creating diverse and eccentric lineups of artists, and pulling in the country’s biggest acts to share the stage. The event is now colored with supportive commercial sponsorship and a great social media campaign. This year, Founder Zeejah Fazli had curated the Mela’s theme as “Interfaith Harmony.” This review will focus on Day 1 of FACE Mela, which was an eclectic and culturally multidimensional lineup of Northern and Southern Folk music, and Sufi Rock bands with quintessential dhamal vibes.
The concert was opened with a solo performance by Sun Ranga Khan playing the shehnai. The shehnai is a descendent of the Persian surna, and is played on auspicious occasions, such as weddings and temple festivities. Alone on stage, Khan’s soulful melodies were nostalgic of Punjabi folk tales. The soothing melancholic vibrations had the crowd listening pensively.
The audience then traveled from southern Punjab to the ephemeral heights of Gilgit-Baltistan with the group, Jiill - (Jheel) belonging to Hunza. Innayat Khan, a Sufi teacher from the early 1900’s said that “musicians with a belief in God, brings to God the beauty and the perfume and colures of his soul.” Jiill performed with multiple Rubabs, one played by hand and the other with a mizrab (a small stick). The Rubab is religiously integrated into the North’s spiritual soul and transmits peace. It’s traditionally played with other accompanying instruments, and the group also had a percussion box, tabla, dhol, flute and violin. Together, they recreated a 1500 year old tradition of gathering people together with such a musical quartet. The group played off each other’s energies and connected with their audience instantly, picking up pace as they built the rhythm layer by layer. It was a mystical trail with seamless transitions and a wave of sound. The strings and the percussions were woven together with the enchanting flute, and the vibrations could be felt throughout the entire PNCA. Jiill’s performance had the audience transfixed with the surprising mastery each musician had on multiple instruments, and their ethnically rooted romance with their regional music.
The members performing from the band Saaqin were Varqa Faraid, Usman Shakeel, Ali Hamdani and Parham Faraid. They sat together on stage to deliver a performance rooted firmly in the spirit of soulful gatherings. Their songs were a high intensity sensory experience that transported the listener into a surreal soundscape, created through a combination of key board, hand drum, acoustic guitar and bass guitar. The audience swayed, while relating to their songwriting on life and spirituality. Saaqin is a blend of regional sounds, fusion of a Middle Eastern folk and Sufi Rock. Usman’s powerful vocals carried his meditative beats and the entire performance was a release of emotions, where Saaqin kept the audience on their toes. Varqa’s seemingly sporadic compositions were in fact spread out like a tapestry throughout each song. He created dreamy moments and operatic high tones, adding theatricality to their sound. The group had passionate fans that clearly adored their music and were eager to chant along, even before they began their songs. Their sound was new age, socially aware, spiritual, poetic and surrealistic.
Saaqin's performance
Winners of Pepsi Battle of the Bands 2, Kashmir, from Lahore consisted of Bilal Ali (Vocals), Usman Siddiqui (Bass), Ali Raza (Piano/Synth), Zair Zaki (Rhythm), Vais Khan (Lead Guitar) and Shane J. Anthoney (Drums). They were warmly welcomed by the Islamabad audience and their foot tapping beats, band chemistry and head banging were memorable and a definitive crowd pleaser. Their song selection showcased their love for performing live, and the audience sang and jumped with enthusiasm to each of their songs. With powerful rock interludes, guitar shredding, dirty guitar riffs, steady bass lines, power punching drums and lots of complimentary solo guitar sections, Kashmir proved themselves as passionate musicians who deliver their songs with utmost rock star sincerity.
Performance by Kashmir
Roots and Dhool were the other two Pepsi Battle of the Bands alums performing. Dhool’s interpretation of Bulleh Shah’s kalam was infused with metal sensibilities. The raw vocals and heavy sound arrangements were experimental Sufi Rock. The lead singer of Roots, Rutaba Muhammad Yaqub brought the funky disco vibes to the stage, and their 80s synth piano and rhythmic drums had the crowd dancing in seconds. The electronica intersected with the upbeat drums and experimental sound sequences, creating dreamy pop ballad shades. Their popular cover of Hadiqa Kiyani’s ‘Iss Baar Milo,’ had an 80s vibe, starting with Rutaba’s deep seductive vocals transitioning to vocal belting. Overall, their performance created lots of great dancing moments and electronica pop renditions.
Rutaba Muhammad Yaqub, the lead singer of Roots
Umail Jaswal brought rock dhamal energy to the stage. Jaswal’s unapologetic Punjabi performance had rock overtones and subtle classic rock undertones. He constantly interacted with his audience, and there were powerful riffs and heavy banging drum sequences. Jaswal’s fans cheered for him from the crowd, and he announced that he had specially made a new song keeping his younger listeners in mind. Using the more electronic pop disco sampling, his new age rendition of “Terre Ishq Mein” originally by Allan Fakir & Muhammad Ali Shehki, had his teenage fans on their feet.
The crowd enjoying the performances at the FACE Music Mela
Naseer Afridi’s performance was a great transitional moment in the Mela’s Lineup, complimenting all other performances. Naseer took the audience from the ethnic quartet sounds, Sufi metal and pop disco electronica to his own KPK roots. He opened with an acoustic Pashtu song that his fans from Peshawar thoroughly enjoyed, and later sang a combination of melodious, romantic and self-reflective songs. His performance of “Hero” and “Za Sta Pasha Mayam,” the widely known radio hits, was fun, lighthearted and memorable. Naseer also sang along with Kashmir during their performance, showing him to be an easy going and fun performer.
Naseer Afridi entertaining the crowd with his melodious voice
The FACE Music Mela was an interesting combination of sounds, musicians and songs. The dedicated organizers, volunteers, media partners, photographers, videographers, ushers, local food stalls delivering savory and sweet treats, and the PNCA grounds are a great home for the festival. Islamabad can always look forward to the next Music Mela, to catch this annual cultural and musical exchange between ethnic, modern, local, international, underground and mainstream musical talents as they take the stage.
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